Top 20 Funniest TV Characters

#20: David Brent

“The Office” (2001-03)

Ricky Gervais’ breakout role was the exceedingly cringeworthy paper company manager, David Brent. He’s the series’s central character, and while he’s hilarious, the performance is so convincing it’s equally painful. All of us have known someone like Brent in our lives, trying desperately to please everyone but ultimately impressing no one, except Gareth. While he is almost entirely unlikable, you surprisingly feel sorry for him by the end. Some fans even cried at his climax, where he begs for his job. We also considered Gareth, Keith, and Tim for this list, but this show would barely work without Brent, so he had to be our pick.

#19: Hyacinth Bucket

“Keeping Up Appearances” (1990-95)

Few TV personalities are more desperate than Hyacinth to become upper-class, which forms the core conflict of this 90s sitcom. As loved as she is, the creator said he put barely any effort into making her, as she was inspired by so many people he’d known. Hyacinth isn’t intended to be too relatable or likeable, as you’re meant to laugh at her the whole time. That hasn’t stopped us from loving her for years, although we probably wouldn’t enjoy meeting her in real life. We have to praise the stellar performance of Patricia Routledge, who did such a wonderful job of bringing her to life that we can’t imagine anyone else in the role.

#18: Nessa

“Gavin & Stacey” (2007-24)

James Corden and Ruth Jones created this series, which quickly became one of the nation’s most adored love stories. Jones not only wrote it, but also played Stacey’s best friend, Vanessa Shanessa “Nessa” Jenkins. In our opinion, she’s easily the star of the series, despite not being one of the main characters. She has some of the funniest lines and moments, such as the reveal of her past love life with politician John Prescott, whose name is tattooed on Nessa’s back in Chinese. We also came close to putting Rob Brydon’s character Bryn on here, whose scenes with Nessa are peak comedy.

#17: Victor Meldrew

“One Foot in the Grave” (1990-2000)

Richard Wilson was hesitant to play the lead character of this dark comedy, but he likely doesn’t regret the role now. He’s the epitome of a grouchy pensioner, with the series focused on his unusual retirement. It’s far from the relaxed elderly years most of us hope for. Meldrew gets in a ton of bizarre situations, like being prosecuted after he attacked a dog with coconut meringues. While he is always grumpy and complaining, he is pretty clearly the most sane person in the show. This makes him sometimes too relatable, unfortunate for viewers who don’t want to be compared to an elderly man.

#16: Sir Humphrey Appleby

“Yes Minister” (1980-84) / “Yes, Prime Minister” (1986-88)

James Hacker is the titular minister and later PM of this classic 80s political satire. While he’s a memorable lead, his secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, is far funnier. He’s defined by his unparalleled ability to confuse his peers with a bizarre selection of vocabulary and constant quirky questions. On the outside, he’s incredibly eloquent and appears skilled at his job, but it’s a bit of a front given how frequently he messes up. His speeches are often the highlight of the episode, and it seems the BAFTAs agree, as his actor, Sir Nigel Hawthorne, won 4 BAFTAs for playing Appleby.

#15: Mandy

“This Country” (2017-20)

This heartwarming but also somewhat bleak sitcom has a solid cast of characters, who all stand out in their own unique way. The Mucklowe cousins make for an amazing lead duo. There’s also the Reverend, who has a top-tier supporting role, alongside village locals Slugs and Len, who never disappoint. To us, Mandy sticks out as the most amusing. She’s absurdly intense and intimidating, making her someone we’d hate to meet in real life, but love to watch on screen. Every line that comes out of her mouth is comedy gold, making us constantly itching for her next scene or quip.

#14: Ali G

“Da Ali G Show” (2000-04)

Sacha Baron Cohen is a Hollywood star these days, featuring in a plethora of major motion pictures. His big break came in 2000, when his satirical persona, Ali G, got his own show. He became known for his uniquely unhinged interviews with celebrities, where he intentionally asks them infuriatingly stupid questions. For instance, he asked Buzz Aldrin his opinions on the Moon’s locals. It’s one of many personas of Cohen, with Borat being his most internationally recognised. While they’re all funny in their own way, Ali G sticks out to us as his defining character.

#13: Cat

“Red Dwarf” (1988-99; 2009-20)

Every main character from this long-running sci-fi sitcom could justify a spot on our list. Lister is the loveable lead, Rimmer is his pompous holographic colleague, and they’re later joined by the whimsical android Kryten, who completes the crew. They’re all exceptional characters in their own way, but when it comes to comic relief, Cat takes the cake. He’s the descendant of Lister’s pet feline, Frankenstein, alongside the most selfish and stupid member of the crew. As time goes on, he evolves to become more empathetic, but not less comical. Our personal favourite duo is Cat and Kryten, as the contrast between their personalities rarely misses.

#12: Norman Fletcher

“Porridge” (1974-77)

Even if they forgot to include all the jokes in this prison sitcom, we would still probably love it on account of Ronnie Barker. Fletch is the series’ lead, and he’s surprisingly difficult not to love, which says a lot given he’s a convicted criminal. Fletcher becomes sort of the prison dad, helping the inmates to read and write and just generally looking out for them. That’s where “Porridge” shines so hard, not only compared to other comedies but prison shows as a whole. It was one of the earliest examples of media humanising prisoners, rather than making them all morally bankrupt scoundrels.

#11: Captain George Mainwaring

“Dad’s Army” (1968-77)

We can’t think of a single series that can match the staying power of “Dad’s Army.” It’s been almost half a century since it concluded, and it still gets more views than most modern productions. It masterfully injects comedy into the lives of World War 2 Home Guard soldiers, who are a ragtag group of men ineligible to fight abroad. Literally every primary character could earn a spot on our list, but with so many that would take up the whole video. We’ve settled for the leader, Captain Mainwaring, who brings the Home Guard’s dynamic together wonderfully well. We can imagine the show still working without every other character, but not Mainwaring.

#10: Malcolm Tucker

“The Thick of It” (2005-12)

Many consider this political satire to be the creator Armando Iannucci’s magnum opus. It’s hard to disagree, since it’s impossible to watch without losing your sides. Some of the most comical characters include the senior Glenn and Nicola Murray, the latter being so incompetent that it borders on depressing, as she mimics real politicians. The person fans most easily remember has to be Malcolm Tucker, masterfully portrayed by the legendary Peter Capaldi. We’d like to show you our favourite lines of his, but he swears so frequently that the video might get taken down, so you’ll just have to watch it for yourself. Or rewatch it if you’ve seen it to death already, like us.

#9: Karen Brockman

“Outnumbered” (2007-24)

On the outside, Karen seems like a sweet, soft-spoken young girl. These things are both true, but if you’ve seen the series, you’ll know she also has no filter, confidently asking her parents questions they probably get nightmares about hearing. This turned her into one of the most lovable children in TV history, although most parents shiver at the thought of their kid talking like Karen. The whole family is a joy to watch, including her older brothers Ben and Jake, and the show likely wouldn’t work without her parents, Sue and Pete, played by TV legends Claire Skinner and hugh dennis Pete Brockman. None of them can match Karen’s sass, though.

#8: Super Hans

“Peep Show” (2003-15)

Matt King brought this legendary character to life for 12 years, but he’s still not watched it himself. Hans is best mates with main character, Jez, but he’s easily one of the least reliable friends ever. The pair are terrible musicians, but won’t hesitate to screw each other over to make it big, even though they likely never had a chance to begin with. Despite how morally bankrupt he is, he’s not the show’s most evil character. Hans easily has some of the greatest lines, too, which frequently catch us off guard due to his nonchalant delivery. Well, they would if we hadn’t memorised them all years ago.

#7: Aunt Sarah

“Derry Girls” (2018-22)

In this quirky Northern Irish comedy, every character has plenty of iconic lines. This made it a challenge to narrow it down to just one person. Of the main girls, Orla is probably the most peculiar, rarely understanding social cues and never having a filter. While she is a favourite of many and the primary comic relief character, we found her mum Sarah to be ever so slightly funnier. The bizarre parent casually drops many of the show’s greatest lines. We also considered choosing Sister Michael, who won a BAFTA for her time on “Derry Girls,” but we personally prefer the oddities of Sarah.

#6: Philomena Cunk

“Cunk on Britain” (2018)

It’s hard not to adore the monumentally stupid persona created by Diane Morgan. She’s a parody of almost every documentary host in UK history, but is most frequently compared to Brian Cox, on account of the accent. She was created for “Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe,” but people loved her so much she blossomed into a titan of UK comedy. There’s now an abundance of Cunk media, which sees her interview and embarrass countless professionals. It feels very inspired by Ali G, except way more deadpan, which to us makes her the most humorous persona. If you like Cunk, don’t hesitate to check out her absurd character comedy “Mandy.”

#5: Mr Bean

“Mr. Bean” (1990-95)

Few UK faces are as internationally recognisable as Mr Bean. While he is quintessentially British, the humour comes exclusively from Atkinson’s physical performance. This makes it super easy to export, as it’s universally understandable. This was first proven in 1987 at a Canadian comedy festival, when Atkinson demanded to perform for the French audience. This was a test to see if he could make the character work without a shared language, which as you can probably guess, went down like a charm. Interestingly, Bean got his name after making the first episode, and supposedly, there was a chance he could’ve been Mr Cauliflower.

#4: Basil Fawlty

“Fawlty Towers” (1975-79)

No other John Cleese performance is as celebrated as his role in “Fawlty Towers.” Basil Fawlty is easily the most incompetent hotel manager in TV history, unable to do anything correctly. This leads to scenarios that get unrealistically out of hand, resulting in almost Shakespearean climaxes except with a focus on laughs, not tragedy. Fascinatingly, it was inspired by a real hotel owner, Donald Sinclair, with whom Monty Python stayed in 1970. Everyone checked out early except Cleese and his wife, Connie Booth, likely as they became inspired by his eccentricities. Sinclair’s family believes it’s wildly inaccurate, but former employees of his generally disagree, although they admit it is somewhat exaggerated.

#3: Del Boy

“Only Fools and Horses” (1981-96; 2001-03)

Depending on your source, this is often considered the UK’s greatest sitcom. It focuses on the whimsical escapades of Del Boy and his half-brother, Rodney Trotter. The pair are desperate to get rich quickly, leading them to concoct hilarious schemes to achieve this goal. Del Boy is often the major driving force for these plans, and his charm means he sometimes comes close to striking gold. It’s rare he is successful, though, but as the show progresses, he tries harder to appear richer than he is. It’s not just Del Boy who is the highlight; every character is a blast to watch, but he’s easily the most memorable.

#2: Alan Partridge

“I’m Alan Partridge” (1997-2002)

Another character created by Armando Iannucci has entered our list; this time, it’s Steve Coogan’s most famous character. He made his TV debut on “The Day Today” in 1994, written by Iannucci and Chris Morris. Partridge became so quickly adored that he got his own series the same year, “Knowing Me, Knowing You.” In 1997, his most famous work was broadcast, “I’m Alan Partridge.” It only ran for 12 episodes, but it’s considered a staple of UK television. It’s not only funny because of Coogan’s performance, but it’s a primary factor. Partridge is thankfully here to stay and has appeared in a variety of popular projects in the years since.

#1: Blackadder

“Blackadder” (1983-89)

In somewhere like America, Rowan Atkinson is likely better known as Mr Bean. Over here, many of us hold Blackadder closer to our hearts. The first series was excellent, but after they swapped the personalities of Atkinson and his sidekick Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson. This resulted in an almost perfect 3 seasons of television, which made us all fall head over heels for Blackadder’s wit, despite his questionable morals. While the show is named after him, he doesn’t carry it on his own. Baldrick is to many fans just as funny, and there are standout side characters in every series, such as the constantly entertaining Queenie, or whichever roles Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie have been given that season.

We love to cover a variety of topics, so if you have any lists you’d like to see us take on, whether that’s TV, history, movies, or something we’ve never done before, leave them in the comments below!