1. Famous Welsh comedians
Paul Whitehouse, Stan Stennett, Barry Welsh, Owen Money, Max Boyce, Tommy Cooper, Barry Island..

2. Just like that!
Caerphilly born comedy magician Tommy Cooper took his first steps to stardom whilst working as a milkman in Bristol. Invited to contribute to his work’s talent contest, Tommy choose to try-out his magic skills on the unsuspecting audience. So bad was he as a would-be magician, he had his work-mates crying with laughter. Thus was born a comic genius.

3. Die laughing
Tommy Cooper died, just like that, of a heart attack whilst performing live and direct on ITV’s ‘Live From Her Majesty’s’. He’s not the only comic to meet such a fate. The peerless Eric Morecombe (of ‘Morecombe & Wise’ fame) went the same way.

4. That’s not the way to do it!
Freddie Metcalf only had one leg, and was a legendary Punch & Judy man. Whilst performing on Blackpool Pier in the summer of 1962, Freddie ended up choking to death on the voice modulator he used to make Punch’s squeaky voice.

5. Ha-ha, plonk!
In days of old when knights were bold and toilets not invented, the only way to flex your funny bone was to be a court jester. But, if the court jester failed to raise a royal titter, they faced the real risk of being dragged off to the tower.

6. What a fine day for a marathon
Wild-haired 72 year old Ken Dodd continues the age-old tradition of touring what’s left of the UK’s music halls. But if you’re thinking of going along yourself, pack your sandwiches and a flask – Doddy’s average show lasts a staggering 5 hours.

7. Stiff competition
Greek dramatist Aristophanes (c440-388BC) was probably the world’s first great comedy writer. Plays such as Clouds, Wasps, and Birds wowed the athenian public with their biting wit and satire.

8. You don’t see many of those these days French comic Le Petomane regularly left his audiences weeping at his unique version of the folk song Frere Jacques. He farted his way through a note perfect rendition.

9. Open up and say ha-ha!
Harry Hill was a doctor before he became the badgertastic comedian he is today. And Jo Brand was a psychiatric nurse.

10. Please miss!
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders were both training to be teachers before they got their big break on BBC’s 1980’s cult classic ‘The Young Ones’.