Top ten stand-up comedian characters in movies

If you like your live entertainment a little on the wacky side, Edinburgh is THE place to be from Friday as the world famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival kicks off. Expect the usual strange shenanigans, whether from the comfort of established venues or just on the Royal Mile as performers from all across the globe strive to stand-out and make a name for themselves. And this corner of Scotland has proved fertile ground for many budding stars, especially in the stand-up comedy business.

Live comedy is one of the most high-profile aspects of the arts festival and since 1981 the best of the bunch have competed for the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award, now re-named the Edinburgh Comedy Award. And the list of past winners of this award is not only crammed full of those that have forged successful television careers, but many that have gone on to tickle the funny bone of Tinseltown.

The likes of Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder, the Night at the Museum movies), Lee Evans (There’s Something About Mary, Mousehunt) and most especially the Cambridge Footlights including among their number two-time Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, House star Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry (V for Vendetta, Gosford Park) have all gone onto blur the lines between stand-up comedy and the cinema; and so in tribute to these Hollywood humorists, we’re laughing our socks off with ten of the best fictional film stand-up comedians.