Weekend Rewind: NZ comedy on TV - From Billy T to Flight of the Conchords

Kiwi comedy legend Billy T James. Photo / Supplied

With the NZ International Comedy Festival underway, NZ On Screen's Zara Potts checks out some of our on-screen funny business.

Comedy. It can be a controversial topic. What I find funny, you might find awful. What you might find funny, I might find gobsmackingly terrible. But that's part of the joy of being human – we all have different things that tickle our funny bones and who can really say if they're good or bad.

Over the years, comedy has changed. Nowadays slapstick is out of fashion and some of what we genuinely found funny in the 70s and 80s would now have the 'yoof' shaking their heads in disbelief. What we can (hopefully) agree on is that New Zealand has produced its fair share of funny buggers.

Here, in no particular order, are some of our (subjective) best.

Watch Billy T in The Best of the Billy T James Collection here:

The late, great Billy T James' unique brand of humour skewered all scared cows, but in an affable way. In this Te News skit, he's at his non-PC best, with his iconic black singlet and yellow towel on show, as the cops in the Kaikohe Police Station come in for some classic Billy T treatment.

Watch Flight of the Conchords on Newtown Salad here:

Flight of the Conchords have risen to delirious heights since their first television appearance, which we believe is this clip from Newtown Salad. The show was broadcast on Wellington regional station, Channel 7, and the duo first appeared on the debut episode in 1999 singing two songs – Nothin' Wrong and the rare track Rock Beat. But fans will surely recognise a later performance of Bowie, as did the 16 members of the studio audience.

Watch the 1998 version of We Don't Know How Lucky We Are here:

The late John Clarke may have been an honorary Australian for the majority of his professional life, but his laconic humour was well and truly Kiwi. He first came to attention here as Fred Dagg, a well-beloved and oft-quoted character that gently poked fun at our rural heritage. In this song, first released in 1975 – and later updated to feature a host of celebrities – John Clarke created an unofficial Kiwi anthem that still has resonance today.

Watch Havoc 2000 Deluxe here:

In the late 90s, Mikey Havoc ruled supreme. He was on the airwaves, the telly waves and even had Christmas television specials. His offbeat humour touched a nerve with a generation, and he had a particular genius to annoy baby boomers. This clip has some of the more memorable moments from his 1999 show, including malarkey with various Kiwi TV celebrities, and a surreal recital of The Doors, 'Light My Fire', from the late newsreader Angela D'Audney.

Watch Rowan Atkinson on Top Half here:

Okay, he's not a Kiwi, but Rowan Atkinson sneaks into the list by virtue of his star turn on the regional show Top Half. In 1983, Atkinson was a BAFTA -winning comedy star when he toured New Zealand. Top Half reporter Chas Toogood hatched a plan to turn the clichéd celebrity interview on its head, by Toogood never actually getting to interview his quarry. Atkinson shot each scene just once. Fun fact: Atkinson's show Blackadder had debuted just two months previously.