Every time a friend tells me they’re deleting Instagram, a small part of me dies. From fighting for my life in the RuneScape Wilderness to crying over cruel ask.fm questions to my ill-fated-beauty-YouTuber stint in 2010 … I grew up on the internet. I hate it, I love it, but it’s an intrinsic part of who I am now.
While my list has me questioning myself deeply, it does make me laugh, and good laughter has been my saving grace of late. Hopefully it might make some of you laugh too. Here goes.
1. This octopus that can walk
Starting strong with something that I honestly don’t know if I find raucously funny or absolutely terrifying. Something about this pseudo-amphibian octopus decidedly does not sit right with me, but does it make me chuckle? Yes. Convulse? A little. This video is something I’ll never be able to un-see, and now you too are afflicted. You’re welcome.
2. I Think You Should Leave – Zipline
I did a show called Apples Never Fall last year with some incredibly funny people, and among some of my fondest memories of the shoot is sitting in our green room watching Tim Robinson sketches on my castmate’s phone while we absolutely pissed ourselves. This one had multiple re-runs.
3. Richard E Grant’s Instagram
Oh isn’t it just fantastic! Thank you Richard. Golden.
4. What is this, ice?
I believe my older brother Will showed this to me for the first time many, many years ago. This is the kind of video that I will rewatch forever, and stridently bring out at parties to even the most tepid of audiences.
5. Shannon Sheridan as Kim Cattrall scatting
This is two for one. Kim Cattrall scatting will always be a classic gag. It truly never misses. I have recited this particular string of sounds many a time for my (evidently) wonderfully tolerant friends. THEN my hilarious friend Shannon flawlessly recreated what was already one of the funniest things I have seen on the internet. Thank you Shannon.
6. Mamma Mia Comic Relief
No notes. To me, you are perfect. Personal highlights include “chicken tikka, tell me the truth” and the inspired casting of the Swede. Would recommend watching both parts.
7. The man who makes all the ice cubes in Europe
Two words. Is eneuf.
8. Alison Brie and I on the Slingshot
I didn’t think I’d put myself in this list under any circumstances, but this is a video of Ali and I on the infamous Slingshot ride in the Gold Coast that makes me proper belly-laugh. I ask you to kindly ignore the sounds that emerge from me and instead watch Ali as her soul leaves her body for a full 10 seconds.
9. Berlin Germany
Need I say more? Just excellent.
10. Servideo’s Breakfast Club
Lauren Servideo, one of the great comedic minds of our time, made a video that had me guffawing through 2018. I even recreated it once with some particularly long sweater sleeves and had the gall to DM it to Lauren with a message reading, “Love you SM, I hope this makes sense.” To my utter delight, she replied: “It makes perfect sense and I SIMPLY LOVE.”
Clearly, I never got over it.
