I was never one to go up to someone as a five- or six-year-old and say, ‘Hello, my name’s Paul, will you be my friend?’ But I found if I did an impression of the PE teacher or whatever and people laughed, then they did like me, and so then they started talking to me, rather than me making the initial overture and then maybe being rebuffed. Paul Merton Read Quote
I read every book about Buster Keaton and Chaplin to see how they worked – it’s all about dedication, tunnel vision, pursuit of perfection, getting the gag right. Paul Merton Read Quote
There’s something magical about film, it’s the ultimate for me, because it’s kind of permanent – inasmuch as anything is. When I went to see Buster Keaton when I was about 14 and I came out of the cinema having really laughed at this film which had been made 50 years before, I thought: That’s immortality. It’s fantastic. Paul Merton Read Quote
When things are difficult, awful, stressful, the thing that always gets you through is a sense of humour. I don’t mean – well, maybe I do – laugh at the hangman as he puts the noose around your neck. But an eye, an ear, for the ridiculous, the absurd in life, can get you through a lot. Paul Merton Read Quote
When I was nine I spent a lot of my time reading books about the history of comedy, or listening to the Goons or Hancock, humour from previous generations. Paul Merton Read Quote
I think having an outsider’s viewpoint is interesting and good, especially for a comedian. Paul Merton Read Quote
And like the old stereotype, I overcame my shyness by making my friends laugh. Paul Merton Read Quote
I’ve never been disappointed by politicians. I’ve never invested that much in them in the first place. Paul Merton Read Quote
