Cooper voted funniest ever!

Fez askew, fumbling and bumbling as he messed up his magic tricks, he made you laugh just by looking at him - then sent you into hysterics with his one-liners.

Now, 20 years after his death, the genius of Tommy Cooper has been recognised with a poll naming him the funniest British comedian of all time.

Beating off competition from more recent performers such as Peter Kay and Billy Connolly - second and third respectively - he notched up an impressive 10 per cent of the votes.

Cooper finished top of a league of other comic giants such as Morecambe and Wise (4th), Bob Monkhouse (5th) and Ken Dodd (6th).

'Comedy fashions come and go - but, as far as the British public is concerned, you obviously can't beat Tommy Cooper's classic one-liners,' said Simon Hemelryk of Reader's Digest, which conducted the poll for its September issue.

'For him to still be so popular, even among younger voters who were kids when he died, is incredible.'

Born in Caerphilly, South Wales, Cooper was a natural comic. He started his showbusiness career in the Army, entertaining troops in the Middle East during the Second World War.

Unable to find his pith helmet before a show one evening, he borrowed a fez from a waiter, stuck it on his head and walked on stage to roars of laughter.

The fez stayed and became a trademark to accompany his corny gags - along with his catchphrase 'Just like that'.

Although a competent conjurer, Cooper made an art form of getting his magic tricks hilariously wrong.

And his shrewdly- crafted persona of a clumsy, confused giant lumbering about the stage - combined with perfect comic timing - won him millions of fans.

After making his television debut in 1947, he was a favourite with the British public throughout the Sixties and Seventies. In 1969 he was voted ITV's Personality of the Year.

But in 1984, aged 63, he collapsed on stage from a heart attack during a broadcast of Live from Her Majesty's. Believing it to be part of the gag, the audience laughed and applauded. Cooper died shortly after.

But two decades after his death, he is still seen by young and old as the man who has made us laugh the most. He topped the poll among the over-55s, claiming 14 per cent of the votes, but even the under-35s placed him fifth.

But a number of other comic legends were almost totally ignored by those polled, including Tony Hancock with just 16 of the 2,000 votes, Peter Sellers with five votes and Peter Cook with one vote.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, The Two Ronnies did not feature at all.

There was also a notable lack of women in the poll results. Dawn French was the only female comedian to make the top 20, finishing 11th equal with David Jason.

Victoria Wood came 22nd. But the poll revealed Peter Kay's universal appeal.

The 30-year-old comic was a winner among the under-35s with 21 per cent of the votes. He was also the favourite among women (10 per cent) and the over-55s placed him third (9 per cent).

The Scots voted Billy Connolly the best British comedian ever, with four times as many votes as second-placed Cooper.

Connolly also came joint top in Wales, with he and Cooper both claiming 10 per cent.