"Funniest Comedian EARL OKIN vs JOHN OLIVER"

Earl Okin (born 31 January 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and comedian. Born in Carshalton, Surrey, Okin has lived in Notting Hill since he was six years old. He holds a degree in Philosophy from the University of Kent at Canterbury (1968) and worked as a schoolmaster for 11 years before going full-time...when invited on tour to open for Paul McCartney & Wings. By that time, he'd reached the level of deputy-headmaster. Okin recorded his first single at Abbey Road in 1967. Some of his songs were covered during the 1960s by Cilla Black, Georgie Fame and Helen Shapiro, the latter recording now popular within the world of Northern Soul. During the 1970s, Okin started to perform as a support act in large venues. Beginning with folk acts such as Ralph McTell and Fairport Convention, he progressed to open for such varied performers as Jean-Luc Ponty and Van Morrison. However, it was the 1979 tour with Paul McCartney and Wings which prompted him to pursue his musical career full-time. He also began to perform at jazz festivals. In 1981, he appeared on Parkinson and was invited by Nigel Planer to perform at the Comic Strip. This led to his second career on the "alternative comedy" circuit where he remains a headline act. However, his act continues to be primarily musical. He has never performed stand-up. Fans' favourite comedy songs of his are "Mango", "Bessie" and "My Room". In 1983, he began to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe where he performed over 500 shows. However, hating what had become of the Fringe, he ceased performing there in 2000. Okin continues to work as a songwriter and jazz singer/musician, with a particular interest in Bossa Nova. He gives concerts in Brazil from time to time, as well as touring his one-man show, a mixture of music and comedy, worldwide. He has performed in New York at Birdland, The Apollo and other jazz venues, but, not forgetting his comedy side, also at Caroline's. In addition he toured India, Singapore, and other nearby countries. He has also performed at most major venues in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, The Palladium and Wembley Arena.

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John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom. He came to wider attention for his work in the United States on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as its senior British correspondent from 2006 to 2013. Oliver won three Primetime Emmy Awards for writing for The Daily Show and was its guest host for an eight-week period in 2013. In addition, Oliver co-hosted the satirical comedy podcast The Bugle (2007–2015) with Andy Zaltzman, with whom Oliver had previously co-hosted the radio series Political Animal, and hosted John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show on Comedy Central from 2010 to 2013. He has also acted on television, most notably in a recurring role as Dr Ian Duncan on the NBC sitcom Community, and in films, notably voice-over work in The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2 (2013), and the 2019 remake of The Lion King. He became a U.S. citizen in 2019. Since 2014, Oliver has been the host of the HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He has received widespread critical and popular recognition for his work on the series, whose influence over US culture, legislation, and policymaking has been dubbed the "John Oliver effect". For his work on Last Week Tonight, Oliver has won thirteen Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards and was included in the 2015 Time 100, being described as a "comedic agent of change...powerful because he isn't afraid to tackle important issues thoughtfully, without fear or apology". Many have described Oliver's work as journalism or investigative journalism, a description Oliver rejects.

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