--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the first rule of comedy is that…" description: "\"I think the first rule of comedy is that it has to be funny and I find a lot of the broad comedy which is sent to me, painfully unfunny.\" — Nigel Cole" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/nigel-cole-35821_broads_i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that_1868143.jpg" --- # I think the first rule of comedy is that it has to be… ![“I think the first rule of comedy is that it has to be funny and I find a lot of the broad comedy which is sent to me, painfully unfunny.” quote by Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/nigel-cole-35821_broads_i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that_1868143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/nigel-cole-35821_broads_i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that_1868143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/nigel-cole-35821_broads_i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that_1868143.jpg) > “I think the first rule of comedy is that it has to be funny and I find a lot of the broad comedy which is sent to me, painfully unfunny.” [Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comedy must first succeed in being funny; otherwise it fails its primary purpose. **In simple terms:** Comedy must be funny. Key Takeaway Prioritize humor over other elements. Themes comedy creativity audience expectations Mood frustrated critical Type observational evaluative When to use this quote - stand‑up performance - scriptwriting - improv shows - online sketches Key Concepts humor theory artistic standards Questions to Reflect On - What makes a joke universally funny? - How do you balance originality with audience taste? A Different Perspective Humor is subjective; what amuses one may alienate another. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The first rule of comedy should be, you must be very lazy. Whoever works should be immediately removed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrus-broacha/the-first-rule-of-comedy-should-be-you-must-be-very-lazy-whoever/) [Cyrus Broacha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrus-broacha/) > [The number one rule of comedy acting is 'don't try to be funny.' Act as seriously as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-goor/the-number-one-rule-of-comedy-acting-is-don-t-try-to-be-funny-act-as/) [Daniel J. Goor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-goor/) > [Regardless of what kind of film, the number one rule of comedy is to never take yourself too seriously and then the next rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-graynor/regardless-of-what-kind-of-film-the-number-one-rule-of-comedy-is-to/) [Ari Graynor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-graynor/) > [I love straight-face comedy or relatively subtle comedy. And then I turn around and I find myself doing very broad comedy but it's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-white/i-love-straight-face-comedy-or-relatively-subtle-comedy-and-then-i/) [Betty White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-white/) > [I like broad comedy. If I had an idea tomorrow for a film that was all slapstick and broad comedy, and it was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-like-broad-comedy-if-i-had-an-idea-tomorrow-for-a-film-that-was-all/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [The broad comedy thing is really hard to do on film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/the-broad-comedy-thing-is-really-hard-to-do-on-film/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I love broad comedy. It has its place. If I were to do that, I'd love to do physical comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-love-broad-comedy-it-has-its-place-if-i-were-to-do-that-i-d-love-to/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [The connection between pathos and broad comedy is very tight. But you do far more work in a comedy scene than you do in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/the-connection-between-pathos-and-broad-comedy-is-very-tight-but-you/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I think there are certain subjects I don't want to tackle, that I don't think I could do a good job with. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carpenter/i-think-there-are-certain-subjects-i-don-t-want-to-tackle-that-i-don/) [John Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carpenter/) > [Feature films seem geared toward very large budgets, action, broad comedy. That seems to dominate all year where it used to be relegated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-hunter/feature-films-seem-geared-toward-very-large-budgets-action-broad/) [Holly Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-hunter/) > [I'm not really crazy about broad comedy. I like very possible, real situations that you might have found yourself in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judge-reinhold/i-m-not-really-crazy-about-broad-comedy-i-like-very-possible-real/) [Judge Reinhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judge-reinhold/) > [I'd love to do a really broad comedy at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-d-love-to-do-a-really-broad-comedy-at-some-point/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [“Fun is good but too much of fun has resulted in much kind of unfunny happenings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/fun-is-good-but-too-much-of-fun-has-resulted-in-much-kind-of-unfunny/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [I thought, "I don't want to be the only unfunny guy in this movie. I really would like to be somehow involved in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morse/i-thought-i-don-t-want-to-be-the-only-unfunny-guy-in-this-movie-i/) [David Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morse/) > [You make me smile for no reason whatsoever, you make me laugh at the unfunny things, but most of all, you make me love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/you-make-me-smile-for-no-reason-whatsoever-you-make-me-laugh-at-the/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) ## More by Nigel Cole > [I can only do it if there's humour, wit, comedy and drama. If you can get audiences laughing and then suddenly turn them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/i-can-only-do-it-if-there-s-humour-wit-comedy-and-drama-if-you-can/) [Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) > [Amongst my friends, I am known as the most cynical person they know - I'm incredibly cynical. I don't believe in God, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/amongst-my-friends-i-am-known-as-the-most-cynical-person-they-know-i/) [Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) > [Making a movie in Hollywood is a bit like playing a board game, where you have to throw a six to start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/making-a-movie-in-hollywood-is-a-bit-like-playing-a-board-game-where/) [Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) > [I really ought to try and make a film that's a bit more cynical. But I don't think I'd know how to do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/i-really-ought-to-try-and-make-a-film-that-s-a-bit-more-cynical-but-i/) [Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) > [I think your 20s are the hardest part of life. 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I make films that hopefully entertain people, where they can learn something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/i-m-not-making-films-for-middle-aged-journalists-who-are-mostly-men-i/) [Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) > [The popular image that Hollywood is ruined by difficult prima donna actors is nonsense. They're certainly very nice to directors. I can't say the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/the-popular-image-that-hollywood-is-ruined-by-difficult-prima-donna/) [Nigel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) [Explore all 13 Nigel Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/) ## More Broads quotes > [Thoroughly understand what it is to understand, and not only will you understand the broad lines of all there is to be understood but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/thoroughly-understand-what-it-is-to-understand-and-not-only-will-you/) [Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/) > [We'll walk together holding hands, and kiss in broad daylight, and love each other as much as we want to, and no one will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-ll-walk-together-holding-hands-and-kiss-in-broad-daylight-and-love/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [There was only the broad square with the scattered dim moons of the street lamps and with the monumental stone arch which receded into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/there-was-only-the-broad-square-with-the-scattered-dim-moons-of-the/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. 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I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-formally-accountable-to-the-steering-board-of-the-pic-and-i-meet/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [Particularly the broad masses of the people can be moved only by the power of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/particularly-the-broad-masses-of-the-people-can-be-moved-only-by-the/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [So the first thing I learned about how to get superior performance is not to buy stocks that are near their lows, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neil/so-the-first-thing-i-learned-about-how-to-get-superior-performance-is/) [William O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neil/) > [Broad-based, inclusive growth is what we need in America, not more advantages for people at the very top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/broad-based-inclusive-growth-is-what-we-need-in-america-not-more/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The trees are white with dust, that o'er their sleep Wave their broad curtains in the south-wind's breath, While underneath such leafy tents they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-trees-are-white-with-dust-that-o-er-their-sleep-wave-their-broad/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [A top World War II ace once said that fighter pilots fall into two broad categories: those who go out to kill and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-top-world-war-ii-ace-once-said-that-fighter-pilots-fall-into-two/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jubilee 2000 is a broad coalition which has moved the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/jubilee-2000-is-a-broad-coalition-which-has-moved-the-earth/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [As science is more and more subject to grave misuse as well as to use for human benefit it has also become the scientist's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-science-is-more-and-more-subject-to-grave-misuse-as-well-as-to-use/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 956 Broads quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the first rule of comedy is that it has to be funny and I find a lot of the broad comedy which is sent to me, painfully unfunny.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nigel Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that-it-has-to-be-funny-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Broads" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that-it-has-to-be-funny-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/nigel-cole-35821_broads_i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that_1868143.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/nigel-cole-35821_broads_i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that_1868143.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/nigel-cole-35821_broads_i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that_1868143.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think the first rule of comedy is that it has to be funny and I find a lot of the broad comedy which is…” — Nigel Cole", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nigel Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think the first rule of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that-it-has-to-be-funny-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cole/i-think-the-first-rule-of-comedy-is-that-it-has-to-be-funny-and-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```