My Top 10 Cartoons by Tez Ilyas

“I’VE loved cartoons ever since I was a kid and still do so as an adult. They first introduced me to comedy, mostly in the shape of slapstick hu­mour, and now as an adult shows like South Park and Rick And Morty continue to shape my voice. Anyway, here are my top 10 cartoons,” said Tez.

10. Fraggle Rock: Okay, not strictly an animated cartoon I know. And if I’m honest, I couldn’t even tell you what it’s about, apart from some weird puppet-looking things living underground. But what I do know is that it was my favourite thing growing up and the theme tune even now sends me into giddy sentimental rushes. I owe it to my five-year-old self to include it.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Who was your favourite? Initially mine was Leonardo, the leader and all that, but as I got older and understood more of the humour, my favourite was definitely Raphael, the sarky git. It had such an impact on me that even to this day when posh people talk about art and they mention one of the famous Renaissance art­ists, I hundred per cent think of the Turtles.

8. ThunderCats: Arguably the greatest action car­toon ever created for kids, with an epic theme tune to match. If you were born after 1990 it was most likely before your time, but trust me, it was amazing.

7. Family Guy: The pretender to The Simpsons crown. It’s a fair comparison given that both are based on a single family and the funniest person is the dad. But it holds up on its own, and although I don’t watch it as much as I did when I was at uni­versity, it is still very funny and makes me laugh out loud, which is not easy when you do comedy for a living.

6. The Simpsons: Obviously you can’t have a list without including The Simpsons on it. It pioneered a lot of shows we enjoy now. Another classic that is great for all ages. When I was younger, my favourite was Bart, but obviously the best character is Homer. Not only the best in that show, but argua­bly one of the greatest characters of all-time.

5. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Not enough peo­ple have seen this. This is genuinely one of those things that is equally enjoyed by kids and adults. It’s an epic, underwritten by great philosophical musings. Plus it’s so funny! It’d stand up against most sitcoms too.

4. Looney Tunes: Ah man, there’s no way anyone didn’t love this growing up. The adventures of Bugs, Daffy, Speedy Gonzales etc. It was actually very clever and so well-written. I think my favour­ite storylines were Road Runner and Wile E. Coy­ote. Like Tom, I always felt sorry for Wile E! Bless.

3. Rick & Morty: Wow, possibly the best show on TV right now. It’s so clever and out there, I am genuinely envious that anyone could create some­thing this good. I love it, both as a funny cartoon, but also just as a sci-fi show; some of the ideas and concepts are outrageously good.

2. Tom & Jerry: My favourite cartoon when I was growing up. I’m literally watching this on Amazon Prime as I type. I think that I always felt sorry for Tom, even when I was younger. This is timeless entertainment that kids and adults alike have loved over decades.

1. South Park: This is probably the single thing that has shaped my stand-up the most over the years. I love how edgy and satirical it is, and how indiscriminate it is in its targets. The most irrever­ent show on TV, probably ever.

(With special mentions also to Animaniacs, Ba­nana Man, Flintstones, He-Man, Hey Arnold, Pope­ye, Raggy Dolls, Rugrats, Scooby Doo, Super Ted, Trap Door and X-Men)

• Comedian Tez Ilyas is currently touring his show Teztify aross the UK. He will be performing his slick, smart, subversive stand-up show as part of Alchemy at Southbank Centre on May 7. Visit www. southbankcentre.co.uk for more. Visit www.tezilyas. com, Twitter & Instagram: @tezilyas for more.