Double act

A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the English music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act, often highlighting differences in their characters' personalities. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases for the artists' entire careers. Double acts perform on the stage, television and film.

The format is particularly popular in England where successful acts have included Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (Cook's deadpan delivery contrasted with Moore's buffoonery), Flanagan and Allen, Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies, Smith and Jones, Fry and Laurie, and French and Saunders, Armstrong and Miller, and Mitchell and Webb. The tradition is also present in the United States with acts like Wheeler & Woolsey, Abbott and Costello, Gallagher and Shean, Burns and Allen, Olsen and Johnson, Lyons and Yosco and Key and Peele. The British-American comedy double act Laurel and Hardy has been described as the most popular in the world.