The Big Yin was recently named Britain’s best loved comedian – topping Channel 4’s poll of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups – and has even made waves in Hollywood, appearing in films alongside such luminaries as Dame Judi Dench, Tom Cruise and, er, The Muppets. With five kids and even a couple of grandchildren, Connolly has also been known to dish out a few pearls of parenting wisdom on stage: “Don’t buy one of those baby intercoms,” he says. “Babies pretend to be dead. They’re bastards and they do it on purpose.” Er, we’re sure he didn’t mean that last bit.

It’s hard to believe that Peter Kay has had enough time to make a baby recently, seeing as the ‘Phoenix Nights’ star has appeared in just about everything on our TV screens over the last few years. FQ’s not quite sure what was more ridiculous – the number one single or the ‘Coronation Street’ cameo – but we do know that Kay has to be one of the funniest dads around, and little Charlie will never be short of fatherly advice: “The most embarrassing thing you can do as a schoolchild is to call your teacher ‘mum’ or ‘dad’.”

Dads don’t come much more odd-looking than ‘Black Books’ star Bill Bailey, but they don’t come much funnier either. Bailey’s whimsical ramblings, as seen on his bestselling ‘Part Troll’ DVD, are among the best stand-up routines you’ll ever see. A selfconfessed Star Trek geek, Bailey actually named his son after a character from the show. While at first that might seem a tad cruel, little Dax should count himself lucky really; it could have been a lot worse. Imagine being called Spock for instance.

Not content at simply being a national treasure – writing and starring in legendary comedies such as Monty Python and Fawlty Towers – John Cleese saw fit to improve the country’s home-lives by cowriting a book called “Families and How to Survive Them”. If, however, one of the tips is to let your child star in a major Hollywood film – as Cleese did with daughter Cynthia in A Wish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures – then we’re not sure how useful the advice will be to the average dads on the street, most of whom don’t have major studios at their beck and call.

Having Alan Partridge as your dad would probably make for the most cringe-worthy and embarrassing childhood ever. Indeed, the fictional sports reporter-turned-chat show hostturned- local radio DJ admits that although he’s got access to his kids, they don’t want to see him, and you can hardly blame them. In reality, we’re sure Steve Coogan is nothing like his alter ego, but he certainly gives the tabloids plenty to write about with his alleged bad behaviour. He has, however, vowed to clean up his act for the sake of his nine-year-old daughter, which is enough to make him a top dad.

From a crude stand-up comedian and eighties icon, starring in films such as Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places, to a family-friendly funnyman in hits such as Dr Dolittle and Shrek, Eddie Murphy’s career has had it all. That’s not to mention the Oscar nomination and Golden Globe he won for Dreamgirls, or the alleged dalliances with transsexual prostitutes. Maybe best to keep that last bit quiet. Add to the mix the fact that he got a Spice Girl pregnant and there isn’t really a lot left for Eddie to do… except maybe make Beverly Hills Cop 4.

Yes, Woody Allen did marry his ex-lover’s adopted daughter, who also happens to be 35 years his junior, but that doesn’t stop him being an extremely witty filmmaker. Allen has received more Oscar nods than any other screenwriter and although his films rarely threaten the box office records, they are nearly always well received by the critics and they’re the people who know best, right? Ok, maybe not, but Scarlett Johanssen has been in two of his most recent films, which is surely reason enough to go and see them.

Old School star Will Ferrell was the highest paid actor in Hollywood in 2005, earning an unbelievable $40million for making just two movies. Yes, two. With all that money in the bank, it’s little wonder that Ferrell has been able to dedicate plenty of time to making babies with his beautiful Swedish wife. Fortunately for his sons, Magnus and Mattias, Ferrell didn’t follow the baby-naming lead of Ricky Bobby, his character in Talladega Nights, who named his boys Walker and Texas Ranger. “If we wanted wussies as kids, we would’ve named them Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman.”

Things might have worked out very differently for Ben Stiller, had his parents not both been comedians themselves: “If my parents were like, plumbers, who knows what I would be doing?” he explains. As the unofficial leader of Hollywood’s ‘Frat Pack’, Stiller has been the driving force behind such comedy gems as Zoolander and Dodgeball, and is currently enjoying a sickeningly perfect life with the gorgeous Christine Taylor and his two young children. Having a child changes everything in a most positive way,” says Stiller.

10 Sacha Baron Cohen As his comedy alter egos Ali G and Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen has made a hugely successful career out of humiliating people for our amusement and last year enjoyed a massive box office hit – and an Oscar nomination – with Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The 36-year-old Cambridge graduate tries his best to shun the spotlight, but what we do know is that he is currently expecting his first child with Isla Fisher – formerly of Aussie soap Home & Away. High five!