Reference Veggieburger Today at 21:23:
A lot of the comedians from that era seemed to have links with the folk/music scene and write funny songs - Jasper Carrot and Richard Digance etc.
Very true. Arguably the biggest example (no pun intended) is Billy Connolly, who also started off as a folk singer. I think a lot of it comes down to the closer rapport of folk compared with most other types of music, which often leads performers to develop their "patter" and, ultimately, comedy routines.