Greatest comedy of all time named

London - This Is Spinal Tap has been voted the greatest movie comedy of all time.

The 1984 cult mockumentary - which was directed by Rob Reiner and featured a cast of unknowns playing a spoof band who made much of the script up on the spot - beat Airplane! into second place in a poll by Time Out magazine.

Time Out critic David Jenkins said: "It's sublimely funny and sharp - a comedy built for the long haul which matures with each viewing. It's so perfectly constructed and performed, the characters so rich and realistic, that it's initially a challenge to determine the dividing line between reality and fiction."

When Spinal Tap was released some viewers were convinced the fake group - which had a tendency to lose drummers in increasingly more bizarre accidents - were a genuine band.

Monty Python's Life of Brian came third while Annie Hall, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Withnail and I also featured in the top 10.

Voters taking part in the poll included Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd, Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright and The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant.

Time Out's Top Ten comedy films:

1. This Is Spinal Tap

2. Airplane!

3. Monty Python's Life of Brian

4. Annie Hall

5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

6. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

7. Withnail and I

8. Groundhog Day

9. Some Like it Hot

10. The Jerk