I Laughed, I Cried by Viv Groskop
10/07/2013 … It’s a feature-writing staple: a journalist – probably with a secret desire to be a comedian – picks up a few tips from the pros, then performs a one-off…
Latest Books
Reviews of books about comedy, including biographies of comedians old and new, and (occasionally) books by comedians. To have a book considered for review, send a copy to Chortle, 112 Norman Road, London, E11 4RL.
Wed 10 July 2013
Wed 26 June 2013
The Gig Delusion, by Andy Kind
26/06/2013 … This is the ‘difficult second book’.
Thu 06 June 2013
From Goal To Gags by Mick Miller
06/06/2013 … We’ve just lost Paul Shane, aka Hi-De-Hi’s Ted Bovis, the scheming stand-up and lynchpin of the holiday camp yellowcoats.
Tue 02 April 2013
So A Comedian Walks Into A Church by Paul Kerensa
02/04/2013 … The first book from comedian Paul Kerensa is subtitled ‘confessions of a kneel-down stand-up’.
Tue 05 February 2013
Stand-Up Or Die by Andy De La Tour
05/02/2013 … Andy De La Tour deserves a noble place in the history of stand-up.
Tue 11 December 2012
2012 stocking-fillers
The best of this year's 'humour' books
11/12/2012 … It’s a brave reader who plunges into the ‘humour’ section of their local bookshop (if, indeed, such a thing still exists) in the hope of finding something…
Mon 19 November 2012
30 Years Of 'Allo 'Allo by Richard Webber
19/11/2012 … Though it’s hard to think it, two enduring British sitcoms celebrate their 30th anniversary this year: Blackadder and ’Allo ’ Allo.
Tue 06 November 2012
Britain Had Talent: A History Of Variety Theatre by Oliver Double
06/11/2012 … Variety has an image problem these days, seen in retrospect as a rather tacky collection of cheesy acts that passed for entertainment in a world before television.