Chortle's Opinions section is an arena for fans to share their views on any aspect of comedy.
We invite general comment pieces about particular aspects of the comedy scene (although reviews of individual shows or performers tend not to be suited to this section except in very rare circumstances). Contributions should be at least 500 words in length, in a similar tone to something you might read in a broadsheet newspaper, and emailed to steve@chortle.co.uk
We reserve the right to edit pieces – although we will be careful not to change the meaning of anything – or not to use them at all. By submitting an article you grant Chortle indefinite licence to use it freely; though you retain the copyright on it to use it elsewhere.
Liam Mullan explains how Seinfeld changed everything
21/10/2009 … Curb Your Enthusiasm’s seventh season has a running storyline in which Larry David attempts to woo back his wife Cheryl by orchestrating a cast reunion of Seinfeld,…
By Italian stand-up Giacinto Palmieri
15/10/2009 … It’s accepted wisdom that comedians are allowed to crack jokes about their own ethnic, religious or national groups that would seem offensive coming from outsiders.
Matt Price on the parallels between comedy and boxing
14/10/2009 … I interviewed professional and amateur fighters for a few years, boxed as an amateur superheavyweight and learned the hard way that I wasn't suited to being repeatedly…
01/10/2009 … The comedian’s onstageAnd he’s pissed at the poncey liberal middle classesSo far up their own arsesHe wants to explode their politenessTest their preconceptionsWhich…
Nelson David on the 'unimaginative, derivative, culturally barren mulch' that gets commissioned
30/09/2009 … As I read Chortle’s edited highlights from the Broadcast TV Comedy Forum last week, it became very clear that the TV times they are a changin’.
Chris Hallam celebrated the cult sitcom's tenth birthday
23/09/2009 … Ten years ago, the British comedy scene was very different from the one we know today.
Ashlea Dutton, 16, wonders if comics have a sell-by date
21/09/2009 … Does the comedy scene belong to the younger model? In the showroom are the flashy Porsches named Whitehall, Kane and Donnelly, revving up technology-based gags,…
Donnchadh O Conaill wants comedy to be taken seriously
15/09/2009 … Critics are often thought of as being to comedy what a vendor hawking pork pies is to an orthodox Jewish wedding – unwelcome intruders offering unpalatable goods.
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