You're no one if you're not on TV
John Fleming on success vs originality
22/05/2012 … Appear on TV or fail as a comedianThat is not quite the situation, but it is, alas, very close to it.
2012 Opinions
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.
Tue 22 May 2012
Wed 16 May 2012
Who's the real prick?
Gareth Morinan has (possibly) the last word on Fringe censorship
16/05/2012 … While reading all the palaver about Stuart Goldsmith’s calling himself a prick in the Edinburgh Fringe programme, I thought ‘an official person from the Fringe…
Tue 15 May 2012
Broken Brighton
Chortle editor Steve Bennett asks if England's biggest Fringe festival is a wash-out
15/05/2012 … I should be happy.
Mon 14 May 2012
It's about quality, not class
Chris Hallam on the axing of My Family
14/05/2012 … Zoe Wanamaker complains that the My Family was axed last year because, she was told, ‘the BBC didn't want to have any more middle-class sitcoms’.
Sun 13 May 2012
Fallen idol
Laurence Clark is disappointed with Ben Elton's attitude to the disabled
13/05/2012 … The whole nation took a sharp intake of breath at two words uttered by Ben Elton on BBC Breakfast.
Thu 10 May 2012
Repression? That's Sc*tl*nd for you
Liam Mullone wonders whether censoring words for penis is just the tip of the, er, iceberg...
10/05/2012 … My formative years were spent in Edinburgh.
Why is the Fringe censoring free-thinking artists?
Mark Little on the increasing conservatism in comedy
10/05/2012 … Who is squeezing the 'political' life out of the Fringe? Since 1979 I have been performing my solo spoken-word comedy.
Wed 02 May 2012
How to beat the gong
Simon Caine gives would-be comics tips for the gladiator arena of comedy
02/05/2012 … This week, I came second at the Comedy Store’s King Gong show, on only the second time I’ve ever taken part.