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.
Chris Hallam wonders why some comedies date better than others
21/02/2012 … Why does some comedy date so much worse than others?Why, for example, is the groundbreaking Fifties radio series The Goon Show now almost entirely incomprehensible…
Hartley Pool on the comedy scene in Malaysia
21/02/2012 … At a nightclub in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Tyneside-educated local Kavin Jay jokes about his size and improvises well with a crowd of 350, lapsing in and out of…
Taylor Glenn dislikes comedy's competitive side
20/02/2012 … Nope, this isn't about comedy competitions, it's about comic competition.
20/02/2012 … So it was last week when Bonzo – head of the talky clowns union and editor of the Daily Chuckle called me into his office.
Matt Price takes issue with 'have-a-go' hacks
17/02/2012 … Of all the comedy cliches that exist, I never thought that journalists having a go at ‘a bit of stand-up’ would be one.
Dave Cohen salutes the comic genius of John Dowie
17/02/2012 … Spike Milligan, Bob Hope, Alexei Sayle, Victoria Wood – each of these comedy giants could be defined as Britain’s most influential comic, and few would argue…
Maxine Jones on the Comedy Store's new act challenge
06/02/2012 … I’m a 50-something, female comedian with barely 100 gigs to my credit – two at the Comedy Store’s King Gong in London.
Milo McCabe finds it tough to relax...
05/02/2012 … Having a day off as a comic is more of a problem than you might expect.
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