Comedians with a serious film career
Paul Laight's rundown of the best dramatic performances
12/05/2014 … Getting on stage and making a room full of strangers laugh spontaneously is arguably one of the mightiest challenges facing a performer.
2014 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.
Mon 12 May 2014
Sun 11 May 2014
Paul Sinha champions 'club comedy'
'It's a fantastic place with dazzlingly funny comedians'
11/05/2014 … A few weeks ago I won my first ever comedy award, after several surprise nominations.
Fri 09 May 2014
'Club comic' is a putdown for a reason...
Scott Weddell says critics should praise ambition, not crowd control
09/05/2014 … Earlier this week, stand-up Freddy Quinne wrote a Chortle Correspondence piece about the phrase ‘Northern club comic’, which he felt had become a derogatory,…
Thu 08 May 2014
The death of a comedy night, a tragedy in five acts
08/05/2014 … Opening NightYou’ve come up with an hilarious pun to call the night (Mirth Defect!), you’ve paid someone to design a logo, the venue are excited and the room…
Sun 04 May 2014
Why I hate the phrase 'northern club comic'
Freddy Quinne on a lazy journalistic shorthand
04/05/2014 … Perhaps my least favourite phrase in the whole of comedy is 'smashed it'.
Mon 28 April 2014
How comedy prepared me for motherhood
Now nothing fazes American comic Susie Felber
28/04/2014 … I have performed comedy - sketch, improv and stand-up - since about 1996.
Wed 16 April 2014
I've made it! I'm playing a venue with a door...
Richard Gadd on going from the Free Fringe to the West End
16/04/2014 … Is the football shown in here?Does it look like the football is shown in here? There's a TV at the back of the room.
Sat 12 April 2014
The Posthumous Playlist
Died on stage? Evelyn Mok has some songs for you...
12/04/2014 … It happens to all of us, the best of us, the mediocre of us and especially to the worst of us.