Want to get ahead in comedy? Don't be in London
Aaron Twitchen says moving out of the capital made him a better comic
01/07/2024 … For too long, London has been seen as the centre of the comedy industry.
2024 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 01 July 2024
Sat 29 June 2024
Tories are beyond satire... but I still gave it a go
Joe Venable on writing a Rishi Sunak musical in the space of just a month
29/06/2024 … Is there any point to this? I asked myself that a lot, when I set out to write a satirical musical about Rishi Sunak’s election campaign.
Fri 28 June 2024
© Michelle Huggleston Photography We need satire more than ever... so where is it?
Robin Morgan says TV should be using comedy to connect to voters turned off by politics
28/06/2024 … I grew up watching topical comedy on TV – Mock The Week was the gateway to watching live stand-up comedy, but before that, I remember watching Have I Got News…
Fri 07 June 2024
Political Comedy: An Idiot's Guide, Part 2
Alistair Barrie on 'you can’t say anything these days' and more
07/06/2024 … When a student working on a dissertation asked stand-up Alistair Barrie his opinions on political comedy, he got carried away with his answer, and produced…
Thu 06 June 2024
Political Comedy: An Idiot's Guide, Part 1
Alistair Barrie on how the divisive issue of Brexit affected his work
06/06/2024 … When stand-up Alistair Barrie – the self-professed idiot of the headline – was asked his opinions on political comedy, he got carried away with…
Tue 14 May 2024
There is danger in using trauma as entertainment
Lizzy Lenco on the pros and pitfalls of mining true life for art
14/05/2024 … One of the few things I remember about waking up in a hospital bed after my road traffic collision was a fellow comedian telling me, ‘well, at least now you’ve…
Why saucy seaside postcards were rebellious – so had to be censored
Becky Fury celebrates their vulgarity
14/05/2024 … To contemporary observers, the humour of saucy seaside postcards is almost as unfathomable as the desire to go on the type of donkey-riding, pier-promenading, rock-sucking,…
Thu 09 May 2024
Why I unironically love Joe Pasquale
09/05/2024 … Two seismic events in the world of UK stand-up this week: Joe Pasquale is out on the second leg of his extended The New Normal - 40 Years Of Cack! tour, and my NextUp…