The new politics of comedy
Liam Mullone explains where Doug Stanhope is coming from
21/02/2010 … Doug Stanhope has no need for me to defend him, be I ever so humble in the meritocratic (and therefore perfect) world of comedy.
Latest 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.
Sun 21 February 2010
Thu 18 February 2010
No one should be the butt of a joke
Mab Jones says too many gags are rooted in hate
18/02/2010 … My comedy partner, Kevin Coleman, is big, and fat, and bald.
Wed 17 February 2010
Doug Stanhope – what a silly old right-winger
Jay Slater takes issue with the provocative comedian
17/02/2010 … Recently, Chortle linked to an interview with the US stand-up Doug Stanhope.
Tue 16 February 2010
Get over yourselves!
Patrick Kavanagh on the arrogance of new acts thinking they're better than the audience
16/02/2010 … ‘Five minutes just isn't long enough!’ moans Padraig Ryan in a recent Correspondents piece; while ‘surrealist/anti-comics can’t get beyond open-mic spots’ whines…
Fri 12 February 2010
Don't blame the audience
Dave Cohen argues that the solution to bad audience sitcoms is – more audience sitcoms
12/02/2010 … No TV show provokes more intensity of passion than an audience sitcom.
Tue 09 February 2010
Guess what? Some gay audiences are great...
Paul Sinha rebuts claims it's all about drag queens and glitter
09/02/2010 … Last Friday night, having finished my solo show at the Leicester Comedy Festival, I had a couple of drinks with gay friends before venturing down to The Dover Castle,…
Mon 08 February 2010
Why are gay comedy audience so terrible?
Danny Hurst hates the narrow-minded love of glitter over substance
08/02/2010 … The other night I was booked for a birthday party.
Sun 07 February 2010
Gimme five? That's just not enough
Padraig Ryan complains about the brevity of open-mic sets
07/02/2010 … Five minutes.