Comedy's ditching stereotypes for authenticity
...to the delight of stand-up Aliya Kanani
19/07/2022 … Long before I began performing, I’d go out to watch live 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.
Tue 19 July 2022
Fri 15 July 2022
Alcohol made me lazy as a person – and as a comic
Canadian stand-up Michelle Shaughnessy on why she quit drinking
15/07/2022 … I started comedy at a young age, before it was legal for me to drink.
Wed 13 July 2022
© Steve Ullathorne Why do my pronouns cause such panic?
Cerys Bradley on the exhausting travails of being non-binary in comedy
13/07/2022 … The People’s Comedy, The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft, Bristol I was psyching myself up before the gig.
Tue 12 July 2022
Is TikTok good for comedy?
Finlay Christie on what digital comics can learn from older stand-ups – and vice-versa
12/07/2022 … Since putting out sketch content on TikTok and YouTube, I’ve been labelled as a different kind of comedian.
Mon 11 July 2022
© Garry Carbon ‘But this is a comedy show!’
11/07/2022 … ‘But this is a comedy show!’ I’ve had these exact words uttered to me twice, on separate occasions by an audience member while previewing…
Wed 06 July 2022
© Kayt Webster Brown Here's a hot take for you... hot takes are dead
Eryn Tett thinks 'edgy' comic risk stagnating in a pool of lukewarm repetition
06/07/2022 … Hot take: Hot takes are dead Wow.
Mon 04 July 2022
© Stan Kaplan Racism is inherent in comedy - we need to acknowledge that
Says South African satirist Conrad Koch
04/07/2022 … Comedy’s power is its licence to say the unsayable.
Fri 01 July 2022
© Swiss Chocolate Pictures Why fat jokes are OK
...but only when they're done well, says stand-up Kate Barron
01/07/2022 … I am pro-choice, especially when it comes to comedy.