They're the best, in my book
Next Up's boss with his pick of the Chortle Comedy Book Festival events
15/11/2020 … The Chortle Comedy Book Festival kicks off this afternoon, with 22 funny and fascinating sessions over the next eight days.
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 15 November 2020
Wed 04 November 2020
I'm cancelling myself...
Dave Cohen accepts that 'political correctness' means sharing the opportunities
04/11/2020 … Last month, I wrote about the various stages of my career in an attempt to work out how much of my success was down to my own talent, and how much to the luck and…
Wed 14 October 2020
How much of my success as a comedy writer has been down to white male privilege?
14/10/2020 … What are your chances of becoming a writer? Of being successful enough to make a living? We’re always being told it will depend on a combination of talent…
Tue 08 September 2020
A celebration of beautiful idiocy
Nicko Vaughan praises Phil Nichol and Tony Law's Virtue Chamber Echo Bravo
08/09/2020 … I was thrust into the comedy world at the age of 20 when I was part of the first BBC Open Mic competition, back when the final was broadcast on BBC One.
Mon 07 September 2020
The punchline gap
Rosalie Minnitt and Alison Middleton suggest ways to level the comedy circuit playing field
07/09/2020 … It is a truth universally acknowledged that men get more laughs than women.
Thu 03 September 2020
© Hat Trick/BBC BBC comedy's not left-wing: its audience has moved to the right
Academic Sebastian Bloomfield argues that dissent is always at the heart of comedy
03/09/2020 … The BBC’s incoming director-general, Tim Davie, is reported to be considering how to balance the broadcaster’s comedy output to showcase both sides of…
Mon 24 August 2020
© Ardfern/CC BY-SA 3.0 The battle to Save Live Comedy is getting critical
'Use it or lose it' as best you can, writes Steve Bennett
24/08/2020 … This weekend’s news that The Stand comedy clubs are teetering on the brink of collapse has brought home just how urgent and vital the various campaigns to…
Tue 04 August 2020
© Pierre Rosa / Pixabay But is it art?
Sebastian Bloomfield on stand-up comedy and the quest for cultural credibility
04/08/2020 … Arts Council England has recently taken the unprecedented step of including comedy as a form of theatre under the terms of the Culture Recovery Fund, part of the…