David Baddiel joins Chortle Conference

Sharing tips on comedy and career

David Baddiel has been named as the closing guest at the Chortle comedy conference next month.

With experience of writing stand-up, sitcom, movies and novels as well as starting on stage, screen and radio, he will share his insights gleaned from a diverse 25-year career.

In 1992 he was the first comedian to perform in a British arena, playing Wembley with Rob Newman on the back of their successes with The Mary Whitehouse Experience on TV and radio, and Newman and Baddiel in Pieces on TV.

He went on to work with Frank Skinner on Fantasy Football – creating an enduring England World Cup anthem on the side – and on the entirely improvised Baddiel & Skinner Unplanned, which ran on ITV after its launch at the Edinburgh Fringe and online.

As an author, Baddiel has written four critically acclaimed books and the movie The Infidel, starring Omid Djalili, Richard Schiff, Matt Lucas and Miranda Hart. A stage musical version opens later this year, partly financed by crowd funding.

Baddiel returned to stand-up after a 15-year absence last year, with a show, Fame: Not The Musical, that proved a hit at the Fringe and is currently playing at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.

He is also working on a new sitcom for Channel 4, his first major television project in eight years. Sit.com, which he is also directing, focusses on the obsession with social media. He previously wrote and starred in his own sitcom, Baddiel’s Syndrome, on Sky One.

He will be speaking about all these, sharing tips and answering questions, at the Chortle Conference at the Soho Theatre on June 13.

The event will offer unrivalled first-hand advice about getting on in the industry for comedians, agents and producers – from how to tackle the Edinburgh Fringe to securing sponsorship for comedy projects.

Broadcasting commissioners will reveal what they are looking for – and you can even pitch directly too them – while discussions will cover the perceived crisis in comedy clubs and whether you can make a career from a more alternative form of comedian.

Baddiel joins a line-up that includes fellow comedians Alexei Sayle, Tony Law and John Kearns as well as experts across the comedy world.

Click here for the full programme. Or use the form below to buy tickets. They are currently available for the early bird discount price of £65 for the full day, including breakfast, lunch and coffee where you can mingle with the contributors and get priceless first-hand advice.