Recent Correspondents
2011 Correspondents
Chortle's Correspondents 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 execpt in very rare circumstances) - with the one that's judged best each month receiving a £100 prize. 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.
Fri 30 December 2011
Away from the desk job...
David Phillips on Harry Hill's return to stand-up
30/12/2011 … Having seen Harry Hill’s stand-up only twice in my life, bookended by avidly watching his TV shows on Channel 4 and ITV, I was eager to find if he had kept the music-hall magic alive after being tied to a desk for the last few years, as he made his return to live performance in front of fewer than 100 Christmas punters in the tastefully decorated Battersea Barge on the Thames.
Sat 24 December 2011
People thought we were just drunks taking our clothes off...
John Fleming chats to Martin Soan
24/12/2011 … There’s a theory that comedy thrives in a recession, as people seek cheer amid the financial gloom.
Fri 23 December 2011
Nothing dwarfs Gervais's talent
Lorcan McGrath's still a fan, despite the flaws of Life's Too Short
23/12/2011 … It’s often said that if you dish it out you’ve got to take it too.
Thu 22 December 2011
What comedy courses SHOULD teach you
Says Norman Cho, who graduated from one
22/12/2011 … There are plenty of gripes about comedy courses.
Wed 21 December 2011
Is there anybody out there...?
Linus Lee experiences New York's dead open mic scene
21/12/2011 … It’s 6:05 on a Tuesday evening in midtown Manhattan.
Tue 20 December 2011
Got a religious joke? Tell it to the judge
Andy Todd on move that turns comedians into criminals
20/12/2011 … Oh my God! Did you hear what Frankie Boyle said about the Protestant schoolchildren and the Catholic priest? No? Well, that's because the police locked Frankie up and threw away the key.
Wed 14 December 2011
Want to build a comedy career? Do it yourself
Bob Slayer on the rise of independent comedy
14/12/2011 … Stewart Lee quite rightly pointed out in his book How I Escaped My Certain Fate that in the Nineties when Janet Street-Porter said, ‘comedy is the new rock and roll’, what it really meant was that there was a lot of money being made – but very little of it was finding its way to the acts.
Tue 13 December 2011
Hacked off...
Rob Hughes says being 'hack' isn't the worst sin
13/12/2011 … As a comic, I get to see more live comedy than most and so find myself frequently involved in discussions about stand-up – mostly with other comedians.
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