Recent Correspondents
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.
Wed 22 February 2012
It's not who you are, but who you know
Paul Rickets wonders whether comedy really is a meritocracy
22/02/2012 … I am going to start off this article by saying this is NOT a competition.
Tue 21 February 2012
Good for its age?
Chris Hallam wonders why some comedies date better than others
21/02/2012 … Why does some comedy date so much worse than others?Why, for example, is the groundbreaking Fifties radio series The Goon Show now almost entirely incomprehensible to anyone under the age of 60 while the Ealing comedy Kind Hearts And Coronets – which is older - still seems fresh as a daisy?I’m not talking about fashion here.
Healthy mockery... or barely-disguised racism?
Hartley Pool on the comedy scene in Malaysia
21/02/2012 … At a nightclub in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Tyneside-educated local Kavin Jay jokes about his size and improvises well with a crowd of 350, lapsing in and out of English, Malay and Manglish (a bastardised, often humorous, mixture of both languages) as the mood hits him.
Mon 20 February 2012
Competition, schmompetition
Taylor Glenn dislikes comedy's competitive side
20/02/2012 … Nope, this isn't about comedy competitions, it's about comic competition.
Journalism for clowns
By Caimh McDonnell
20/02/2012 … So it was last week when Bonzo – head of the talky clowns union and editor of the Daily Chuckle called me into his office.
Fri 17 February 2012
Stop press: There's more to stand-up than a single gig
Matt Price takes issue with 'have-a-go' hacks
17/02/2012 … Of all the comedy cliches that exist, I never thought that journalists having a go at ‘a bit of stand-up’ would be one.
The most influential comic you've never heard of
Dave Cohen salutes the comic genius of John Dowie
17/02/2012 … Spike Milligan, Bob Hope, Alexei Sayle, Victoria Wood – each of these comedy giants could be defined as Britain’s most influential comic, and few would argue about their inclusion in any arbitrary list, like the one that recently named Billy Connolly at its head.
Mon 06 February 2012
Why I love the Gong Show...
Maxine Jones on the Comedy Store's new act challenge
06/02/2012 … I’m a 50-something, female comedian with barely 100 gigs to my credit – two at the Comedy Store’s King Gong in London.
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