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.
'My earliest and most revolting ideas revealed themselves' says comic Paul Hilleard
24/08/2026 … How do you write a stand-up comedy show? How important is it to nail your debut hour? Nobody really tells you.
Sophie Power on what she learned about doing a show called CVNT
23/08/2026 … Naming my debut show CVNT after one of the most taboo words in the English language was definitely a choice.
Bróccán Tyzack-Carlin says progressives should stop playing the nice guy
19/08/2026 … Anger can be funny.
18/08/2026 … What it’s like doing comedy in another language? I like it a lot.
18/08/2026 … In 2025, I quit my senior software engineering job at Google to pursue comedy full-time.
How Tom Short learned the skills – and limitations – of AI
17/08/2026 … If you'd told me ten years ago that one day I'd be taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe written with the help of artificial intelligence, I'd have assumed…
16/08/2026 … A priest, a nurse and a student all walk into a protest.
© Steve Best Andrew Pipe on what drives a reasonable person into stand-up
16/08/2026 … ‘Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious’ – Peter Ustinov To mark the 30th anniversary of my first full-length Edinburgh Fringe show,…
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