Competition, schmompetition
Taylor Glenn dislikes comedy's competitive side
20/02/2012 … Nope, this isn't about comedy competitions, it's about comic competition.
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.
Mon 20 February 2012
Journalism for clowns
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…
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.
Sun 05 February 2012
There are no days off when you're a comedian
Milo McCabe finds it tough to relax...
05/02/2012 … Having a day off as a comic is more of a problem than you might expect.
Wed 01 February 2012
The secret of good comedy writing... is writing
Turn off Twitter for an hour and get creative, says Sally Holloway
01/02/2012 … What’s the secret of good comedy writing? A perfectly attuned comic brain that can twist every new concept they come across? Natural genius? An inherent sense…
Tue 31 January 2012
This list of influential comics was Hopeless
Iain Todd says modern comedy owes a lot to Bob
31/01/2012 … Billy Connolly has been named the UK's most influential stand-up comic of all time, but I'd like to suggest someone else.