A tricky career
John van der Put - aka Piff The Magic Dragon - on the path he chose....
19/10/2013 … Comedians.
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.
Sat 19 October 2013
He didn't ask to be a pioneer, he just wanted to make people laugh
Dave Cohen pays tribute to Felix Dexter, who died on Friday
19/10/2013 … Like so many comics on Twitter and Facebook this morning, I was saddened and shocked to hear about the death of Felix Dexter, a great comic actor and for many years…
Fri 18 October 2013
Leave the space monkey jokes to the pros!
Alan Varley fears gags falling into the wrong hands
18/10/2013 … As is now common knowledge, at half-time during Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Poland, England manager Roy Hodgson told his players a joke about an astronaut…
Thu 17 October 2013
Double or quits...
Matt Gardner on unfashionable double acts
17/10/2013 … British comedians are now well-known for providing some of the greatest laughs in the world of modern entertainment, though had it not been for a breakthrough back…
Mon 14 October 2013
It's time to reappraise Roseanne
Chris Hallam on the 25th anniversary of a blue-collar sitcom
14/10/2013 … Let’s face it: Americans do not like losers.
Fri 11 October 2013
Don’t take it the wrong way...
Tom Crawshaw on homosexuality in comedy
11/10/2013 … In 1972, during an impromptu TV appearance with jazz singer George Melly, Monty Python star Graham Chapman, rather drunkenly, came out as the first publicly gay…
Thu 03 October 2013
The joys of an out-of-town gig
Jack Grant venues beyond the M25
03/10/2013 … A lot of good comedy stories invoke the mystical mythical ‘out-of-town’ gig.
Thu 26 September 2013
The pros and cons of running your own comedy night
26/09/2013 … I’ve performed at some lovely, excellent comedy nights (Up The Creek, Pull The Other One, Eclectic and Comedy Trumpet to name a few particularly welcoming nights)…