Chortle

It is hard to believe that comedy was once ‘alternative.' Once upon a 1980s time a new generation of comedians, led by Alexei Sayle and the Comic Strip troop, resisted the racist and sexist workingmen's club shtick of Bernard Manning and co, and made of their liberal politics a new style, mode and mood for stand-up. At the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century comedy has become a career choice like politics, and comics like Michael McIntyre are so comfortably mainstream that it appears that we're on way back to the gentle, jolly music hall. Or: Chortle is a listings site for comedy, but much more besides. 

Chortle is the place to come to find out who's touring. It's also a great resource for profiles of comics great and small, featuring biographies, CVs, reviews, news, videos and comments. So if you're sick of the dominant comics, and fancy catching someone who might surprise you, this bank of profiles acts as an excellent introduction to the comics currently on the circuit.  

Chortle aims to be a comprehensive guide to British comedy, so you can also enjoy reviews, interviews, podcasts, extracts from books by Stewart Lee and Harry Hill, a vast video archive and features. Oh, you can also find out how to see comedy for free. 

28 September 2010