Overview
Funny, lively and unpredictable, stand-up comedy is above all a medium
to be enjoyed. Popular as a good night out and packing the TV schedules,
stand-up permeates British society and culture. Ubiquitous though it
is, we are generally reluctant to consider comedy's social consequences.
When comedians offend we seem ready to consider the potential for
stand-up to do some wider harm, yet we rarely consider the good that it
might do. This book looks at the social and political impact of stand-up
comedy in both its positive and negative forms. Drawing on exclusive
interviews with comedians such as Stewart Lee, Josie Long, Joe Wilkinson
and Mark Thomas, and examples of comic material on everything from
revolution, terrorism and homosexuality, to knitting and the
inefficiency of the home shower, it explores comedy's role in
determining our attitudes and opinions. While revealing the conventions
comics use to manage audience response, Sophie Quirk demonstrates how
comedy audiences allow themselves to be manipulated, and the potential
harm - and real benefits - that may arise from 'just' being funny.