Trial by Laughter

Trial by Laughter

Trial by Laughter

Trial by Laughter

Overview

Following critical acclaim for The Wipers Times, Ian Hislop and Nick Newman have once again taken inspiration from real life events for their new play Trial by Laughter.
William Hone, the forgotten hero of free speech, was a bookseller, publisher and satirist.

In 1817, he stood trial for ‘impious blasphemy and seditious libel’. The only crime he had committed was to be funny. Worse than that he was funny by  parodying religious texts. And worst of all, he was funny about the despotic government and the libidinous monarchy.

A Watermill Theatre production.

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Details

  • Genre: Docudrama/Historic
  • Time Period: 19th Century
  • Cast Attributes: Expandable casting, Flexible cast size
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences

Authors

Nick Newman

Nick Newman is an award-winning cartoonist and writer. He has worked for Private Eye since 1981 and has been pocket cartoonist for The Sunday Times since 1989. His cartoons have appeared in many other publications including The Guardian, Punch and The Spectator. He was The Ca ...

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Ian Hislop

Ian Hislop is a writer and broadcaster and has been editor of Private Eye since 1986. He has been a columnist for The Listener and The Sunday Telegraph, and TV critic for The Spectator. As a scriptwriter with Nick Newman, his work includes five years on Spitting Image, Harry ...
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