But Is It Funny?

Join host Suchandrika Chakrabarti with Jamal Khadar and Brian Logan as they discuss the Edinburgh Festival, Mo Amer's new show on Netflix and Joe Lycett's impact on British politics.LINKSEdinburgh Fringe reflectionsThe Edinburgh fringe is too long, too expensive and too gruelling. It must change or dieFringe audiences are 99% white? As a South Asian critic, I found Edinburgh's screaming lack of diversity hugely troublingAbout The Fringe SocietyMoMo on NetflixWe had to show that the immigration system is a mess': how Mo Amer's refugee status led to comedy goldHollywood puts 'no face' on the Palestinian experience. Mo Amer plans to change thatNo Direction HomeJoe LycettThe satire of Joe Lycett is a fitting response to our era of scorched-earth politicsHun-culture

Join Brian Logan, Suchandrika Chakrabarti from the Edinburgh Fringe festival with host Jamal Khadar as they discuss acts includingJacqueline NovakFrankie Thompson: CattsSarah ShermanJerry SadowitzAnd topics including:The impact of positive high profile reviewsThe Fringe on TikTok (room for improvement!)Bringing babies to shows

Join our panel of Suchandrika Chakarabarti, Jamal Khadar and Brian Logan in Edinburgh as they discuss:Sophie DukerCat CohenSarah KeyworthBloody Difficult WomenRagu to RichesSheepsCrizardsLara RicoteI Miss Amy WinehousePlus:Watching and reviewing 7 shows a dayAre critics a dying breed?And:How do critics leave a show?!

Our comedy panel have arrived at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! Join Brian Logan, Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Jamal Khadar as they discuss:Patti Harrison Sketch versus stand-up Trigger warnings in stand-up: a timely development … or the end of days? Amy GledhillAnd how to review Seann Walsh

Join Jamal Khadar and our regular panel of comedy critics and writers Brian Logan and Suchandrika Chakrabarti as they look forward to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022.Including:How comedians prepare for the FringeBeing a critic at the FringeIs it still viable for new comedians?What shows are the panel most looking forward to?And what is the best shape for a flyer ... ?The next four episodes of But Is It Funny? will be recorded at the Fringe.LINKSSoho Theatre Edinburgh Lab‘Someone's making money but it's not us' – the comics spurning the Edinburgh fringeArchive: Show me the money | Edinburgh festival 2002 Archive: All white on the night | Edinburgh festival 2002SHOWS THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TOSuchandrika:Life of The PartyI Am Not A GorillaIllegally FunnyNo More Mr Nice ChelseaRagu To RichesBrian:Catherine CohenSheepsCattsLeo ReichRosie HoltJamal:Patti HarrisonI Miss Amy WinehouseSophie DukerLara Ricote

Brian Logan is joined by Jamal Khadar and Suchandrika Chakrabarti for our Season 2 finale to discuss:Dane Baptiste - The Chocolate ChipThe Marvelous Mrs Maisel (Amazon Prime)Oxide Ghosts - The Brasseye TapesLINKSDane Baptiste - The Chocolate Chip (review by Brian Logan)The Marvelous Mrs Maisel - Why Does Every Fictional Female Comedian Get the Exact Same Advice? (Slate)‘The ultimate single woman's icon': how Mrs Maisel is an inspiration across the years (The Guardian)Oxide Ghosts - The Brasseye Tapes (review by Brian Logan)

Suchandrika Chakrabarti is joined by regular panellists Brian Logan and Jamal Khadar to discuss:John Mulaney is back in the game – but he doesn't owe us an explanation: comedy, celebrity, how much of yourself must you reveal onstage? Witchfinder (BBC TV) Rebuilding the Fourth Wall with reference to the first episode of Adam McKay's Winning Time and the other shows doing knowing looks to cameraPlus : Suchandrika does musical comedy! 

Jamal Khadar is joined by regular panellists Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Brian Logan to discuss:Nabil Abdulrashid's new touring show - Nobody Actually Believed I'd LastThis Is Going To Hurt (BBC TV)Chappelle's Home Team - Earthquake: Legendary (Netflix)LINKSNabil Abdulrashid: Ofcom rejects 3,000 Britain's Got Talent complaintsThis Is Going To HurtAdam Kay interview Ambika Mod interviewPlus: International Women's Day!

Host Brian Logan is joined by regular panellists Jamal Khadar and Suchandrika Chakrabarti to discuss Ali Wong's Netflix specialComics "Quitting" stand-upPlus: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the comedian who became President of UkraineLINKSVolodymyr ZelenskyyA trailer for Servant of the People, which made Zelenskyy famous, and lent its name to his political party https://youtu.be/JinkCAN6Bx0 Jon Stewart:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ackArK09Tl4Ali Wonghttps://www.vulture.com/article/ali-wong-don-wong-netflix-comedy-review.htmlComics "quitting" stand-uphttps://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/aug/16/standups-quit-comedy-edinburgh-hannah-gadbsyRose Matafeo: https://www.chortle.co.uk/punching-ups/2022/01/21/50019/stand-up-is-horrible-nerve-racking-and-boringDrunk Women Solving Crime: https://uk.style.yahoo.com/how-drunk-women-solving-crime-podcast-began-100911602.html

Host Suchandrika Chakrabarti  joins regular panellists Jamal Khadar and Brian Logan to discuss: Mo Gilligan's Netflix specialTragedy Plus Time improv from Boom Chicago in Amsterdam - content warning; contains reference to suicide and bereavementWhen critics take the stage (FT paywall ... if you don't subscribe you can find it via a Google search eg "A critic plays King Lear")Plus ... comedians on skis.LINKSRe: Content warningIn the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.

Jamal Khadar hosts, with Suchandrika Chakarabarti and special guest Emma Sullivan. Topics include:Starstruck (BBC) - episode two of Rose Matafeo's sitcomFurther reflections on the role of criticism Phat Tuesdays - docuseries on the history of Guy Torry's all-black comedy night in 1990s LA LINKSNew Yorker critic newsletterEbert reviews of Tarkovsky's Solaris and reconsidered;  and of 2002 Soderbergh versionGeorge Saunders newsletter on Substack

Regular panellists Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Brian Logan are joined by special guest Emma Sullivan to discuss:Jimmy Carr's recent Netflix specialTaking Comedy Seriously with Emma SullivanMurderville (Netflix)Plus: "Scotwatch" featuring tartan salopettesLINKSJimmy Carrhttps://gal-dem.com/jimmy-carr-joe-rogan-netflix-spotify-hate/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jun/16/jimmy-carr-review-rose-theatre-kingstonhttps://www.theawl.com/2013/07/patricia-lockwood-rape-joke/Weekend Update: Goober the Clown on Abortion - SNL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exSZQICbSb8Taking Comedy Seriouslyhttps://humourinthearts.com/https://humourinthearts.com/about-me/https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v35/n14/jonathan-coe/sinking-giggling-into-the-seaMurdervillehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt15264192/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_in_Successville

Suchandrika Chakrabarti hosts, with regular panellists Brian Logan and Jamal Khadar. Topics include:An interview with comedian and writer Athena Kugblenu about her experience of, and views on, comedy criticismComedy albums as a form, and how comedicans are trying to get more  equitable rights payments from SpotifyDon't Look Up (Netflix) - critics hated it, one of our panellists loves it .... But is it funny?LinksAziz Ansari's Empty Authenticity - review discussed at start of episodeAthena Kugblenuhttps://twitter.com/athenakugblenuhttps://www.instagram.com/athenakugblenu/Athena's Cancel Culture on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000tsldWork In Progress at 2Northdown on 4th February:Comedy albums & SpotifyIt's time to give a new generation of comics a crack at the Grammys Spotify removes top comedians' content in royalty payments disputeIncidental music during interview: Lukrembo ‘Onion' and ‘Cheese'

Jamal Khadar, Brian Logan and Suchandrika Chakrabarti discuss:Nish Kumar's new stand-up show and the role of political comedy in the UKLearning comedy as social prescription via the GP, with Angie Belcher Aziz Ansari's new Netflix specialShow notesSatirical news podcasts Social prescribing course in BristolAdditional music: Onion and Biscuit, both by Lukrembo

Season 2 of But Is It Funny? launches with Brian Logan. Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Jamal Khadar discussing:Race Around Britain with Munya Chawawa on YouTubeNew Radio 4 comedy series pilot Unsafe SpacePlans to develop a UK version of Saturday Night Live Plus: Suchandrika on her improv debut!

Is Succession a sitcom?What limits should a comedy club put on comedian's material? Discussing  Don't Applaud. Either Laugh or Don't. (at the Comedy Cellar) by Andrew HankisonWhat's a comedian's realtionship to criticism?With Brian Logan, Suchandrika Chakrabarti, Jamal KhadarLINKSIs Succession a sitcom? https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/08/is-succession-the-best-sitcom-on-television https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/succession-season-3-hbo-drama-sitcom.htmlSuccession fan videoshttps://youtu.be/fXcBaYCyzL8https://youtu.be/_b7CNBXzo54 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw7alNjkYrohttps://youtu.be/zWxr4xbL9a0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-6K2CjJ6dk Exec producer & playwright Lucy Prebble on how Succession's writers walk the line between tragedy and comedy https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LTBwLWt6563xCzvc1CVtP?si=CQUxG6tvSzG3gvNZhwAO9A&nd=1

Hosted by Suchandrika ChakrabartiFeaturing:Sharon Lockyerhttps://www.brunel.ac.uk/people/sharon-lockyerSophie Quirkhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/people/536/quirk-sophieAnja Karlssonhttps://www.gu.se/en/about/find-staff/anjafranckkarlssonLINKSWhat can comedy achieve in the context of repression and violence? Can the meme save us?https://www.blogalstudies.com/post/what-s-so-funny-about-a-military-coup-how-generation-z-is-trolling-the-myanmar-armyWhat's so funny in Afghanistan?https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0962629817304109Smiling while being arrestedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCIasDCtm7A&ab_channel=AJ%2BMyanmar coup: Pools and princesses as protesters go all outhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56006324Laughing through lockdownhttps://theconversation.com/laughing-through-lockdown-why-comedy-is-important-in-times-of-crisis-160905Sometimes a Milkshake Is Just a Milkshakehttps://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/milkshake-thrown-nigel-farage-nothing-new/590317/Laughing at power: Humor, transgression, and the politics of refusal in Palestinehttps://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirc/v38y2020i3p387-404.htmlJoking: uses and abuses of humour in the Election campaignhttp://www.electionanalysis.uk/uk-election-analysis-2019/section-8-personality-politics-and-popular-culture/joking-uses-and-abuses-of-humour-in-the-election-campaign/Women, comedy and powerhttps://getofflivecomedy.co.uk/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/rosie-jones-question-time-trolling-ableist-abuse-bbc-b959464.htmlhttps://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/live-comedy/comedy-isnt-accessible-enough/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2015.1106402Comedy in academiaPalgrave Studies in Comedyhttps://www.springer.com/series/14644Centre for Comedy Studies Researchhttps://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Networks-and-Labs/Comedy-Studies-ResearchPLUShttps://guiltyfeminist.com/https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/deborah-frances-white-685021

With Jamal Khadar, Brian Logan and Suchandrika ChakrabartiRevisiting comedy we used to love - with reference to shows including Sex & The City, Seinfeld, Bill HicksDigging deeper into the question: But Is It Funny? - do we need a better language for reviewing comedy?Reference:https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/jul/27/comedySex Unzipped on Netflix  - does it really deserve zero stars?Referenceshttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/26/sex-unzipped-review-perverse-sesame-street-is-a-tv-disgracehttps://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/11/sex-love-and-goop-sex-education-netflix-sex-positivity/620588/Shout outsFor Quantum Leopard @2Northdown @LucyMangan and the Romesh Ranganathan puppet

Plus: Zero Star Reviews, Sex Unzipped, Bean Dad, Megan Stalter… and moreWith Brian Logan, Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Jamal KhadarReferences: Stath Lets Flats & the state of the Sitcomhttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/26/the-last-laugh-is-the-television-sitcom-really-deadhttps://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/08/is-succession-the-best-sitcom-on-televisionhttps://time.com/6094071/fall-tv-network-comedies-canceled/https://classpolish.com/https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/tv-radio/2019/09/stath-lets-flats-channel-4-sitcom-greek-natasia-funniest-best-show-television-reviewClass and Comedyhttps://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/12/rob-beckett-you-have-to-suppress-your-working-class-rage-to-operate-in-comedyhttps://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/may/26/standup-comedy-class-divide-coronavirus-lockdownhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2021/april/funny-voice-videoshttps://www.waterstones.com/book/comedy-and-distinction/sam-friedman/9781138125902Complaints Welcomehttps://www.channel4.com/programmes/complaints-welcomehttps://www.instagram.com/munyachawawa

Jamal Khadar, Suchandrika Chakrabarti and special guest Abdul Tahhan consider:Lenny Henry's Race Through Comedy (currently re-playing on Dave) … what can we learn from stand-up history?Moderating Content … should you change your set if a member of the Royal Family is in the audience? Dave Chappelle revisited … more thoughts on his latest Netflix special and reconsidering his previous workPlus shout outs for Elf LyonsNo Direction Home from Counterpoints ArtsOlivia Flood WylieAnd, er, Princess Eugenie

Join spooky comedian Suchandrika Chakrabarti, influencer (!) Brian Logan and special guest Fatiha El-Ghorri as they ask:What are the best and worst comedy venues, from basement bars to rooftop gigs and performing in a burger bar?What's it like to perform stand-up on TV - can it ever replicate the live experience?How do comedians go about starting a set and how much should they be expected to explain who they are?Plus, what makes for a 5-star review?Fatiha is on tour now!https://pennyappeal.org/event/super-muslim-comedy-tour-2021

Our regular panel of Brian Logan, Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Jamal Khadar consider:The fallout from Dave Chappelle's new Netflix specialGlamrou at Soho TheatreThe ethics of using material from other people's lives (with reference to Bad Art Friend)Share your own thoughts on these topics and ideas for future episodes @counterarts #butisitfunnyBut Is It Funny? is a weekly podcast produced by Counterpoints Arts as part of our PopChange programme. It aims to help extend and diversify the critical conversation around comedy.

Suchandrika Chakrabarti offers a guide to comedy podcast types and tropes, as well as selecting some of her favourites. But are comedy podcasts more than just chat?Brian Logan reflects on the new TV series from Jon Stewart as well as the return of the Daily Mash. In a post-Trump world, is topical satire still able to deliver?Jamal Khadar speaks up for fans-as-critics - the people who know a show best can sometimes offer the most telling insights. Should fans be given more respect?

Jamal Khadar asks whether Improv is getting more diverse. Brian Logan gets stuck into Netflix series The Chair. And Suchandrika Chakrabarti explores how critics choose who and what to review.

Suchandrika Chakrabarti discusses sadness in comedy with reference to TV shows Ladhood, Back To Life and  Alma's Not Normal . Can TV comedy succeed with tragedy where stand-up can't?Jamal Khadar reflects on I Think You Should Leave by Tim Robinson (Netflix): is it a genuinely new take on TV sketch comedy? And did live sketch shows get there first?Brian Logan's subject is Zoom gigs. With in-person comedy now back up and running is there anything to be salvaged or learned from the pandemic era of stand-up live online?Plus, some incidental discussion of marching band gags, losing comedy competitions and Russell Brand. 

Jamal Khadar explains what you can expect from our new weekly podcast of comedy critics in conversation. Episode 1 available 24/9/21