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.

LINKS

Edinburgh Fringe reflections

• The Edinburgh fringe is too long, too expensive and too gruelling. It must change or die
• Fringe audiences are 99% white? As a South Asian critic, I found Edinburgh’s screaming lack of diversity hugely troubling
• About The Fringe Society

Mo

• Mo on Netflix
• We had to show that the immigration system is a mess’: how Mo Amer’s refugee status led to comedy gold
• Hollywood puts 'no face' on the Palestinian experience. Mo Amer plans to change that
• No Direction Home

Joe Lycett

• The satire of Joe Lycett is a fitting response to our era of scorched-earth politics
• Hun-culture

Join Brian Logan, Suchandrika Chakrabarti from the Edinburgh Fringe festival with host Jamal Khadar as they discuss acts including

• Jacqueline Novak
• Frankie Thompson: Catts
• Sarah Sherman
• Jerry Sadowitz

And topics including:

• The impact of positive high profile reviews
• The 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 Duker
• Cat Cohen
• Sarah Keyworth
• Bloody Difficult Women
• Ragu to Riches
• Sheeps
• Crizards
• Lara Ricote
• I Miss Amy Winehouse

Plus:

• Watching and reviewing 7 shows a day
• 
  
• Are 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 Gledhill

And 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 Fringe
• Being a critic at the Fringe
• Is 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.

LINKS

• Soho Theatre Edinburgh Lab
• ‘Someone’s making money but it’s not us’ – the comics spurning the Edinburgh fringe
• Archive: Show me the money | Edinburgh festival 2002 
• Archive: All white on the night | Edinburgh festival 2002

SHOWS THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO

Suchandrika:

• Life of The Party
• I Am Not A Gorilla
• Illegally Funny
• No More Mr Nice Chelsea
• Ragu To Riches

Brian:

• Catherine Cohen
• Sheeps
• Catts
• Leo Reich
• Rosie Holt

Jamal:

• Patti Harrison
• I Miss Amy Winehouse
• Sophie Duker
• Lara Ricote

Brian Logan is joined by Jamal Khadar and Suchandrika Chakrabarti for our Season 2 finale to discuss:

• Dane Baptiste - The Chocolate Chip
• The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (Amazon Prime)
• Oxide Ghosts - The Brasseye Tapes

LINKS

• Dane 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 camera
  
  

Plus : 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 Last
• This Is Going To Hurt (BBC TV)
• Chappelle's Home Team - Earthquake: Legendary (Netflix)

LINKS

• Nabil Abdulrashid: Ofcom rejects 3,000 Britain's Got Talent complaints

This Is Going To Hurt

• Adam Kay interview 
• Ambika Mod interview

Plus: International Women's Day!

Host Brian Logan is joined by regular panellists Jamal Khadar and Suchandrika Chakrabarti to discuss 

• Ali Wong's Netflix special
• Comics "Quitting" stand-up

Plus: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the comedian who became President of Ukraine

LINKS

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

• A 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=ackArK09Tl4

Ali Wong

• https://www.vulture.com/article/ali-wong-don-wong-netflix-comedy-review.html

Comics "quitting" stand-up

• https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/aug/16/standups-quit-comedy-edinburgh-hannah-gadbsy
• Rose Matafeo: https://www.chortle.co.uk/punching-ups/2022/01/21/50019/stand-up-is-horrible-nerve-racking-and-boring
• Drunk 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 special
• Tragedy Plus Time improv from Boom Chicago in Amsterdam - content warning; contains reference to suicide and bereavement
• When 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.

LINKS

Re: Content warning

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]. 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.