Alternative comedy is a style of comedy that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and 1980s which would eventually go on to become mainstream in the 1990s and up to the present day. It coincided with other comedy movements of a similar style around the world, although the British scene had many unique aspects. Alternative comedy - Definition. Alternative comedy relied not on punchline-based jokes, like traditional comedians. Instead a typical alternative comedian might rely on one, all or a se ...

Including:

• Alternative comedy - Definition
• Alternative comedy - History
• Alternative comedy - Transition to mainstream
• Alternative comedy - Modern alternative comedy
• Alternative comedy - Criticism
• Alternative comedy - Notable names and TV shows

Read more here: » Alternative comedy: Encyclopedia - Alternative comedy

Spurred on by the actions of up coming television producers, such as Paul Jackson, Geoffrey Perkins and Jimmy Mulville (see also Hat Trick Productions), alternative comedy spilled onto TV in the 80s. It was supported by minority channel BBC 2 in the form of The Young Ones and other sitcoms. These were seen as cult programmes, although there was some mainstream success for shows like Not The Nine O'Clock News and French & Sau ...

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Alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Definition, Alternative comedy - History, Alternative comedy - Transition to mainstream, Alternative comedy - Modern alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Criticism, Alternative comedy - Notable names and TV shows

Read more here: » Alternative comedy: Encyclopedia II - Alternative comedy - Transition to mainstream

Alternative comedy relied not on punchline-based jokes, like traditional comedians. Instead a typical alternative comedian might rely on one, all or a selection of the following: Observational humour: Making humour out of everday occurrences, and also laughing at one's own foibles and weakenesses (traditional comedians laughed at other people, such as ethnic minorities or "the mother-in-law", while alternative comedians laughed at themselves, their situation, and at the human condition). Political satire: ...

See also:

Alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Definition, Alternative comedy - History, Alternative comedy - Transition to mainstream, Alternative comedy - Modern alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Criticism, Alternative comedy - Notable names and TV shows

Read more here: » Alternative comedy: Encyclopedia II - Alternative comedy - Definition

Alternative comedy was a product of its time. In the early 1980s Britain was a politically divisive country, although also had a nihilistic streak running through its core. Margaret Thatcher had come to power and was pushing forward free trade reforms but many still believed that Britain would one day be a socialist country. Punk rock had just come and gone in the late 1970s and Britain was changing forever in ways few people understood. From ...

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Alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Definition, Alternative comedy - History, Alternative comedy - Transition to mainstream, Alternative comedy - Modern alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Criticism, Alternative comedy - Notable names and TV shows

Read more here: » Alternative comedy: Encyclopedia II - Alternative comedy - History

It's debatable whether alternative comedy still exists. Comedians have always been averse to describing themselves as alternative, even during the era's hay day. Comedians like Mark Thomas, Mark Steel and Jeremy Hardy still perform stand-up with a hard political and intellectual edge but their isolation makes them conspicuous, and they're far from being household names. Few of the original alternative comedians appear on stage any longer, least of all performing stand-up comedy. Ben Elton, arguably the epitome of an alternative comedy for much of the 1980s, now considers him ...

See also:

Alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Definition, Alternative comedy - History, Alternative comedy - Transition to mainstream, Alternative comedy - Modern alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Criticism, Alternative comedy - Notable names and TV shows

Read more here: » Alternative comedy: Encyclopedia II - Alternative comedy - Modern alternative comedy

Many people are critical of alternative comedy and there is a strong generational divide between those who like and dislike it. Older people in particular find the swearing and no-holds-barred nature of alternative comedy to be offensive. In the early days of alternative comedy, a frequent criticism was that nobody found a person standing on a stage simply discussing events in his or her life particularly funny. There was a joke said at the time: "I'm an alternati ...

See also:

Alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Definition, Alternative comedy - History, Alternative comedy - Transition to mainstream, Alternative comedy - Modern alternative comedy, Alternative comedy - Criticism, Alternative comedy - Notable names and TV shows

Read more here: » Alternative comedy: Encyclopedia II - Alternative comedy - Criticism