29 Sep
01:57
Build a comedy competition set that survives the five-minute rule
The line on the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year listing is not phrased as a suggestion. “All contestants must stick to 5…
Section
Stand Up Comedy Tips
Practical advice and step-by-step guides for comedians, including performance tips, booking strategies, audience engagement, and career development in stand-up comedy.
The running order
21 Sep
16:48
How to Turn Your Edinburgh Fringe Show Into a Targeted Tour Pitch
Is your Fringe show ready to tour? A Fringe show is ready to tour when you can show that an audience may want it and…
13 Sep
08:52
How to survive bombing on stage and be OK by 11am
Every working comic has a version of the drive home. The one Luke McGibbon wrote up for Chortle in March 2025 has the detail that…
5 Sep
07:38
How to do crowd work without wrecking your own set
Jeff Arcuri’s crowd work started because he ran out of jokes at sea. “It really started when I started doing cruise ships,” he told A…
1 Sep
06:29
How to write a clean comedy set that still gets laughs
Jim Gaffigan once explained his whole approach using a box of doughnuts. “It’s not really necessary to curse when you’re discussing doughnuts,” he told the…
26 Aug
19:48
How to film a comedy clip that bookers actually watch
“We love hosts, but not in your clip.” That line is sitting in a festival submission guide written by Ariel Julie. It exists because so…
26 Aug
08:42
How to handle a heckler without losing the rest of the room
Sally Holloway spent over a decade on the circuit braced for one particular shout out of the dark. When she added it up for Chortle…
25 Aug
15:59
Writing a tight five that survives King Gong’s three red cards
Thirty comics, five minutes each, three red cards The Comedy Store’s King Gong runs on the last Monday of every month. The club’s own listing…
24 Aug
07:35
How to compere a comedy night without losing the room
Geoff Whiting carries ten minutes he might never use Geoff Whiting has compered literally thousands of comedy shows and events. The first thing he does…
17 Apr
19:35
Short Sets, Big Laughs: How Comedy Venues Are Winning With Tighter Lineups
For decades, comedy clubs operated on a simple formula: headline acts owned 45-60 minutes while openers fought for 15. Today, that model is crumbling. 2026…
