Alternative comedy

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.

Criticism

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.

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The aggressive attitude of alternative comedians was also off-putting for many and shocking when compared to the measured and heavily styled delivery of traditional comedians. Modern 'alternative comedy', if it can still claim to exist as such, takes the form of comedians like Graham Norton, who rely on sexual explicitness and strong innuendo. Many people find this upsetting. Because of the controversial nature of many modern comedy stars, some argue there is no longer the possibility of nationally appreciated comedy stars like Morecambe and Wise, Dick Emery, Benny Hill or Tommy Cooper. Although Eddie Izzard plays to huge auditoriums, and in spite of the relative success of Ricky Gervais' comedy The Office, many feel alternative comedy destroyed the much-loved light entertainment scene which predominated before.

Related Topics:
Graham Norton - Morecambe and Wise - Dick Emery - Benny Hill - Tommy Cooper - Eddie Izzard - Ricky Gervais - The Office

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When it first emerged alternative comedy styled itself as a reaction to the increasingly genteel comedy of the Oxbridge-educated Monty Python/Goodies set. While the core of The Comic Strip were educated at Manchester and the likes of Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Jo Brand, Paul Merton, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer all came through unconventional routes, the vast bulk of alternative comedians came from Oxbridge backgrounds. Ben Elton's adoption of a Mockney Accent as the son of a Cambridge Don and Oxbridge graduate David Baddiel's laddish persona drew particular derision. The rise of alternative comedy resulted in a narrowing of the social classes represented on British broadcast media that had a direct corellation with the rise of reality television.

Related Topics:
Monty Python - Goodies - The Comic Strip - Harry Enfield - Paul Whitehouse - Jo Brand - Paul Merton - Vic Reeves - Bob Mortimer - Mockney Accent - Reality television

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Ben Elton has personally attracted most criticism, having written West End Musicals in collaboration with Andrew Lloyd-Webber and presented a concert for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The appearance of Vic Reeves on the series I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here also suggests that the alternative comedy generation have come full circle.

Related Topics:
Andrew Lloyd-Webber - Queen Elizabeth II - I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

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