Helen Lewis (II)
- Journalist
Press clippings
What happens when a joke is followed by silence
Now, I'm not the funniest person in the world. (Maybe the fourth, or fifth? I try to stay humble.) But when I started doing live comedy, I was even worse than I am now. Nothing teaches you how to generate a laugh--or makes you more keen to get one--than ending a sentence and being greeted with the howling sound of absolute silence.
Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 8th April 2020Who could be the new host of The News Quiz?
A look at some of the likely candidates to replace Miles Jupp.
Chortle, 16th May 2019Brexit really has killed comedy
After 1,000 days of negotiations, there are no jokes left.
Helen Lewis, The New Statesman, 27th March 2019Why Steve Coogan can't kill off Alan Partridge
The character has elevated banality to an art form.
Helen Lewis, The New Statesman, 21st February 2019Why is 'yellowface' wrong yet pantomime dames are OK?
The casting of a Japanese character in the new Ab Fab movie has caused offence -but are we being selective in the caricatures we choose to attack?
Helen Lewis, The Guardian, 16th December 2015Why comedians are the last interesting people left
Comedians, uniquely, have nothing to sell but their opinions, and the way they package those opinions. They don't say attention-grabbing things to publicise their other work: saying attention-grabbing things is their work.
Helen Lewis, The New Statesman, 31st October 2013John Lloyd: the brain behind QI
You probably haven't heard of John Lloyd - but this self-described Stoic, whose career was derailed by depression, has probably made you laugh more times than anyone else.
Helen Lewis, The New Statesman, 11th September 2013Why aren't women funny on TV?
All-male panel show line-ups are making me lose my sense of humour.
Helen Lewis-Hasteley, The New Statesman, 11th October 2011Interview: Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan on comedy writing, politics and Twitter.
Helen Lewis-Hasteley, The New Statesman, 10th August 2011Eric, Ernie and the under-rated genius of Peter Bowker
It's one thing to make drama out of big, splashy, life-changing events -- births and deaths and alien invasions -- but there's something special about a writer who can make life's tiny triumphs and disasters sparkle.
Helen Lewis-Hasteley, The New Statesman, 3rd January 2011