Ian Wilkie

Comedy academics send letter to culture minister

Comedy academics have sent an open letter to Culture Minister Oliver Dowden arguing that comedy is an art form and should be entitled to any government bail-outs.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 17th July 2020

Denis Norden: elder statesman of gentle comedy

Denis Norden, who died recently aged 96, epitomised a peculiarly British brand of comedy that emerged from a specific time and place. For some years after the end of World War II, while many young people were still being called up for National Service, a generation of talented actors, musicians and comics who had cut their teeth entertaining the troops, were finding their way onto the stage and the airwaves.

Ian Wilkie, The Conversation, 24th September 2018

Louise Reay libel case is no joke for comedians

Reay's defence is that of the comedian's right to freedom of speech. But her ex-partner claims that portions of her act constituted a public accusation of misconduct against him. The results of the trial will surely have repercussions for all comedians.

Ian Wilkie, The Conversation, 26th February 2018