Steve Bennett (I)
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 66
The Sacred Art Of Joking by James Cary review
Much comedy output comes with the disclaimer: "Not for the easily offended." But that's precisely who SHOULD be reading this book about how jokes can backfire.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 18th January 2019Daniel Kitson: Keep
The conclusion of Keep comes after too much faffing around with the index cards that his premise has made necessary, but when we get there it is a rewardingly tidy culmination of the clues that Kitson dropped over the previous two hours.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 17th January 2019Daniel Kitson: Keep review
Marie Kondo might be at the peak of the zeitgeist with her Netflix series about decluttering, but it is not a concept Daniel Kitson has any truck with.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 17th January 2019Semi-Detached review
There may be questions over whether the furious pace can be sustained for the extra 50 per cent running time required for the traditional BBC sitcom half-hour. Or indeed whether such maelstroms of mayhem can be conjured up week after week. But this is a promising germ for that holy grail of comedy commissioners everywhere: a mainstream suburban sitcom that doesn't suck.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 5th January 2019Island Of Dreams preview
The Windsors creators Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie have not strayed too far from what they know with the latest BBC Two comedy pilot, with heightened versions of celebrities, rather than Royals, inhabiting Island Of Dreams.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 3rd January 2019The most memorable comedy gigs of 2018
Chortle editor Steve Bennett's personal top ten
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 31st December 2018The Complete Comedy Writer, by Dave Cohen review
Dave Cohen's book about comedy writing doesn't have any of the answers. But it does have a lot of questions - and that is probably more useful to an aspiring scribe trying to figure out what's wrong with their script or in need of a bit of inspiration.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 28th December 2018Not Going Out live episode review
A live version of Not Going Out was never going to be as inventive as Inside No 9 doing the same - real-time tweets, big plot twists and all. But true to form, it's was safely, but not excitingly, funny.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 22nd December 2018Leicester Square Theatre comedian of the year review
Here's a sobering thought: in the ten years of the Leicester Square new comedian competition, 4,200 hopefuls have auditioned, according to venue owner Martin Witts. That's quite a lot of acts whose careers have gone nowhere.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 18th December 2018Death On The Tyne preview
Gold is primarily a reruns channel, so it's no surprise that its big commission is slightly old-fashioned in feel.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 15th December 2018