The mechanics of laughter

Written by: Tom Short
Published: Thursday 20th February 2025

Teaching comedy is often seen as an elusive or even impossible task. Many people believe that comedy is purely instinctual, something you're either born with or not. However, at Comedy Lab and in my teaching at Salford University, I've found that breaking comedy down into psychological metaphors and linking it to other art forms makes it much easier to explain. Comedy, like any creative discipline, benefits from structured learning, constructive feedback, and a safe space to explore ideas.

Despite the snobbery that sometimes surrounds comedy courses, the question remains: why should comedy be excluded from formal teaching when other art...