Church of England presents clean comedy

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on February 22nd, 2007

An article on Christian Today tells how the Church of England launched a standup comedy club yesterday at the start of Lent, “as part of a wider effort to make the period more fun.”

The club’s founder, Helen Tomblin, hopes to keep the material clean and says that cutting out the swearing and crude material can enhance the standard of the humour, reports the BBC.

Just stick to the facts, Helen. You’ve come up with a nice way to entertain folks during Lent. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?,

Inexplicably, there are detractors. Specifically, comedian and writer Arthur Smith, who says that:

“Comedy without any ‘grit’ would be very bland.”

and that

“Humour is meant to challenge a bit.”

and further that

“Comedy also needs cruelty and victims,”

and that

too much “victimless comedy… can be sterile.”

To which we reply:

Nonsense.

and

Not necessarily.

and

No, it doesn’t.

and

Can be… but it is not always. Comedy with victims can just as easily be “sterile,” if, by sterile, you mean to say it’s void of humor or punchlines.

Longtime SHECKYmagazine readers know that the clean vs. dirty debate drives us nutty. Comedy, as you can all probably recite in your sleep by now, needs punchlines. If it’s funny, it’s all comedy. A comic can be clean or dirty… clean and dirty (often in the same set!)… gritty and/or smooth. We like to refrain from absolutes.

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