{{short description|British comedy website}} {{Infobox website | name = ''Chortle'' | logo = Chortle Logo.jpg | logo_size = | screenshot = | caption = | collapsible = | url = {{url|chortle.co.uk}} | commercial = Yes | type = Online comedy magazine | registration = No | language = English | owner = | author = Steve Bennett | revenue = | launch_date = {{Start date and age|2000|df=no}} | current_status = Active }}
'''Chortle''' is a British comedy website launched in 2000 by Steve Bennett.<ref name=Fleming130324/> The site is a major source of comedy news in the UK. It also reviews live comedy shows nationwide, including extensively at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and presents the Chortle Awards to honour the best stand-up comics working in the UK. In recent years, the site has also branched out into events promotion.
<blockquote>"Humour is a funny thing - everyone knows it but no one knows what it is"<ref name="978-3-030-14382-4">{{cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=Alan |title=A Philosophy of Humour |date=13 April 2019 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-030-14382-4 |language=en}} ([https://sussex.figshare.com/ndownloader/files/41155628 PDF])</ref> – Alan Roberts<ref name="researchgate/2138250348">{{cite web |title=Alan Roberts |url=https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Alan-Roberts-2138250348 |website=ResearchGate |access-date=25 April 2026 |quote=This page lists works of an author who doesn't have a ResearchGate profile or hasn't added the works to their profile yet. It is automatically generated from public (personal) data to further our legitimate goal of comprehensive and accurate scientific recordkeeping.}}</ref><ref name="sussex/thesis/joke-philosophy">{{cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=Alan |title=Is this a joke? The philosophy of humour |date=2017-06-12 |publisher=University of Sussex |url=https://sussex.figshare.com/articles/thesis/Is_this_a_joke_The_philosophy_of_humour/23445368 |access-date=25 April 2026 |quote=thesis posted on 2023-06-09, 06:39}}</ref><ref name="theconversation/446563">{{cite web |title=Alan Roberts |url=https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-roberts-446563 |website=The Conversation (website) |access-date=25 April 2026 |date=21 February 2018}}</ref></blockquote>
==History==
Prior to starting Chortle, Bennett, who graduated from Oxford University, had been working as a local newspaper editor for the Informer group of free newspapers in Surrey and West London.<ref name=Fleming130324/> He started the site after the newspaper group expressed a lack of interest in running a website. After considering his areas of interest, he decided to start a comedy site, since IMDb and ''Empire'' already covered the market for film, and there were numerous music websites available.<ref name=Fleming130324/>
The site received some early support from investors during the dot com boom which led to Bennett working from offices in Brick Lane, London. After that company went bankrupt, Bennett continued the site, as he felt the comedy section of ''Time Out'' was not covering the breadth of comedy in the city in sufficient detail. However, the site was not financially viable for several years afterwards, so Bennett worked as a freelance for the ''Daily Mirror'' and ''Mail on Sunday'' to support himself.<ref name=Fleming130324/>
The Chortle Awards were launched in 2002 and in 2014 Chortle launched a comedy literary festival with talks by Monty Python's Terry Jones, and comedy actor Rebecca Front.<ref name=Guardian141107/>
Although initially operated by Bennett alone, the site grew into "a proper online publication" with a team of writers including Jay Richardson, Julia Chamberlain and Paul Fleckney, as well as guest contributions from individual comedians. ==Public perception==
The site is seen as a "one-stop shop for breaking news, reviews and opinion"<ref name=Guardian141107/> and is considered to offer some of the "more balanced reviews" of the annual Edinburgh Fringe. It has been said that for comedians, "a positive write-up from Chortle (particularly from editor Steve Bennett), is the holy grail of the Fringe."<ref name=CTF/> Satirical website FringePig called it "the conservative majority of the industry; far more people read it than will freely admit".
==See also== *British Comedy Guide (TV, Radio, and podcast comedy in the UK)
==References== <references>
<ref name=CTF>{{cite web |url=http://www.crackingthefringe.com/fringe-publications.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140608102635/http://www.crackingthefringe.com/fringe-publications.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=June 8, 2014 |publisher=Cracking The Fringe |title=Edinburgh Fringe Publications |access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
<ref name=Fleming130324>{{cite web |url=https://thejohnfleming.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/steve-bennett-editor-of-chortle-uk-comedy-website-says-his-criticism-is-fair/ |last=Fleming |first=John |website=So It Goes |title=Steve Bennett, editor of Chortle UK comedy website, says his criticism is fair |date=24 March 2013 |access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
<ref name=Guardian141107>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/nov/07/this-weeks-new-live-comedy |newspaper=The Guardian |title=This week's new live comedy |last=Kettle |first=James |date=7 November 2014 |access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
</references>
{{Edinburgh Festival Fringe}}
Category:British comedy websites Category:2000 establishments in the United Kingdom Category:Internet properties established in 2000