Ian Hislop's Oldest Jokes

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Ian Hislop goes in search of the earliest examples of British comedy staples.

With the help of contemporary comedians, scholars and an appetite for enduring humour, Ian Hislop tracks down the earliest examples of enduring British comedy tropes and jokes.

There are a number of themes or types or techniques in British comedy that seem to survive any social or political upheaval.  We love wordplay, we're suckers for Double entendre and while animals can be cute or terrifying, they can also make us laugh. In this series Ian Hislop looks back to try and find the first examples of these jokes or comedy genres.  We love a good parody but when did that become a thing?  Can we really find Anglo-Saxon Double Entendre? You bet we can, and filthy to boot, another trove of British Humour.  
He visits libraries, museums and chapels, and also talks to comedy stars and writers of today like Nina Conti, Paul Whitehouse, comedy song writing duo Jo and Joan and parodist Craig Brown.

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Ian Hislop's Oldest Jokes: Visual Humour and Misericords

Visual Humour and Misericords

BBC Radio 4 - Ian Hislop's Oldest Jokes, Visual Humour and Misericords

Part four of Ian Hislop's comedy quest leads him to physical humour in medieval carving.

Ian visits a late Medieval College Chapel to examine early examples of visual comedy in his search for evidence of what made our ancestors laugh.

There are a number of themes or types or techniques in British comedy that seem to survive any social or political upheaval. We love wordplay, we're suckers for Double entendre and while animals can be cute or terrifying, they can also make us laugh. In this series Ian Hislop looks back to try and find the first examples of these jokes or comedy genres. We love a good parody but when did that become a thing? Can we really find Anglo-Saxon Double Entendre? You bet we can, and filthy to boot, another trove of British Humour.
He visits libraries, museums and chapels, and also talks to comedy stars and writers of today like Nina Conti, Paul Whitehouse, comedy song writing duo Flo and Joan and parodist Craig Brown.

In today's programme Ian looks for the earliest examples of visual humour. It's not something you can find in the texts of ancient manuscripts, but in the company of art historian Dr Janina Ramirez he finds, under the seats of New College Oxford Chapel, wooden carvings that suggest those who made them were never happier than when making people laugh. There are straining green men, noble knights on pantomime horses and semi-clad students involved in what appears to be a boozy brawl. 
Without the benefit of film, it's as near as we can get to examples of Late Medieval  visual humour which verges on a depiction of slapstick. 

Producer:  Tom Alban

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