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: Any Women here?

Any Women here?

BBC Radio 4 - Ian Hislop's Oldest Jokes, Any Women here?

The 8th part of Ian Hislop's quest for early British comedy looks at the work of women.

Ian changes tack in his series tracing the origins of British humour to address the apparent absence of female contributions to comedy in the Medieval period.

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.

Today Ian addresses a gap in the historical record. Where is the evidence of a female contribution to comedy and humour? The journey to equality on the comedy circuit today isn't exactly a fait accompli but the Medieval records can give the impression that it was only monks or wood-carvers or clerks who provided all the laughs.  However, that would be to make huge assumptions, according to Dr Janina Ramirez and Professor Marion Turner, not least about the gender of Anon.  And there are glimpses of humour in The Book of Margery Kemp and the figure of Chaucer's Wife of Bath, even if one was written out by a man and the other was the creation of a man.  There's also an argument for looking elsewhere, at the ephemera of Medieval records, the marginalia of manuscripts, the designs and drawings and the records of games.

Producer:  Tom Alban

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