Beyond A Joke is our annual series of debates, discussions and seminars which encourage people to delve a little deeper into issues linked to contemporary comedy.  In partnership with Centre for Comedy Studies Research.

Following the success in recent years, we have increased the number of talks & seminars we are promoting as part of the festival and topics include comedy archives and history, the cultural economy of comedy, puns, the psychology of humour, mental health and older people.

Past topics have included issues linked to access, change, politics, the environment, as well as Q&A’s with guests including Milton Jones, Lost Voice Guy, Arthur Smith, Jo Brand, Tom Allen, Andy Hollingworth, David Benson, Dave Johns, Sara Pascoe, Nicholas Parsons & Alexei Sayle.

If you have a suggestion for a topic, or would like to speak at an event, do get in touch.