Nick Revell, 05/25/12

The Opposition Front Bench are calling you "complacent and out of touch". (You may not have heard about this, for whatever reason.) Well, it's not just them; it's a growing mood. In fact there's a rumour that "complacent and out of touch" is the motto on your coat-of-arms.

John Fleming, 05/27/12

Sponsor of the annual Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards. Stage, TV and film producer

A couple of days ago, I was chatting to comedian Jeff Stevenson who remembered the night of 15th April 1984 when comedian Tommy Cooper may have died on stage during the Live From Her Majesty's TV show - it was screened live by London Weekend Television on the full ITV network.

Chris Cox, 05/25/12

Award winning mind-reader who can't read minds

In the days leading up to a show, I spend a lot of my time making sure I'm show ready. I'm probably in the minority of comedy acts that do this, but then again I'm not 'just' a comedy act, some people would say I'm not even a comedy act, with jokes like that one I've just made, they might have a point.

Greg Jenner, 05/23/12

Historical Consultant to CBBC’s multi-award winning sketch show Horrible Histories

I have been, for as long as I can remember, a staunch republican. I skipped the Royal Wedding and went on holiday to Florence, home of the Renaissance Republic, as it seemed the most delightfully pleasant form of protest. I think monarchy is an outdated and inherently absurd form of political power that contradicts every philosophical tenet in my heart - the idea that you can only be born into true royalty is at total odds with modern Britain's democratic principles and emphasis on meritocratic social mobility. Yet, there is a whopping great problem with my frothy-mouthed rhetoric... I bloody love the Queen!

Carol Hartsell, 05/24/12

Senior Comedy Editor, The Huffington Post

We're miserable, awful people and we must be stopped. We love our FAILs, our bloopers, our "worst evers". We share animated GIFs of reality television monsters and consider ourselves droll and whimsical. Shame on us. But perhaps there's still some shred of hope. Here are five things that made me want to be a better person this week.

Lynne Parker, 05/21/12

Founder and executive producer of Funny Women

We women have to employ a stealth approach to using humour in the boardroom, on public platforms and to build our relationships with friends and families. When we group together in tribes, professional networks, social or family groups, we are funny - gobsmackingly, hilariously funny, funny, funny.

Ronnie Joice, 05/21/12

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Went back, did it again, spare t-shirt for sale

Ah, alcohol. It's the mainstay of hundreds and thousands of years of culture. The discovery of late Stone Age beer jugs has established the fact that purposely fermented beverages existed at least as early as 10,000 BC.

David Schneider, 05/17/12

Actor, writer, comedian, fool

I suspect that speech impediment fans will fight back by trying to confuse the England manager. Interviewers will start asking whether he plans to play Theo Ralcott alongisde Rayne Rooney. Or they'll invent an English grandmother to ask why he hasn't selected Sergei Rebrov or that talented youngster Joe Ranks-Highlyinrome.

Jonty Langley, 05/14/12

Commentator, columnist and writer on Christian politics.

Anti-terror laws, government-sponsored arms-dealers and testing the limits of free speech and protest: Mark Thomas has tackled them all.

Alistair Coleman, 05/14/12

Writer and award-winning blogger

In 1944, when he wasn't messing about with cats in boxes, the philosopher Erwin Schroedinger wrote a book asking the eternal question: What is Life? I find in my advancing years that life is far too short to read what he might have said, but I doubt it had anything to do with Association Football, which is where he went wrong.

Donal Coonan, 05/14/12

Filmmaker, clown.

The first crush I ever had, before Pamela Anderson, was Sergeant Debbie Callahan, from the Police Academy films.

Keith Ryan, 05/10/12

Struggling comedy artisan

During a recent television interview, US President Barack Obama came out* with a bold statement regarding his views on same-sex marriage. If you fell asleep during the 22 words he used before he got to the point, in a nutshell, it was "Whatever dude, they're in love, stop harshing their buzz". All of which is entirely awesome and momentous to anyone with a brain, obviously.

Christopher Beanland, 05/10/12

Writes funny words

"We live in a Post-post-Leveson world," he muses, cupping his b*lls. "People expect their journalism to be fresh, healthy, handmade now. We sell ours at journalism markets - truly horrifying f**kfests which take place in Stoke Newington school playgrounds and attract the very worst kind of smug pram-pushing broadsheet reader."

Frisky and Mannish, 05/04/12

Frisky and Mannish are popmusicy-seriocomic-mashparodic-bapsbotty-infotainment

F&M are back once more to look at one of the most crucial debates being addressed right now: is The Voice better than Britain's Got Talent?

Dale Shaw, 05/04/12

A comedy writer of sorts...

As well as sapping all semblance of civilization and basic human dignity from existence, this modern world, that you are all so very proud of, has ruined the talkies too. Computers, phones, internet, cyborgs; they've all combined to suck the mystery out of life (especially the cyborgs). And when the mystery goes, cinematic plot holes become very difficult to obscure.

Jon Spira, 05/03/12

Film-maker, writer, scoundrel

One of my biggest ponderings about tourists over the years is what the hell they DO in Leicester Square. They all go there. But I never see them inside the cinemas or comedy clubs, so they're not doing that. There's nothing to see there, apart from the odd below-par caricaturist and the vague possibility of seeing Pat Sharp emerge from Capital FM.

Laura Dunn, 05/01/12

Blogger, freelance journalist, author, advisor

Both Barack Obama and John McCain appeared on Saturday Night Live during their race for the residency, and one wonders if Mitt Romney will embrace this precedent before Election Day.