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Down on the clowns? Filming a sitcom
British comedy, from Music Hall to TV sitcom, was once a democratic medium. Humour united people otherwise divided by class and education. But new research finds that the Alternative Comedy Movement transformed comedy's place in our culture. It rejected the 'lowbrow' tone of earlier humour, creating the basis for comic taste to provide new forms of social distinction. The sociologist, Sam Friedman joins Laurie Taylor to debate comedy snobbery.
Also, mobile communications have elided the distinction between work and home. The cultural studies lecturer, Melissa Gregg, asks if the lines between our personal and professional lives are increasingly blurred.
This edition of Thinking Allowed is a co-production between the BBC and The Open University. You can hear it on BBC Radio 4 at 4pm on Wednesday 6th July, 2011 and again at a quarter past midnight on Monday morning, 11th July. Further broadcast details, podcast and listen again links are at bbc.co.uk.
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Family-friendly employment and the dream of the work-life balance
Zoran Karapancev | Dreamstime.com
Getting a balance between work and life is an attractive idea - but you've got to be able to separate them in order to balance... Read more : Family-friendly employment and the dream of the work-life balance
British jokes in a global world
Production team
Christie Davies reveals the punchline to British jokes - they're often a local spin on international humour Read more : British jokes in a global world
More Thinking Allowed
OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed
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BBC
Thinking Allowed puts the focus on the latest thinking about how society works. Read exclusive academic insights every week as each show airs Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed
Welcome to Thinking Allowed with The Open University
BBC
Professor Laurie Taylor welcomes Thinking Allowed listeners to OpenLearn. Read more : Welcome to Thinking Allowed with The Open University
Why is The Open University Thinking Allowed?
psd under CC-BY licence
Wendy Maples explains why she's delighted that The Open University is continuing its relationship with Radio 4's exploration of the social sciences. Read more : Why is The Open University Thinking Allowed?
OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - About the series
BBC
Thinking Allowed, the long-running BBC Radio 4 series, is teaming up for a series of specials with the Open University Read more : OU on the BBC: Thinking Allowed - About the series
Thinking Allowed From bbc.co.uk
BBC
Listen again – and explore more deeply – with Thinking Allowed on BBC Radio 4. Read more : Thinking Allowed From bbc.co.uk
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