蜜芽传媒

In looking for the oldest refined examples of British comedy staples almost all roads lead to, even if they don't necessarily begin with, Geoffrey Chaucer. But when it comes to jokes about meanness, Chaucer produced one of the funniest and possibly the longest of all time. His most recent and celebrated biographer, Professor Marion Turner of Oxford University, guides Ian through the sharp satirical jabs and the broad crudeness of the Summoner's Tale, from his Canterbury Tales. Ian also talks to comedian Al Murray, aka the Pub Landlord, about why the meanness joke is such a sustaining comedy staple, and he follows it through to the modern era, avoiding the lazy national stereotypes while highlighting the Dickensian miser-in-chief Ebenezer Scrooge.

Producer: Tom Alban