Comedians could be prescribed on NHS to help patients struggling with trauma: Bristol Uni

Sly Saint

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Article in Mirror;
Comedians Charmian Hughes and Jack Campbell will help to deliver the sessions through Bristol Wellspring Settlement Social Prescribing Team which patients could be sent on for free

GPs may be given the option of sending people on free courses focused on making them laugh.

Angie Belcher, comedian in residence at Bristol University, has been working with medics to develop the sessions.

She said they would help people gain a new perspective on their difficult experiences.

Angie said: “Comedy is a force for good and people do not realise how much it can change people’s lives.”

Professional comics Charmian Hughes and Jack Campbell will help to deliver the sessions through Bristol Wellspring Settlement Social Prescribing Team.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/comedians-could-prescribed-nhs-help-25831867
 
Apparently Angie Belcher is an Associate Lecturer in Comedy at University of Worcester, as well as being the Comedian in Academic Residence at University of Bristol.

I wonder whether "comedy" stopped being funny at the time as universities started to offer courses, or whether the fact that the BBC had already promoted the new genre of unfunny comedy led to the possibility of the teaching of the subject.
 
I feel mean now.

I guess if its self selected then it could be a fun option for some people who feel like it.

Its just the idea of trying to be funny about ME kind of flops. Ricky Gervaise and Jack Dee tried it and ... erm ... it didnt raise a titter, more a kind of stoney silence... next joke please!
 
It strikes me as horrible and I hate the whole way it was Press Released but - this is happening in an economically and socially challenged inner city area where there are widespread health deficits. It's part of a package of giving people ways of doing something new and outside their experiences that might build a bit of resilience to help cope with crap lives. I think it's probably not evil, just a bit naff.

There's a certain irony though in that similar sort of well meaning outside influence has been going on that facility for at least the last 40 years without any change in the well being (or ability to laugh) for the local population.
 
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In my opinion this makes the whole idea even worse.
Most people aren't funny. That's not at all better.

Not a dig at anyone. Most people are bad at tragedy as well. Performance is not for everyone. These people have no idea what they're doing. This is what happens without accountability, it just gets worse and worse and the participation are evermore plentiful.
 
To me the it’s the ‘economically challenged area’ aspect that makes it a whole lot worse.

In this case building ‘resilience’ might be laughing you poverty house less ness and bleak prospects away instead of having access good quality housing medical and social care and all the good stuff you could have if others weren’t profiting out of your misery.
 
To me the it’s the ‘economically challenged area’ aspect that makes it a whole lot worse.

In this case building ‘resilience’ might be laughing you poverty house less ness and bleak prospects away instead of having access good quality housing medical and social care and all the good stuff you could have if others weren’t profiting out of your misery.
Yeah - but good quality housing medical and social care aren't on offer so something that helps you mentally survive another year without going under might be welcome. With this sort of humour ? Four decades ago we nearly went to live around there - but the flat got firebombed by someone unhappy with the previous tenant before we got allocated. True story. :jawdrop:
 
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