Professor Marion Turner Features on BBC Radio 4’s 'Ian Hislop’s Oldest Jokes'

Professor Marion Turner, LMH's J.R.R. Tolkien Professor of English Literature and Language, recently appeared on an episode of Ian Hislop’s BBC Radio 4 series, Ian Hislop’s Oldest Jokes.

The episode, entitled 'Avarice', explores the long comic tradition of jokes about meanness in British culture. As Hislop investigates the roots of this comedic staple, he finds himself returning to Geoffrey Chaucer, whose Canterbury Tales contains one of the funniest - and longest - jokes on the subject.

Professor Turner, author of the prize-winning Chaucer: A European Life, guides Hislop through The Summoner’s Tale, highlighting both its sharp satirical edge and its gleeful crudeness. The episode also features comedian Al Murray, who reflects on why jokes about miserliness remain so popular.

Ian Hislop’s Oldest Jokes: Avarice is available to listen to on BBC Sounds.