Stand Up for China

Ever wondered what it takes to make the Chinese laugh? Comedian Des Bishop wants to find out, and he is doing it the hard way. Des has learnt Mandarin to take his jokes to China. He finds that there is a long tradition of comedy in China called Xiangsheng, or Crosstalk, often in the form of two comedians playing off each other.

But the younger generation are keen to hear something new and more challenging, and stand up comedy is taking its place in clubs across Beijing. "Everybody in this crazily developing society is so busy," an audience member tells Des, "We need a channel to get our anger and stress out." But what will the government allow them to say, and what will be off limits? Join him in a comedy club in Beijing to find out what goes down well - and what doesn't!

(Photo: Comedian Des Bishop. Credit: Mark Rickards/BBC)