Corporal Flag and the curious business of comedy on stage | Alfred Hickling
Drama about offensive standup " such as Brian Marchbank's production about an ageing comic " only peddles tired and bigoted materialTime was, in order to become a successful standup comedian you'd expect to undertake a gruelling apprenticeship in the clubs. Now there's an Apprentice-style reality show in which hopefuls compete for £100,000 and a national tour. Yet the indifference that greeted the first episode of…