Who's afraid of a joke? Comedy in an authoritarian age — with comedians Sam Jay, Tom Ballard, Bahaa Dabbagh and Leon Filewood
About this episode
This episode explores the challenges comedians face in an authoritarian age where humor can lead to serious consequences.
Comedians are increasingly being forced to navigate a world where the right punchline at the expense of the wrong politician carries the risk of personal and professional consequences. So when poking fun at the powerful could get you cancelled, sued, land you in jail — or worse — who's afraid of a joke? This episode was recorded on 28th March 2026 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in partnership with The Wheeler Centre , Australia's first dedicated centre for Books, Writing and Ideas. Explore more discussions like this one on The Wheeler Centre podcast — available wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @wheelercentre for updates. Speakers Sam Jay Comedian, TV writer Saturday Night Live, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay , 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show We the People Bahaa Dabbagh Stand-up comedian, Syrian refugee advocate, 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Comedy Zone Leon Filewood Stand-up comedian, winner, Deadly Funny, 2018 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, 2026 Moosehead Recipient, 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Holding Space Tom Ballard (host)Comedian, broadcaster, writer, former host of ABC TV's…
People in this episode
Host: Tom Ballard
Guests: Sam Jay, Bahaa Dabbagh, Leon Filewood
Topics covered
- comedy
- authoritarianism
- political satire
- freedom of speech
- censorship
Keywords
- comedy
- politics
- censorship
- freedom of speech
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Wheeler Centre, ABC TV, Triple J, Kennedy Centre
Books & works: We the People, Holding Space, Be Funny Challenge (Impossible), 2022 Mark Twain Prize
More episodes of Big Ideas
- Immunotherapy trailblazer Georgina Long on the hidden ingredients in cancer medicine
- 40 years after Chernobyl we face a new nuclear risk — this time as a weapon of war
- Is Trump a new Nero, Caligula, Caesar? Can the Roman Empire help us make sense of today's chaos? And other burning questions
- Australia's broken social contract — Tahlia Isaac wants to protect women in prison
- Is Southeast Asia Australia's blind spot? — with Michael Wesley and Geoff Raby
- The future of the past — how artificial intelligence is changing history
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Big Ideas podcast page.