²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Chapel featured on BBC Radio 4's Ian Hislop's Oldest Jokes
On 25 January, New College Chapel was featured on . In the series, Ian tries to find the first examples of jokes featuring classic comedic hallmarks such as parody, Double entendre and wordplay.
In this episode, Ian visits ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Chapel to look for the earliest examples of visual humour. With art historian Dr Janina Ramirez from Harris Manchester ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ, he finds hilarious carvings under the wooden seats (misericords) featuring "straining green men, noble knights on pantomime horses and semi-clad students involved in what appears to be a boozy brawl". Dr Ramirez explains to Ian that the carving seems to be depiction of an altercation between Oxford's town and gown communities. ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ's Dean of Divinity, Rev Dr Erica Longfellow, is also featured on the show, helping the pair to delve into the history of the misericords.
Photo copyright: BBC Radio 4