There's nothing less funny than a joke you have to explain - yet dissecting jokes is exactly what the Beyond a Joke? discussion series will do when it runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 13th to 17th August 2014.

Comedy has often helped to foreground important social issues. Yet, with Frankie Boyle successfully suing the Daily Mail for libel in 2012 after the paper branded him a "racist comedian" and Ricky Gervais facing an ongoing backlash for various depictions of vulnerable and disabled people on TV, this foregrounding has often gone hand-in-hand with controversy.

Organised by the Centre for Comedy Studies Research (CCSR) based at Brunel University London and Big Difference Productions - both underpinned by a strong belief in the wide-ranging importance of comedy - the Beyond a Joke? series of five talks by leading Comedy Studies researchers will tackle key questions surrounding comedy, and especially controversy:

- How far does humour help public free-speech thrive?

- What is the role of comedy in discussions of disability?

- Has a form of snobbery surrounding comedy developed in Britain?

The CCSR has strong links with successful comedians like Jo Brand and Lee Mack - themselves both former Brunel students and veterans of the Edinburgh Fringe.

While the Centre's discussion series at the 2014 Festival Fringe may not provide as many belly-laughs as such illustrious stand-ups, it will no doubt encourage more people to think about and ask questions about the messy and complex business that is comedy.

The 'Beyond a Joke?' discussions will take place at Just The Tonic at The Community Project from the 13th to 17th August, at 11:10am. To find out more see the Listing