MASTERS OF MIRTH

British comedy has evolved rapidly in recent decades, but a number of devotees still treasure its pioneers, such as the music hall star George Robey and the actor and entertainer Stanley Holloway. At Make ’Em Laugh you can read many of their classic monologues, alongside those made famous by such “First Ladies of Comedy” as Joyce Grenfell ( right) and Marie Lloyd. The site’s meticulous design may also have something to do with the unusual artistic sideline it offers – a section on how to draw pencil portraits. www.monologues.co.uk

NATURAL BORN THRILLER

Acquiring a new book usually requires the exchange of money, but not if it’s Simon Spurrier’s debut novel Contract. This tale of a morally repugnant yet charismatic hitman named Michael Point will be released free online in six weekly instalments from May 24 (a traditional hardback will also be available to buy on June 4). The publishers Headline clearly have faith in the talented 25-year-old who started writing stories for the 2000AD comic, and has since amassed a cult following apparently ready to lap up his first full-length work of fiction. Keeping up with the times, his murderous antihero even has his own MySpace page. www.itsallaboutthemoney. co.uk

PODCAST OF THE WEEK

Michael Rice, the host of the OperaNow! podcast, aims to encourage more people into the opera houses with a panel show discussing opera’s current hot topics. But don’t expect dry, technical dissections of recent performances. What you get is an amusing gossip-fest which, in the case of the latest alleged tantrum by the star soprano Angela Gheorghiu, provokes creative swearing and atrocious Italian and Romanian accents from panellists. They may ramble a tad, but the team communicate their passion and knowledge well. operanow.blogspot.com

BLOG OF THE WEEK

The Magnum Photos cooperative was founded in 1947 by Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson to produce true visual records of a world afflicted by war, famine and myriad strife. Now, 60 years on, its blog stays true to those aims thanks to photojournalists such as Chris Steele-Perkins, who posts a heartfelt report on visiting Korea’s surviving Second World War “Comfort Women”. Others document malaria in Uganda and tour prisons around the world. By contrast, Martin Parr delights in photographing the oil-moneyed visitors to an art fair in Dubai. blog.magnumphotos.com OLAV BJORTOMT

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