I will begin by saying the exact same thing I said in the last Humour meeting of the year; famously, I am not very good at being kind (or patient or genuine or sincere), but I will try my best for you.
For anyone that’s had the absolute pleasure of being in my company over the previous year, particularly in any Cheese Grater capacity, you inevitably would have heard my very strong opinions about the Humour and Satire section — it is undeniably the greatest section of our humble magazine.
Listen: news is very important. We wouldn’t be worth the money it costs to print without it. The Cheese Grater is home to some, quite frankly, excellent journalism. Our investigations are biting and critical, repeatedly revealing systemic issues across the university and holding the institution accountable.
However.
What makes The Cheese Grater is our commitment to top class comedy. I don’t want to jerk myself off too much here, because I will admit that we do post some absolute drivel (and by this I mean my greatest shame: Erika Kirk to replace Liam Payne in 1D Performance of ‘We are Michael Spence’ at UCL200 Festival. I know. I’m genuinely sorry.), but as a publication based on the Private Eye, I think we’ve done a stellar job in continuing the legacy of the early days. This year alone, we have published over 75(!) articles for the section, a number that is dramatically higher than it has been for previous years.
Every single member of the current editorial team has written a piece for the section, or drawn a graphic for one. It’s also very nearly true for the editorial team for next year … assuming no one drops out between now and September.
The reason for this is simple: anyone can write a humour or satire article. Whenever I ask someone to join the section, most of the time I get an answer along the lines of “oh I would… But I don’t think I’m very funny”. I’m telling you right now, that does not matter! Once you get over the initial hurdle, it’s incredibly easy to write a piece that makes people laugh.
I implore anyone reading, who has never even thought to broach the Humour section, to give it a try. Even if you don’t want to write anything. Come along to one of our weekly meetings once the new year kicks off. I promise you, you will have a good time.
It sounds silly to say that the Humour section means an incredible amount to me, but it genuinely does. I’ve made some life-long friends through The Cheese Grater, and none of it would have happened without showing up to a silly meeting in my second year. Being Humour & Satire Editor for the past year has been an absolute joy, even if it has been extremely painful at times.
When everything in the world is so shit, when you’re almost failing your degree, it is an unimaginable relief to go and sit in a room for an hour and piss about. To play a stupid game or laugh at someone’s article is an unbelievable privilege, especially surrounded by the other freaks that are also invested in this silly little kitchen utensil publication.
My beloved Humour section, this is not goodbye just yet. (Hopefully) I will be around next year to spew more nonsense and write articles that are borderline libelous, because keeping this section alive is genuinely so, so important. It is easy to dismiss comedic pieces as not as important or even pointless, but that kind of mindset is an inexcusably BORING one, and we need to keep our whimsy alive in order to keep on succeeding like we have. (SPA Best Publication 2026, in case you haven’t already heard…)
I wish the next Humour and Satire Editors the best of luck — you will need it. It’s the best role in the world. I’m so excited for all the lawsuits that we’re going to get.