| Joking Apart | |
| Characters: | Richard Anthea Hugh Louise Sven Olive Brian Melody / Mandy / Mo / Debbie |
| Premiere: | 11 January 1978 |
| Place: | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| Orig Lang: | English |
| Setting: | Four parties over 12 years |
| Chronology: | Alan Ayckbourn |
| Last Play: | Ten Times Table (1977) |
| Next Play: | Sisterly Feelings (1979) |
Joking Apart is a 1978 play by English playwright Alan Ayckbourn.
Written in response to comments that Ayckbourn only ever wrote about unhappy couples, the play follows Richard and Anthea, a perfect and happily married couple who inadvertently worsen the lives of the couples they have befriended over the course of 12 years: Hugh and Louise, Sven and Olive, and Brian and his seemingly never-ending stream of unsteady girlfriends (Melody, Mandy, Mo, and Debbie). In most productions, Brian's girlfriends are portrayed by the same actress, with characters commenting on their similar physical appearances.