The Trump victory has at least been good for one comedian. Spoof reporter Jonathan Pie’s online tirade about the US election went viral last week, boosting his profile and ticket sales. He has just announced a date at the home of variety, The Palladium.
In his live show Pie is an unlikely host of Children In Need, supposedly drafted in after John Barrowman succumbs to a dodgy tapas. Between his cheery links he does what he is famous for, blowing his top over the Referendum, the Tory Party and much more.
Each breathless fusillade is a true tour de force. Actor Tom Walker, who plays Pie, builds up a blistering head of foul-mouthed steam as he rips apart targets on both sides of the Westminster divide. The Corbyn-led left is blasted just as ferociously as the May-led right.
The only problem it is that politics is currently moving so fast he needs to move as fast to keep up. His “Brexit means Brexit†riff already feels past its tell-by date. Yet Pie is fascinating. A comedy character whose views prompt supportive applause alongside laughs. Maybe he should stand for election. Stranger things have happened.
Bruce Dessau
Evening Standard
22/11/16
