Matt Forde: Get the Political Party Started

• Yasmin Sulaiman
• 12 August 2015

This article is from 2015.

credit: Dominic Marley

Swipes right and left from the unapologetic Blairite comedian

It's never been a better time to be a political comedian and Matt Forde knows it. 'I've been telling people for years that politics is full of weirdos,' he says. He doesn't need to convince us anymore as the last 12 months have left everyone else in no doubt.

In this new hour, Forde has plenty of fun with 2015's post-electoral political landscape, digging into party leaders old, new and in-the-wings. And although he's a committed Labour Party member and unapologetic Blairite, his party gets as much of a kicking as everyone else (though he barely mentions the Lib Dems, now so irrelevant that they can't even get people to joke about them).

This is an hour of amusing political observations and spot-on impressions, but surprisingly few punchlines. Still, Forde sails through on charm and smarts. It helps that his natural audience is so politically literate too: he barely has to begin a story of some politician cocking up on camera before eliciting groans of painful recognition from the crowd. And while there'll be plenty of people taking swipes at everyone from Corbyn to Farage this Fringe, few will do so with as much knowledge and real passion for politics as Forde.

Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 3.50pm, £8.50–£10 (£7–£9).