As May wins a 100 seat majority…
As Britain leaves the EU on 29th of March…
As Article 50 is revoked…
‘Exit, Pursued by a Bear’, taken from A Winter’s Tale, is Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction. The play encompasses an unrivalled combination of comedy, drama, and tragedy – unrivalled, that is, until the last 3 years of Brexit chaos. Now the UK Comedy’s Political insider Matt Forde returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a brand-new stand-up comedy show, Brexit, Pursued By A Bear, from 31st July to 25th August at the Pleasance Forth at 8.30pm.
Already in 2019, Matt has been invited to chair the One Nation Conservative leadership hustings, interviewing Michael Gove, Matt Hancock, Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab, to host the People’s Vote rally featuring speeches from figures including Luciana Berger, Vince Cable, Michael Heseltine and Caroline Lucas and to debate Britain’s withdrawal from the EU with Tony Blair for the Institute Of Global Change. In his Political Party podcast, he has spoken to guests ranging from former Change UK MPs Heidi Allen and Chuka Umunna, David Blunkett, Momentum’s Jon Lansman, George Osborne and Rory Stewart to name a few.
A former advisor to the Labour Party, Matt has hosted four series of Unspun on Dave. The highly topical political comedy chat received a nomination for the Best Entertainment Programme Broadcast Digital Award last year, following a nomination for the same award in the previous year. Matt presents Absolute Radio’s weekly Rock n Roll Football Show with other broadcast credits including: Have I Got News For You (BBC One), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Mock The Week (BBC Two), Rory Bremner’s Coalition Report and Rory Bremner’s Election Report (BBC Two), Question Time (BBC One), This Week (BBC One), Newsnight (BBC Two) and Daily Politics (BBC Two). In the lead up to the 2017 General Election, Matt was a regular guest on the One Show, observing the best and most bizarre moments of the campaign.
Matt’s latest critically acclaimed stand-up show Brexit Through The Gift Shop toured nationwide and was extended through 2019, including eight dates in London. The Political Party has been a sell-out show during its monthly residency at Westminster’s The Other Palace for nearly six years. He has brought Parliament to life with his stand-up and debate with some of politics’ most powerful and notorious figures, including Ed Balls, Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell, Ruth Davidson, Nigel Farage, Harriet Harman, Alan Johnson, Neil Kinnock, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Michael Portillo, Lord Prescott, Jack Straw and Dame Tessa Jowell. The Political Party is now released weekly as a podcast and has amassed over 1 million downloads on Soundcloud, received a 2018 Best Comedy Podcast nomination from the British Podcast Awards, is one of The Observer’s top political podcasts picks, hit the top spot of the iTunes comedy chart, was highlighted as the Daily Telegraph’s podcast of the week and was nominated for the Internet Award at the Chortle Awards.
Matt will be joined by the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon for a Political Party Edinburgh Festival Fringe special on the 20th August at 1.30pm at the Gilded Balloon Debating Hall. He has another Political Party special at the same venue on the 14thAugust at 3pm, with the guest to be announced.
What the Press Have Said About Matt Forde
“Forde is as gratifyingly sane as comedians come… smart, funny ideas” ★★★★Dominic Maxwell, The Times
“Is there a better political comic than Matt Forde currently working in the UK? I can’t think of another to touch him”
★★★★½ Jay Richardson, Chortle
“a stand-up of rare skill” ★★★★ Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times
“Singlehandedly fulfilling comedy’s brief of taking our political masters to task. Combining spot-on impressions with up to the minute observations” ★★★★ Mark Wareham, The Mail On Sunday
★★★★ Veronica Lee, The Arts Desk
★★★★ John Nicholson, The New European
★★★★★ The Herald
For more information and press tickets, please contact: Victoria Wedderburn at vwedderburn@avalon-entertainment.com / 0207 598 7222
