“Matt Forde’s podcast is like Top of the Pops for Westminster…phenomenally popular fortnightly show…refreshingly positive”
The Sunday Times
“Forde’s Political Party podcasts have become essential listening for both comedy fans and Westminster wonks”
The Evening Standard
“Forde is a brilliant interrogator, being just friendly enough to coax out some surprising admissions and insights. It successfully makes politics funny, which is no mean feat in the current climate.”
ShortList’s No. 1 Political Podcast
“Forde is a master at the long- form interview and turns sometimes robotic politicians into human beings. This is without doubt the most entertaining and insightful political interview podcast of them all”
Iain Dale’s Top 50 Political Podcasts, Mace Magazine
It was announced today, 2nd August, that leading political comedian and satirist Matt Forde (Spitting Image, HIGNFY, British Scandal) is set to interview Anas Sarwar, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Sarah Brown, over three live Edinburgh Festival Fringe Political Party podcast specials.
On 13th August, Matt will be joined by Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, at Gilded Balloon at the Museum. Sarwar’s popularity has soared following his party’s victory in the recent General Election. Labour achieved a landslide win, gaining 37 seats in Scotland, a remarkable improvement from their single seat in 2019. The SNP suffered a major defeat, dropping from 48 seats to just 9. This result has significantly altered the political landscape in Scotland, positioning Sarwar as the frontrunner to become the First Minister of Scotland in 2026.
On 18th August, Matt’s guest will be Jacob Rees-Mogg, a prominent figure in the Conservative Party, at Underbelly’s McEwan Hall. Famed as much for his eccentricity as his political views, Rees-Mogg is one of the most recognisable politicians in the country. After losing his seat on 4th July, questions arise about the future for this influential GB News presenter. As the Conservatives look for new leadership, what lies ahead for Rees-Mogg and the party?
On 19th August, Sarah Brown joins Matt for a rare interview at Gilded Balloon at the Museum. Known for her extensive charity work, Sarah made significant contributions during her time at Downing Street. She used her platform to support organizations like Women’s Aid, Maggie’s, and the SHINE Education. In 2004, she and Gordon Brown established the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory, now a world-class medical research facility for premature babies. Recently, her work with Theirworld has provided educational support to children in crisis situations in Ukraine, Lebanon, and Greece. Sarah also offers a unique perspective on being a political spouse, having participated in events like the G7, G20, and NATO summits, and hosting the London G20 spouses’ programs and the Leaders’ Dinner at Number 10.
The Political Party transferred to the West End’s Duchess Theatre in 2021, after over 70 sold out shows at Westminster’s The Other Palace, for a thrice extended fortnightly residency continuing in to 2024. He has brought Parliament to life with his stand-up and debate with some of politics’ most powerful figures including Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, Tony Blair, Eddie Izzard, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Angela Rayner, Michael Heseltine, Anthony Scaramucci, Alastair Campbell, Gordon Brown and Gary Neville. From 3rd June to the 4th July, Matt began releasing the podcast daily as part of an ambitious challenge: attempting to interview a candidate from all 650 constituencies before polling day. The Political Party has over 9 million downloads, received numerous nominations from award bodies including the British Podcast Awards and Chortle Awards, and is regularly highlighted as a top podcast pick in the press.
After enduring what he thought was sciatica during the last Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Matt was diagnosed with cancer. A few weeks later he was having the base of his spine removed.
Alongside returning to the Fringe with the Political Party specials, Matt is performing his new stand-up show The End of an Era Tour for a month-long run through 25th August at 8pm at Pleasance Beyond. From 2nd October 2024 to 12th March 2025, Matt is set to tour theatres nationwide including London’s Leicester Square Theatre on 10th October, following the UK’s recently elected new government after 14 years and in tandem with the US election.
Political Party and The End of an Era Tour tickets are available to buy now at mattforde.com
Matt currently presents Absolute Radio’s weekly Rock ‘n’ Roll Football Show. He is also the co-host of Wondery’s flagship British Podcast Award winning British Scandal alongside Alice Levine.
Matt wrote and voiced characters for Spitting Image (BritBox/ITV) including Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. Spitting Image delivered record subscribers for BritBox UK, the BBC and ITV created streaming platform, as well as picking up huge critical acclaim. Across official social media channels, series content has been hugely popular with over 200 million views globally, three No. 1 trending videos on YouTube and achieved praise across political the political divide.
Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image The Musical, written by a tour de force comedy team made up of Forde, Al Murray and Sean Foley, transferred to the West End’s Phoenix Theatre last year. Described by The Daily Telegraph as a five star “Lavish extravaganza” and “dazzling …a stunning technical achievement” by The Times, the musical introduced by Master of Ceremonies Sir Ian McKellen, featured a stellar line-up of over 100 puppets of the great and the not so good.
In 2019 alone, Matt hosted the Alternative News Desk for Channel 4’s election night coverage, chaired the One Nation Conservative leadership hustings and debated Britain’s withdrawal from the EU with Tony Blair for the Institute of Global Change. Matt hosted four series of Unspun with Matt Forde on Dave, receiving several nominations at the Broadcast Digital Awards, and has numerous other broadcast credits including: Have I Got News For You (BBC One), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Mock The Week (BBC Two), 8 out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), Hypothetical (Dave) 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).
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What the Press Have Said About Matt Forde’s Previous Stand-Up Shows
“Possibly the best political comedy show on the Fringe”
★★★★★ Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph
“tremendous performance, encapsulating the politics of modern day Britain”
★★★★★ Lewis McKenzie, The Herald
“Forde is as gratifyingly sane as comedians come… smart, funny ideas”
★★★★ Dominic Maxwell, The Times
“our foremost satirical stand-up…Whatever your politics, you’ll find excellence here”
★★★★ Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday 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
“Matt Forde never fails with his state-of-the-nation address, a mix of bang-on-the-money political takedowns and spot-on impressions”
★★★★ Mark Wareham, Mail On Sunday
“Matt Forde is the consummate political comedian”
★★★★ Tim Cornwell, The Scotsman
EDINBURGH FRINGE LISTINGS INFORMATION
Matt Forde – The Political Party with Anas Sarwar and Sarah Brown
Venue: Gilded Balloon at the Museum – Auditorium
Date & Time: 13th August (Anas Sarwar) at 13:15pm and 19th August (Sarah Brown) at 14:45pm
Duration: 60 min
Matt Forde – The Political Party with Jacob Rees-Mogg
Venue: Underbelly Bristo Square, McEwan Hall
Date & Time: 18th August at 13.30pm
Duration: 60 min
Matt Forde – The End of an Era Tour
Venue: Pleasance, Beyond
Date & Time: 1st – 25th August at 8pm
Duration: 60 min
Web: mattforde.com
