Matt Forde: Dishonourable Member

Politics, football and comedy

14:55pm, 25th August, Udderbelly’s Pasture, 4th-28th August

Matt Forde

Having cut his comedic teeth on the radio with the likes of Russell Howard, Jon Richardson and Richard Bacon, as well as having his own  late night slot on talkSPORT, Matt Forde  has returned to the Edinburgh Fringe  Festival to serve a slice of his own mix of stand-up comedy, football and politics.  These are his self-assigned areas of expertise and as the show plays its course, it becomes apparent that not only does he know what he’s talking about, but his passion for these occasionally juxtaposing interests is a pleasure to observe.

Matt Forde’s humour is eloquent but unassuming as he delves into his own personal experience and beliefs with anecdotal wit. He describes his life growing up in Nottingham and his lifelong allegiance to Nottingham Forest and waxes lyrical about his role as a supporter with such enthusiasm that it is hard not to see on stage before the audience the eleven year old mascot walking onto the pitch at City Ground. He beams his way through his tale of Brian Clough, arguably the club’s most prolific and successful manager, as he described Matt Forde as he was gearing up to hit puberty headlong, looking as if he spent his time ‘headbutting a pizza.’ Whether or not  characters such as Brian Clough are familiar to anyone other than Matt Forde, even if they spark a vague memory somewhere in the mind, it seems irrelevant; to hear him tell the story and experience what he experienced through his articulate, brave descriptions is where his performances entertainment value lies.

He wades through his past as a member and associate of the Labour Party, joining when he was fifteen; he paints the image of his fourteen year old self sending off his application four weeks early so he might wake up on his fifteenth birthday a fully fledged member of the party he had idolised since the age of seven. He admits his political ideology wouldn’t reach much further at that young age than hoping Tony Blair might ensure Nottingham Forest win the FA Cup, but soon his audience is coaxed into his experiences working alongside some of Labour’s most recognised politicians. He was there the day Tony Blair resigned. This is useful ammo for any stand-up, and Matt Forde rambles through his experiences of the day, re-renacting Tony Blair’s wry observations and quick-witted responses to audience questions. This isn’t just solid material for a stand-up performance it is also a snippet of our own recent history that we rarely get to hear about candidly from someone who was actually there. It is hard to not be reeled into this narrative, as Matt Forde candidly flicks a beckoning finger into the inner workings of Westminster during his time there. His audience join him for a drink where Michael Portillo seems a little too impressed by Matt’s Tony Blair impression.

Matt Forde pulls the nuances of a spectator sport as he describes Blair’s final hours. Indeed, by his own admission he is probably the only person in the world that watches Prime Minister’s Question Time with a pack of lager. This is where the crux of his stand-up emerges, as he blends the avid and earnest advertising techniques of Sky Sports with the political tussles of the early noughties. He ends in a climactic cacophony of clichéd football noises and the Rocky Theme tune blasting out of the speakers. His hour is up in what seems like minutes, a performer with enough political knowledge and anecdotal to flair to hold his audience in amused rapture.

Performed by Matt Forde

(c) Alexandra Kavanagh 2011

Paul Ricketts: Kiss the Badge, Fly the Flag

England, Their England

Edinburgh 2010 – Just The Tonic @ The Caves – 5-29 August­­ 2010 – 22.40 (1:00)

“I hate England”, taunts Paul Ricketts in a thick Jamaican accent at the start of this thoughtful, if occasionally misfiring, stand-up comedy show.  The catch is that the comedian was actually born and brought up in England, where his family have lived ever since his grandfather arrived during the Second World War.  “I Love England”, he adds, setting the scene for the rest of his performance.

Settling into his own, relatively softly-spoken, English accent he skips over a few one-liners before getting to the meat of his show – the complex relationship between ethnic minorities living in England and the kind of patriotism which surrounds major sporting events.  In particular, he addresses attitudes towards the St Georges Cross flag and the English football strip using his own experiences and those of others – including some famous friends and the children he teaches in an inner city London school.  The serious subject is nevertheless punctuated by numerous amusing anecdotes and quips.

Using football as a metaphor for wider patriotism is a clever way to attempt to get to the root of the English psyche – a psyche that he admits attracts the loathing of many different countries, and even a form of self-hatred for those living within its own borders.  Comparisons with US and Scottish nationalism sees the English fall short and, in football terms, become “90 minute patriots” where they are only a game away from throwing down their flags and damning the entire country.  A memory of his first game at Wembley is shocking in its frank honesty – a scared eight-year-old sickeningly targeted by bigots but almost more concerned about a lost hotdog, such is his acceptance of racism as a common part of English life.

A series of interviews with celebrities, including actor Adrian Lester and comedians Richard Blackwood, Stephen K Amos, Shazia Mirza and Junior Simpson, back-up the comedian’s contention that, while there now seems to be little problem with the English football strip, the flag of St George still seems to hold violent connotations for segments of society – links with the BNP and other far-right groups still fresh in the memory.

In a video set-piece we see Paul Ricketts attempting to reclaim the flag by parading around different parts of London wearing a variety of English regalia during St George’s day, with mixed results.  It’s a silly idea, but one which makes a good point in a humourous way.  The younger generations, who point and laugh but never swear and shout, seem to have a far less involved, more positive and healthy relationship with nationality than their parents and grandparents.  It is a heartening moment in a blackly-comic show which threatens to be overcome with hopelessness.

Paul Ricketts clearly has good intentions and is an engaging  raconteur.  But this cannot cover up the fact that he comes to no real conclusions.  A closing segment which sees him dreaming up a series of ‘alternative national anthems’ typifies this and seems to have little substance other than getting cheap laughs.  The show’s denouement, where the performer dons a DIY England football shirt, feels like it should be revelatory but feels like a case of style over substance.

Cast Credits (alpha order): Paul Ricketts.

Company Credits: Writer – Paul Ricketts.

(c) David Hepburn 2010

Reviewed Thursday 26 August