Matt Forde on his live show and impersonating political figures

Virgin Radio

30 Apr 2021, 12:26

Comedian Matt Forde joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about his upcoming live show, The Political Party, and to share a few of his amazing impressions.

The Political Party has been a sell-out success during its monthly residency at Westminster’s The Other Palace since 2013, and now it will hit London’s West End in May and June. Matt told Chris, “It’ll be a right old laugh. It’s cool to do it in the West End. I’ve got some great guests.” 

There are indeed some seriously impressive names set to appear at these events, including Labour leader Keir Starmer and Conservative MP Esther McVey. Also joining Matt will be Labour's Jess Phillips, and former Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom.

Adding to the heavyweight list of names will be one of the most influential men in the history of the Labour Party, Peter Mandelson, and Sayeeda Warsi, the first female Muslim to serve in the British Cabinet. “It’s a lovely mix,” Matt explained, noting that his guests are from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum. “It’s fair and balanced in every way.” 

The comedian used to work for the Labour Party, but he is the first to admit that he is better suited to making comedic entertainment about political issues. “I worked in the Labour Party for a couple of years. I used to help them run election campaigns. I think I lost every single one. I was terrible!”

During their chat, Chris and Matt discussed the current leaders of the Conservative and Labour Parties, which afforded an opportunity for Matt to bring out his excellent Boris Johnson impression. He also impersonated Keir Strarmer, whose voice he likened to that of Josh Widdicombe!

Matt, who had been a member of the Labour Party until Jeremy Corbyn took charge, said of Keir Starmer’s performance so far, “He’s taken over from something that was a car crash. The public were really repelled by Labour... so he’s got to really repair that relationship with the public, and the first thing is just being professional, sensible and not mad. I think he’s probably achieved that and now he needs to move on… to kinda flirt with us a bit, turn us on a bit and excite us.

“You’ve got to move people. For people who think themselves rational, that feels like it shouldn’t be the way. Facts should be enough. But it’s not, so actually moving people isn’t a bad thing, it’s a positive thing. We’re feeling people. You have to meet people where they are.” 

Talking about political leaders that move people in a good or bad way, one of Matt’s most loved impressions is Donald Trump, but he has noticed there is far less material to work with now that he is no longer President. “I can still do him but, because he’s banned from Twitter, we haven’t really seen him that much. I could watch him all day, but I’m glad he’s gone.” 

It turns out that doing an impression of the much lower-key new US President, Joe Biden, isn’t as easy as mimicking Trump. “It’s like, oh he’s in charge now. That’s nice. No-one knows what he sounds like,” he laughed. 

As well as Matt’s live show hitting the West End, his Political Party podcast has over 6 million downloads, and he also co-hosts the British Scandal podcast with Alice Levine. His first book, Politically Homeless, comes out in paperback on May 8th. It would seem then, that things are great for Matt Forde at the moment, but he told Chris that not everything is going swimmingly. “I’ve got gout!” he lamented. “I’m 38 and I’ve got gout... I haven’t had a pint since November! I’m taking lots of tablets which also makes me very windy! It’s one thing after another."

Talking about the diet he is currently on as a consequence, he laughed, "I’m eating peasant food from medieval times!”