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Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Huge 80s star stages astonishing comeback after shock realisation about world'
The godfather of alternative comedy Alexei Sayle has lost none of his Marxist zeal or rage against the establishment – and says his firebrand act is needed more than ever to resist what he calls an 'assault on free speech and comedy'. After over 30 years delivering acidly funny rants at the state of the nation, the 72-year-old veteran of The Comic Strip and The Young Ones is more troubled than ever about the widening gap between the rich and poor – and there's no chance of him getting off his soapbox. 'I would like to retire – but the world keeps getting worse,' he says with a chuckle. 'So what am I supposed to do?' Politics has always been his schtick, and even now, he takes his alternative comedian job spec seriously. He believes comedy is one of the first casualties of an authoritarian society. 'They don't like a laugh,' says Alexei. 'But healthy ones encourage criticism. Comedy is a pressure valve – it's a way to let off steam about the injustice of the world. And comics should also point out injustice.' We meet in a park near his house in Bloomsbury, the literary quarter of central London, where he lives with his wife Linda and their beloved 18-year-old Maine Coon cat, Wilf. The bald, bovver-booted tight-suit wearing bouncer look has gone and been replaced by a slightly avuncular look. Completely white haired and with a beard trimmed into a Lenin point (his barber's idea), he's also wearing a Panama which gives him the air of a professor on his holidays, especially as he's waving a wooden stick. 'It's my martial arts staff – I do Tai chi,' he says, twirling it around expertly. Apparently it's not a peaceful hobby at all. 'No, it's a way of killing people very slowly,' he deadpans. It's been a while since Alexei has been on the stand-up comedy circuit after his comeback tour in 2022 was rudely interrupted by the pandemic. But his delightful travels around the UK with his Strangers On A Train series last year on Radio 4 has found him a whole new audience. He also hosts a monthly podcast with co-host Talal Karkouti, and has even gone viral with the youngsters with his TikTok videos where he explains Marxist theory through interpretative dance. Bringing his surreal side to a brand new medium, Alexei demonstrates the 'bourgeoiose boogie' followed by 'cornered beast' while teaching about how capitalists steal the profits of workers' hard work. 'I mean they're proper viral – we're up to about seven million views,' he says. 'We're going to do more of those, more internet stuff, hopefully another series of Imaginary Sandwich Bar, and maybe some live gigs.' And, Alexei reveals, he's waiting for 'Jeremy to get the new party together'. Always a committed Corbynist, there's no love lost between the comic and the current Labour line-up. 'When Jeremy has finally talked to everybody in the country, and the new party, people's popular front emerges, then I will also throw myself into that until they stop me.' He twirls his Tai chi staff ominously – then accidentally drops it. 'I've also written a poem for the Prime Minister – it's called I Hate Keir Starmer,' he announces, and starts discussing whether he should read it out to the audience when he appears on the Voices of Solidarity stage at the Troxy Theatre in East London on Saturday. Performing on the night alongside Alexei will be comedian and former heart surgeon, Bassem Youssef, singer Paloma Faith, actress Juliet Stephenson and host Jen Brister to raise desperately needed funds for health workers under siege in Gaza. Since October 2023, more than 1,580 health workers have been killed in Gaza and all proceeds from the night will go to Health Workers 4 Palestine. 'It's gonna be a great evening of music and comedy and people will be doing good by coming to see it,' he promises. There will also be a silent auction with expensive items donated by Cate Blanchett and Gary Lineker – while Alexei, naturally, is offering a pint. As a Jewish man, Alexei feels it's important to attend and 'bear witness' to what is happening on the central London protest marches over Gaza. He's spent so many years supporting the march, it's practically his social life these days. But he feels compelled to fight what he calls the creeping authoritarianism in this country. 'You know, if I say I support Palestine Action, I can go to prison for 14 years?' he casually mentions. 'I feel sympathy with younger artists who are caught in a bind about whether to speak out or not,' he adds. 'I can understand why they don't and I really admire the ones who do, like Kneecap, Paloma Faith and Dua Lipa.' Despite his view that the BBC 'has allowed itself to be intimidated' over the Kneecap incident, the veteran comic concedes the broadcaster has always been supportive. 'Radio 4 is a kind of natural home for me,' he says. He's been commissioned for a sixth series of Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar, which he says is the work he's most proud of over his entire career. 'There's a budget put aside for next year,' he confirms. 'It takes me like two years to write it. So we'll see whether I'm in prison or not!' Unlike younger artists, Alexei says he's free to speak his mind because, 'I've made my mark in my career,' but he also made his career out of ranty monologues when he was young in the 1980s. 'Yes but the situation has become more critical,' he explains. 'You see how the Labour government has reacted to Just Stop Oil for instance, closing down the space for protest. 'And that ultimately is to do with the growing gap between rich and poor. It's inequality. It's a manifestation of that really. Gaza and fossil fuel protests. It's all part of the same thing.' All that marching has clearly kept the comic fit. 'I'll be 73 in a few weeks and I'm in good shape physically.' Born in 1952 in Liverpool to fully paid-up members of the Communist Party of Great Britain, Molly and Joseph Sayle, he doesn't get back home so often these days. 'Not since my mum died,' he says. Being brought up in a Communist household by a mother who swapped her 'extreme Orthodox Jewish religion for another' certainly set him apart from his Anfield neighbours. At Christmas she even told him Lenin came down the chimney with presents. 'I embraced the difference, really,' he shrugs. 'It was like growing up in any cult. You think you've got the answers to the world's problems.' He briefly considered becoming a teacher, but his entry into the hallowed halls of stand-up is the stuff of comedy legend. He answered an advert in Private Eye in 1979 and became a compere of The Comedy Store on a tiny little stage in a Soho strip club where acts like Rik Mayall and French & Saunders started their careers. The comedy industry has changed beyond recognition since those ground-breaking days. 'It's a massive industry now, and like any industry, it's become homogenised.' Instead of coming up the hard way and being heckled on stage, many comics now start their careers on social media. In this 'old dog learns new tricks' phase of his career, Alexei could certainly teach the kids a few things. 'I've seen the odd comic who is great on social media, but if you go and see them live, it's painful,' he says, looking pained. 'Friends that I still have in the industry say that is a problem. They look great in an edited clip on YouTube, but they can't sustain anything and act really.' Beyond the stand-up and theatre work, Alexei's also a seasoned character actor and has appeared in everything from Gorky Park and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade to Carry On Columbus. But it's his time with his old Comic Strip friends when alternative comedy took over BBC Television Centre that he recalls with the most fondness. 'The Young Ones was an extraordinary time,' he says. 'It was tremendously exciting and we were all friends. 'At one point I was making my own series, and Jennifer was making the first series of ABFAB, and Nigel was working on something. It was like we almost had the run of the BBC. He adds, 'I still see Nigel and Peter a lot these days.' Still mourning the loss of Rik Mayall who died of a heart attack aged 56 in 2014, he met up with his old comedy crew at Robbie Coltrane's memorial last year. The Scottish actor, who died in 2022, was a regular on the 1980s TV show The Comic Strip Presents along with Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson and Alexei. 'Rik's death was a real shock. Terrible,' Alexei shakes his head sadly. 'I remember speaking to Dawn at Robbie memorial and saying it was a real feeling of family. I think she felt that even if we don't see each other, we've all been through something profound together.' He's never really been away, but it's great to have Alexei back where he's needed – showing us the alternative view to the mainstream. • The UK's largest cultural fundraiser for Palestine, Voices of Solidarity, which will take place at London's Troxy Saturday July 19, 2025 (7pm). Tickets from
BBC News
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cult comedy screening to raise funds for Devon seawall repair
A special screening of a cult 80s comedy film is taking place to help raise funds to repair a 100-year-old Devon breakwater at Hope Cove Harbour, in South Devon, protects the beach at the seaside village but needs urgent work and if it is breached the sands could be washed 1985 film The Supergrass by the comedy group The Comic Strip features an iconic scene in which the late actor Robbie Coltrane marches along the breakwater in crashing director of the film, Peter Richardson, is holding an event showing a special 'Director's Cut' screening in nearby Marlborough to help raise funds for the repair work. 'Breakwater is crumbling' The breakwater was last repaired in 1983 but it has some big cracks and local residents are concerned that a breach in the wall could have a devastating impact on the village."If we lose the sand, we lose the harbour and that would be catastrophic for the village," said joint Harbourmaster Sean Hassall."We'll lose our tourism industry."The locals come down here as well so really we want to make people aware how crucial our breakwater is and how important it is to get the funding and get it sorted," he said. The benefit night, at Marlborough Village Hall, is designed to try to raise awareness of the breakwater as well as to raise money to support the repair work. "The breakwater is crumbling and we need to find some way to get it repaired and it costs money these days," said Mr Richardson. "They need to raise it [money] and that is why we are doing a charity benefit showing The Supergrass which features that scene with Robbie on the breakwater."'It's the 40th anniversary of the release of Supergrass so it seems like a good time to do something with it so I've recut it." The coastline is part of the Crown Estate and the harbour is leased by the Hope Cove Harbour harbour is self funding and raises money through mooring and launch fees. It is estimated the breakwater repairs will cost more than £1m. The Friends of Hope Cove Harbour is a charity trying to raise money for the repairs. So far they have accumulated £100,000. "We've had various experts look at it [the breakwater] in the past few years and it is going to go at some stage but nobody can give a date," said Graham Phillips, the chairman of the charity. "Before it goes we want to try to raise enough money to repair it in a substantial way because if it goes the beach will disappear."The Supergrass is due to be shown at Marlborough Village Hall on Saturday 15 March 2025.
Buzz Feed
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
People Are Sharing The Childhood TV Shows They Kind Of Remember, But Mostly Feel Like A Fever Dream
Recently, I asked the wonderful people of the BuzzFeed Community to share a childhood TV show they KNOW they watched as a kid, but it feels like a fever dream. Some core memories were unlocked in the process: 1. " Salute Your Shorts. Camp Anawanma was awesome!" — ambers408c4b9ae 2. "Do do do do you have it? GUTS!!!!" 3. "What was the show, back in the '70s, with the part about conjunctions? Their song was, 'Conjunction junction, what's your function? Hooking up words and phrases and clauses.'" ABC / Via 4. " The Big Comfy Couch." 5. "Does anyone remember a cartoon called Street Frogs? Yeah…frogs…dressed in hip-hop gear…rapping. Someone greenlit that." — oldqueen963 This show was actually one of many as part of the animated series The Comic Strip 6. " Bananas in Pyjamas. The theme song still pops into my head at the most random moments. I found myself humming it the other day and was so perplexed." 7. " Braceface. All I really remember is sometimes the main character's braces could pick up radio signals/phone calls? But sometimes random snippets of the theme song will come into my head." 8. "I remember some animated show about rats living in the White House." — officialcoach381 It was called Capitol Critters! 9. "There was a science show with a bunch of kids in the '80s called 3-2-1 Contact. They did experiments and had fun learning things. I remember really enjoying that show." 10. " Almost Naked Animals. I think it was an animated show about animals in their underwear working at a hotel. But I can't remember exactly." 11. " Kids' Writes. An improv show on Nickelodeon where the cast acted out ideas that kids sent them in the mail (this was before the internet)." 12. " The Head. It was on MTV. A guy has a ridiculously large head, and an alien lives inside of it? I have no idea what any of the episodes were about. I don't remember if I liked it, but I definitely watched it." 13. " Dave the Barbarian." 15. " The Girl From Tomorrow must have been in the early '90s — pretty scant memories, but it was set in space; I remember a girl (Alana/Lana?) as the main character, and I am pretty sure time travel was involved." 16. " Weinerville. It was a variety show that aired on Nickelodeon in the '90s, and I seem to be the only person I know who remembers it. I loved this show and how they 'shrunk' kids to become puppets and play games on the show. It was weird, funny, and full of adult jokes. As a kid, this show was as good as it got. You can still find old episodes on YouTube." 17. " ReBoot was an amazing childhood show! One of my first introductions to computer animation TV." 18. "I barely remember an '80s show about a family with a live-in maid that was a robot and looked like a little girl; she had a battery pack and everything. called Small Wonder!" 19. " Liberty's Kids on PBS walked so Hamilton could run. Sorry, Lin Manuel Miranda, you weren't the first to rap about the American Revolution." 20. " Maggie and the Ferocious Beast." 21. "It has bugged me for years that I can't remember the name of this show, but it was a game show where kids had to complete tasks, and one was swimming in a giant filthy sink to collect items from it. I remember the huge taps and toothbrushes!" 22. " Lamb Chop's Play Along! I know I didn't dream it up." 23. " Rolie Polie Ollie...I loved it! His little sister was the cutest." 24. " The New Adventures of Madeline. About an orphanage in France with many little girls, the leader of which was Madeline. It used to end with a scene of the Eifel Tower in every episode." 25. "There was a kid show my family used to watch reruns of in the late '90s about a dinosaur family. I think the name of it was Dinosaurs. It was live-action and creepy but also kind of funny." 26. And lastly, so long, farewell, to you, my friends: " Out Of The Box! It was a show on Disney Channel, and I loved it."
