Social media has been the way forward for many new comedy acts. The traditional route of making it through standup, panel shows and then into the national spotlight is a thing of the past. Especially now that Covid19 has shut all comedy venues and restricted panel shows and audiences.
Michael Spicer is a comedian who has attempted to make it through standup, writing and appearing on other comedy shows briefly. But it was only when he came up with the idea that he could pretend to be the advisor for politicians who say stupid things, that he really hit it big. Michael’s twitter shows “Room Next Door”, started with him pretending to be the advisor for Boris Johnson, talking into an earpiece for the PM when he was talking about his hobby building busses out of crates. It was painful moment to watch when Boris tried to manoeuvre himself through that interview. I had seen it before and was shocked that the interview wasn’t more common knowledge. I almost pinched myself asking if that interview was actually real or just a fragment of my imagination. Surely - if it was real we would all be talking about it. If Theresa May got ridiculed for her running through a corn field, then this revelation by Boris should take the first place. It was not until Michael Spicer made fun of the interview that I finally got confirmation that it was not just me that thought the interview was too much of a comedy gold moment. Michael’s genius angle is that he pretends to be the advisor talking into Boris’ earpiece at that exact moment.
He has since pretended to be the advisor for Trump, Priti Patel and many others as they reveal complete incompetence during press conferences or interviews. Michael does not only highlight the moments which we all notice but that are soon forgotten, but him highlighting the blunders allow the mistakes to get a little more time in the headlights in a world where news passes us by faster than a car in a formula 1 race.
Shot for Observer Magazine
