Sabotaging Comedy
A skulk of sanctimonious sabs arrived at Leicester Square theatre on Monday 6 July to be entertained by an array of comedians, BBC hosts and sabotage sympathisers alike. Whilst the comedy evening was labelled as ‘Up the Anti’, Daniel Foxx’s BBC show ‘Welcome to Hell’ might be a better description, or even ‘This is Torture’ – a comedy show by Seann Walsh. Half the time the comedians were looking for a punchline like a saboteur searching for a trail hunt meet.
Whilst the sab soiree may have been organised by the North London Hunt Saboteurs (NLHS), it wasn’t short of familiar faces. Radio 4 ‘Just A Minute’ presenter Sue Perkins shared the stage with Harry Hill and Stewart Lee. But on further inspection it seems as though all seven sab sympathising comedians have affiliations with Britain’s (famously impartial) Broadcasting Channel.
One individual fell victim to the NLHS’s questionable admin team: Sue Jenkins, a highly respected actress, was labelled as ‘Jerkins’ in the publicity for the evening. But BTM isn’t too surprised; after all, sabs do have a history of insulting perfectly innocent people. Nevertheless, they are unlikely to be the only ones reflecting on that evening with a sense of embarrassment.
Of course, performers are free to appear wherever they choose. But licence fee payers may reasonably wonder whether appearing at a fundraiser for a hunt saboteur group sits within BBC impartiality guidelines.
It is also far from the first time BBC personalities have found themselves associated with saboteurs or controversial figures. Chris Packham, who recently got axed from Winterwatch, has previously appeared with convicted bomb maker Mel Broughton. Similarly, the NLHS leader, Philip Waters, has been convicted of an array of charges from drunk driving to battery and assault.
Daniel Foxx found a few laughs despite it being a far from a fantastic performance. Foxx curated a specific topic list to avoid upsetting sensitive saboteurs, sticking to topics they relate to - such as Veganism, fancying childhood animal characters and the attractiveness of children in school plays. But there were a few slip ups. Whilst cracking a joke about meat-based diets, he brought up 9/11 which even for a crowd full of sabs is a low blow.
BBC presenter Sue Perkins hunted for laughs, but the sabs didn’t catch on, despite repeating the same AI impersonation joke over and over again. All hope was lost after ‘just a minute’ or so. She later asked the audience, or at least the ones who hadn’t left, who has done hallucinogenic drugs before. A high proportion of the crowd replied with jeers. Clearly not the only unconventional activity on the weekend itinerary.
A quick scan of Perkins digital footprint revealed this isn’t the first time she has tried comedy, with her website enlightening us that “stand up Sue is full of surprises”. Little did BTM know just how accurate that would prove to be. Not only did the performance surprise in terms of quality, but also in its content. The vast majority of her sabotage of the stage was spent explaining the intricacies of poo… BTM aren’t sure if badger loving Tristam Pearce was in attendance on Monday night, but if not, the poo fanatic side of him certainly missed out.
Sue Perkins once fronted a show called ‘Perfectly Legal’ in 2022. Strangely, it never received a mention on Monday night - perhaps because the title also happens to describe the legal trail hunting the sabs were raising money to oppose.
The rest of the comedians entertained the crowd with a variety of obscure jokes. To give them their credit, it wasn’t a total catastrophe as they often found a few laughs erupt from the sab filled seats. However, it was agreement with opinions already held by the audience that did most of the comedic heavy lifting.
Rhys Giles, one of NLHS’s leaders and one of the organisers of the evening, decided he’d also had enough of the comedy after a few acts. He took to the stage and started enlightening the crowd about ‘what sabs do’. Strange thing to do considering they are all so zealous about their weekend trespassing trips.
The most interesting part of the evening came when Giles declared: “I am moving to the countryside to live amongst the enemy”. Giles’ sudden decision to move to the countryside raises eyebrows. We ask ourselves if there has been a power struggle at the top of the already devolved NLHS? Or perhaps, he’s had a hissy-fit after his posters for the NLHS comedy night were torn down. Either way, if Rhys Giles’ move to infiltrate the countryside goes as well as the comedy, local trail hunts can sleep easy.
The North London Hunt Saboteurs have spent years attempting to sabotage legal trail hunts. On Monday night, they set their sights on a new target: stand-up comedy - bringing their activism, familiar talking points and a theatre full of supporters to the stage.
