Since the leader of the opposition took over from Jeremy Corbyn, it seems he’s trying to present himself as a complete contrast to Boris Johnson.
The former human rights lawyer seems clinical and thorough in his Prime Minister’s Questions appearances.
It’s very different from Boris Johnson’s public persona. The prime minister has an image of the typical bumbling Englishman who just happens to be in charge. From getting stuck on a zip-wire to clever wordplay about Big Ben, the Prime Minister seems to be a comedy goldmine.
Impressions of Boris Johnson are abundant but the same cannot be said about Sir Keir Starmer. But why not?
“Dry”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned that cross-party Brexit talks could fail.
Comedian Leo Reich thinks that it’s very difficult to joke about Sir Keir Starmer.
“His whole deal is to be so dry that it’s hard to make fun of him.”
“He’s trying to go for this sort of corporate, managerial thing to make everyone feel safe. But ultimately, he does feel like he’d fall down a bunch of stairs in front of someone he had a crush on.”
Can you make Sir Keir funny?
It seems therefore very difficult to make any joke about the Labour leader funny. But how would you begin?
Impressionist Josh Berry has gone viral on Twitter for his videos as Rafe, a fictional aide to Boris Johnson.
“He’s got a nasal voice so from a vocal perspective you might look at that. It’s quite received pronunciation, there’s nothing particularly distinctive. Whereas Boris Johnson is a rich tapestry of vocal character, just like his persona is.”
But this might not be a bad thing.
“I don’t think Keir Starmer requires a perfectly crafted persona like that because he doesn’t need to distract from what is a rigorous and thoughtful political approach. ”
Maybe what will make Sir Keir Starmer so effective is this lack of identity. He does what he says on the tin- a softly spoken human rights lawyer in his 50s. And maybe not being funny, is what’s best for him.
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HeadlineWhat’s so funny about Sir Keir Starmer?
Short HeadlineWhat's funny about Keir Starmer?
StandfirstWe look at whether there's any jokes to be made about the Labour leader.
Can you make Sir Keir Starmer funny?
Since the leader of the opposition took over from Jeremy Corbyn, it seems he’s trying to present himself as a complete contrast to Boris Johnson.
The former human rights lawyer seems clinical and thorough in his Prime Minister’s Questions appearances.
It’s very different from Boris Johnson’s public persona. The prime minister has an image of the typical bumbling Englishman who just happens to be in charge. From getting stuck on a zip-wire to clever wordplay about Big Ben, the Prime Minister seems to be a comedy goldmine.
Impressions of Boris Johnson are abundant but the same cannot be said about Sir Keir Starmer. But why not?
“Dry”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned that cross-party Brexit talks could fail.
Comedian Leo Reich thinks that it’s very difficult to joke about Sir Keir Starmer.
“His whole deal is to be so dry that it’s hard to make fun of him.”
“He’s trying to go for this sort of corporate, managerial thing to make everyone feel safe. But ultimately, he does feel like he’d fall down a bunch of stairs in front of someone he had a crush on.”
Can you make Sir Keir funny?
It seems therefore very difficult to make any joke about the Labour leader funny. But how would you begin?
Impressionist Josh Berry has gone viral on Twitter for his videos as Rafe, a fictional aide to Boris Johnson.
“He’s got a nasal voice so from a vocal perspective you might look at that. It’s quite received pronunciation, there’s nothing particularly distinctive. Whereas Boris Johnson is a rich tapestry of vocal character, just like his persona is.”
But this might not be a bad thing.
“I don’t think Keir Starmer requires a perfectly crafted persona like that because he doesn’t need to distract from what is a rigorous and thoughtful political approach. ”
Maybe what will make Sir Keir Starmer so effective is this lack of identity. He does what he says on the tin- a softly spoken human rights lawyer in his 50s. And maybe not being funny, is what’s best for him.
