Mark Thomas (I)

It must be hard to get a word in edgewise when in the presence of comedian Mark Thomas, but several members of a studio audience managed it as they put a wide range of policies to the vote in his second series of The Manifesto. Thomas' style of humour is not always to everyone's taste, but this was entertaining radio comedy mixed with good helpings of opinion, history and politics.

In fact, while the mood was occasionally a little too worthy, Thomas was quick off the mark and produced funny and intelligent responses to suggestions. These included British prime ministers only ever being able to serve for two terms, all Ofsted inspectors having to teach classes in order to demonstrate the recommendations they have made and a campaign to bring back Saint Mondays (the old tradition of workers skiving off for an extended weekend).

Mark Thomas: The People's Manifesto

Comedian Mark Thomas's latest work, 'The People's Manifesto', is a touring stage show cum Radio 4 series cum book, in which he canvasses the opinions of ordinary Britons, he tells Neil Tweedie.

Why Britain should declare war on Jersey

If we can attack Iraq, why can't we invade - sorry, liberate - this 21st century pirate cove?

Mark Thomas, a man revered among the smart right-on, as his thing is politics, with jokes, done very forcefully. He bashes you around the head with his beliefs, then busts your gut with a bon mot. When the balance is right, it's very entertaining; when it's not, you feel like you've been beaten up and you're not sure to what purpose. Not everything in life is as simple as "working class = good", "posh = bad". We're not in the 80s any more, Toto.

Still, I like his returning Radio 4 series, Mark Thomas: The Manifesto, mostly because the ideas come from the audience. On Thursday, suggestions included: if you see a balding man with a ponytail, you are legally required to cut it off; you also have to push over anyone who dithers on a pavement; 4x4 cars should be transparent. (You'll know about these because they've been heavily trailed on R4, thereby killing the joke, hey ho.) One of the more popular ideas, though, was less of a laugh: that prime ministers should only be allowed to serve two terms. Thomas had some fun with this, telling us just how much Clement Attlee managed to get done in his short office of five years: Attlee established the National Health Service and the welfare state, he nationalised water, gas, coal and steel and he "de-Empired Britain".

All very interesting, but ruined for me by Thomas's laughable (in the wrong way) punch-line: "Let's look at our three termers - Thatcher and Blair." Stop it! Knee-jerk smugness is horrible, no matter which flag it's wrapped up in.

Review: Mark Thomas Presents The People's Manifesto

In this election year, here's the one manifesto that's sure to be popular with the people... because it was written by the people.

Campaigning comic Mark Thomas struck on the inspired idea of asking audiences on his last tour for suggestions for new laws; then voting on the best of that gig. This pocket-sized book details 40 of Thomas's - and the audience's - favourites, and provides a more fascinating snapshot of what's on the nation's mind than any YouGov poll.

The People's Manifesto - Mark Thomas interview

After Coca-Cola and the International Arms Trade, Mark Thomas delivers his solutions to the current state of British politics, with a little help from the British people.

Doth I protest too much?

When police admit you could be put on a secret database for being at a demo, it's time to worry.

The head of the heard: Radio comedies vie for Sony Award

An unknown comedian has been shortlisted for the biggest prize in radio comedy - alongside the likes of Paul Whitehouse, Mark Thomas and Mitchell and Webb - with her first ever show. Miriam Elia landed a six-part series on digital channel BBC 7 after winning the corporation's Witty And Twisted competition last year, which sought new writers for radio. Now her show A Series of Psychotic Episodes has been nominated for the prestigious Sony Award for radio comedy.

Radio Head: Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation

Rowland Rivron, Sandi Toksvig, Mark Steel, Mark Thomas, Jo Brand, Graham Fellowes, Russell Brand . . . the list of modern comedians that divides the nation is a surprisingly lengthy one. And it will be only part of the listening public that will be rearranging its life to be in front of the wireless when the latest series of the sociopolitical lecture Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation kicks off next Tuesday (Radio 4, 6.30pm).

Pick of the Day

Thanks to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, anyone who wants to demonstrate near the Houses of Parliament must first get permission from the police. There don't need to be a thousand of you chanting and waving placards, either: the law has been used against the pacifist Brian Haw, while the comedian Mark Thomas says a friend was once threatened with arrest for trying to eat a cake on to which the word Peace had been iced.