Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
Jan 2, 2026 · 28 min · 13 segments
Top political comedian Matt Forde reconvenes his Focus Group for a Boxing Day special with a Dickensian twist. Recorded in front of a live audience, Matt is joined by journalists, comedians and…
Matt FordeHost
Michael GoveGuest
Miranda GreenGuest
Pierre NovellieGuest
Okay, let's use the lens of A Christmas Carol to analyze the ghost of political past, or as it's known to the electorate, the Tory party.
[laughing]
Yes.
[laughing]
[laughing]
[laughing]David Cameron, a man who, like Kermit in A Muppet Christmas Carol, maintained a cheery demeanor while everything around him fell apart, and who, just like Kermit the Frog, is also rumored to have had it off with a pig.
[laughs]
After 14 years of Tory rule, rough sleeping more than doubled, NHS waiting lists tripled, and we had the slowest growth in earnings since the Industrial Revolution.
Things got so bad people genuinely started to believe that Rory Stewart was a political genius.
[laughs]
The Tories are the most successful political party in history, but now their star has fallen.
They're like Man United, a shadow of their former selves, and only really supported by people in Surrey.
[laughs]
To put things into context, the RSPB has nearly 900,000 more members than the Tories.
[laughs]
[laughs]
[laughs]
Um, I mean, we, we, we could have this show going on to Christmas next year and run through everything that went wrong during those 14 years.
Okay, let's use the lens of A Christmas Carol to analyze the ghost of political past, or as it's known to the electorate, the Tory party.
[laughing]
Yes.
[laughing]
[laughing]
[laughing]David Cameron, a man who, like Kermit in A Muppet Christmas Carol, maintained a cheery demeanor while everything around him fell apart, and who, just like Kermit the Frog, is also rumored to have had it off with a pig.
[laughs]
After 14 years of Tory rule, rough sleeping more than doubled, NHS waiting lists tripled, and we had the slowest growth in earnings since the Industrial Revolution.
Things got so bad people genuinely started to believe that Rory Stewart was a political genius.
[laughs]
The Tories are the most successful political party in history, but now their star has fallen.
They're like Man United, a shadow of their former selves, and only really supported by people in Surrey.
[laughs]
To put things into context, the RSPB has nearly 900,000 more members than the Tories.
[laughs]
[laughs]
[laughs]
Um, I mean, we, we, we could have this show going on to Christmas next year and run through everything that went wrong during those 14 years.
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3 of 5
Gove Blames Tory Entitlement
First, candid reckoning from inside power
Boris: Laughing With To Laughing At
Then, how the Boris bond snapped
“Less Substance Than A Vacuum”
Next, a stinging appraisal of leadership
+2 more clips · 4 min 55 sec of audio in all
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