Political pineapple with Andy Zaltzman

Why is there a pineapple on stage?
Andy ZaltzmanAndy Zaltzman
Andy Zaltzman

This is one of the very important questions that will be answered with political satirist Andy Zaltsman visits Chorley next week.

The 42-year-old will be performing his Plan Z show at Chorley Little Theatre on Wednesday May 17, which, he insists, is a satirical round-up of news events over the last year.

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Andy said: “I will be discussing a lot of things, but in particular elections, Brexit and some American stuff.

“I tent to set news against sport and prove that sport - in particular cricket - is better than real life.

“To be honest, most of the things on the planet drive me mad. Not so much Brexit itself, but the politics that goes alongside it. There seems to be a lot of anger driving it on both sides. It shows our democracy in a bad light.

Donald Trump provides a lot of material for comedians, but I would rather get my stuff from other sources. I would rather he was not president. He is clearly a ripe issue. The challenge is that so many comedians are focusing on him, it is hard to find an original angle.

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“It is also important to find new threads that are funny and also tasteful.

“From a comedic point of view, big issues are always at the forefront of our minds.

“I don’t have any political affiliation. I would say I am on the left side but I try to keep a degree of objectivity. In general I favour a more equal planet. “I am always prepared to attack all sides of the political spectrum.

“But there will be a pineapple on stage - that’s a guarantee.”

Andy, who was born in Kent, admits he fell into comedy.

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He said: “I got into comedy slightly by accident. I had a brief go whilst at Oxford University and then I gave up for 18 months after a harrowing spot at Edinburgh.

“I moved to London and got back into it. I did an open mic night and it went okay and gradually it became a job.

“I love watching Chris Morris and Brass Eye. I soak up things from other comedians and I started trying political stuff.

“I generally trust my own comedic instincts and find my own angles and political stories.”

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Since then he had written and presented The Bugle for nine years with his long-term collaborator John Oliver, until last year.

The podcast relaunched in October as part of the Radiotopia network, with Andy joined by a revolving group of regular co-hosts including his sister Helen Zaltzman.

Andy has made regular appearances on The Now Show (BBC Radio 4), and has been a core member of the team on 7 Day Sunday/Saturday (BBC Radio 5 Live) since its inception in 2010. Andy wrote and hosted Andy Zaltzman’s History of the Third Millennium – Series 1 of 100 for BBC Radio 4, and in 2008 his book Does Anything Eat Bankers? was published.

He has contributed blogs, podcasts and videos to ESPNcricinfo since 2008 and in 2016 he joined the BBC Test Match Special commentary team as an expert statistician. He has also hosted Andy Zaltzman’s Summer Of Sport, a non-football sports comedy podcast for The Guardian.

Tickets, at £12/£10, can be obtained from Malcolm’s Musicland, in Chapel Street, Chorley, by calling 01257 264362, or online via WeGotTickets.