Political comedy is a hard one to pull off these days. When it comes to comedy, we like it surreal or scathing, obscene or outlandish, vulgar or vicious – anything it seems as long as it isn’t political. Whiffs of Ben Elton pervade the air as soon as a comedian starts to express an opinion beyond how annoying he finds his girlfriend or how strange Scottish money is.

So Mark Thomas has his work cut out. Political comedy is kind of his thing. Not only does he have to make his audience laugh, he has to avoid making them feel like they’re being lectured by a bitter geography teacher. But in his current show, Serious Organised Criminal, he somehow manages to walk the delicate line between entertainment and edification.

Part of his success is perhaps the subject he chooses to tackle – the serious organised crime act means is just plainly silly, so the show doesn’t take on the same uncomfortable darkness as some of his other work.The law prevents people protesting in the environs of the houses of parliament without applying for permission, swamping police with paper work. It’s an easy target really, but Thomas doesn’t take potshots. Unlike many political funnymen he isn’t content with semi-informed oneliners – his show is as well researched as they get. In fact, describing Thomas’ show as stand up comedy feels inaccurate – it’s investigative journalism at it’s most hilarious.

Mark Thomas at The Venue, Leicester Square, London, 2 December 2007

By Laura Swinton

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