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Jonathan Pie

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Jonathan Pie
Pie (Walker) at the British Library in 2022
First appearance21 September 2015
Last appearanceOngoing
Created byTom Walker
Portrayed byTom Walker
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationPolitical correspondent

Jonathan Pie is a fictional character portrayed by British comedian Tom Walker. Pie is a liberal political correspondent who rants angrily about British, American, and Australian politics,[1][2] giving his true personal opinions before or after filming a scripted news segment.

History

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The first spoof news report featuring Pie, released just after the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party in September 2015, was responding to mainstream media reports that gave particular weight to Corbyn's past relationship with Diane Abbott.[3] Walker was soon approached by several media companies, including RT UK. He worked with RT for several months before leaving in July 2016, just before his appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.[4]

The character received international coverage after the 2016 American presidential election, when his comments on Donald Trump's victory went viral and became a YouTube trending video.[5] As of 2022 the video had more than 4.5 million views, double that of the second-most popular.

Pie has occasionally appeared as the London correspondent for the Australian satirical news and current events programme The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.[6]

Pie went on his second tour in 2018 with Back to the Studio. He performed 45 dates in the UK, five dates in Australia, and six dates in the US.[7] In January 2020, a collaboration with environmental filmmaker Franny Armstrong led to a 13-minute mockumentary called Pie Net Zero.[8] Some episodes, including the post-US election episode, were co-written with Irish comedian Andrew Doyle, who contributed to the character's early portrayals,[9][10] beginning when the live show started;[11] however, in a 2023 interview with Mark Steel, Walker stated that he has not worked with Doyle since 2019.[12]

In February 2022, Pie made his first of several appearances on The New York Times website and YouTube channel as part of their "opinion" section. These videos comment on UK politics for an American audience. Topics have included Boris Johnson,[13] the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the influence of Russian oligarchs' investments and political donations,[14] as well as the UK energy crisis, rising inflation, and labour strikes during the Conservative Party leadership election of Prime Minister Liz Truss.[15]

In 2023 a BBC radio series called Call Jonathan Pie[16] featured the same character, unwillingly co-opted as the host of a phone-in radio show. Pie responds to fictional callers' opinions, sometimes agreeing but often not. He also engages with his production team who usually counter his own views. A range of views on complex subjects are thus encapsulated. Its ten episodes are: The BBC; Money; Brexit; Race; Online; Women; Comedy; Drugs; NHS; The Environment. Each episode begins with a warning about "very strong language".

Appearances

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Live tours

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Year Title Notes
2016–2017 Jonathan Pie Live 51 UK dates
2018 Back to the Studio 55 UK dates & 6 Australian shows
2019 Fake News 24 UK dates
2020 Fake News: Australia 7 dates
2021 The Corona Remix 44 dates. Extended & rescheduled dates from previous tour due to COVID-19 pandemic[17]
2024 Heroes and Villains (Scheduled) 41 UK dates [18]

Filmography

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Year Title Notes
2019 Jonathan Pie's American Pie BBC Three
2021 Jonathan Pie: The World's End Spanner films
2023 Call Jonathan Pie Radio 4 sitcom[19]

Bibliography

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Year Title Notes
2017 Jonathan Pie: Off the Record ISBN 9781911600602

References

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  1. ^ "Everything You Need To Know About Jonathan Pie". The Debrief. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  2. ^ Ryan Barrell (4 July 2016). "Spoof News Reporter Jonathan Pie Is Very Angry About The Brexit Aftermath". Huff Post Comedy. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  3. ^ Bienaimé, Pierre (5 November 2015). "Q&A with Jonathan Pie, the 'reporter' furiously delivering the real news". Konbini. Archived from the original on 8 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  4. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (17 July 2016). "Mr Angry of TV comedy severs links with Putin network on way to Edinburgh fringe". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  5. ^ York, Chris (11 November 2016). "Jonathan Pie Blames The Left For Trump, Tories And Brexit". The Huffington Post Comedy. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  6. ^ Quinn, Belinda (3 May 2018). "Jonathan Pie explains why politics has lost the plot". The Brag. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  7. ^ BWW News Desk. "Jonathan Pie Premieres New Show in U.S. This Fall, Back to the Studio in Select Cities". BroadwayWorld.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Pie Net Zero". Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  9. ^ Doyle, Andrew (25 November 2016). "Jonathan Pie Said The Left Was Wrong, Not The Right Was Right". Huffington Post: The Blog. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Andrew Doyle". Top Secret Comedy Club. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  11. ^ "The Comedian's Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith: Episode 233 – Jonathan Pie (Tom Walker and Andrew Doyle)". British Comedy Guide. 7 February 2018. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  12. ^ What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel – Ep 95; published 26 August 2023; retrieved 7 February 2024; 30m 12s
  13. ^ Pie, Jonathan (4 February 2022). "'The First Thing You Need to Know About Boris Johnson Is He's a Liar'". The New York Times Opinion. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  14. ^ Pie, Jonathan; Westbrook, Adam (11 March 2022). "Opinion | Welcome to Londongrad, Where Kleptocrats Wash Their Money Clean". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  15. ^ Pie, Jonathan; Adam Westbrook (5 September 2022). "Opinion | The Conservatives Made Everything in Britain Worse (Yes, Even the Weather)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Call Jonathan Pie". BBC Sounds. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Jonathan Pie Tickets". viagogo.com/au. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  18. ^ https://www.jonathanpie.com/
  19. ^ "Call Jonathan Pie". BBC Sounds. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
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