Tom Walker’s (Jonathan Pie) Brisbane show was sold out well before the night and deservedly so. Tom serves up a steady mix of challenging political analysis and blistering satire – much of it peppered with profanities.
In this show, Jonathan Pie is fronting a pilot show for his intended Political Roadshow, giving him the perfect platform to vent his spleen on everything that is wrong with the world.
Being a ‘dry run’, it doesn't take long for chaos to ensue – Jonathan isn't happy with the soundtrack, the tacky graphics, or the format for the show and he doesn’t hold back, delivering a spray of expletives to the off-stage producer.
A revolving ‘wheel of fortune’ features the logos of each of the mainstream political parties, and he gives it a spin. Predictably it stops on the Conservatives – giving Jonathan the chance to launch into a vitriolic rant about Theresa May, Jeremy Corban and Donald Trump. And despite promising to restrict his swearing to “a couple of f***s and a handful of shits”, that predictably goes out the window when he moves onto the American president.
But the Tory and Trump bashing is merely a prelude for the main event.
Jonathan takes on the Millennials and their obsession with social media before questioning why people take offence so easily today. This premise is the foundation of the show and Jonathan drills down further, highlighting the smug hypocrisy of the left, and its refusal to accept responsibility for the rise and rise of people like Trump. He attacks those liberals who feign moral outrage in the name of liberty.
The platform allows Jonathan to free range and say what he really thinks about ‘mansplaining’, the idea of ‘woke’ (“what used to be known as ‘right-on’”), 'bame' (black, Asian and minority ethnic) and cultural appropriation and, finally he explodes the whole myth of ‘white male privilege’.
All in all, 'Back To The Studio' is a fast-paced and exciting show, with the ability to shock and offend almost anyone who wants to be. While it is not for the narrow-minded, it is hilarious for everyone else.
