Ben Elton is one of my favorite comedians, but let’s face it, he’s an aging lefty in a changing world…
I first heard about Ben “Motor Mouth†Elton when he was a writer for the brilliant Blackadder series.
I then had the opportunity to see him (televised) on a concert he performed in New York. While I didn’t necessarily agree with his politics, I don’t need to to appreciate a keen eye for comedy in the world around us and a sharp wit. I set about collecting as much material by Ben Elton as possible. A stand-out was his two BBC series of the Man From Auntie, which covered a large portion of his stand up repertoire.
Ben has gone on to write several book, including two of my all-time favorites, “This Other Eden†and “Inconceivableâ€.
With Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan long out of power and Ben having moved on to pop music musicals with Andrew Lloyd Webber, there are those that say Ben Elton has lost his edge and/or sold out. Perhaps he has. Certainly he’s too old to be an edgy young comedian anymore.
Nonetheless, I please to learn he’s got a new series on ITV called “Get a Grip.â€
In it, he (representing the middle aged) and the striking Alexa Chung (representing the young and the dumb), talk about topical stuff.
In the first episode they talk about loony conspiracy theories, one of my pet peeves. I’m pleased that while perhaps not politically topical anymore, Ben Elton still sees past the bullshit. (…and, I got a few laughs, although not the side-splitting laughter of years gone by.)
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