Forget Milibrand: President Obama chooses the right comedian to get his message out

The American President performed a Key & Peele sketch at the White House this week

Keegan-Michael Key from Key & Peele and Barack Obama perform at the annual White House Correspondent's Association Gala (Picture Alliance/Photoshot)

What’s the difference between a British leader and an American one? The Brit sneaks round to a popular comedian’s house to grab a quick turn on his YouTube show and is criticised by journalists for doing so; the American hires a popular comedian to use him as a prop in his own comic routine, and is applauded by journalists for doing so.

This week while Ed Miliband was giving Russell Brand an interview on The Trews, Barack Obama was performing with Keegan-Michael Key, one half of the sketch duo Key and Peele.

These are not quite equivalent. Miliband is trying to get elected; Obama is winding down his leadership. As such, this week the President gave a quite risque speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, or “the State of the Union address of jokes”, as it’s known. His routine was 20-minutes long, and pretty funny in parts. It was scripted, but not by Obama; that was the job of David Litt and his team who started compiling jokes a month beforehand.

Still, the President did a fine, nonchalant job of delivering their gags that poked fun at his alleged Muslim faith, at his wife Michelle’s “aggravating” healthy eating habits and at his public perception: “Some people say I’m arrogant, condescending and aloof. Some people are so dumb.”

He joked that he and Joe Biden had “gotten so close in some places in Indiana they won’t serve us pizza anymore”, and took on Hillary Clinton, Rick Santorum and Donald Trump.

His final flourish was to unveil Luther, his “anger translator”, played by Key. The skit, a favourite from Key and Peele’s Comedy Central show – now in its fourth season - has Luther giving the real meaning behind Obama’s unruffled speeches. So as Barack thanked the diners for coming, Luther lurked beside him, eyes wide in outrage, saying “What is this dinner? And why am I required to come to it?”

In fact, Luther dialled it down a notch for his meeting with the real POTUS (Obama is usually played by Peele, of course). A more characteristic translation might be: “I have a birth certificate! I have a hot-diggity-doggity-mamase-mamasa-mamakusa birth certificate, you dumb-ass crackers!”

I’ve been waiting for an excuse to write about Key and Peele, having watched every single one of their sketches I can find online in the UK. Their director Peter Atencio has said that his aim was to “make every sketch the funniest set piece in a movie”, and they often succeed. They are terrifically funny, terrifically silly and make terrifically good use of wigs.

I recommend their Obama Meet and Greet, the valets who love “Liam Neesons” and their hilariously named footballers (meet J’Dinkalage Morgoone) for starters. In the absence of any new British sketch shows to get excited about, spend half an hour with Key and Peele; they have the Presidential seal of approval, after all.

Mrs Brown has made a video everyone should watch

Brendan O’Carroll’s alter-ego Mrs Brown has made a video message about the vote on same-sex marriage which will take place in Ireland this month. In the two-minute clip, Mrs Brown discusses equality with her gay son, Rory (played by Rory Cowan) and sets out the issues in characteristic, no-nonsense style: “Any two people who feel in love enough should be allowed to get married. What’s the feckin’ fuss?”

The video had two million views in the few hours after it was posted online. It demonstrates the reach that comedians – especially one like O’Carroll who commands around 10 million UK viewers a show - can have, should they choose to engage with political matters. O’Carroll’s message is touching, it is also clear and positive. ““Every generation gets a chance to make a big change”, he says. “And you’re going to get your chance on May 22.”

Perhaps Ed Miliband should book in a cup of tea with Mammy forthwith.

Bring a Bottle: a new comedy show for babies

At Bring a Bottle, the heckles are louder and more tearful than usual; they might even reach screaming pitch. The comedy morning for new parents and their babies is the latest offering from Picturehouse Cinemas (Greenwich Picturehouse today, 11am). The cinema chain already holds ‘Big Scream’ film screenings during the day for parents to attend with their offspring, who can wail and grizzle with all of the other babies without feeling conspicuous.

Jessica Pidsley, a Rada graduate-turned-comic who gave birth to Albert last year came up with the idea of a similar comedy gig after going to too many “unstimulating” baby classes.

"I was going to all of these classes and feeling quite unstimulated myself. And the baby wasn't getting much of them either. He was just vomiting on a yoga mat most of the time," she says.

Instead she offers 45 minutes of characters (including the rather dark Shazza, who tells tales of her husband's infidelity), motherhood jokes and Peppa Pig parodies, with “stuff for babies to look at” as their parents laugh. Albert, 15 months, “performs” with her, in a rucksack on her back.

“Do a gig with 80 babies screaming in your face, and a baby strapped to your back... Then you’ve done stand-up”, she says.

Who is Britain's hardest-working comedian?

So that’s that. Sarah Millican has been deemed the hardest working comedian in the UK. Researchers at the Royal Statistical Society bestowed the title having analysed how many shows star-name comedians perform on their tours and the distance they travel. Millican, with 14,718 miles covered, came top. Ed Byrne, Kevin Bridges, Milton Jones and Alan Carr complete the top five.

Millican has just announced a massive 119-date tour for her new show Outsider, starting in October; she undoubtedly puts in the graft. But surely the statisticians should have included another set of data in their analysis. It’s one thing travelling around the country to venues you know have sold out and will rock with laughter, like Millican does. It’s quite another to do all that touring and find yourself performing to seven people and the barman, like many other comedians do. Now that’s hard work.

Ones to watch this week

Sketchfest

Spot the tv stars of the future at this sketch weekender. Daphne, Massive Dad and, my favourites, Gein’s Family Giftshop, are all on the bill.

The Cinema Museum, Elephant & Castle, London, 1 to 3 May (www.londonsketchfest.com)

Mach Comedy Festival

A stunning line-up of the UK’s finest alternative comedians in a lovely Welsh market town. Just go.

Various venues, Machynlleth, 1 to 3 May (http://machcomedyfest.co.uk/)

Harry Hill

The big-collared one has a week of work-in-progress shows at the tiny, super-cool Camden club.

The Invisible Dot, London, 5 to 8 May (www.theinvisibledot.com)