No politician is spared as Jonathan Pie unleashes live fury at Sheffield City Hall

Comedian Tom Walker took aim at both sides of the political spectrum during a fiery Sheffield performance, even if the opening section stumbled.

Political fury, razor-sharp observations and a torrent of expletives made for a memorable night as outspoken news reporter Jonathan Pie turned his attention to the state of the world, writes James Whitworth.

The End Of The World According To Jonathan Pie was hosted at Sheffield City Hall

placeholder image — The End Of The World According To Jonathan Pie was hosted at Sheffield City Hall

There is certainly no shortage of things to get angry about right now, and few people are better equipped to articulate that frustration right now.

The fictional television reporter, the creation of comedian and actor Tom Walker, brought his latest show, The End of the World According to Jonathan Pie, to Sheffield City Hall, delivering an evening of politically charged comedy that left few sacred cows standing.

Pie has built a huge following through his online videos, in which the supposedly respectable news journalist abandons his professional composure once the cameras stop rolling. On stage, that familiar character is given even more room to let rip. And let rip he certainly does.

From Keir Starmer and the Labour Government to Reform, Restore, Donald Trump and Elon Musk, nobody is entirely safe from his verbal assault. Artificial intelligence and the far right are singled out for Pie’s most heated outbursts, with the former being represented by an onscreen AI assistant, Audrey.

The underlying message is hardly a cheerful one: the world appears to be falling apart, and those supposedly in charge seem to have little idea what to do about it.

Thankfully, Pie has an impressive ability to find comedy in even the darkest political developments.

Jonathan Pie, the no-holds-barred news reporter, is the creation of comedian and actor Tom Walker

Not everything worked. The first ‘half’ lasted barely thirty minutes and felt a little like padding in which the bad language outnumbered the jokes about ten-to-one. Things improved greatly when he returned after the premature interval, although it would have been nice for a persona based on a news reporter to engage with local news.

What with the current council chaos, he would hardly have been short of material.

Walker’s greatest strength is his delivery. The transformation from measured newsreader to furious, exasperated commentator is what made Jonathan Pie an internet sensation, and it remains the cornerstone of his live performances. Rapid- fire observations, perfectly timed outbursts and an admittedly impressive command of the colourful vocabulary keep the audience engaged throughout.

There is also something refreshing about Pie’s willingness to turn his fire on his own political side. His evident frustration with a Labour Government he once supported provides some of the evening's most interesting material, while his broader attacks on the political establishment prevented the show from becoming a predictable party-political rant, although at times it did come close.

There is, of course, a theatrical element to the whole performance. As with Al Murray’s Pub Landlord character, Walker is playing a role, albeit one that feels particularly convincing given the strength of his opinions and the intensity of his delivery.

Ultimately, The End of the World According to Jonathan Pie offers no answers to the problems facing society. It does, however, provide a welcome opportunity to laugh at the people, institutions and events making such a mess of things.

For those who enjoy their political satire served with a generous helping of outrage, there was plenty to savour.