Former MP Mhairi Black to ‘pull back curtain’ on Westminster in new comedy show
Ex-MP Mhairi Black is debuting her comedy show Politics Isn’t For Me at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Steve Ullathorne)
Former Scottish National Party MP Mhairi Black is eager to reveal what Westminster and British politics is really like – and that’s exactly what she’ll be doing in her debut show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Black became the youngest modern-day MP when she was elected to the House of Commons in 2015, aged just 20, and represented Paisley and Renfrewshire South for nearly a decade before stepping down at the general election – citing Westminster’s “toxic environment”.
Just a few weeks on from the election, Black, who identifies as a lesbian, will perform her debut her comedy show Politics Isn’t For Me at the Gilded Balloon at the Museum, during the world-famous Fringe.
Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, Black said she is eager to “pull back the curtain” and reveal the “many mad things that folk don’t know” about the “ridiculous” upper echelons of British politics.
“[It’s] a chance for me to tell stories that I’ve not been able to tell – or [it] wouldn’t have been appropriate to tell – while I was an MP, and trying to find a bit of fun among a very, very depressing political landscape,” she added.
The title of the show might seem like an antithesis, given that Black spent so many years at the forefront of Scottish politics and was deputy leader of the SNP at Westminster between 2022 and 2024.
But the phrase is something she heard time and time again from members of the public and even became the title of a political podcast she wanted to make for “people who hate politics”.
She went on to say: “It was a play on that, to partly talk about why people feel politics isn’t for them, and the ridiculousness of it all, and how it’s designed to keep ‘normal people’ out, but also a case of trying to show people ‘this stuff’s mental and it’s dictating your life’.
“So, politics is for you. It’s something that dictates your entire life. You shouldn’t be intimidated by it and you certainly shouldn’t be negligent of it.”
On choosing comedy as the vehicle for telling her stories from inside Westminster, Black said: “There is an element where it’s therapeutic for me to be able to just talk as myself and talk about my own experiences in the [past] decade, without having to have the weight of responsibility that comes with being a representative.
“One of the things I’ve missed a lot – and that I’m looking forward to embracing more now that I have left politics – is to find the fun in situations. Quite often, the darker the situation, the funnier it is.
“But when you’re a politician, there is no room for that. You know you’re not allowed to be light-hearted about anything.
“Finding the fun is such a big part of who I am, and big part of my personality, that it was almost like, so there’s a caveat: ‘Look, don’t take me too seriously and don’t take what I’m talking about too seriously’.”
Black emphasised that people “don’t have to have any real interest or in-depth knowledge about politics” to enjoy the show.
“That’s the point. Anybody can walk in off the street and it will hopefully be entertaining but also informative. I’ll show you a little bit about politics, as opposed to expecting you to already know things.
“I’ve said to loads of folk, even if this absolutely bombs, it’ll be an experience. It’ll be a funny story one day. So, even if you cannot stand me, buy a ticket, come along and heckle me.”
Mhairi Black’s Politics Isn’t For Me is at the Gilded Balloon at the Museum between 31 July and 25 August (except 12 and 13 August ) at 1.15pm each day. Tickets can be bought here.
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