Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 14
Count Binface Announces Aug. 26 Fringe Show After Winning 9,455 Clacton Votes
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 14

Count Binface Announces Aug. 26 Fringe Show After Winning 9,455 Clacton Votes

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 14

Summary

  • Count Binface said he will stage a one-off Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, “Face of the Establishment,” at the Pleasance on Aug. 26 after finishing second in the Clacton by-election.
  • 9,455 votes gave the novelty candidate 26.9% of the vote, far behind Nigel Farage’s 22,239 but thought to be the highest share ever for a novelty candidate.
  • Jon Harvey — the comedian and former BBC journalist behind the character — is billing the event as a one-hour mix of political comedy and sci-fi satire.
  • Clacton added to a long run of protest candidacies: Count Binface has stood in four parliamentary and two London mayoral contests, and Harvey also ran as Lord Buckethead against Theresa May in 2017.

Insights

How does a novelty politician parlay a record-breaking election defeat into a highly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe comedy show?
Are absurd campaign pledges like nationalising Adele secretly the ultimate protest against a broken political system?