Some people claim Brexit’s going to affect the weather!
JACK Dee is fed up with the one-eyed view of politics.
“I get very tired of the argument that politicians are consciously hypocritical and lying,” says the 54-year-old, known for his droll take on the world.
“I don’t think they all are. But inevitably, as soon as a politician says one thing, there will be a newspaper or another politician who can say, ‘Well in 2007, you said the exact opposite’.”
That’s not to say those in the corridors of power are in for an easy ride in his new BBC2 series, Jack Dee’s Referendum Helpdesk.
Following on from his 2015 series, which was tied in with the general election, he and a revolving panel of comedians will once again offer their views on a live studio audience’s concerns, this time regarding the referendum.
The questions can be a mixed bag. Last time around, Jack fielded questions from a man who was worried about telling his sister her pet hamster had died, on whether chocolate could be offered as an incentive to vote, and more poignantly, advice for an older gentleman looking for work after being made redundant.
“People tend to steer away from the directly political questions and will generally ask a question that’s more personal to them,” notes the London-born personality.
“It has a role to play in that it can let us all sit back from it for just a second and take a comedy perspective on it, and think, ‘The situation’s quite funny’.”
The myths surrounding the campaign are also fertile ground for comedy, as is the term ‘Brexit’.
“Some people are claiming Brexit’s going to affect the weather,” Jack adds. “People have quite potty ideas. It’s like people wanting to go back to calling Starburst ‘Opal Fruits’, and Snickers bars ‘Marathons’ again.
“The Remain campaign haven’t come up with a catchy title to capture the imagination; ‘Bremain’ or ‘Bray’ doesn’t quite work, does it?
“Brexit have the advantage of being the campaigners to leave and coming across as mavericks. As part of the British psyche, we’re quite attracted to that, which could work to their advantage.”
His hosting role means Jack is professionally obliged to politically perch on the fence – and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“In the past, I’ve done a couple of benefits [for political parties] but they’re all pretty dreary dos, so I try to steer well clear of it,” says the comic, who hasn’t been approached by any party for “a very long time”.
“As a comedian, it’s helpful to be seen as not going on stage with any particular flag to wave or axe to grind. I quite like people not knowing [about my political persuasion].”
Growing up in Winchester (his family moved there from London when he was young), his household wasn’t a “particularly political” one.
“I’ve never been able to listen to someone saying one thing without thinking, ‘I wonder what the other side of that story is?’ I’ve never wanted to just swallow what I’m given. I like to look into it completely so I can see all of the arguments, and usually try and land somewhere in the middle, which I think some people find frustrating,” adds Jack, who also wrote and starred in BBC2 sitcom Lead Balloon.
He gives politicising on social media platforms a wide berth, too.
“The thing with Twitter is it either reduces everything to the succinct and the profound, or, more often, it will reduce things to the utterly trite.
“I don’t communicate with anyone on Twitter unless I know them personally. It’s a bit of a weird thing to be having a chat online with someone you don’t know.”
He’s keen that his four children – two sons and two daughters – form their own conclusions about politics.
“They come to their views on their own. It’s interesting to see what they come up with. I’m not some campaigner at the end of the table at dinner, saying this, that and the other.”
After 30 years in the business, Jack, who formerly worked as a manager of a pizza restaurant, is pleased the comedy circuit is changing, especially for female comics.
“Comedy is really opening up,” says the funny man, who met his wife Jane while he was working as a waiter in the Eighties.