On Yer Bike to premiere at Latitude

Margaret Thatcher, Queen Of Soho, is to front her own game show.

The Prime Ministerial alter-ego of cabaret star Matt Tedford is to launch On Yer Bike at the Latitude Festival in July.

It is described as ‘both a pisstake and a celebration of naff British game shows of the 70s’ – and will feature thee comedians attempting to earn their giro cheque for the week.

Named after Norman Tebbit’s famous instruction to the unemployed to seek work, it also promises backing dancers and ‘a filthy mouthed Winston Churchill’.

Tedford and his co-writer Jon Brittain said: ‘For our next show, rather than repeat ourselves, we decided to try something a bit different. And given that we were both raised on mid-1990s Saturday night TV, A game show seemed like the obvious choice.

‘Whereas Queen of Soho was about gay rights, the idea for this show is to focus more on satirising attitudes towards unemployment, the government’s approach to benefits, and the idea of social mobility in a world where the majority of the Cabinet went to private school.

‘But if that sounds too heavy for anyone, do remember that it will largely be done through the medium of singing, dancing and ridiculously messy and over-complicated games.’

Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho started out as a 15 minute sketch in pub theatre in Battersea, and gone on to be a hit of the Edinburgh Fringe and the London cabaret circuit, including a week-long run at Leicester Square Theatre.

Among the other acts added to the Latitude line-up today are Ruby Wax, with her show about mental health, Sane New World, and Miss Behave’s Gameshow with guests including Ivan Brackenbury, Raymond & Mr Timpkins and The Two Wrongies. The event takes place in Suffolk on July 16 to 19.

Jack Dee has previously used Latitude to workshop his Help Desk format, which is now BBC Two series.

Meanwhile, the V Festival has also announced its comedy tent headliners today, with Frankie Boyle, Russell Kane, Seann Walsh, Shappi Khorsandi, Nick Helm and Gary Delaney performing. The event is being held in Chelmsford and Staffordshire on August 22 and 23.

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Published: 23 Apr 2015