Comedian Mark Thomas: An Extra Plate is at the Battersea Arts Centre
South London born and bred comedian Mark Thomas has strong opinions about Christmas.
Traditions should be upheld, decorations should be as garish as possible and The Muppets Christmas Carol is the best Christmas film.
He is also insistent that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie – it is just an action film that is set at Christmas.
He said: “I have massive arguments with my friends over Die Hard. We have it every year.
“For a Christmas movie to take place there needs to be elements of redemption and there needs to be elements of coming together and celebration of family and community.
“The only vague thing that you get is that John McLain’s estranged wife goes to him at the end – and that’s because she was held hostage.
“I think that’s Stockholm Syndrome rather than love.”
But a redemption arc is not missing from his new Christmas-themed show opening at Battersea Arts Centre next week.
The ten-show run will see Mr Thomas celebrate all that is good about the festive season.
He said: “There’s going to be sing-songs, there’s going to be laughs, there’s going to be outrage and there’s going to be tenderness.
“And of course there’s going to be a redemptive arc where people in the stories make themselves better people.”
Mr Thomas will tell stories about his life, his childhood and his family, including the Christmas spent alone, the dead neighbours, the broken hearts and the time his dad was Father Christmas at the school fete.
He said: “My dad was a fighter. He was the rudest man you will ever meet. But for him Christmas was very important.
“I remember going to see my dad being Father Christmas and I remember being really frightened and thinking ‘Don’t be rude dad, don’t be nasty to people, be lovely’ – and he was brilliant.
“He would look over the heads of some of the kids to get the guidance from the parents about what he might encourage, what he might discourage.
“It was beautiful. It was utterly beautiful to watch.
“And then it was my turn and he said ‘Ho ho ho, what do you want for Christmas little boy?’ and I said I’d like a Scalextric and he said “You’ll be f***ing lucky. Get something out of the bin and f*** off.””
The show may seem different from Mr Thomas’ other work – his biography includes taking the police to court three times, and winning twice, successfully campaigning for union recognition for cinema workers and costing one councillor and one government minister their job.
But Mr Thomas insists it’s not as different as it seems.
He said: “The work I do is political. I think Christmas is political.
“It’s about breaking away from work. It’s about sharing, it’s about giving, it’s about looking after people and coming together as communities. That’s a political act.
“This is coming away from the vile “You’ll work whatever time you’re given, you will be isolated, you will be atomised, you will continue to put the hours in, everyone’s self employed now and you’ve got to get out there and work, work, work because you’re going to run out of money tomorrow and you have to pay for your social care now and we’re taking this away and we’re taking that away and it’s a small state and it’s a big Tory party donor and everything’s your fault”.”
“So actually, the very act of going “stop, we’re having a party for 12 days”. That’s quite political.”
Mark Thomas: An Extra Plate is at the Battersea Arts Centre from December 14 to 23.
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