Michael Spicer, the comedian behind the viral online political sketch series The Room Next Door, has spoken about his journey into comedy, the perils of internet commenting, and how Monty Python shaped his worldview. In a wide-ranging interview, Spicer reflected on his overnight success, the ‘sneaky follows’ he receives from politicians, and his upcoming tour, Hope All’s Well.
How did you get into comedy?
Spicer began submitting sketches to Spitting Image at the age of 17 and was making his own sketches before the internet era. However, his actual break did not come until The Room Next Door, an online political sketch series that catapulted him to fame.
Was that an overnight success?
Spicer recalled watching a particularly bad interview with Boris Johnson and jotting down the concept of an adviser next door who was pulling his hair out over what was being said. He filmed it after dinner, posted it before bed, and woke up to millions of views. ‘That is literally an overnight success, isn’t it?’ he said. Other disastrous interviews that week highlighted on social media made him realise the character could be in the room next door to any situation, anywhere, giving the concept longevity.
Have you ever had any indication that a public figure has enjoyed being the subject of your sketches?
Spicer noted that he receives ‘very sneaky follows’ from politicians. For instance, if he criticises someone in the cabinet, he is often followed by another cabinet member, as if to say, ‘Yes, she’s awful, isn’t she?’ People like Keir Starmer follow him because of his work during the Conservative government. However, these follows are surreptitious, and the politicians never engage with him. ‘It annoys me that I haven’t got to them because to them it means that it’s just a game. But it’s not because, you know, lives are at stake sometimes. And I just want people to be held to account, not to be joshing with them in some sort of weird celebrity fantasy,’ he said.
Have you always seen yourself as a satirist?
Spicer does not see himself primarily as a satirist. He compared it to how Peter Cook was labelled a satirist, which he considers unfair because Cook just found the whole world funny. ‘But it always seemed to me that satire was a very fruitful place to go for comedy,’ he added.
What’s the best piece of trolling you’ve ever experienced, if such a thing exists?
Spicer finds trolls ‘absolutely abhorrent’, motivated by toxicity and poisonous behaviour. He recalled a sketch where he spliced two public information films together: one about being careful with petrol on a boat, and another about not over-boiling a kettle. The resulting sketch, ‘Don’t boil a kettle on a boat’, went viral as people thought it was real. Two people argued heatedly about why one shouldn’t boil a kettle on a boat, CCing Spicer in on their argument for 24 hours. They eventually attacked each other’s education and upbringing. ‘That’s when I thought that internet commenting has really contributed nothing to society or culture. It’s just dragged it downwards,’ he said.
Do you have a comedy hero?
Spicer cited watching repeats of Monty Python in 1987 on BBC One after Match of the Day as life-changing. ‘It made me look at authority figures and realise that they need to earn our respect. They shouldn’t be respected just because they’re wearing a tie and a suit,’ he said.
What can audiences expect from your forthcoming show, Hope All’s Well?
Spicer described the show as hopeful, addressing terrible things in the world while finding light at the end of the tunnel. ‘So it’s quite a positive and uplifting show … as well as being a funny one,’ he said.
Any bugbears from the world of comedy?
Spicer expressed frustration that comedians, when they get their break, often do not do comedy. Instead, they present TV shows or appear on panel shows, rather than doing sketch comedy or standup. ‘A lot of the opportunities are to bake cakes or answer questions on Mastermind. I find that uninspiring and boring. When I was a child, if somebody was a big success in comedy, they would usually get their own comedy show,’ he said.
What’s next?
Spicer is looking forward to an upcoming episode of Father Brown in which he appears and is murdered. ‘I’m looking forward to that,’ he said. His tour, Michael Spicer: Hope All’s Well, runs across the UK from 5 September until 21 November.
