Mark Thomas is a stand-up
comedian who has recently presented a show for
Channel Four, originally titled
The Mark Thomas Comedy Product, but now called
The Mark Thomas Product. An increasingly small amount of this program is devoted to stand-up, with the bulk of it going toward Thomas's own brand of
investigative journalism. This involves either performing a
publicity stunt (such as those listed above) or interviewing somebody whose actions or policies he dislikes, usually under
false pretences.
Sometimes these are funny (such as hiding in the toilet of a train with a radio transmitter, and making fake announcements about what bastards Railtrack are) but some were fairly stupid and pedantic (see above). The way he has to find a new issue for every show occasionally leads to misfiring episodes. He has managed to piss off Robin Cook on several occasions, and Jack Straw not nearly enough. Prior to starting his crusade, he appeared (?) in the radio version of The Mary Whitehouse Experience.
Chris Morris, who could be seen as working in a similar area to Thomas at times, seems to dislike him, describing him once as "that little man who harasses receptionists". The main difference between the two is that Morris places a higher priority on comedy than on having a right-on message. I prefer Morris, although I find both highly entertaining.