On Monday night I had the good fortune of seeing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer interviewed for a live recording of Matt Forde’s Political Party podcast. It was an amazing evening. Simultaneously funny, educational and inspiring. Afterwards I was excitedly messaging some of my politics friends and one messaged asking “Why did he go to a – no offence – pretty minor comedy show 😂”. Given how mad the week has been in politics, both at home and abroad, it’s actually quite an interesting question to interrogate. Why did the Prime Minister choose to spend an evening being interviewed for the comedian Matt Forde’s podcast? In this blog I thought I’d outline some of the reasons why Starmer’s team may have been encouraging about the engagement as well as some other brief thoughts on the event.

When my family were attempting to guess who the mystery political guest might be, I found myself laying out a pretty compelling case for why I thought the Prime Minister might be keen to appear on the show. First, there’s history. Starmer appeared on the show years ago when he was Shadow Brexit Secretary and came across extremely well. The program is a known quantity: he understands the format, the audience, and how he’s likely to land. Furthermore, while Forde’s stand-up may be cheeky, as an interviewer he is consistently gracious and polite, treating politicians of differing stripes with respect. His shows attract a politically engaged audience that is curious rather than hostile. In an increasingly polarised political climate, that kind of respectful, pluralist space is something genuinely rare and genuinely special. Plus, it’s not as if this appearance came out of nowhere: over the past several months the government has clearly been testing the waters by sending senior cabinet figures onto the podcast, with consistently positive results.

Second, Forde is brilliant at bringing out the fun, relatable, human side of politicians. He asks serious questions but doesn’t press unduly for answers he knows politicians will evade; without the fear of “gotcha” journalistic questioning, guests are able to relax, lower their guard, and reveal more of their personality to the public. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves managed to confound her “boring” reputation by showing tremendous warmth and humour during her appearance on the podcast, and as the Prime Minister has received similar criticisms about appearing stiff or robotic, it is unsurprising that his team would be keen to place him in the same environment. Of course, this is not to deny the essential role of tough, adversarial interviewers in the mould of Jeremy Paxman or Andrew Neil — a political culture built solely on lighter engagements would be deeply unhealthy — but Forde’s style has real value at a time when many members of the public have stopped viewing politicians as fully human.

Thirdly, the only football fan bigger than the Prime Minister might be Matt Forde. In an age where authenticity is highly valued in politicians, finding an interviewer who allows Starmer to genuinely show his passions matters. Forde’s shared love of football creates an easy rapport that strips away formality and encourages spontaneity, allowing Starmer to speak with real enthusiasm rather than rehearsed caution. Those moments of visible passion do more to humanise him than any carefully scripted media appearance ever could.

There’s also a clear social media logic. If you follow Starmer on Instagram, clips from events like this are precisely the kind of content his team likes to circulate: moments in which Starmer can speak seriously about policy while simultaneously showing his personality and humour. Such opportunities are hard to come by so it makes complete sense that his team would have leapt at the opportunity for him to appear on the show.

Whilst writing this piece, it’s worth quickly putting to rest a Telegraph headline claiming that “Starmer Mocks Macron as He Dons Sunglasses at Comedy Show.” This is outrageous twaddle. What actually happened was nothing of the sort. Forde made a joke about Emmanuel Macron wearing aviator sunglasses at Davos. Starmer immediately stepped in to defend the French President, pointing out that, in fairness, Macron was dealing with an eye problem. Forde then asked whether Starmer himself had ever worn aviators, producing a pair for the Prime Minister to try on. The exchange was light-hearted, good-spirited, and in no sense mocking. Anyone who was there knows this. The headline is flagrantly misleading — which may explain why no journalist was willing to attach their name to the piece.

Anyway, those are my brief thoughts on why politicians like Starmer are wise to engage in events like Forde’s show. Far from being a distraction or indulgence, appearances on shows such as Matt Forde’s are a smart way to communicate seriousness, humanity, and confidence all at once. In a media landscape that too often rewards outrage or evasiveness, choosing a format that encourages good-faith conversation and genuine connection feels not only sensible, but refreshingly grown-up.