It's no time for sound bites: The praxis of travesty via the New Labour of political comedy

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the concept of ‘travesty’ as a form of satirical praxis in relation to contemporary political comedy. It suggests that this genre has moved away from the radical, heavily satirical work of the 1980s and early 1990s, and is doing something new that problematizes the notion of satire. Using Genette's theory, it seeks to clarify that the praxis of travesty, lost somewhere in the nineteenth century, has returned, and is distinct from the related comedic forms, parody and pastiche. It will argue that this has special relevance in defining the representation of the ‘real’ with reference to television representations of New Labour. It questions Genette's distinction that a text (here ‘the actor’ and the real person represented) can be either imitation or transformation, but not both. Its case study is Alistair Beaton's 2007 The Trial of Tony Blair and Robert Lindsay's performance as Blair is analysed. The article concludes by positing the importance of the actor's ‘legacy’, and examines what significance this may have for the playing of the real.