Dominic Frisby

‘The BBC has a diversity of everything except opinion’: meet Dominic Frisby, Nigel Farage’s favourite comic

• The comedian Dominic Frisby supports Brexit, thinks the world of Nigel Farage, mocks the concept of hate speech, critiques Left-liberal group-think, disdains big government, and thinks we’re out of our depth with debt. And he articulates all this through the medium of satirical song. You may well not have heard of him and that’s one reason why he helps define the state of British comedy. Though that checklist of preoccupations might make the 51-year-old sound like a rabid Right-winger to some, Frisby’s modus operandi is gentle: catchy music, droll lyrics, a push-back not a fightback. He’s inspired by Noel Coward, PG Wodehouse and Gilbert and Sullivan, and exudes the warmth of a Victorian knees-up. He’s arguably more attuned to the popular mood than a dozen ubiquitous comedy “faces” and yet his main platform is YouTube. The powers that be aren’t rushing to give him airtime. Wasn’t Tim Davie, the new director-general of the BBC, supposed to be “tackling” the Left-wing bias in comedy? “I can confirm that the phone hasn’t rung once,” Frisby says, flashing the first of many grins that explain why he’s able to disseminate contentious material without looking like he’s got an axe to grind. His indictment of the Corporation sounds more measured than plaintive. It’s still damning. “The BBC remains by far and away the best platform there is in the UK for a performer. But where it stands in the culture war is pretty clear and that’s not changing: Remain-voting, technocratic, Left-of centre worldview, diversity of everything except opinion. If the BBC commissioned something that wasn’t from the usual suspects and gave people from outside the club a chance, they could have a huge hit on their hands. “There’s a large majority in England of people who believe in small government, individual responsibility, low taxes, traditional Conservative values – but they’re ignored. Why is there no comedy on our mainstream channels representing that view? People in BBC comedy think that because we have a Tory government, they’re punching up. They don’t realise that they’re punching down because their culture is almost totally controlled by the Left – it’s subsidised, which makes it beholden to its paymasters.” Frisby (the son of the late playwright Terence Frisby, best-known for the 1960s comedy There’s a Girl in My Soup) is this week releasing a new album, his second, titled Anthems for the Excommunicated. If the title doesn’t explain everything, three new tracks indicate what he’s on about: I Am a White Man and I’m Sorry; I’m Gonna Marry Gary; and Arise, Sir Nigel.