On May 13, 2013, political comedian Mark Thomas set himself the task of committing 100 acts of minor dissent in the space of a year and, on the stroke of midnight, May 13, 2014, the task will end.
When I caught up with him, he was hoping to have achieved rebellious act number 85 by March 30, so it looks like he’s well on target to achieve his goal.
Mark is taking his show, based on this latest escapade, to the Universal Hall, Findhorn, on Tuesday, April 29, and Eden Court Theatre, on Wednesday, April 30.
“Setting out to achieve even a minor act of dissent is a lot more complex than you think,” said Mark.
“For example, during the Edinburgh Festival, I organised a pro-gay stand-up comedy gig outside the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh, which meant organising performers, a bike generator, speaker and amps, negotiating with the police, organising people to attend and then taking part in the cleaning up afterwards.
“It was great in the end: around 600 people turned up and we blocked the street.”
Over the decades, Mark has poked his nose into enough things to cause a politician to resign, arms deals to collapse, reform of the inheritance-tax law, force the odd multinational to clean up its act a little and accidentally become Guinness World Record holder for political protests.
“I wasn’t so much naughty when I was a little boy, but always asking questions, and I tend to go with Tony Benn’s theory of doing something until you are told not to,” said Mark.
“My previous show was about my dad, but he passed away last year and I found it difficult to do.
That personal piece, Bravo Figaro!, related to the difficult relationship he had with his father, a self-employed builder and lay preacher who loved opera.
“I found I could no longer do that show, so the idea for this show gradually crept up on me.
“I thought I’d do a show about what I do best, that is having fun and annoying people.”
The result is really still a work in progress, as some of the acts still have to be committed, but it is a funny catalogue of these acts, which range from the smallest action to the grandest confrontations.
It has already sold out its entire month’s run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
The results are hilarious, subversive, sometimes inspiring and mainly legal – although Mark has four court cases coming up as a result of some of these.
With numerous awards, TV documentaries, three books, a published manifesto, a fifth series of Manifesto commissioned for Radio 4, a Sony Award for his show My Life in Serious Organised Crime, a magazine column and numerous dabblings in politics, is it not time he gave it all up and became an MP himself?
“I actually have a lot of respect for MPs, as they work really hard, but I’d make a terrible MP. I’d be corrupt, evil and vile.
“I think I’d be useless and get really frustrated, so would just take full advantage of all the allowances and privileges and make the taxpayer pay for it all.”
Mark, who first came to the public’s attention via the radio comedy show The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s, describes himself as a “libertarian anarchist”.
While he is funny, the subjects he touches on during some of his television and stage shows are at times very serious.
He has exposed hypocrisy in both the public and private sector, shone a light on tax exceptions and had his eyes opened by experience.
In 2010, he walked the entire length of the Israeli wall in the West Bank and his subsequent 2011 show, Extreme Rambling: Walking the Wall, went on to tour nationwide.
“That walk changed my outlook on life. You experience a real sense of empathy for the suffering that is happening there and it has a huge impact on your life.
“Of all the challenges I’ve undertaken, I think the thing I’m most proud of is getting better working conditions and union recognition for Curzon cinema workers.”
So will he be looking to cause chaos when he visits the Highlands?
“Who knows? Probably is the best answer,” said Mark.
“I’d be happy for anyone to get in touch with me if they know of any ridiculous situations that need highlighting.
“Otherwise, come along to the show and enjoy a two-hour romp of mischief, dissent, rudeness and fun.”
Mark Thomas is at the Universal Hall, Findhorn, on Tuesday, April 29 (01309 691170), and Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, on Wednesday, April 30 (01463 234234).