Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

, best known for the political stunts that he performs on his show, '' The Mark Thomas Comedy Product'' on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

. Thomas first became known as a guest comic on the

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

comedy show '' The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' first broadcast in March 1989. He describes himself as a " libertarian anarchist".

Biography

Early life and education

Mark Thomas was born in

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

. His mother was a

midwife A midwife (: midwives) is a health professional who cares for mothers and Infant, newborns around childbirth, a specialisation known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughou ...

and his father a self-employed builder (and ex-

lay preacher A lay preacher is a preacher who is not ordained (i.e. a layperson) and who may not hold a formal university degree in theology. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects. Overview Some denominations specifically disco ...

). Thomas was educated at Macaulay Church of England Primary School, Victoria Rise, Clapham until 1974, where his party trick was to recite the first verses of the four

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

s from memory. He then won a scholarship to attend the independent

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

School, where he attained O-levels and

A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

in English, history, and politics and economics. At school, Thomas was influenced by his drama teacher, Duncan Noel-Paton, and by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's play ''

The Caucasian Chalk Circle ''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' () is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than the baby's wealthy b ...

'', in which the audience's sympathies are swayed from one view of a political argument to the other; speaking of this to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' in 1999, he said "I was amazed that a play could make you change your mind". In a 2016 interview, he stated that he became an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

at the age of 12, and subsequently developed an interest in radical politics during his teenage years, including

Anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

and

Trotskyism Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

. He went on to be awarded a degree in Theatre Arts at Bretton Hall College. During his time at Bretton Hall, he made his debut as a performer, co-writing and performing satirical sketches at

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

Labour Club.

Career

After graduating, Thomas subsequently embarked on his comedy career, initially supporting himself through working on building sites with his father. Thomas' early exposure to comedy was through watching and listening to Dave Allen, ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black a ...

'', ''

The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...

'' and

Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series '' Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...

; his biggest influence was hearing a recording of

Alexei Sayle Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th g ...

: "It was like someone had kicked the door in – just listening to that tape and thinking that someone could do this stuff". He also cited the playwright

Trevor Griffiths Trevor Griffiths (4 April 1935 – 29 March 2024) was an English dramatist. Early life Born in Ancoats, Manchester and brought up as a Roman Catholic by his mother, Annie, a bus conductor and father, Ernest, who worked in a factory. He atten ...

as an early influence, describing him as "an absolute genius". He went on to write material for Dave Allen. Prior to his most renowned vehicle, ''The Mark Thomas Comedy Product'', Thomas was a frequent guest comic on the

show ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'', where he would do a routine about a specific topic of the week and involve studio audience members in the discussions. He would also occasionally play parts in sketches written by the show's main performers. He then became the resident

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

comic on '' Saturday Zoo'', a

comedy series first screened in 1993 and appeared on an episode of ''

Have I Got News for You ''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990. The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...

''. He co-presented the highly successful Radio 1 comedy talk show ''Loose Talk'' with

Kevin Day Kevin Hunter Day (born 3 May 1961) is a British stand up comedian, comedy writer and sports presenter. He came to prominence in the British alternative comedy stand up scene of the late eighties and early nineties, playing clubs like The Comedy ...

, and is a founder member of the London

Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Com ...

's hard hitting ''Cutting Edge'' show. His political comedy show, ''The Mark Thomas Comedy Product'' (later renamed as simply ''The Mark Thomas Product'', to reflect its increasing political agenda) on Channel 4 earned him criticism from

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

s but was seen by critics as a crucial investigative tool. In one edition, Thomas investigated the practice of avoiding inheritance tax by declaring art, furniture, homes and land available for public viewing. After discovering that

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament (MP)

Nicholas Soames Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames, Baron Soames of Fletching, (born 12 February 1948) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Sussex from 1997 to 2019, having previously served as the MP fo ...

was claiming tax relief on a "three-tier mahogany buffet with partially reeded slender balustrade upright supports" on this basis, but without making any arrangements for the furniture to be inspected by the public, Thomas invented a 'National Soames Day' on which hundreds of people made appointments to see the furniture. Soames subsequently decided to pay the tax on the item and

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...

, then

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

, changed the law. In 2015, Thomas told ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

s Adam Jacques: "I try to find the good in my enemies. It's not unusual to be able to get on with people despite what they are doing being awful. The only person I have met who I considered to be without any redeeming features was ..Nicholas Soames. ..He was such a pantomime baddie." Leaving Channel 4 was a mutual decision, following a series of disputes over how far the channel would go in its broadcasting, one of which concerned the channel's reluctance to support actions concerning

corporate accountability Corporate Accountability (formerly INFACT, Corporate Accountability International) is a non-profit organization, founded in 1977. Their campaign headquarters are in Boston, Massachusetts, and they have offices in Oakland, California; Seattle, Washi ...

and

corporate manslaughter Corporate manslaughter is a crime in several jurisdictions, including England and Wales and Hong Kong. It enables a corporation to be punished and censured for culpable conduct that leads to a person's death. This extends beyond any compensation ...

laws—a cause he had campaigned for—which coincided with

the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was also ...

's funeral. He declined to take part in a proposed ''Celebrity Guantanamo Bay'' '

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

' show. Thomas has appeared at numerous comedy benefit nights, and is a well established stand-up comedian in the UK. He is the chairman of the

Ilısu Dam Campaign The Ilısu Dam Campaign was a UK-based campaign working to stop the construction of the Ilısu Dam on the river Tigris in south east Turkey. The construction plans for the dam would lead to the flooding of about 300 square kilometers and would dis ...

, a campaign which was successful in temporarily blocking the development of a large-scale

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

in southeast

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

that campaigners claim will lead to the

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of up to 78,000 people, mostly

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

, without adequate compensation or consultation, as well as to environmental and cultural destruction. Recently, Thomas has been working with

War on Want War on Want is an anti-poverty charity based in London. War on Want works to challenge the root causes of poverty, inequality and injustice through partnership with social movements in the global South and campaigns in the UK. War on Want's slo ...

in India and investigating and filming alleged

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

violations in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

(by, amongst others,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

) where

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s are targeted by

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

allegedly controlled by the government. He wrote a regular column for the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'' between 2001 and 2007. The parliamentary committee which oversees weapons exports, the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

Quadripartite Select committee, commended him for his undercover work, which led to official warning letters being issued to a number of companies. His work in this area is covered in ''As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trade'', a book chronicling his experiences undercover, his political activism and his projects designed to find and report loopholes in arms trading laws, which culminated in a controversial un-broadcast ''

Newsnight ''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...

'' report about the

Hinduja brothers Hinduja Group is an Indian conglomerate. The group is present in eleven sectors including automotive, oil and specialty chemicals, banking and finance, IT and ITeS, cyber security, healthcare, trading, infrastructure project development, media ...

Whilst promoting this book on his latest tour, Thomas organised mass lone demonstrations, in protest of the

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (c. 15) (often abbreviated to SOCPA or SOCAP) is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom aimed primarily at creating the Serious Organised Crime Agency. It also significan ...

, an act of Parliament that prevents any demonstrations within London's

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and ...

zone without prior police approval. The last event attracted over 100 individual protesters at the same time. In 2006, he was added to the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for most demonstrations held on one day: 20 individual protests in 20 different locations. Although he actually performed 21 protests the first and last took place at the same location, so it was agreed that only 20 would count towards the record. His record was later beaten in 2010 by the Freman College Amnesty group, who held 23 demonstrations. In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

, for services to peace and for his work as a comedian, political activist, presenter and investigative journalist, especially for his effective campaigning on the ethics of the arms trade. The university has a long-standing Department of

Peace Studies Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such ...

. In 2009, Thomas launched the Huddersfield Policy postcard campaign, petitioning the Queen with protests against the prospect of a state funeral for

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

. For his 'It's The Stupid Economy' UK tour in 2009, Thomas played 55 shows over 14 weeks between March and end July, and encouraged each audience to come up with their own policies (silly or serious) that would somehow make their lives better, forming a " People's Manifesto". Each audience then got to vote on their favourite policy of that evening and the winning suggestion then formed part of his manifesto which he will then campaign for and attempt to actually make at least some of the suggestions become reality. In April 2010, Thomas was awarded £1200 compensation for a search carried out by police in 2007. He had been unlawfully subject to a stop-and-search without adequate cause, after speaking at an anti-arms rally. During 2010 Thomas decided to go rambling in the Middle East and walked the entire length of the Israeli Separation Barrier, crossing between the Israeli and the Palestinian side. His touring show entitled "Walking The Wall" (2011) was shortlisted for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award and his book ''Extreme Rambling'' recounted the story. Thomas revealed in 2013 that he had discovered, through a Data Protection request, that he had been under police surveillance as a result of his investigative journalism for

and the ''

'' and put on the domestic extremist database. He cautioned other journalists, "I apologise for the boastful tone but the police have monitored public interest investigations in my case since 1999. More importantly if the police are keeping tabs on a lightweight like myself then they are doing the same and more to others. This is more than supposition as I know of other NUJ members on the database." The following year, Thomas and five journalists and photographers who had also been under surveillance by the London Metropolitan Police Service's National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit (NDEDIU) began legal action against the force. The NDEDIU's reports obtained by Thomas described him as a "general rabble rouser and alleged comedian" and stated, "Mark Thomas stops. Has quantity of cress on rear of his cycle." He told ''

s Adam Lusher, "The police's powers of observation are to be admired, I did indeed have cress on my bike. utIs it really suitable to spend taxpayers' money observing the movement of cress?" In January 2020, Thomas returned to the stage with his new show 'Mark Thomas: 50 Things About Us' where he states little-known facts about the UK with his trademark mix of stand-up, storytelling and research.

Television

* ''Friday Night Live'', Channel 4 (1988) * ''Saturday Zoo'', Channel 4 (1993) * ''Viva Cabaret'', Channel 4 (1993) * ''Denton'', Channel 7 Australia (1994) * '' The Mark Thomas Comedy Product'' (later renamed ''The Mark Thomas Product''), Channel 4 which ran for six series totalling 45 episodes (1996–2002) * '' Dispatches: The Lie of the Land'', Channel 4 (1998) * ''Thomas Country'', Channel 4 (1999) * ''The Immigration and Asylum Bill'', Channel 5 (2000) * ''Secret Map of Britain'', Channel 4 (2002) * '' Dispatches: Mark Thomas – Broom Cupboard Inspector'', Channel 4 (2003) * '' Dispatches: Mark Thomas — Debt Collector'', Channel 4 (2003) * '' Dispatches: After School Arms Club'', Channel 4 (2006) * '' Dispatches: Mark Thomas on Coca Cola'', Channel 4 (2007)

Radio

* ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'', Radio 1 (1989) * ''The Mix'', Radio 5 (1990) * ''Sleeping with the NME'', Radio 5 (1991) * ''Loose Talk'', Radio 1 (1991–1992) * ''Booked!'', Radio 4 (1995–1998) * ''Celluloid Psychiatrists'', Radio 4 (2000) * ''Left Bank of the Mind'', Radio 4 (2001) * ''Mark Thomas Presents...'', Radio 4 (2005) (shows on

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, puppeteer, radio personality and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

, the

Firesign Theatre The Firesign Theatre (also known as the Firesigns) was an American surreal humour, surreal comedy troupe who first appeared on November 17, 1966, in a live performance on the Los Angeles radio program ''Radio Free Oz'' on station KPFK FM broad ...

Shelley Berman Sheldon Leonard Berman (February 3, 1925 – September 1, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, and lecturer. He was awarded three gold records for his comedy albums and he won the first Grammy Award for a spoken comedy recor ...

and

Mort Sahl Morton Lyon Sahl (May 11, 1927 – October 26, 2021) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actor, and social Satire, satirist, considered the first modern comedian. He pioneered a style of social satire that pokes fun at political and current e ...

) * ''Chain Reaction'', Radio 4 (2006) * ''My Life in Serious Organised Crime'', Radio 4 (2007) * ''Ramblings'', Radio 4 (2008) (walking

The Ridgeway The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs to the River Thames at the Gori ...

track in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire) * '' Mark Thomas: The Manifesto'' Radio 4 (2009–2013) * ''Bravo Figaro'', Radio 4 (2013)

Discography

* ''Sex, Filth and Religion'' (video) (1995) * ''Live'' (1998) * ''Dambusters'' (2001) * ''The Night War Broke Out'' (2004) * ''Mark Thomas Comedy Show'' (2005) * ''Mark Thomas:Serious Organised Criminal'' (DVD) (2007) * ''Bravo Figaro'' (2013)

Live tours

* ''As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela...'' (2006) * ''Serious Organised Criminal'' (2007) * ''Belching Out The Devil'' (2008) * ''It's the Stupid Economy'' (2009) * ''Extreme Rambling – Walking the Wall'' (2011) * ''Bravo Figaro'' (2012) * ''100 Acts of Minor Dissent'' (2013) * ''Cuckooed'' (2014) * ''Trespass'' (2015) * ''The Red Shed'' (2017) * ''Showtime from the Frontline'' (2018) * ''Check Up'' (2019) * ''Black and White'' (2022) * ''Gaffa Tapes'' (2025)

Other live shows

* ''Mark Thomas: Metrix Consortium at The Open University'' (9 September 2008) * ''Hastings Comedy Festival: Mark Thomas at the Observer Building'' (11 June 2024)

Books

* ''As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trad''e (2007) * ''Belching Out the Devil: Global Adventures with Coca-Cola'' (2009) * ''Mark Thomas Presents the People's Manifesto'' (2010) * ''Extreme Rambling: Walking Israel's Separation Barrier. For Fun''. (2011) * ''100 Acts of Minor Dissent'' (2015) * ''The Liar's Quartet: Bravo Figaro!, Cuckooed, The Red Shed – Playscripts, Notes and Commentary'' (2017) * ''50 Things About Us: What We Really Need to Know About Britain'' (2020)

Awards

* Time Out Comedy Award (1990) *

Perrier Comedy Award The Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formerly the Perrier Comedy Awards, and also briefly known by other names for sponsorship reasons) are presented to the comedy shows deemed to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Establ ...

nominee (1992) In addition to being recognised for his comedy career, Mark Thomas has been awarded various citations for his political campaigning, including: * Kurdish National Congress Medal of Honour (2002) * International Service Award for the Global Defence of Human Rights (2004) * MediActivist Awards (2005) * Former Guinness World Record Holder for Most Number of Political Demonstrations in 24 Hours He was also made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the

on 3 December 2008, in recognition of his peace campaigning and services to comedy.

Politics

As a part of his television series, Thomas stood as an Independent candidate for the safe Labour parliamentary seat of

Hemsworth Hemsworth is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and had a population of 13,311 at the 2001 census, ...

in a 1996 by-election. He came eighth of ten candidates with 122 votes (0.6%) as the election was won by Labour's

Jon Trickett Jon Hedley Trickett (born 2 July 1950) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Normanton and Hemsworth, previously Hemsworth (UK Parliament con ...

. In his 4 March 2002 ''New Statesman'' column, Thomas placed a bounty on the head of US President George Bush to the value of £4,320 (his total earnings writing for the magazine to that point). In February 2009 British entertainers

David Baddiel David Lionel Baddiel (; born 28 May 1964) is an English comedian, presenter, screenwriter, author and singer. He became known for his early work alongside Rob Newman in '' The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' and later for his comedy partnership w ...

Bill Bailey Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and for his regula ...

Morwenna Banks Tamsin Morwenna Banks (born 20 September 1961) is a British actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy sketch show '' Absolutely'', and wrote, produced, and appeared in the British ensemble film ''The Announc ...

Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two sketch comedy series ''Goodness Gracious Me (TV series), Goodness Gracious Me'' and as t ...

Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English actress, comedian, presenter and writer. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Satur ...

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...

Rob Brydon Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He gained prominence for his roles in film, television and radio. He was appointed Order of the British Empire, Member of the Order ...

Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-British comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of One-line joke, one-liners. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regula ...

Jack Dee James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee (born 24 September 1961) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, and writer known for his sarcasm, irony, and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom '' Lead Balloon'' and hosts the panel show ...

Omid Djalili Omid Djalili (; born 30 September 1965) is a British comedian, actor, and writer. Early life and education Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in St Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents Ahmad and Parvane ...

, Sean Lock,

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...

Meera Syal Meera Syal FRSL (born Feroza Syal; 27 June 1961) is an English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and by portraying Sanjeev's grandmoth ...

, Mark Thomas said in an open letter printed in

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

newspaper of the Baháʼí leaders to be on trial in Iran: "In reality, their only "crime", which the current regime finds intolerable, is that they hold a religious belief that is different from the majority.... we register our solidarity with all those in Iran who are being persecuted for promoting the best development of society ...(and) with the governments, human rights organisations and people of goodwill throughout the world who have so far raised their voices calling for a fair trial, if not the complete release of the Baháʼí leaders in Iran." Echoing the comments earlier in the month made by two hundred and sixty seven non-Baháʼí Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists and activists from 21 countries including Iran who signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.com and stating they were "ashamed" and pledging their support in Baháʼís achieving the rights detailed in the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...

for the Baháʼís in Iran. See

Persecution of Baháʼís Baháʼís are persecuted in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Baháʼí Faith originated and where one of the largest Baháʼí populations in the world is located. The origins of the persecution stem from a variety of Baháʼ ...

. Prior to the 2015 UK general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960) is a British politician who was the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2003 to 2006, 2007 to 2012, and 2016 to 2018. She was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parli ...

. In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Thomas signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...

's leadership in the 2019 general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few."

Collections

The

holds material by Thomas as part of the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive. The collection relates to Thomas' work as both comedian and activist, and includes audio-visual recordings, props and documents from performances, research material and drafts of publications.

References

External links

Official website

Mark Thomas: Taking comedy seriously
— BBC profile
Mark Thomas Collection
at

Special Collections & Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Mark People educated at Christ's Hospital Alumni of Bretton Hall College English activists English anti-war activists English anti–Iraq War activists English anarchists British anti-capitalists English human rights activists English libertarians English male comedians English comedy writers English humorists English male journalists English atheists English republicans People from Balham 1963 births Living people 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians Independent British political candidates Comedians from the London Borough of Wandsworth English satirists