Comic genius and cancer survivor Matt will put hope in your heart - Susan Dalgety

For those who don’t know Matt’s work, he is a comic genius. His impersonation of Donald Trump is superlative. Close your eyes and you would think the orange one was standing right in front of you. His Ed Miliband is so lifelike it’s creepy.

Sadly, recent circumstances mean he has had to retire his Keir Starmer, but he has been working hard on his Andy Burnham and while he still has a little work to do on the Prime Minister’s blokeish mannerisms, he almost has him to a tee.

But his show is not just about politics, although as a former Labour special adviser, Matt has an insight into the mind of politicians unlike any other comedian. He could easily do an hour-long performance only satirising their eccentricities.

But three years ago, almost immediately after the end of his 2023 Fringe run, he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. A 13-hour-long operation to remove a tumour from the base of his spine left him with no bowel, bladder or sexual function, but did he let that stop him? Did he hell.

He has incorporated his life-changing, life-limiting experience into his show to hilarious effect. His story of how he recently had a button embedded into his testicles to turn his bladder on and off almost made me wet myself (my incontinence is age rather than cancer related).

I know it’s a cliché to describe cancer survivors as ‘inspirational’, but in Matt’s case it is true. His sheer love of life and optimism in the face of physical and emotional challenges that would floor most of us is uplifting. Every time I see him perform, or listen to one of his podcasts (I highly recommend his British Scandals show with Alice Levine), I want to cheer.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade goes the old cliché. In Matt’s case, he used his lemons to garnish a sparking, joyful, five-star, very large gin and tonic.

He is at the Pleasance Courtyard until August 30. Go see him, I can guarantee he will put hope in your heart.