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March 29, 2024, 11:42:57 AM

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Kate Smurthwaite

Started by banana, February 28, 2021, 09:42:52 PM

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C_Larence

Bet she wishes her name was Jen.

sevendaughters

Obviously she's still making a career out of what she does as I've heard the name for well over a decade now, but I've never felt any comedian was so fundamentally unsuited to their chosen profession in the arts as Kate Smurthwaite. Though politically poles apart from Andrew Lawrence, both of them have this strange anti-charm that I find hypnotic in very small doses.

banana

Quote from: sevendaughters on February 28, 2021, 10:48:41 PM
strange anti-charm that I find hypnotic in very small doses.

Perfect.

Icehaven

Saw her on Couples Come Dine With Me, she didn't come across very well. All I know of her comedy work is the bit in CCDWM where she and her boyfriend/lackey do this dance dressed as ancient Egyptians then briefly start dancing to some dubstep or something. It was a...surprising choice of material to be broadcast on national TV, and the other contestants were decidedly unimpressed.

peteprodge

I've gigged with her. She's brilliant at live comedy and can fire out brutality on hecklers, as evidenced here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZS4344zojc

However, the News At Kate stuff is laughter-free and I'm not sure why she bothers with it. It's like when the Mark Thomas Comedy Product turned into just the Mark Thomas Product.

I'm not massively opposed to her politics, but the way it's put out there, I don't think it's changing any minds, it's just preaching to the converted. It's this angry joyless finger-waving rant, the kind of thing the right wing will parody the left on.

Also, the way she protested at Sebastien Horsley's funeral just reminded me that it's the same tactic Westboro Baptist Church uses against recently deceased homosexuals.

So, yeah, good at stand-up, but the political rants (even though they're pretty much in favour of speaking up for the vulnerable) just don't work.

dissolute ocelot

I've seen her a couple of times live (Free Fringe). Her political stuff is very mediocre, definitely "Tories, eh, all bastards" with no attempt at challenging or surprising the audience or saying anything you didn't think walking in. Closer to Twitter argument than comedy. She is good (as peteprodge says) at chatting with an audience, dealing with drunks, compering and such. She did a somewhat entertaining show about open relationships a few years ago (her other big thing is being in an open relationship with her partner). But even that showed her total lack of self-analysis or self-criticism: extreme self-confidence is useful in some circumstances but doesn't really make you funny.

Dusty Substance


Perhaps the worst stand up I've ever seen. Hack jokes, dislikable personality, shitty timing, unable to improvise or do crowd work. The nadir of the stand up circuit.


notjosh

I saw her once at one of Robin Ince's smug atheism nights which I went to for reasons that now escape me, and she struck me as one of those comics who has worked really hard at their craft and is extremely competent on stage, but lacks the fundamental comic instincts to ever actually be funny. Which, to be fair, is the majority of professional stand-ups.

The biggest laugh I've ever got from her is this:
https://youtu.be/LDFTPtOHRnc?t=471

The bloke is clearly a cunt, but fuck me, that couldn't have worked out better for him if he'd scripted it could it?

ajsmith2

Quote from: notjosh on March 01, 2021, 12:01:56 PM
I saw her once at one of Robin Ince's smug atheism nights which I went to for reasons that now escape me, and she struck me as one of those comics who has worked really hard at their craft and is extremely competent on stage, but lacks the fundamental comic instincts to ever actually be funny. Which, to be fair, is the majority of professional stand-ups.

The biggest laugh I've ever got from her is this:
https://youtu.be/LDFTPtOHRnc?t=471

The bloke is clearly a cunt, but fuck me, that couldn't have worked out better for him if he'd scripted it could it?

It's an epic battle of unlikeableness but Lloyd clinches it at the end there with his smug wee one liner. Smurthwaite dealt with it awfully and was indeed (sigh) 'triggered' but that doesn't make his trite wee off the peg punchline any less cuntish. For years that clip was affixed atop his twitter linked to a virtual 'tip jar' so his fans could sponsor him to create more such amazing content.


peteprodge

Quote from: ajsmith2 on March 01, 2021, 12:34:56 PM
It's an epic battle of unlikeableness but Lloyd clinches it at the end there with his smug wee one liner. Smurthwaite dealt with it awfully and was indeed (sigh) 'triggered' but that doesn't make his trite wee off the peg punchline any less cuntish. For years that clip was affixed atop his twitter linked to a virtual 'tip jar' so his fans could sponsor him to create more such amazing content.

Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, it's the right wing arsewipe who clearly won that one, and that clip has been used many many many times on social media by obnoxious 'anti-woke and proud' nanowits as their 'gotcha'. It proves that saying "yes" to every media request along the lines of "hey, do you want to debate this awful hideous monster live on TV, you'll get great exposure" is not a good idea.

This also reminds me of a failed streaming service that was charging £12 a month even though it had only scored two 'names', one of which was Kate Smurthwaite...



So, they were asking for £12 a month for you to watch her News At Kate show, which is already put out on YouTube absolutely free. Not the wisest business model, there.

Who else could they get on board to complement Kate Smurthwaite's enlightened 'take the right down a peg or two' perspective?

Why, that old sandal-wearing liberal leftie, Jon Gaunt...



No trace of this effort ever arose, by the way. I'm not quite sure how this show - helmed by The Sun's former Richard Littlecock replacement, known for being sacked by talkSPORT after shouting "Nazi" at a guest and these days is known for his somewhat strange temperament at handling the online world - would have worked.

'Politics Factor' indicates a very tenuous X Factor concept, doesn't it?

Anyway, the dream team of Smurthwaite and Gaunt (pictured below) understandably never picked up any traction. The service never launched. Their official site URL: http://www.varietynet.com/ - shows what became of it.



j_u_d_a_s

Quote from: icehaven on February 28, 2021, 11:02:34 PM
Saw her on Couples Come Dine With Me, she didn't come across very well. All I know of her comedy work is the bit in CCDWM where she and her boyfriend/lackey do this dance dressed as ancient Egyptians then briefly start dancing to some dubstep or something. It was a...surprising choice of material to be broadcast on national TV, and the other contestants were decidedly unimpressed.

I remember that episode because she was particularly vicious to the couple from Essex (who both seemed to be perfectly friendly warm people), making a lot of veiled digs at the lady half for having some plastic surgery. And there was a nasty streak of classism in her comments about their meal, saying she expected turkey twizzlers.

Only really became aware of her after the Goldsmith's incident. Quick precis in case you're not familiar, was booked for a show at Goldsmiths but was pulled when security was needed for a counter protest over Smurthwaite's views on sex workers which then sent Kate into a rage. Now, a small gig with less space then your average pub basement pulling a gig is a bit rubbish but it's not the end of the world. But this didn't stop Kate from milking it at every opportunity as if it was stage time at Wembley arena. It even helped feed into the current culture war with a letter in the observer speaking out against no platforming at universities, giving the right a new tactic. Frankie Boyle absolutely skewered her at the time...



Besides that, she's your usual rent-a-gob who pops up in every news filler debate and embarrasses herself. Fuck knows how she makes a living as a comedian really. Not like her patreon is pulling in big numbers. Almost as if she's another awful liberal white upper middle class feminist...

Had a run in with her myself as we've got mutual friends on that facebook the kids have now where she was arguing in favour of the Tory porn block (remember that?) and making the usual (and debunked) anti porn claims that it leads to depression, impotency etc with this article mentioning the Reward foundation and NoFap. I pointed out the links to the NoFap movement and the far right who believe that porn is a jewish conspiracy to make young men docile and she did her usual patronising laugh before blocking me.

Terrible comic, terrible person.

j_u_d_a_s

Quote from: peteprodge on March 01, 2021, 01:43:04 PM

This also reminds me of a failed streaming service that was charging £12 a month even though it had only scored two 'names', one of which was Kate Smurthwaite...

So, they were asking for £12 a month for you to watch her News At Kate show, which is already put out on YouTube absolutely free. Not the wisest business model, there.

Who else could they get on board to complement Kate Smurthwaite's enlightened 'take the right down a peg or two' perspective?

Why, that old sandal-wearing liberal leftie, Jon Gaunt...

Just seen they have a facebook page that's still up with a whole 2 likes. No mention of News at Kate. £60 a year they wanted... that's the same price as Disney Plus.

Bazooka

Not familiar with her, but great comment on her YouTube video:

Quotebox of boxes:
She looks like the 'can I speak to the manager' starter pack

sevendaughters

Quote from: peteprodge on March 01, 2021, 08:57:11 AM
I've gigged with her. She's brilliant at live comedy and can fire out brutality on hecklers, as evidenced here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZS4344zojc

That opening joke caused me to close the tab, walk to the door, insert my hand in the opening at the hinge end as it is ajar and then deliberately close the door.

Cuellar

Quote from: Bazooka on March 01, 2021, 02:23:22 PM
Not familiar with her, but great comment on her YouTube video:

Not familiar with her, but I hope whoever wrote that comment has a long and painful death

Bad Ambassador

Quote from: sevendaughters on March 01, 2021, 02:48:16 PM
That opening joke caused me to close the tab, walk to the door, insert my hand in the opening at the hinge end as it is ajar and then deliberately close the door.

I've seen sportspeople read cue cards on Saturday Night Live with better delivery.

mrspangles

Strange one. A very good club comic but not a great satirist... wonder if being a talking head pays well?

giveover

I came across her FB page somehow and it says she needs help (ie money) because her "job has been made illegal". I can't find any reference to this anywhere online, what's she on about?

Bad Ambassador

Presumably another of her hilarious jokes.