At 74, British comedian Alexei Sayle is documenting his long political life in a new work that reviews his participations in demonstrations from 1960s Liverpool to 2020s London. Sayle's book, described as brief and passionate, explores his persistent political commitment throughout a varied career that has included villain roles in Hollywood films, subversive podcasts and successful novelty pop songs.
In a surveillance file cited in his memoirs, the British Special Branch police service described Sayle as an "intellectual bully" who made "obscene comments about the royal family". However, in recent years, his flippant and self-deprecating side has made him practically respectable, with regular appearances on BBC radio. The artist writes that his decision to become a comedian was not motivated solely by "monstrous vanity", but also formed part of a broader strategy of political influence: "attempting to slip examples of Communist thinking into Top of the Pops, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Doctor Who".
