Questions Without Notice: Bryan Dawe (aka Sir Murray Rivers QC) Just Made The Federal Election Almost Bearable

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Like all politically engaged and decent minded Australians, you’re probably still missing the comfort of a Thursday night ‘Clarke and Dawe’ on ABC’s 7:30 program.

John Clarke, the funny man of the duo, passed away suddenly just over two years ago, and political comedy in Australia hasn’t quite been the same ever since.

But there is some good news. Bryan Dawe, the straight man of that combo, is still making comedy. And as you might expect, it’s still absolutely brilliant. Indeed, it’s by far the best thing that’s about to happen to this federal election.

Dawe’s alter ego is Sir Murray Rivers QC, a “doyen of the Liberal Party”. Think Barry Humphries doing Sir Les Patterson, but where the bigotry is deliberate, and the humour substantially sharper and more sophisticated.

For the past few months, through a smoker’s cough and a shiraz slur, Sir Murray has been quietly rolling out a weekly podcast for the true believers. It is, to put not too fine a point on it, some of the best political comedy produced in Australia in a long time.

Dawe has already released nine episodes, and number 10 popped out this week as the first in a two-part series on the federal election. It’s required listening for anyone who has felt like self-harming in the lead up to the May 18 poll.

We’re not going to spoil any of the zingers for you, save to say Dawe revisits his role as ‘straight man journalist’ to interview himself as pompous Sir Murray Rivers QC. The result is worth bottling.

You can access the series so far here. You’re going to particularly want to check out episode 9, called ‘Workplace Relations’.

If it gets any cleverer than this, we’re yet to hear it.

You can also follow Dawes on his Facebook page, the National Troublemakers Union.

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