OFTEN watching a political comedy show live can feel like an echo chamber.

Your views on the powers that be and social issues are unlikely to be challenged if you have paid tickets to see a like-minded and outspoken commentator – or in this case satirist.

But not so with Jonathan Pie's latest tour since his breakthrough as a YouTube star.

Jonathan Pie is the brainchild of British actor and comedian Tom Walker.

Walker's character is a frustrated news reporter who rants about the likes of the Tory Government, Brexit, UKIP, the NHS and the Trump presidency until his blood pretty much starts to boil.

And at the Lowry theatre in Salford Quays on Sunday night his audience – branded as Guardian-reading lefties – were playing to type.

When asked how many people of the 1,730-strong audience voted Conservative in the last election one person that I could see put their hand up.

Lots of Tory bashing followed with Theresa May naturally in the crosshairs for most of it. 

Pie was a natural at picking apart the Prime Minister's actions and policies and ripping them to shreds and he also made no bones about making some personal jokes about her appearance and demeanour.

Thatcher, Hunt and Gove as well as Trump across the pond were also in the firing line leading to belly laughs and spontaneous rounds of applause/approval – the echo chamber vibe kicked in.

But Pie also attacked his own audience with thought-provoking comments about the left's general unwillingness to engage in meaningful debate with those that disagree with them, prefering to label or demonise them instead. 

Following the post-Brexit spats on social media it was hard to disagree.

While praising political correctness as 'an extension of diplomacy' he also warned of the dangers of the likes of calling out 'cultural appropriation' (the adoption of the elements of a minority culture) where the liberal obsession with behaving a certain way around different groups of people can actually divide us. 

His points always hit the mark – and somewhere among the swearing and vitriol – struck the right balance between comedy and political debate.

It seemed to reflect the mood of many following the EU referendum that split the country and the recent general election that stripped the government of its majority. 

A natually confident speaker and showman, Pie also raged about the nature of offence, things that would make Martin Luther King 'spin in his grave' and the damage that social media is doing. 

The only annoying thing was how short the show was at just an hour or so.

The format of the tour plays out as if Pie is doing a pilot for a TV show.

Think Alan Partridge's Knowing Me, Knowing You with things going wrong during the show (minus the Steve Coogan-style cringe humour). 

It was a fun (if you can ever describe Pie using that word) spin-off following the character's short videos and proved beyond a doubt he's not just a short lived YouTube sensation.

  • Jonathan Pie returns to The Lowry on April 5