Mark Thomas: Extreme Rambling (Walking The Wall)

How do you tackle the Israel-Palestine conflict, the world's most intractable political problem, in a comedy show? Like many people before him, Mark Thomas decided to solve this conundrum by going for a walk.

Last year Thomas walked the length of the 723km wall being built between Israel and the Palestinian West Bank. Flitting between both sides of the barrier, there was plenty of clear air to focus his mind and the tear gas from the Israeli Defence Force and stones hurled by Palestinian youths focused it further.

The result is a hugely entertaining travelogue. Absurdity lurks on both sides, from the giraffe declared a martyr and enshrined in a moth-eaten Palestinian zoo, to the Zionist estate agent with dreams of grabbing land in Iraq.

For a comedian so firmly associated with the left—and by association anti-Zionism—Thomas is admirably even-handed. He recounts conversations with Israelis verbatim. Even the IDF soldiers receive some sympathy and fatherly advice.

But it is when he starts talking about the inhuman conditions forced upon the Palestinians that his narrative becomes most powerful. This is really a masterful storytelling session first, a comedy show second. His heart might be with those on the West Bank and he is scathing about the wall, but a tub-thumping polemic it is not.

Thomas knows when to hush the crowd and when to go for a big laugh. When to vividly describe Palestinian kids running down a hill, when to mock mime artists at protests.

The result is a clear-headed, urgent show. Most definitely not a ramble.