TL;DR
- The Crewkerne Gazette is using AI-generated satire to engage younger audiences, distinguishing itself from traditional political satire shows like Spitting Image.
- Recent viral videos include notable figures such as Kemi Badenoch and Rachel Reeves, highlighting an innovative approach to political commentary.
- The anonymity of creators stems from concerns over free speech and safety in the current political climate, particularly regarding issues facing comedians.
PM’s rap battle with Sky’s Beth Rigby goes viral – and one of the AI satirists behind it explains why
Satire has long been an occupational hazard for politicians – and while it has long been cartoons or shows like Spitting Image, content created by artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming the norm.
A new page called the Crewkerne Gazette has been going viral in recent days for their videos using the new technology to satirise Rachel Reeves and other politicians around the budget.
Sky New’s presenter Darren McCaffrey spoke to one of the people behind the viral sensations, who is trying to remain anonymous.
He said: “A lot of people are drawing comparisons between us and Spitting Image, actually, and Spitting Image was great back in the day, but I kind of feel like recently they’ve not really covered a lot of what’s happening.
“So we are the new and improved Spitting Image, the much better Have I Got News For You?”
He added that those kinds of satire shows don’t seem to be engaging with younger people – but claimed his own output is “incredibly good at doing” just that.
Examples of videos from the Crewkerne Gazette includes a rapping Kemi Badenoch and Rachel Reeves advertising leaky storage containers.
They even satirised our political editor Beth Rigby’s interview with the prime minister on Thursday, when he defended measures in the budget and insisted they did not break their manifesto pledge by raising taxes.
“Crewkerne Man” says providing satire for younger people is important as Labour is lowering the voting age.
Asked why he is trying to be anonymous, the man said the project is not about one person – or even the whole group – but rather their output.
He also claimed the UK is “increasingly seeing arrests – especially with comedians”, pointing to the Graham Linehan case.
“So we just never know where the Labour Party is going to drive the policy next, in regards to free speech,” he said.
“So for me, certainly it’s a matter of safety.”
Watch Beth Rigby’s actual interview with Sir Keir Starmer below.