AT this moment in history we are living in what can best be described as ‘a golden age for satire’.

In modern times, the satire boom in the UK began with the performance of Beyond the Fringe on August 22, 1960, followed in 1963 by That Was The Week That Was (TW3).

In the 1980s, there was a satirical re-birth with Spitting Image, when the government led by Margaret Thatcher was the butt of the jokes, along with President Ronald Reagan in the USA.

Now, the world of satire is back with a bang as the world in which we live in has seen the election of Donald Trump as President in America, the growth of the Scottish Nationalist Party in Scotland under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon, Theresa May as Prime Minister and the issue of Brexit.

Do not take my word for the new golden age of satire, heed the words of comedian and satirist, Matt Forde.

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He told me as far as he was concerned President Donald Trump was a ‘comedy gold mine’, ‘a golden egg’, which is an endless ‘gold mine which just keeps giving’. In comedy terms, he ‘is a gift’.

Giving his appraisal of Trump, Matt said: “I do not think he is dumb.

“I think he is shockingly shrewd in certain areas and he knows how to distract people and make people rebellious.

“He is a powerful demi-gog who can manipulate people.

“He is not politically savvy and does not understand politics.

His idea is to run politics like he runs his business and people do not want a president to act like a CEO, who is a loss cannon.

“He seems to think he has been elected and he can do what he wants and he cannot be stopped.

“The way he runs his business means he does not have to answer any questions or be answerable to anyone. But you cannot be like that if you are president of the USA.

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“You have to explain yourself and be held accountable.

“I would love to interview him (on The Political Party, his webcast). The trouble is, I do not think a day would be long enough.

“I would like to find out who is the real Donald Trump, what makes him tick? What is real?

What is an act? And does he regret anything? And to find out what are his soft spots.”

Matt is a rising star of political satire as well as being a funny comedian.

A former advisor to the Labour Party, he has hosted three series of Unspun on Dave, with a fourth commissioned and expected to hit our screens later this year.

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Matt has appeared on a number of television shows including Have I Got News For You (BBC One), Mock The Week (BBC Two) and Daily Politics (BBC Two).

Matt will be bringing his well honed comedic skills to Taunton when he appears at the Brewhouse Theatre with his new show Matt Forde: A show hastily re-written in light of recent events- again on September 30.

His show is as up to date as it can get with the ever changing political world we live in.

Matt he knew he wanted to be a comedian from a very early age and did his first gig when he was 16-years-old.

He said: “I used to go and watch stuff at my local comedy club and take part in school talent shows.

“My GSCE and A Levels had to be done and then I worked for the Labour Party, so then I only ever did it occasionally, but then seven or eight years ago I decided I needed to do it full time.

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“I used to do impressions of footballers and teachers and now I do a number including Tony Blair, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, William Hague, Huw Edwards and Ed Milliband.

“As a punter, comedy is my favourite thing to watch.

“I like good comedy and watch it more than anything and would watch Alan Partridge rather than a film.

“It is a great challenge to write new stuff and when I do, I get a tingly feeling “The scripts are as fresh as they can be and the show I have been doing in Edinburgh, there is nothing which is older than June.

“What people can expect when I come to Taunton is non-stop, ribtickling, side-splitting comedy.”

Tickets for Matt Forde at the Brewhouse Theatre on September 30 cost £15.

These can be bought online at thebrewhouse.net or call the box office on 01823 283 244.