Jonathan Pie

Jonathan Pie is a fictional character created and portrayed by English comedian Tom Walker. A political correspondent, Jonathan Pie appears in a series of online videos in which he rants and explodes in anger about the state of British, American and Australian politics, with the videos being presented as though he were a real reporter speaking his personal opinions to the camera before or after filming a regular news segment.^[1]

Interviewed by RT

RT interviewed him in 2015 and asked "Jonathan Pie is your stage name. What’s next for him?"

Tom Walker replied:

"I wouldn’t say he’s a stage name, he is a character that I’ve created. He’s new – there is a new clip that has become available on Jonathan Pie’s YouTube channel.

"A lot of people were commenting after this, a lot of people were saying: 'Did he lose his job? He must have lost this job!' So I quite like the idea that we see what happens to him next. Of course he will be commenting on the news. In this particular episode he’s talking about the British National Health Service (NHS), and the reforms that are going on there. But actually it’s more about his relationship with this producer that is in his ear. And we find out that he has kept his job, but it’s safe to say he was given a bit of a talking to after his last outburst."^[2]

Moving on

In July 2016, Tom Walker told the Observer he is to cut ties with his controversial television network, RT, formerly Russia Today. The news channel is owned by the Russian state and is often criticised for operating as a propaganda tool for Vladimir Putin. Walker said that, while he was grateful for the platform RT had given Jonathan Pie, he was now ready to move on.^[3]