SATIRE COMES TO THE SHELDONIAN

The final Sheldonian Series event for the academic year continued to explore the theme of power by debating ‘The Power of Satire’.

Held at the Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday 20 May, the panellists were:

Ella Baron – editorial cartoonist (The Guardian) (shown below left)

Andrew Hunter Murray – satirist, writer and performer (Radio 4 Comedy, Private Eye)

Jan Ravens – impressionist (Dead Ringers, Spitting Image)

Read their full biographies.

The evening’s conversation was moderated by William Whyte, Professor of Social and Architectural History at Oxford University, who opened the discussion by sharing some highly amusing anecdotes about the venue and its association with the evening’s theme, including how the Sheldonian Theatre was built in the 17th century to move some of the rowdier University ceremonies and satirical festivities out of St Mary’s Church.

Amidst much humour, there was also scrutiny of a broad range of serious topics, including whether satire can hold power to account, have political influence, and why it can prove so divisive. Panellists shared insights into the question every satirist asks: ‘How far can I go?’ and examined whether offence caused is ever worth the point being made. A sobering observation was also shared about the number of places around the world where satire is forbidden, a clear indication of its power, and the use of satire as a means to highlight that the world is not as it should be.

The event also included an audience Q&A, with questions from the floor probing further discussion on AI and the future of satire, and whether the threat of legal challenges impacts the genre.

Professor Whyte said:

‘Whether holding the powerful to account or forcing us to look at the world in different ways, our panel of distinguished speakers brilliantly illustrated the power of satire. They made us laugh, but also reflected on the fact that in other places their work would be impossibly dangerous. Even in the UK, it provokes legal challenges and even death threats. It was the greatest privilege to chair this discussion and I am sure that I am not the only one to have learnt a lot from Ella Barron, Andrew Hunter Murray and Jan Ravens.’

Professor Irene Tracey CBE, FRS, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said:

‘This term’s Sheldonian Series event on ‘The Power of Satire’ culminates a year of exploring the theme of ‘power’. At its best, satire is about questioning authority and challenging conventions, and I was delighted to welcome such outstanding satirists led by Oxford’s Professor William Whyte for a lively and entertaining evening. The Sheldonian Series events are a powerful reminder of what we stand for as a community; a place where everyone can come together to share ideas and engage in open debate. For the past two years, we have been seeking to model what inclusive enquiry and freedom of speech should look like. I am thrilled that the Sheldonian Series has been so well attended by people from across the Oxford community, and I thank everyone who has been involved.’

As the evening drew to a close, Jan Ravens (Dead Ringers, Spitting Image) treated everyone to some impressions of ex-prime ministers, which delighted the audience, and explained more about the relationship between ‘tragic flaws’ and satire.

Reflecting on the event, Jan Ravens said:

'It was such a blast being part of the satire event in the Sheldonian last night. So interesting to hear Ella describe how she approaches her work as a cartoonist and vividly captures these moments in time, sometimes humorously, sometimes poignantly. It's so important to maintain our culture of irreverence and I was happy that Andrew and I agreed that amongst all the intellectual wrangles about the purpose of satire, for us all to be able to have a communal laugh at the mess some of our leaders are making is a powerful thing.'

Andrew Hunter Murray, satirist, writer and performer (Radio 4 Comedy, Private Eye), added:

'Jan and Ella are both brilliant in their fields and broadened my understanding of what satire is, can be, and should be. It was enormous fun to be asked about the point of satire and whether it achieves anything – based on the large number of public figures who can’t bear being made fun of, I’d say it’s still doing the job.'

The night culminated in a highly entertaining satirical sketch performance by student comedian Foo (above right), who commented:

‘Yesterday’s event was a fantastic example of opening up University spaces to the wider public. It embodied the ideals discussed by the panel – that satire can play a valuable role in bringing important issues into public view, and in challenging elite power. I really appreciated the opportunity to perform for such an engaged audience, although the brilliant panellists were a very hard act to follow!’

Tim Soutphommasane, Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Oxford, who gave the welcoming address, added:

‘The University has an important role to play in modelling free speech, open inquiry and pluralism. We’ve been delighted to see such wonderful and thoughtful engagement from the University and Oxford community with this year’s series.’

The Sheldonian Series is open to all and aims to promote freedom of speech and inclusive inquiry.