Former police officer Alfie Moore has been challenging audiences to walk in his copper’s boots for more than a decade
Policing in Britain... you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s not much there to laugh about right now. But former police sergeant-turned comedian Alfie Moore seeks to convince us otherwise. For the past 10 years he’s developed a stand-up routine, drawing on real life scenarios he experienced as a serving officer in the Humberside Constabulary.
Absurd, bizarre situations, quirky, challenging characters, and moral and ethical dilemmas were everyday occurrences for the bobby on the beat, he says. 'You couldn’t make it up. You might go to 20 different jobs a day and you’re going to meet all sorts of people and have all sorts of experiences.' It’s proved rich pickings for his popular BBC Radio Four comedy show, It’s a Fair Cop, now into its seventh series, as well as Fair Cop Unleashed, a touring version coming to Southwold this month.
Whether investigating a dog theft, catching a speeding care worker, mediating a neighbourhood dispute or reporting a workplace harassment, a police officer often has to make difficult decisions based solely on the information in front of them. And they're judged accordingly. So, Alfie challenges his audiences to walk in his boots, swearing them in as police officers for the duration of the show and putting them through their paces. It raises a lot of laughs - and sheds new light on a very difficult job.
Audience participation is key to the show's appeal. 'No matter how well I write a gag, or how much time and effort I put into my script, the funniest moments will invariably be when I speak to somebody I’ve never seen before,' he says. 'There’s no plan, it’s all spontaneous. I think improvisation is the purest of any art form.' But his experience as a police officer has prepared him for the test of standing alone on stage, facing that audience. It is, he says, a question of reading the room or situation very quickly and knowing how to make a connection with the strangers in front of you.
'In policing if you don’t get it right, you get a black eye. There’s always tension when you first walk on stage, but people don’t want you to fail. The first laugh happens and then you can see everybody relax.' As evidence of his popularity, the show sells out on tour and tops the ratings on BBC Radio Four and BBC Sounds. 'People are fascinated by policing,' he says. 'There’s a different police show on TV, on every channel, every night. And people are intrigued by the real life, the ‘hands on’.
'But I think the brand really is that I’m honest. I’m the working class, street level cop who just tells it like it is. What gives me cred is that I’m not an apologist for the police. I am a supporter of the police, a fan of the police, but if I think they’ve done something wrong, I will attack them more severely than anybody else. I’ve always believed in fairness and don’t like bullies.'
Alfie left school at 15, dyslexic and with no qualifications. He trained to be an engineer, but became a policeman at 24 because, he says, he has always been someone 'who doesn’t run away from trouble, but towards it. I’ve always had that in me. But I’m borderline illiterate. I have no right to be a writer or performer. Clearly I have some natural ability that I discovered by accident. I feel fortunate that I’ve found my outlet.'
He was always known as a bit of a joker. At the station, he says, 'people tended to avoid shift briefings, but they always came to mine because they knew it would be entertaining.' Perhaps it's no surprise that Alfie is working on a project exploring the role of humour in the workplace. He is stimulated by the creativity that comes from comedy. 'I think it is a really positive thing to do for self-esteem and mental health, and general wellbeing. I think we all have something creative in us and I think that should be encouraged.'
He pursued stand-up in a self-declared midlife crisis in his 40s and ended up at the Edinburgh Festival. 'Such was my standing in the comedy world, I was playing in a Portacabin in a pub car park to about 12 people,' he says. 'It was quite character building.' However, a member of the audience in that month-long run was a BBC radio producer who asked Alfie to pitch a show for Radio Four. It went well, so a few more programmes followed, and then a second series, but you never know when you’re getting lucky, he says. 'I’d had a couple of series and then they dropped me from the prime Friday night 6.30pm slot to the 11.30am slot in the week. It felt like demotion. But instead of the drivetime people listening, it was the old dears at home peeling the carrots or whatever, and they all wrote in and my approval ratings shot up.'
He believes that being 'a chubby northerner with a lived-in face' means he’ll never get on TV, but audio has come back in fashion. 'Podcasts and radio are the cool medium today and suddenly I was competing with all the big hitters,' he says. With such popularity he was able to 'sell a few tickets' to live audiences, and decided the door back to policing was firmly closed. Though he is no longer on the beat, and has never had access to his old notebooks, he hopes his shows remain fresh. 'I don’t want to be judged as some grumpy old ex-cop who’s not relevant anymore. I try to keep the shows topical and talk about stuff that’s happening now.'
In fact, he’s become something of an ambassador for the force, a reassuring presence showing the public what a good cop can contribute to the community, and he's is increasingly being called upon by many in leadership positions, a role he acknowledges he would never have held if he’d remained a regular bobby. 'I know loads of police bosses now who I never would have met when I was in the job,” he says. “I’ve met the Home Secretary. As a cop I would never rub shoulders with these people but now they’re interested in my view. It shows the power of comedy. It’s bizarre really that I should have this much influence with both the public and the bosses when I’m not a cop, I’m just a stand up.”
Alfie Moore – Fair Cop Unleashed will be at the Southwold Arts Centre on Wednesday 28 June at 7.30pm.
The Southwold Arts Festival takes place 24 June – 1 July.
Details: www.southwoldartsfestival.co.uk
