Armando Iannucci

Absurdageddon: Armando Ianucci, with Frank Cottrell-Boyce

When more than ever before politics feels like parody, what role does satire have left to play? Can laughter still challenge authority, expose hypocrisy, and spark change — or has the joke already worn thin?

WoWFEST brings together two towering figures of British storytelling and satire, Armando Iannucci and Frank Cottrell Boyce, to seek answers to that question. Armando Iannucci, creator of iconic TV and film, including The Thick of It, Veep, In the Loop, and The Death of Stalin, has spent decades turning political dysfunction into brutal, brilliant comedy. With a signature blend of intelligence and irreverence, Iannucci has held a mirror to power, exposing its absurdities with scalpel-sharp precision.

Armando will be in conversation with the ever-insightful Frank Cottrell-Boyce, current Children’s Laureate, celebrated screenwriter, novelist and satirist. Alongside plenty of laughter, there will be a serious reckoning with the role of comedy within a collapsing political landscape. From the rise of populism to the spread of disinformation, from protest movements to public apathy, satire’s evolving role will come under scrutiny: as resistance, critique, catharsis, and maybe even survival.

This isn’t just for laughs, it’s a deep, timely, dive into the fault lines of truth, power, and the stories we tell to make sense of them.

This event is presented in partnership by Writing on the Wall and the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.