Jon Harvey
Jon Harvey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jonathan David Harvey 23 February 1980 Croydon, London, England |
| Education | University of Oxford (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Count Binface |
| Notable work | A Fan for All Seasons (2023) |
| Spouse |
Sarah Daykin (m. 2022) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | jondharvey |
Jonathan David Harvey (born 23 February 1980) is a British comedy writer and performer. Since 2019 he has been best known for creating and performing as Count Binface, a novelty candidate who contests British elections as an "intergalactic space warrior" wearing a dustbin-shaped helmet. Harvey had previously performed a similar character, Lord Buckethead, standing against Theresa May at the 2017 general election, but was forced to retire it and create Count Binface in its place after a dispute with the filmmaker Todd Durham, who owns the rights to the Buckethead character. Harvey rarely gives interviews or appears in public out of character.
Background
[edit]Jonathan David Harvey[1] was born in Croydon, London,[2] on 23 February 1980.[3] His father, an estate agent, was an alcoholic, and died in 2005, aged 57. Harvey lived in 11 houses in his first 11 years, making his childhood chaotic.[4] He graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA degree in literae humaniores,[5][6] and has worked as a scriptwriter for the satirical television programmes The Thick of It, Have I Got News for You, and Time Trumpet.[2]
Creation of political personae
[edit]Harvey stood against the prime minister, Theresa May, in her Maidenhead constituency at the 2017 general election.[7] His character, Lord Buckethead – dressed in a black cloak over a spacesuit-style costume, with a tall, cylindrical black helmet with a thin visor – originated in the 1984 film Hyperspace, a low-budget Star Wars parody directed by Todd Durham.[8] Harvey was inspired to adopt the persona after watching Hyperspace and learning that the character had contested the 1987 and 1992 general elections.[9][7]
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Durham contacted Harvey and asserted his ownership of the Buckethead character following the 2017 election.[7] Harvey turned over the Buckethead social media account to Durham,[7] who then hired the film journalist David Hughes to take over the portrayal of the character.[10] In response, Harvey introduced a new character, Count Binface, and stood against the prime minister, Boris Johnson, in Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the 2019 general election.[11] Hughes and Harvey went for drinks afterwards, after which Hughes used the Buckethead Twitter account to announce that he was an "imposter" and to endorse Binface as "the true heir to the Buckethead throne".[4] Harvey refuses interviews and defers to his alter ego when making public appearances. According to Hughes, Harvey "does actually genuinely believe that the absurdist element of British elections is kind of a cool one".[4] Harvey himself proclaimed to the BBC that "My job is to celebrate and defend the wonders of British democracy".[6][12]
Harvey has occasionally appeared in public under his own name rather than in character. In 2020 he made a rare appearance at the Cambridge Union, where he closed for the opposition to the motion "This House would rather be a Spartan than an Athenian".[13] He debated against Paul Cartledge, who moved the motion;[14] the historian Tom Holland closed for the proposition.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Harvey is married to the actress Sarah Daykin. They were engaged on 14 February 2021 and were married in September 2022. They have two children: a son born in October 2021 and a daughter born in January 2026.[5][16]
Harvey had an elder brother, who was nine years his senior and whom Harvey was very close to; the brothers shared a love of sport, comedy and politics.[2] Dan Harvey was found dead in his flat in June 2015 at the age of 43 by Jon. A post-mortem revealed that he was an undiagnosed diabetic and had died from a coma related to his condition.[2][4] In his memoir, A Fan for All Seasons: A Journey Through Life (2023), Jon described how he coped with grief through sport.[2][4] Although Dan supported Crystal Palace and bequeathed his brother his season ticket, Jon is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C..[2]
Daykin is a drama graduate who previously performed as "Toby", a comedy duo with Lizzie, her younger sister by three years.[17] Her other roles include Winky in the comedy series Chickens.[16] The sisters have appeared as sidekicks of Count Binface on election nights.[16]
Works
[edit]Books
[edit]- A Fan for All Seasons: A Journey Through Life. London: Yellow Jersey Press. 2023. ISBN 9781787290587.[2]
Radio and podcasts
[edit]- "Could an Ancient Athenian Fix Britain? (5-part series)". BBC Radio 4. 30 December 2019 – 3 January 2020. – As writer and narrator
- "Into the Sharkiverse". BBC Radio 4. 29 December 2025. – As writer and narrator
- "Rob Newman On Air". BBC Radio 4. 2026. – As writer
Musings
[edit]- "Christopher Nolan's Odyssey is a triumph". The Spectator. 18 July 2026.
References
[edit]- ↑ Ahmed, Jabed; Irshad, Shabnoor; Dawson, Neve (9 July 2026). "Who is Count Binface? Five things you need to know about Nigel Farage's rival". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Green, Graeme (31 October 2023). "The man behind Count Binface". Prospect. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023.
- ↑ Harvey, Jonathan David [@jondharvey] (23 February 2023). "It's my birthday. Made it to 43. Feel free to say nice things. Ideally to me but fill your boots" (Tweet). Retrieved 16 August 2026 – via Twitter.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Boffey, Daniel (11 July 2026). "'He goes a bit funny if you use his real name': the unstoppable rise of Count Binface". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
- 1 2 Gutteridge, Nick (8 July 2026). "Count Binface: Lifting the lid on former comedy writer playing politics for laughs". The Daily Telegraph.
- 1 2 Evans, Matthew J. C. (8 July 2026). "Oxford University graduate Count Binface to challenge Nigel Farage in Clacton". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Waterson, Jim (26 May 2019). "Double trouble: the fight to be the real Lord Buckethead". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ↑ "The real Lord Buckethead: the cult sci-fi film that inspired Theresa May's election rival". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ↑ Jefferson, Ed (12 May 2017). "Lord Buckethead vs Theresa May – meet the UK's weirdest political parties". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ↑ Hughes, David (14 February 2022). "Lord Buckethead: my part in his downfall". Time Out Worldwide. Archived from the original on 4 October 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Comedian Jon Harvey to take on Boris Johnson as Count Binface". British Comedy Guide. 14 November 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ↑ Dangoor, Natasha; Hookway, James (12 July 2026). "Nigel Farage Wanted a Political Showdown. Now He's Fighting a Trash Can". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ "Jon Harvey | THW rather be a SPARTAN than an Athenian (8/8)". Cambridge Union. 12 March 2020 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Prof. Paul Cartledge | THW rather be a SPARTAN than an Athenian (1/8)". Cambridge Union. 12 March 2020 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Tom Holland | THW rather be a SPARTAN than an Athenian (7/8)". Cambridge Union. 12 March 2020 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 3 "Who is Count Binface's wife, Sarah Daykin, who starred in Fleabag? Her job and their family life". Cosmopolitan. 13 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
- ↑ Logan, Brian (20 February 2012). "Toby: the sorority report". The Guardian.
