Instead of Nelson Mandela, Mr Hague's warm-up act was Jim Davidson, who has dropped his old jokes about his black mate "Chalky White" in favour of jibes about his previous wives.

BBC: Hague: the people's prime minister?

The Farrelly brothers constantly make the jokes about fat women that they praise Black for not making, thereby reinforcing the very distaste that the movie is ostensibly trying to overthrow.

NEWYORKER: Shallow Hal

On the trail in his trademark black cowboy gear, sucking on a Cuban cigar and volleying his best jokes at audiences who have not heard them before, Mr Friedman is proving an effective campaigner.

ECONOMIST: A joke-spinning candidate with serious consequences

Ultimately, love prevails, sentiment trumps sarcasm, and the jokes peter out accordingly (though the movie does muster one last bold black comic sideswipe before it's through).

CNN: Review: Gervais gives edge to 'Ghost Town'