Man with the skits. Comedian Mpho Popps. Picture: mphopopps/Instagram
Last week, a video of a prisoner in the Western Cape’s Goodwood Correctional Centre boasting about his nice living conditions has been making the rounds on social media.
A week later, comedian Mpho ‘Popps’ Modikoane alongside other comics, is poking fun at the whole incident in a parody.
“I think when that video surfaced and with everything that’s happening with the prisons and the raids and all of that stuff, I think it was the right time,” Mpho Popps told The Citizen.
The prisoner in question is Bornface Banks, who recorded the video with other inmates, bragging about a comfortable life behind bars.
Banks has since been moved from Goodwood prison and shifted to a maximum facility and his phone confiscated.
Mpho Popps worked on the skit together with a team of comedians including Shanray Van Wyk, Tsitsi Chiumya and Thabiso Mhlongo who all feature in the video.
The skit didn’t just highlight Banks’ incident but reflected on other known individuals in South African prisons, including Thabo Bester.
“The whole point of us doing Popcorn and Cheese is to touch on things that are currently happening in the country, whether it be politics, entertainment, life or whatever it is…and to try to have a comedic twist to it. Whether it’s through satire or sketching,” shared Mpho Popps.
ALSO READ: Correctional services ‘appalled’ by inmate bragging about comfortable life in prison (VIDEO)
About a year ago, Mpho Popps and Robot Boii had Shaka iLlembe lead actor Lemognag Tsipa as their guest on Popcorn and Cheese and pulled one of their funniest parodies as they did a Shaka iLembe skit.
In it, Robot Boii portrayed the character of Shaya (based Shaka) while Mpho Popps played King Dingi Dingi of the Scima (Slap) tribe parodying King Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa tribe on the TV show.
Another skit Mpho Popps has done that instantly went viral was just after the Springboks won the World Cup in France last year. Mpho Popps pretended to be a news reader interviewing Bok Captain, Siya Kolisi.
“After two world cups vs before two world cups. Sjoe! We have come far shem,” said the two-time World Cup-winning captain on his Instagram.
“Mpho Popps, Hayi, you got me good.”
“I think South Africans are aware of everything that happens every day you know, and people like using the term ‘we’re living in a movie or a series’. So I think when people start seeing things they resonate with, it’s easier for them to sort of understand but it’s also nice to laugh at something that just happened,” averred the award-winning comedian.
“I think even with sketching, the sooner you react to something that’s current and relevant, the more traction it catches.”
Mpho Popps has previously spoken about the influence classic sketch TV show; Pure Monate Show (PMS) had an influence on him as a comedian.
But the landscape has shifted since the days when audiences stayed up until 10 pm to watch PMS on SABC 1 on Friday night. Enter social media.
ALSO READ: ‘Slap him like he owes you money’: Shaka iLembe skit has Netizens in stitches [WATCH]
“It’s quicker now. PMS guys had a much longer time to cook and it was on television and we’d look forward to it on a specific day,” said Mpho Popps.
“Now we’ve got the freedom to do whatever it is we want to do at any specific time. So if something happens, you’ll see that some of the best content creators out there are able to respond swiftly.”
“I think social media has changed the game in how quickly we can respond to certain things. It’s all up to you and your production time, how quickly you take to deduce content like that.”
ALSO READ: WATCH: Siya Kolisi finds the humour in Mpho Popps skit of him
For the duration of the Olympics, Popcorn and Cheese will be available on SuperSport.
“It’s solely going to focus on the Olympics, we’re going to be catching up and chopping it up with a couple of the athletes that are in the Olympics or former Olympic stars and other sports people,” he said. “But that [being on SuperSport] is for that specific time and if all goes well, who knows we could have a Popcorn and Cheese segment on SuperSport.”
NOW READ: Mpho Popps on creative freedom and comedic licence he’ll get from hosting Comics’ Choice Awards
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