His shows, described as somewhere between Jim'll Fix It for anarchists and White Collar Crimewatch, will create a manifesto, with audience members voting on policies. Thomas then sets out to bring them to reality.

Dubbed a "brilliant investigative journalist disguised as a comedian" by the Daily Telegraph, Thomas has become one of Britain's most acclaimed comics as well as one of Britain's most recognised and influential activists.

He has been performing for 23 years, and produced six series of the Mark Thomas Product and Mark Thomas Comedy Product with Channel 4, numerous documentaries, two books and radio programmes.

He has even managed to get the law on tax changed – after exposing the practice of avoiding inheritance tax by declaring art, furniture, homes and land available for public viewing. As well as writing for the New Statesman and The Guardian, Thomas has secretly filmed torturers and has exposed abuses of civil liberties and corporate skulduggery.

While attending a demonstration at the US spy base at Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, in February 2001, he gave out the mobile phone number of former MI5 agent David Shayler.

In 2007 he took on Gordon Brown and the laws on demonstrating around Parliament, and the next year he took on Coca Cola in his book Belching out the Devil.

Thomas brings his brand new show, It's the Stupid Economy, to Harrogate Theatre as part of a 54-date tour over 14 weeks. The show is on Monday, July 13, at 8pm. Tickets are £15 (£10 concessions) from the box office on 01423 502 116.