Depending on your point of view, Donald Trump may already bringing plenty of laughs to the US presidential race but a Kingston comedian is making the debates full-on fun.

Originally from Seattle, Erich McElroy is hosting his own Imperfect Guide to the US Presidential Debates - evenings of comedy alongside screenings of the parties’ candidate debates.

Earlier this month, the second such guide at Slug and Lettuce by County Hall in central London, included Erich, fellow comedian Ola and former Lib Dem MP Lembik Opik making gags and unpicking the Democratic Party debate between Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and the other guy (Martin O’Malley).

Erich said: “I’ve done two now and we’re building a regular run of them.

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“It’s a work in progress, definitely, but it’s an experiment involving comedy and last time around we also got a proper politician involved, with Lembit Opik coming down.

“He also did a bit of comedy and was surprisingly funny. Then we watch the debate with the audience.”

The night will return on December 19– at a venue to be confirmed – for the Republican debate and it is likely to be even more dramatic, not least because there are more people on stage. And one of them is a certain Donald Trump.

Erich said: “They’re much more gladiatorial because they have to be and they try to stand out with 10 people on stage. And then in the centre of that stage is Donald Trump doing his best to destroy American democracy.”

Can Erich imagine a United States in which the brash businessman with a dodgy hairdo is president?

He said: “I can imagine it in a cartoon, like an episode of Family Guy, but I can’t imagine it actually happening.”

The nights have attracted an enthusiastic crowd and it’s increasingly far from unusual for people to take an interest in US politics, as Erich explained.

He said: “There is a drama to it, obviously America’s influence in the world is significant and the characters.

“Last time around there were some characters but this time we have taken it to another level.

“Trump being still the front runner for four or five months now. And Ben Carson.

“He has said some of the most frightening and outrageous things that have been said in this race, including the fact that a person of Muslim faith would not be qualified to be President of the United States.

“A country built on the separation between the church and the state, and he’s trying to put a test on that.

“It would be…no it is actually is scary.”

Erich McElroy’s Imperfect Guide to the US Presidential Debates return on December 19 at a venue to be confirmed. Go to erichmcelroy.com