Count Binface, the self-described 'intergalactic space warrior', has achieved his best ever election result, winning 26.9% of the vote in the Clacton by-election, equivalent to almost 10,000 votes. The result came after Nigel Farage's resignation from Reform UK triggered the contest.
Who is Count Binface?
Count Binface describes himself as 'an intergalactic space warrior and leader of the Recyclons from planet Sigma IX'. The man behind the mask is Jon Harvey, a stand-up comedian and author born in Croydon, who has worked on political satires like the BBC's The Thick of It and Have I Got News for You, and has presented for Times Radio.
Harvey first gained fame challenging PMs Theresa May and Boris Johnson, before standing in the 2024 General Election. In 2019, the New Yorker hailed him for creating one of the 'Jokes of the Year' with his Succession parody Recession.
How many votes did he get?
Although Nigel Farage secured a win in Clacton, Count Binface won 26.9% of the overall vote, equal to almost 10,000 votes. In his victory speech, he declared himself the 'winning candidate… of the candidates who bothered to turn for the results' as Farage failed to attend the announcement in person.
The results mark a huge increase for the Count, who won only 69 votes in the 2019 general election. He won over 24,000 votes in the 2021 London mayoral race, but lost the 2023 Uxbridge by-election with 190 votes. In the 2025 General Election, he won 308 votes against Rishi Sunak, and then took 95 votes against Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election.
Speaking about his 9,455 vote win in his Clacton victory speech, the Count said he was 'over the moon' before confirming that he's 'just getting started'.
Why did he change his name from Lord Buckethead?
Until 2018, Count Binface was known as Lord Buckethead. Comedian Jon Harvey wound up in a copyright dispute over the character with US-based filmmaker Todd Durham. Lord Buckethead first appeared in Durham's 1984 sci-fi film Hyperspace as an intergalactic villain.
A version of Lord Buckethead, not played by Jon, stood in the 1987 and 1992 UK general elections, played by Mike Lee. After Jon Harvey's unofficial portrayal went viral in 2017, a legal dispute cropped up. As the Count writes on his website: 'In 2018 I had an unfortunate battle on the planet Copyright. An elderly American human film producer took my Twitter account off me after I got famous. So I had an upgrade and took on Boris Johnson in the 2019 election in my new and improved form, Count Binface. I'm still your friendly neighbourhood space warrior campaigning for justice, lasers, Lovejoy and the return of Ceefax.'
A new, seemingly approved performer took over the role of Lord Buckethead in 2019 and ran against Count Binface.
