To say we are living in the age of the influencer and the social media celebrity will likely come as neither news nor searingly original insight to practically anyone. And the cultural clout of the online face has bled its way into the world of theatre, too. Former supermarket TikToker Hannah Lowther and her journey to Six. Rob Madge and their myriad musical theatre, panto and solo delights. Heck, even West End wunderkind Carrie Hope Fletcher first cut through courtesy of her early Youtube work.

Sharing his own colourful, unconventional rise to ‘official celebrity status’ over the course of a certain pandemic is Richard Poynton – AKA Stage Door Johnny – in the aptly titled Accidental Influencer. Poynton’s journey, which began with a ‘deeply scientific’ exploration of second and first class stamps on TikTok that attracted the attention of the likes of LadBible and BBC Radio One’s Greg James, gets the one-man treatment here, with Poynton shining a hearty, frank light on the fun, the excitement, the pitfalls and even the occasional absurdity of going ‘viral’.

Perhaps best known now for his ongoing series of videos all about the English language and its own internal mess of contradictions and inconsistencies, Poynton has risen to 1.5 million followers on TikTok, and almost as many on Instagram. His account of how it happened, and some of the junctures along the way, makes for a charming, funny and enlightening look into a very modern digital success story.

From the halcyon days of early internet chat rooms and messaging (‘ASL’, anyone?) through to dealing with imitators and Turkey-teethed wannabes ripping off his formula and work (sometimes word-for-word), Poynton proves a witty, disarmingly humble and often self-deprecating force. He’s a lovable, unpretentious core around which the madness of the past few years envelops.

“Poynton proves a witty, disarmingly humble and often self-deprecating force…. a lovable, unpretentious core…”

Did you know that Jamelia’s ‘Superstar’ is not only a cover, but indeed one that saw the singer incur the wrath of Denmark? What happens when a healthily skeptic social media influencer attends a ghost hunt in a basement? Why should you take particularly care when filming a video on Cameo for a nine-year old?

And can you guess which theatre production Poynton was invited to watch features the immortal, searing poetry of ‘Your films are shit and you like like a whore!’?

If it all sounds like something of an erratic cluster bomb, it’s testimony to Poynton’s irrepressible warmth and confidence as compere that it all works so well. Injecting laughs, randomness and an abundance of real-life anecdotes and observations at every turn, Influencer is an effortlessly funny and honest piece of work.

Poynton shines at the heart of it all, and is never afraid to poke fun at himself, too. Dipping into a kind of message board Gogglebox by ploughing the online reactions to his stamp escapades proves utterly hilarious. It turns out there are indeed nowt so queer – or flippant – as folk.

“…ebbs with real heart and humanity…”

But Influencer ebbs with real heart and humanity, too. There are soupçons of light stand up and the customary jabs at the likes of Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock which are all great fun, but it’s when Poynton pivots from the funny that the show gains an extra sense of purpose and resonance. We share in his frustrations and anger as others mimic his work. We marvel at the healing, creative and affirming side of connections that only our digital and social media age have made possible, showcased in truly moving fashion with some of the beautiful artwork, creations and edits his fans have crafted.

By the time we are seeing and sharing in heartwarming comments and messages from people who his videos have helped when struggling to learn English, have provided comfort and memories for in place of an absent father, and in some cases are thanking him for having saved their lives, the full promise and potential of not just Influencer, but indeed the concept of the influencer as a whole, becomes movingly, stirringly realised. It’s beautiful stuff.

Occasionally, the timeline can get a little muddled. We go from a story where Poynter was sitting at quarter of a million followers to one not long after where he cites significantly fewer. But despite this very minor haphazardness, the overall arc of the piece, from cackling with laughter to being genuinely moved by its surprising earnestness and feel-good optimism, is confidently charted. And Poynton has a notable flair for making what is surely rehearsed and scripted feel spontaneous, natural, off the cuff.

It all makes for a moving, marvellous and quite masterful stamp of individuality from a voice and personality on the ascent. At a perfectly-pitched 75 minutes (without an interval), Poynton and his Accidental Influencer takes us on a blisteringly funny, brilliantly honest and beautifully uplifting journey through the highs and lows of social media superstardom, with all its associated frills, flourishes and foolishness. And at a time when it is so easy to be consumed by the idea of such platforms being a force for overwhelming negativity in the world, Poynton powerfully reminds us that we are all influencers of a fashion, and on funny, frustrating, fabulous journeys all of our own.