He first wore an oddball costume in 2017 against Theresa May, then prime minister, standing as Lord Buckethead, which was inspired by the character of the same name from the 1984 science fiction parody Hyperspace.
But after his campaign was picked up in the media, Todd Durham, the film’s American maker, contacted Harvey and warned him to stop using the name. So he modified the character to circumvent copyright rules and Count Binface was born.
Harvey’s credits include work on political comedy shows such as Have I Got News for You and The Thick of It.
And in this great British summer of political comedy, even Rachel Reeves is playing the joker.
The typically funereal Chancellor could not resist a quip at Mr Farage’s expense as, with a stroke of her pen, she formally granted Mr Farage’s request to trigger and fight a by-election in his own Clacton constituency.
“It is a farce and a desperate distraction and the people of Clacton deserve better,” she said, while confirming she would not step in to block the contest. “But if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him.”