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Twenty Twelve vs. The Games: The Art of Olympic Satire Andy Miah

In March 2011, the British comedians, it was so successful Broadcasting Corporation that the stars of the show even (BBC) launched a new made an appearance in the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney comedy called Twenty Olympic Games. Unfortunately, Twelve, inspired by the the same was not true for the 2012 Olympic & Twenty Twelve characters and this Paralympic Games. speaks volumes as to why ABC’s series reached parts of society that the BBC’s did not. Episodes follow the work of a fictional organizing committee A lot of the discussion about the named the Olympic Deliverance relationship between the two Commission, as it wrestles with series has centered on whether the complex logistics and the BBC plagiarized the ABC planning of the Games. The show production, a claim that was received critical acclaim, winning made even more complicated to BAFTAs and rave reviews across resolve, since there had been the nation. It ran for two series, attempts from the Australian with the final episode of the creative team to sell the idea to second series airing on 24th July, the BBC in the first place. When 2012 – three days before the the BBC launched its series in London 2012 Opening Ceremony. 2010 without involvement from the Australians, it was widely In any other circumstances, this discussed in the media and in would have been a unique blogs as a clear case of contribution to Olympic cultural plagiarism. However, the BBC programming, except that it was claimed it was just coincidence not an entirely original idea. and that they considered them to Twelve years earlier, the be very different series. Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) produced a similar series While this may be true, the BBC titled The Games, which was may also be criticized for not broadcast during the build up to having done enough research to the Sydney 2000 Olympics. ensure that its programming was Featuring some of the country’s truly original. Indeed, given that most well known satirical the ethos of Olympic cultural

Culture @ the Olympics, 2012: vol. 14, issue 5, pp.35-39 www.culturalolympics.org.uk programming is often so focused Twenty Twelve relies much more on producing original and on a narrator - provided by David perhaps even historically Tennant - to reflect on the groundbreaking work, failing to proceedings and, while the tone have acknowledged the of the narrator is principally a Australian series seems an realist form, there is often a oversight. Indeed, it was either sarcastic commentary on what is careless research from the BBC to happening. have not discovered their predecessor’s contribution, or Where they differ is that the they deliberately took the script of The Games has more premise of The Games for their overt satirical aspirations, own series without any kind of compared to Twenty Twelve. ethical concern. However, this While each share some similar aspect of the debate is less story lines about comical errors interesting than comparing the that are made by incompetent two on the basis of merit alone. In event managers in the Olympic short, I want to consider which Games preparation, such as a was the more accomplished broken count down clock in series. Twenty Twelve, or a 96m sprint track for The Games, the former The common ground between the focuses much more on this kind two series is that they both adopt of comedy. a mockumentary style of television programming. Alternatively, The Games gets However, there are differences in much closer to satirizing the their delivery. The Games is politics and culture of the written in a similar style to Ricky Olympic industry and the Gervais’s & Stephen Merchant’s Olympic movement more The Office, where scenes switch generally. For instance, in one between those that are filmed as a episode there is a shortfall of local fly-on-the-wall documentary, to sponsorship and the organizing being more like situational committee pursue a tobacco comedy, where the characters are company to make up the not aware of being filmed. In shortfall. This kind of contrast, Twenty Twelve is sponsorship has long since been primarily situational comedy, absent from the Olympic world where the documentary of sponsorship, but the narrative components are provided in the opens up debate about just how form of interviews with far the ethics of the Olympic characters dispersed throughout partnerships can be stretched. each episode. Indeed, this is a recurrent theme at the Olympics and might have This is also where the two are been taken up in Twenty Twelve similar, since such interviews are by the BBC, especially as there also used in The Games. However, were real world concerns about

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BP’s sponsorship of the Cultural that can build on the Queen’s Olympiad and Dow Chemical’s Diamond Jubilee celebration and world sponsorship of the the Olympics, coming up with Olympic movement, given the brand ‘Jubilympics’. Yet, the Bhopal disaster in 1984. script never allows viewers to Unfortunately, these issues were understand just how not really raised in what was inconceivable such a proposal generally a quite safe form of would be, which would have Olympic mockery. spoken to the extreme measures to which organizers are Alternatively, The Games went contractually required to go to from one real world controversy product the Olympic assets – to another. Among the other including words – may be used. examples were the scheduling of the swimming competitions at Indeed, after some years of 330am Sydney time to hearing about stories where the accommodate the American London Organizing Committee broadcast audiences – an issue, for the Olympic & Paralympic which has been address in the Games (LOCOG) has restricted real Olympics. Furthermore, The the activities of small businesses Games even approached or even non-profit enterprises, criticising the IOC, by portraying this is a missed opportunity to then IOC President Samaranch as address a matter that many an unattainable, self-appointed members of the British public Royal, with an almost would most likely welcome being supernatural presence. This is an satirized. impression that many around him would support, perhaps not For example, a real world case to reflect him as a man, but the discussed in the British media enigma that surrounded him and just one month before the Games esteem in which he was held at took place concerned advice to the IOC. As well, The Games caterers within Olympic park. addresses the question of budgets Catering companies that were in a way that aligns with public providing food for cast and crew concerns about spiraling costs, in preparation for the Opening indicating that if the estimates at Ceremony were issued guidance bid stage were accurate, then from LOCOG that they could not nobody would ever bid to host sell ‘just chips’ to people, as this the Games. would infringe the exclusivity rights of Olympic partner In contrast, Twenty Twelve does McDonalds. Given the British not approach discussing Olympic passion for chips, this was a politics with such insight or matter of considerable intellectual rigour. For example, importance, but the absurdity – in one episode characters are reflective of the problems with discussing advertising campaigns the Olympic contracts – is that

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LOCOG managed to get and Games planning and agreement from McDonalds on accompanying campaigns for the the condition that caterers could Australian government to issue only sell chips, if fish an apology to Aboriginal accompanied them. The case populations, The Games invents a received considerably mocking story line within the series that within the media, but raised an effects just this. The scene important issue about attracted widespread media commercial freedoms around coverage in Australia attracting Games time (Booth 2012). such headlines as “ABC Wins Hearts With its Moving ‘sorry Thus, there are no explicit from PM’” (Macklin 2000) and exchanges between characters ‘Satire puts our leaders to shame’ about why branding of this kind (Mitchell 2000), transforming a would be a problem at the comedy show into an important Olympics. In general, the fictional political intervention. organizers of the Games in Twenty Twelve are much less One of the major differences astute than those of The Games, between the two may be that with the exception of Hugh ABC was not the Australian Bonneville’s character who broadcaster for the Sydney 2000 provides a reality check for the Olympic Games, whereas the rest. Moments when Twenty BBC has a long history of being Twelve gets close to satire is in the UK’s Olympic broadcaster. such stories as the one about the The cameo appearance of multi-faith centre that was to be Chairman of London 2012 constructed within Olympic park speaks further to and the complexity of this possible compromise, which accommodating all faiths in this may have restricted the format to project. However, these are situation comedy rather than exceptions and it spends a lot satire. While each has its value, more time on the characters’ their social function is different. relationships than The Games and this detracts from the strength of In closing, this critique aims to the script. take nothing away from how funny each of these comedy Perhaps the key distinguisher series is in their own way. They between the two in terms of their are both enriched by excellent historical value is provided by performances from first rate The Games, which, in the second comedic actors and I defy anyone series, accomplishes something not to laugh out loud throughout that most ground-breaking each of the series. Yet, back in comedies rarely achieve. After 2000, I recall colleagues using The some years of real political debate Games within their Master degree about the exclusion of indigenous courses to teach students about peoples from Australian society the highly unusual world of the

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Olympic movement and I suspect that Olympic scholars remember the same will not be true of The Games for years to come Twenty Twelve. whereas Twenty Twelve will slip slowly into obscurity once the Admittedly, their relative London 2012 Olympic cauldron is similarity as mockumentary style extinguished. programmes may be a distraction from how their differences make a comparison unreasonable. After all, Twenty Twelve is principally a References situational comedy, whereas The Games is a more deliberate satire. Booth, R. (2012, May 25) Feeding In this respect, a comparison the Olympics: menus to take between the two may be unfair. Games visitors around the world, However, rarely does such , Online programming happen around an http://www.guardian.co.uk/spo Olympic Games and so it seems rt/2012/may/25/olympics- valuable to ask which is the more menus-round-the-world accomplished, if only to consider [Accessed: 12 July, 2012]. how future broadcasters in Olympic Games nations ought Macklin, Robert (6 July 2000). consider their contribution. "ABC Wins Hearts With Its Moving 'sorry From PM'". Given the long history of British Canberra Times: p. 2. satire, the BBC may look back on this series as a missed Mitchell, Susan (10 July 2000). opportunity to say something "Satire puts our leaders to really important about the shame". The Australian (News Olympic Games hosting process. Limited): p.13. At the very least, it is more likely

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