“THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED” **IN THE UK & THE USA** THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN FOR SERIES 3
The Revolution Will Be Televised is back with a brand new series of the BAFTA-winning, satirical comedy for BBC Three.
In the great tradition of mischief-makers like Chris Morris, Mark Thomas, Sacha Baron Cohen and Dom Joly, Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein once again bash a variety of arrogant, puffed-up people over the head with an inflated pig’s bladder, on behalf of anyone who has stared open-mouthed at the arrogance, hypocrisy, corruption and greed of the various politicians, avaricious multinationals and tax-shy corporations who have been taking the piss out of the British public for years. Now it’s their turn to be outraged, deceived, inconvenienced and humiliated.
For the last two years its bite-sized comedy hits - from fictionalised characters to ballsy stunt- led sketches – have grabbed the headlines. This series their targets are every bit as varied and every bit as flummoxed by the boys' sheer chutzpah – and stretch to both sides of the Atlantic, having filmed in the UK and the USA. From Bill Clinton, Dennis Rodman, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Samuel L Jackson, Bryan Cranston and Blake Lively to the UN, Coca Cola, Wall Street, Gun Lovers, Pro-Lifers, Google, the whole of Las Vegas and Halliburton in the US, to UK hits on an unsuspecting Gordon Brown, Theresa May, American Apparel, Nando's, Wonga, Saatchi, the
Premier League, The Sun and much, much more... all are confronted in a very public arena often with surprising results...
Broadcast magazine describes the show as “one of the bravest pieces of television in recent years… laugh-out-loud gag factor… a smart, witty, accessible and entertaining way of raising current affairs issues.”
Jolyon Rubinstein says: “This is our biggest and boldest series ever. How could it not be in the great US of A. It's always been our ambition to bring our brand of comedy over the pond because it raises the stakes. Why? Because you know when you're filming that everyone we are targeting is either packing a gun or being guarded by someone who's got one. It was an extraordinary journey through an America that you rarely see on our TV sets. Dale Maily's adventures this series are outrageous and I can't wait for our audience to see them. From meeting a militia defending the US-Mexican Boarder, legal marajuana advocates in Colorado & brothel owners in Nevada to former board members of the NRA who think that anyone who wants guns registered after all the school massacres should just "grow up." This is a series that really packs a punch and I think people will be surprised, shocked and stunned by some of the content we managed to capture on camera. Look out for an extraordinary run in with President Clinton and the pro-life leader who believes that abortion is causing global warming...seriously.”
Heydon Prowse comments: “America is like the UK on steroids. Whatever racism, extremism or bigotry you find in the UK, it exists X10 in the States... and, perhaps more importantly, Americans aren't afraid to express their opinions. This is why America was the Holy Grail for us. This series James and Barnaby will introduce you to a tent jail in the boiling desert of Arizona. Dale Maily will introduce you to a school where some of the staff are armed. Wayne Danger will introduce you to the misogyny and excesses of Las Vegas. And Zam Smith will once again embarrass the cream of America's preening, vacuous celebrities. And that's not even mentioning the greedy bankers, the religious groups that believe in stoning rude children, the rabble rousing politicians and the racist political party that think it would be a good thing to return to segregation. All the nutters came out to play and were firmly put on their ass. And I hope as well as laughing at extremism it will empower people to know that they can defeat it. The Revolution Will Be Televised tries to hit the sweet spot where journalism meets comedy and all credit to our production team for rooting out the most bizarre elements of the USA. I think it should be said though that we did meet lots of lovely, liberal minded Americans on the way too... they just probably won't make the cut.”
Produced by Hat Trick Productions, best known for award-winning comedy series such as Have I Got News For You, Facejacker and Outnumbered, The Revolution Will Be Televised brings corruption, greed and hypocrisy to the fore and drags it to the court of public opinion in each unforgettable half hour.
Suzanne McManus, Commissioning Editor BBC Entertainment, says: “The Bafta-winning The Revolution Will Be Televised makes a very welcome return and I take my hat off to Heydon and Jolyon – they’re so fearless – fearless and wild. I’m so proud that BBC Three has them on the channel.” Jimmy Mulville adds: “These two create memorable television and upset a lot of people. They certainly upset me.” Sam Bickley, Channel Editor, BBC Three says: “Heydon and Jolyon are back - look out. Whoever said there’s no satire on British television is wrong. It’s alive and well and living on BBC Three.“
Richard Wilson, Head of Comedy Entertainment at Hat Trick, concludes: “With two Bafta nominations and repeats on BBC1, Heydon and Jolyon are achieving proper recognition and not just by the Secret Police guarding most government ministers and several foreign embassies. They may be two of the most unlikely-sounding revolutionaries in history, but they have real conviction, a sharp sense of humour and an endless appetite for poking a wasps' nest with a stick.”
The Revolution Will Be Televised was created by Jolyon Rubinstein, Heydon Prowse and Joe Wade. It is executive produced by Mark Talbot (The Revolution Will Be Televised) for Hat Trick Productions. The Series Producer is Andy Brown for Hat Trick Productions.
For further information please contact: Anya Noakes / Kat Blair, Publicists for Hat Trick Productions 020 7184 6734 [email protected] / [email protected]
“The Revolution Will Be Televised series 3” Q&A with Heydon & Jolyon...
Why did you feel you wanted to go to America for Series 3?
Jolyon: We have always had our sights on America. The 'Land of the Free' is also the land of the 'extreme'. From Christian fundamentalists who believe abortion is the cause of global warming to gun toting militias who take it upon themselves to patrol the Mexican boarder, America is home to some of the most bizarrely fascinating people on the planet and well, it worked for Ali G didn't it!
Heydon: America is the holy grail of extremity of opinion – and Americans aren't scared to express those opinions so there's a lot of fun to be had with that. Also where America leads, we generally follow - politically, culturally and economically. So in many ways we wanted this series to be a bit of a cautionary tale.
What were the biggest challenges of filming in the US as opposed to the UK?
J: Having an English accent in the United States unlocks doors in quite an extraordinary way. Mostly they think that in Britain we just sit around roasting chestnuts, drinking tea and speaking like the Queen, so they welcomed us with open arms. Our team of ninjas secured us extraordinary access this series which is how we have managed to get Donald Trump, Sarah Palin and ex-President Bill Clinton in this series. But the threat of getting shot was a real one and never far from anyone's mind.
H: Yes, we came across a fair few guns! Once were were told that a sniper was trained on us from a nearby hill. But I'm not sure if that was true. Access was down to our ever ingenious production crew who had a very big job on their hands. But the fact that fewer people had heard of the show out in America no doubt helped them out.
Where would you like to go next if budget and access was no problem?
J: Obviously scaring Putin as he comes out of the shower has always been high on our wish list, but given relations with Russia right now we may have to wait a while. The Revolution Will Be Televised team will always go where the stories lead us and there is no doubt that there is greed, hypocrisy and corruption all over the world - so watch this space.
H: There are so many global issues that we want to tackle right now - the rise of the right in Europe, Syria, Isis, Israel, Ukraine. It feels like the world is slipping backwards right now - maybe it could do with a healthy does of satire.
Would you like to go back to the US to visit more of the states?
J: We have filmed half of this series in the States and there is no doubt that we have only
scratched the surface of that weird and wonderful country, so I am sure we will be back for more. Although the FBI might have something to say about that...
H: Yeah I think we all feel there is more to be done with the US. It's such a huge country and so diverse. I feel like we covered a lot of the negative side of America - from religious fundamentalism, to racists. But there's so much that's great about America too: Dale Maily visiting Denver where weed is now totally legal and crime rates have dropped is a good example.
Are there any other countries you visit for Series 3?
J: Without giving too much away, it's fair to say that we have had a few excursions to places nearer to home than the USA - but you'll just have to watch the show to see where exactly we end up!
H: We might visit some countries in Europe...
Do you have examples of moments when you were filming Series 3 where you were most afraid of the repercussions of your actions?
J: Heydon's new character Eugene X met some quite repugnant racists in Alabama which got pretty hairy. I patrolled the Mexican Border with a Militia armed to the teeth. On both these occasions the team were a long, long way from home, help and anyone we might consider sane.
H: Speaking to religious fundamentalists in their church about why it's a great thing to stone kids, chatting to an armed Klu Klux Klan affiliated group in Alabama pretending to be a South African racist and one of them testing me with Afrikaans sayings he learnt from Google- that was all pretty hairy. We also ran out of that conference where we met Clinton pretty quickly - his secret service attaché didn't seem best pleased.
Which characters do you enjoy playing the most?
J: For me, Dale Maily provides so many opportunities to have fun with a character. There is no end to the possibilities of where we can take him.
H: Wayne Danger has become a much more developed character this season.
Do you have any favourite hits in this series?
J: Watching ex-President Bill Clinton's face drop is sheer TV gold, and we can't wait for the world to see it. Dale Maily meeting the businesses at the forefront of the legal recreational marijuana revolution in Colorado is quite a hoot. Oh and look out for the Nevada brothels later in the series... We will say no more!
H: James Twattington Burbage trying to chat up Sarah Palin was hilarious and bizarre. Watching Dale Maily on Bourbon St in New Orleans was also priceless. Getting Bill Clinton was incredibly satisfying because it was so hard. Getting into the George Bush exhibition was also very satisfying as we failed the first time and had to go back to try again. Plus we had our one and only brush with the law after that one.
Do you have any celebrity fans you know of?
J: Obviously being told that Sacha Baron Cohen enjoyed the show was great to hear, but there is no doubt that our biggest fan is Tony Blair. Tony is constantly writing us fan mail and begging to be in the show. It's really quite embarrassing having to tell him that unless he brings us into another illegal war he really just isn't relevant to our audience any more.
H: I heard from the guy that makes The Trews that he and Russell Brand had seen it and really liked it.
Would you like to partner any of your contemporaries or key influencers for future projects?
J: We have a collaboration with Vladimir Putin which we can't talk too much about but it's called I'm A Dictator Get Me Out Of Here.
H: Well, this is as good a time as any to expose this: Nigel Farage is actually a comic actor who has been working for us for the past few years. Soon he's going to reveal himself and we're all going to realise what idiots we were to actually think he was a viable political option.
What's next - work wise - for you both?
J: After three series of The Revolution Will Be Televised we're looking at how we can evolve the format into a fourth series, which may take the same shape as the previous three, or be something completely different. With an Election in 2015 there should be a whole new political landscape for us to explore.
“The Revolution Will Be Televised series 3” A Taste of Some of the Characters
DALE MAILY
Taking his inspiration from right-wing American news reporters “who tell it like it is”, Dale won’t let himself be hamstrung by the UK's liberal media laws about fairness and bias. And now he’s fulfilling his dream by travelling to the land of Fox News, guns and rampant right-wingers: the USA! He will continue his crusade Stateside to set the record straight on drugs (much worse than alcohol), sex (always with a woman), weaponry (the bigger the better) and anything else that gets within his laser sights. Not suffering fools, never pulling any punches, Dale is getting Inside The Story Yankee-style.
JAMES AND BARNABY
Tory boy 2.0 James Twottington-Burbage is bold, brash and blue to the bone. Describing himself as "old new money" his father made piles of dosh in the '80s thanks to (his idol) Margaret Thatcher's privatisation programme. He minted their own family crest (a vulture circling an injured lamb) which all the men in the family sport on their signet rings. James is in his element when mingling with (and trying to impress) the political classes: chatting to his old uni mate and fellow Buller Boy David Cameron, advising health secretary Jeremy Hunt, fawning over Mayor Of London Boris Johnson and continuing his torment of Labour leader Ed Miliband.
Cut Barnaby Plankton and he bleeds yellow. He’s convinced that Lib Dem policies like proportional representation and reform of the House of Lords will turn Britain into an economic powerhouse to rival China. He finds working with loudmouth James quite trying, often needing to chillax with a strong camomile tea and a rice cake after the latest humiliation. Technically still a virgin, he admires James' confidence with women and hopes that their partnership may help him finally meet a nice, politically conscious partner.
RAFFA AND RALPH
Raffa is a reporter on the world’s erotic underbelly for Dutch cable channel Double Fist TV. He’s a sexual sleuth on the trail of any hot stories that involve people getting their rocks off in the most weird and wonderful ways imaginable. Sexy.
Raffa is married to Ralph Billington-Smythe who was born into one of Britain's oldest and most powerful families. He used to work in a top government job before meeting Raffa. He never went to work again, becoming Robin to Raffa's Batman... with benefits.
ZAM ZMITH
Zam is a reporter for BBCOMGWTF. Where there are celebrities, you'll find Zam. He knows that everything celebrities say is soooo important and he doesn't want the world to miss out on their pearls of wisdom. He's always first on the ground to get the exclusives on what they've got to say, from their new hair cuts or latest designer outfits to China's human rights record. It is always "OMGWTF!"
ALTERNATOR
Imagine if David Blaine and Che Guevara had a lovechild: that's Alternator. A politically - motivated street magician who wants to take on the corrupt elite, Alternator has the will but none of the talent and ability of his parents.
WAYNE DANGER
Some men are men’s men; Wayne Danger is man’s man’s man’s man. His heroes are Danny Dyer, John Terry and the ‘legend’ who invented PornHub. He's the presenter of 'Whey TV', a lads' show about blokes' stuff for proper geezers. Wayne’s mission is to expose the dark worlds of gambling, pornography and prostitution and show just how ‘proper wicked’ they all are.
NOMO
Nomo is a good natured northern lad whose naivety often lands him in trouble. Endlessly inquisitive, Nomo is driven by the need to investigate the world around him. He can often be confused by what he finds – which doesn’t say much, as frankly Nomo would be confused by how a light-switch works.
NATURE DOC GUY
Whether it’s east London Hipsters, rowdy football fans or comic book geeks, Nature Doc Guy is fearless in his quest to study these fascinating creatures up close in the wild. Imagine David
Attenborough without the subtlety and class.