The Revolution Will Be Televised returns to BBC Three
The BAFTA-winning, satirical comedy series for BBC Three, The Revolution Will Be Televised, is back.
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 British public for a ride for years. Now it’s their turn to be outraged, deceived, inconvenienced and humiliated.
Last summer its bite-sized comedy hits - from fictionalised characters to ballsy stunt-led sketches - grabbed the headlines. This series their targets are every bit as varied and every bit as flummoxed by the boys' sheer chutzpah. The EDL, David Cameron, Google, the BBC, George Clooney, Cara Delevingne, Nike, Bell Pottinger, the Saudi Embassy, betting shops, Ed Miliband, Katie Price, Nigel Farage, the G8 Summit, Amazon, Ryan Air, GCHQ, the International Criminal Court (ICC), Network Rail, Boris Johnson and much, much more... all are confronted in a very public arena often with surprising results.
Broadcast magazine described 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: “There are lots of treats for our viewers in this new series. Even if our mug shots are up in the guardhouse at Sandhurst and we have been on the wrong end of a few too many machine guns, we still managed to get into the most extraordinary places and confront all sorts of people and institutions. It has been fascinating getting up close and personal with public figures and watching the public facade drop as they realise who we are. David Cameron, Nigel Farage, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, Jeremy Hunt, Alex Salmond, Jack Straw – we got to them all. We also had fun with BBCOMG at the Cannes Film Festival. Many of the political figures were very good sports even though we were satirising their policies... It was an epic 17 weeks of filming.”
Heydon, who managed to install a glass ceiling in the Saudi Arabian Embassy to stop women progressing beyond the first floor, and put up wanted posters of Tony Blair and George Bush at the ICC in the Hague, comments: “We see our satire as a form of revenge in which no one gets hurt. We hope viewers old and new will find our sketches entertaining, informative, educational, funny and sometimes very silly. As for how we manage to get into the places that we do? Never underestimate the power of a high vis jacket! In the first show we manage to get into Google Headquarters with some enormous, colourful letters and we wandered around for more than an hour talking to staff and satirising their Irish tax arrangements. We even discussed stopping off for lunch in their amazing cafe!”
Jolyon adds: “As Monty Python said, 'No one expects the Spanish Inquisition' – who in their right minds would march in with giant polystyrene letters? Getting to Cameron involved nerve-wracking strategic planning. There's no second take – you have to nail it first time. And some of the brands don't even realise that we have pulled off a stunt on their premises.”
Heydon adds: “There are no sacred cows. Not even the BBC, who continue to be very brave and bold with this show. We have new characters, and we will go after everyone making some very serious points whilst, we hope, grabbing the viewers' attention by making them laugh.”
Produced by Hat Trick Productions (best known for award-winning comedy series such as Have I Got News For You, Facejacker and Outnumbered), this series brings corruption, greed and hypocrisy to the fore and drags it to the court of public opinion in each unforgettable half hour.
Sean Hancock, Executive Editor Entertainment, says: “Heydon and Jolyon are fearless, smart and very funny and we're delighted to be working with them.” Jimmy Mulville adds “These two create memorable television and upset a lot of people. They certainly upset me.” Zai Bennett, Controller of BBC Three, says: “Heydon and Jolyon are completely fearless and slightly insane. We love them.”
Richard Wilson concludes: “Heydon and Jolyon 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. If the number of people who have threatened to punch them continues to be translated into viewers, we'll have another hit on our hands.”
