The Hunt for Tony Blair

Last updated

The Hunt for Tony Blair
Written byPeter Richardson
Pete Richens
Directed by Peter Richardson
Starring Stephen Mangan
Catherine Shepherd
Robbie Coltrane
James Buckley
Nigel Planer
Ford Kiernan
Jennifer Saunders
Harry Enfield
Rik Mayall
John Sessions
Morgana Robinson
Ross Noble
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerNick Smith
Running time49 minutes
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release14 October 2011 (2011-10-14)

The Hunt for Tony Blair is a one-off episode of The Comic Strip Presents... , a British television comedy, which was first shown on Channel 4 on 14 October 2011. The 49-minute film was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens and presented in the style of a 1950s film noir. It stars Stephen Mangan as the former British prime minister Tony Blair, who is wanted for murder and on the run as a fugitive from justice. The film received its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Television Festival in August 2011. It first aired on Channel 4 on 14 October 2011; it received a mostly positive reaction from reviewers, and was nominated for a BAFTA award (Best Comedy Programme 2012) and the British Comedy Awards (Best Comedy Drama 2011). [1] [2]

Contents

Plot summary

Using film noir low key lighting and unbalanced frame compositions, along with visual and narrative tropes whose sources include John Buchan's novels and Alfred Hitchcock's films, and Hollywood productions The Fugitive and Sunset Boulevard , the film imagines former British prime minister Tony Blair as a fugitive on the run from the police after having been accused of a series of murders. These include the killing of his former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, although he is also implicated in the death of his predecessor as Labour Party leader John Smith. [3] Determined to clear his name, Blair escapes from 10 Downing Street; but he is a man with no friends willing to give him sanctuary, while the fervent media demand his capture. Whilst on the run, he commits a series of vehicular manslaughters which he describes as "unavoidable". He is pursued across a fog-bound London by Inspector Hutton and his sergeant, who are helped in their investigation by Peter Mandelson and Gordon Brown. [4] Blair is eventually aided by Margaret Thatcher, a Norma Desmond-like recluse (parodying the 1950 film, Sunset Boulevard ), who promptly seduces him. [3] [5] But it gradually emerges that Blair may be innocent of the crime he is accused of committing. [4]

Cast

Background

The return of The Comic Strip Presents... for a one-off episode was announced in June 2011 by Channel 4's Head of Comedy Shane Allen, who described the film as having an "irresistibly hilarious script from the godfathers of modern comedy". It was also revealed that Mangan would feature in the role of Blair, while Jennifer Saunders would play former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Speaking about the forthcoming film, Jay Hunt, the television channel's Chief Creative Officer said: "Comic Strip defined comedy for a generation and it's a real coup to have the team back tackling one of the most controversial subjects of our time in a way that only they can. Tony Blair on the run, Jennifer Saunders as Margaret Thatcher, a stellar cast and hotbed of political intrigue – I can't wait to see the rushes." [4] [6]

In July the South Devon based Herald Express reported that The Hunt for Tony Blair was being produced by Peter Richardson's Great Western Features, based in Totnes, and that several actors, including Robbie Coltrane, Jennifer Saunders and Nigel Planer were in the area filming for the episode. Locations included The Imperial Hotel and Casino in Torquay, while some outside scenes were shot in Plymouth (Royal William Yard), Cornwood (Police car passing petrol station), Totnes and Dartmouth. [7]

The film received its world premier on Friday 26 August 2011 at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. Peter Richardson, who co-wrote and directed the film, told The Guardian that he had read Blair's autobiography A Journey as inspiration, and had even taken some lines from the book for use in the script. He also said that he had been sensitive with the portrayal of real people, particularly the former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and the late Labour Party leader John Smith, both of whom are deceased. "Yes I do worry about Robin Cook and John Smith. There's no suggestion he [Blair] actually did murder these people; it's ridiculous and not true...We couldn't do anything about David Kelly, for instance, because it was too real and too serious." [3]

In August 2011 the film's producer Nick Smith told the Daily Telegraph's Tim Walker that the role of Blair had initially been offered to Michael Sheen, who had played the former Prime Minister on three previous occasions, but that he turned it down so the part was offered to Mangan. [8] At the Edinburgh Festival Richardson had stated that he believed Mangan's Blair is comparable with that of Sheen. [3]

Reception

Writing in The Guardian , Sam Wollaston gave the film a fairly positive reception, commenting: "You could certainly say that all the Blair stuff here has been done to death ... But actually, though patchy, it works. At times it's an absolute hoot ... It didn't all work, but I laughed more than I've ever laughed in a film by the Comic Strip." [9] The Independent's Hugh Montgomery was equally positive, praising it as, "[D]aft, angry and lovingly rendered" and declaring: "[T]his was a political comedy like no other. The Comic Strip may be 30 years old, but, gloriously, it's grown no less anarchic with age." [10] Caitlin Moran writing in The Times described it, in a generally enthusiastic review, as "The television equivalent of doing nitrous oxide at a party – a quick puff and you're left beaming, with an empty balloon in your hand wishing you could have another one." [11]

However, The Telegraph's Clive James was far less enthusiastic. "Some of the Comic Strip’s catalogue is very good. They did a version of the Arthur Scargill story as it would have looked if Hollywood had taken it over and cast Al Pacino in the lead. I remember laughing at that. They did a version of The Professionals in which the pair of style-free heroes ran around the entire time with their lips pursed. It was called The Bullshitters. I remember laughing very hard at that. But I can already remember not laughing at The Hunt for Tony Blair even once. It made all the standard references to Blair the war criminal as if that was enough. Meanwhile it recreated The 39 Steps and a whole era of British film in which Britain’s short list of stars struggled to be glamorous. Tony Blair, in fact, looked a bit like John Gregson, remembered by dozens of people even today. But even as you admired the fidelity of the stylistics, the show refused to fizz." [12] But John Preston, another Telegraph reviewer appears to have had a more mixed opinion of the production, writing: "I saw the Comic Strip Presents… The Hunt for Tony Blair (Friday, Channel 4), described in another paper as "mercilessly satirical". If that was merciless, then give those thumbscrews an extra turn – I can take it! In fact, just like every other Comic Strip film there's ever been, it was quite funny in parts, and entirely unfunny in others. [13]

The website Chortle.com reported that the episode attracted almost two million viewers. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Saunders</span> English comedian (b. 1958)

Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with her best friend and comedy partner, Dawn French. With French, she co-wrote and starred in their eponymous sketch show, French and Saunders, for which they jointly received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2009. Saunders later received acclaim in the 1990s for writing and playing her character Edina Monsoon in her sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

<i>The 11 OClock Show</i> 1998 British TV series or programme

The 11 O'Clock Show was a satirical late-night British television comedy series on Channel 4 which featured topical sketches and commentary on news items. It ran between 30 September 1998 and 8 December 2000, most notably hosted by Iain Lee and Daisy Donovan. The show boosted the careers of the previously little-known Ricky Gervais, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jimmy Carr, and Mackenzie Crook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Allen (actor)</span> Welsh actor (born 1953)

Keith Howell Charles Allen is a Welsh actor, pantomime star, and television presenter. He is the father of singer Lily Allen and actor Alfie Allen, and brother of actor and director Kevin Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Bell (cartoonist)</span> English political cartoonist

Steven William Maclean Bell is an English political cartoonist, whose work has appeared in a number of publications, notably The Guardian from 1981 to 2023. He is known for his left-wing views.

The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents..., which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane, Alexei Sayle and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexei Sayle</span> English stand-up comedian (born 1952)

Alexei David Sayle is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic of all time on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007. In an updated 2010 poll he came 72nd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Dee</span> English comedian and actor (born 1961)

James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, and writer known for his sarcasm, irony, and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom Lead Balloon and hosts the panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn French</span> British actress, comedian and writer (born 1957)

Dawn Roma French is a British actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series French and Saunders (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, and playing the lead role of Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley (1994–2020). French has been nominated for seven BAFTA TV Awards and won a BAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Comedy Store (London)</span> Comedy club in Soho, London

The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England, opened in 1979 by Don Ward and Peter Rosengard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Richardson (British director)</span> English director, screenwriter, comedian and actor

Peter Richardson is an English director, screenwriter, actor and comedian. He founded the Comic Strip troupe of performers, which showcased his double act with Nigel Planer and boosted the careers of French and Saunders, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, and Alexei Sayle. Richardson approached Channel 4 to make a series of short, self-contained one-off comedy films with this group, which led to The Comic Strip Presents..., the majority of which featured Richardson in acting, writing and directing roles.

"GLC: The Carnage Continues" is an episode of the British television comedy series The Comic Strip Presents... broadcast on BBC2 in 1990. It parodied a Hollywood telling of the 1980s takeover of the Greater London Council by Ken Livingstone and the subsequent disbanding of that body by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, re-imagining the story as a Charles Bronson / Sylvester Stallone-style action movie. It is a spiritual successor to The Strike, which involved the creation of a Hollywood version of the 1984 miners' strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Evans (comedian)</span> British stand-up comedian and actor (born 1964)

Lee John Martin Evans is a British former comedian, actor, musician, singer, and writer. He co-founded the production company Little Mo Films with Addison Cresswell, who was also his agent prior to Cresswell's death in December 2013. Evans became one of the United Kingdom's most popular stand-up comedians, with his Roadrunner tour grossing £12.9 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Mangan</span> English actor (born 1968)

Stephen James Mangan is an English actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He has played Guy Secretan in Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge, Seán Lincoln in Episodes, Bigwig in Watership Down, Postman Pat in Postman Pat: The Movie, Richard Pitt in Hang Ups, Andrew in Bliss (2018), and Nathan Stern in The Split (2018–2022).

Peter Richens was a British screenwriter. Richens is perhaps best known as the writing partner of Peter Richardson, writer/director/star of the long-running TV series The Comic Strip Presents.

<i>Five Go Mad in Dorset</i> 1982 episode of The Comic Strip

Five Go Mad in Dorset was the first of three Five Go Mad specials from the long-running series of The Comic Strip Presents... television comedy films. It first aired on the launch night of Channel 4, and was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens, and directed by Bob Spiers. It was entirely filmed in Devon rather than Dorset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Richardson</span> English comedian (born 1982)

Jon Joel Richardson is an English comedian and radio presenter. He is known for his appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and his work as co-host with Russell Howard on BBC Radio 6 Music. He presented Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, and also features with his wife Lucy Beaumont in the TV show Meet the Richardsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Bird</span> English actor and comedian

Simon Antony Bird is an English comedian, actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Will McKenzie in the multi-award-winning E4 comedy series The Inbetweeners (2008–2010), as well as its two films, and Adam Goodman in the Channel 4 comedy series Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Whitehall</span> English comedian, actor, presenter and writer (born 1988)

Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is known for his roles as JP in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Fresh Meat (2011–2016) and as Alfie Wickers in the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education also co-writing the latter and its film adaptation, The Bad Education Movie (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Edmondson</span> English actor, comedian, musician and writer (born 1957)

Adrian Charles Edmondson is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series The Young Ones (1982–1984) and Bottom (1991–1995), which he wrote together with his collaborator Rik Mayall. Edmondson also appeared in The Comic Strip Presents... series of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. For two episodes of this he created the spoof heavy metal band Bad News, and for another he played his nihilistic alter-ego Eddie Monsoon, an offensive South African television star.

<i>Prince Andrew: The Musical</i> 2022 television musical

Prince Andrew: The Musical is a British made-for-television biographical musical comedy film written by and starring Kieran Hodgson. The musical is a "satirical send-up" of the life of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and covers key events during his life, including his relationships, controversies, and his infamous 2019 interview with journalist Emily Maitlis.

References

  1. ↑ "Television Awards Winners in 2012 – TV Awards – Television – The BAFTA site". Archived from the original on 5 August 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "The British Comedy Awards – Winners 2011". Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Plunkett, John (26 August 2011). "Comic Strip returns with Tony Blair on the run in Channel 4 film noir comedy". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Comic Strip returns to C4 with The Hunt for Tony Blair". Channel4.com. Channel 4. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Jefferies, Mark (23 August 2011). "Tony Blair in bed with Margaret Thatcher in new Channel 4 satire". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Comic Strip to reunite in Hunt for Tony Blair". What's on TV. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "'Killer Blair' on run as stars feature in Comic Strip epic". Herald Express. 7 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Walker, Tim (30 August 2011). "'Stephen Mangan consigns Michael Sheen's Tony Blair to history'". The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Wollaston, Sam (15 October 2011). "The Comic Strip Presents … The Hunt for Tony Blair – review | Television & radio". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Montgomerie, Hugh (16 October 2011). "The Hunt for Tony Blair, Channel 4, FridaySigned by Katie Price, Sky Living, Monday – Reviews, TV & Radio". The Independent. London: Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  11. ↑ Moran, Caitlin (15 October 2011). "The Comic Strip charabanc hits the road". The Times (Saturday Review).
  12. ↑ TV and Radio (21 October 2011). "Clive James on... Comic Strip Presents... The Hunt for Tony Blair, The One Show, The Golden Age of Coach Travel and Faust". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  13. ↑ Preston, John (15 October 2011). "Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey (ITV1), Comic Strip Presents... The Hunt for Tony Blair (Channel 4), review". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "2m hunt for Tony Blair : News 2011 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. 17 October 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.