The Hunt for Tony Blair
Encyclopedia
The Hunt for Tony Blair is a one-off episode of The Comic Strip Presents...
, a British television comedy
, which aired on Channel 4
on 14 October 2011. The 60 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 premier at the Edinburgh International Television Festival
in August 2011. It first aired on Channel 4
on 14 October 2011, and received a mixed reception from reviewers.
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."
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
.
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."
In August 2011 the film's producer Nick Smith told the Daily Telegraphs 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. At the Edinburgh Festival Richardson had stated that he believed Mangan's Blair is comparable with that of Sheen.
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. 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 a fervent media demands his capture. 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
. Blair is eventually aided by Margaret Thatcher
, a Norma Desmond-like recluse (parodying the 1950 film, Sunset Boulevard), who promptly seduces him. But it gradually emerges that Blair may be innocent of the crime he is accused of committing.
, 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." The Independent
's Hugh Montgomery was equally as 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."
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." 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.
The website Chortle.com reported that the episode attracted almost two million viewers.
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
, a British television comedy
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
, which aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on 14 October 2011. The 60 minute film was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens
Pete Richens
Peter "Pete" Richens 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.-Biography:...
and presented in the style of a 1950s film noir. It stars Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his roles as Guy Secretan in the television series Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge and as Holistic Detective Dirk Gently in the 2010 BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams' book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, as well as Sean Lincoln...
as the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, who is wanted for murder and on the run as a fugitive from justice. The film received its world premier at the Edinburgh International Television Festival
Edinburgh International Television Festival
The Edinburgh International Television Festival, founded in 1976, is held annually over the British August bank holiday weekend at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre....
in August 2011. It first aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on 14 October 2011, and received a mixed reception from reviewers.
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 SaundersJennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
would play former Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
. 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."
In July the South Devon
South Devon
South Devon is the southern part of the county of Devon, England.South Devon may also refer to*South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty*South Devon *South Devon College*South Devon cattle, a breed of cattle...
based Herald Express reported that The Hunt for Tony Blair was being produced by Peter Richardson's Great Western Features, based in Totnes
Totnes
Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, and that several actors, including Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
, Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
and Nigel Planer
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
were in the area filming for the episode. Locations included The Imperial Hotel and Casino in Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, while some outside scenes were shot in Plymouth (Royal William Yard), Cornwood (Police car passing petrol station), Totnes and Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
.
The film received its world premier on Friday 26 August 2011 at the Edinburgh International Television Festival
Edinburgh International Television Festival
The Edinburgh International Television Festival, founded in 1976, is held annually over the British August bank holiday weekend at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre....
. Peter Richardson, who co-wrote and directed the film, told The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that he had read Blair's autobiography A Journey
A Journey
A Journey is a memoir written by Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2007. Published on 1 September 2010, it is an account of how he became leader of the Labour Party in 1994 and transformed the party into "New Labour"; the party held power for a record three...
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."
In August 2011 the film's producer Nick Smith told the Daily Telegraphs Tim Walker that the role of Blair had initially been offered to Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
, who had played the former Prime Minister on three previous occasions, but that he turned it down so the part was offered to Mangan. At the Edinburgh Festival Richardson had stated that he believed Mangan's Blair is comparable with that of Sheen.
Plot summary
Using film noirFilm noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
low key lighting and unbalanced frame compositions, along with visual and narrative tropes whose sources include John Buchan's novels and Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's films, and Hollywood productions The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
and Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (film)
Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett...
, 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
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
Robin Cook
Robin Cook
Robert Finlayson Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Livingston from 1983 until his death, and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001....
, although he is also implicated in the death of his predecessor as Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
leader John Smith. Determined to clear his name, Blair escapes from 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
; but he is a man with no friends willing to give him sanctuary, while a fervent media demands his capture. He is pursued across a fog-bound London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Inspector Hutton and his sergeant, who are helped in their investigation by Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
and Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
. Blair is eventually aided by Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, a Norma Desmond-like recluse (parodying the 1950 film, Sunset Boulevard), who promptly seduces him. But it gradually emerges that Blair may be innocent of the crime he is accused of committing.
Cast
- Stephen ManganStephen ManganStephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his roles as Guy Secretan in the television series Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge and as Holistic Detective Dirk Gently in the 2010 BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams' book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, as well as Sean Lincoln...
- Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007... - Catherine ShepherdCatherine ShepherdCatherine Margaret Shepherd is an English actress and writer, with a career spanning radio, theatre, film and television.She was educated in South London at the James Allen's Girls' School...
- CherieCherie BlairCherie Blair , known professionally as Cherie Booth QC, is a British barrister working in the legal system of England and Wales. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; the couple have three sons and one daughter... - Robbie ColtraneRobbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
- Inspector HuttonBrian Hutton, Baron HuttonJames Brian Edward Hutton, Baron Hutton, PC, QC , is a former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and British Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.- Background :... - James BuckleyJames Buckley (actor)James Patrick Buckley is an English actor, best known for his roles as Jay Cartwright in the British comedy The Inbetweeners and Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in Rock & Chips.-Early life:...
- Sergeant - Rik MayallRik MayallRichard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
- Prof Predictor - Nigel PlanerNigel PlanerNigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
- Peter MandelsonPeter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner... - Ronni AnconaRonni AnconaRonni Ancona is a Scottish actress, impressionist and author. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression.- Career :...
- Barbara WindsorBarbara WindsorBarbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.... - Ross NobleRoss NobleRoss Markham Noble is an English stand-up comedian, brought up in Cramlington, Northumberland, England.Noble rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on celebrity quiz shows such as Have I Got News for You...
- Socialist - Tony CurranTony CurranAnthony "Tony" Curran is a Scottish actor.Curran was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He is an alumnus of Holyrood Secondary School and is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama....
- Robin CookRobin CookRobert Finlayson Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Livingston from 1983 until his death, and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001.... - Morgana RobinsonMorgana RobinsonMorgana Robinson is an English comedienne, writer and actress, who is probably best known for her The Morgana Show, and her appearance on The TNT Show. She will appear in her own impressions show in 2012, Very Important People.-Television career:...
- Carole CaplinCarole CaplinCarole Caplin was the style adviser to Cherie Blair and a fitness adviser to Tony Blair, when he was the British Prime Minister... - Harry EnfieldHarry EnfieldHenry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
- AlistairAlastair CampbellAlastair John Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003, having first started working for Blair in 1994... - Jennifer SaundersJennifer SaundersJennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
- Margaret ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990... - John SessionsJohn SessionsJohn Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
- TebbitNorman TebbitNorman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit, CH, PC , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment... - Ford KiernanFord KiernanFord John Kiernan is a Scottish actor and comedian. Along with his comedy partner, Greg Hemphill, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' The Fat.-Personal life:...
- Gordon BrownGordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007... - Peter RichardsonPeter RichardsonPeter Richardson is an English actor, comedian, director, and writer, best known for The Comic Strip Presents... television series. He is also a long time comedy partner with Nigel Planer.-Early career:...
- George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Reception
Writing in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 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." The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
's Hugh Montgomery was equally as 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."
However, The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
's Clive James
Clive James
Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
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." 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.
The website Chortle.com reported that the episode attracted almost two million viewers.