The Revolution Will Be Televised

Tony Blair to be sainted? Well, as odd as it sounds there were plenty of more thought-provoking ideas aired on the BBC last night. Bankers were encouraged to donate money into the 'Give Us Back Our Fucking Money You Cunts' fund and business minister Vince Cable was asked to fetch a young and arrogant (fake) Tory MP a latte at the Lib Dem party conference. This wasn't, as I'm sure you understand by now, an episode of Newsnight, but a satirical political sketch programme, featuring professional pranksters Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein. The two comedians behind BBC3's 'The Revolution Will Be Televised' made their name  making fun of bankers in filmed sketches for the Don't Panic website. Having watched and thoroughly enjoyed the premiere episode, we chatted quickly with Don't Panic director Joe Wade, one of the writers behind 'The Revolution Will Be Televised', about politician and their sense of humour and what will end up in the DVD's Extras section...

Boris had a sense of humour. George Osbourne always looks like he's licking piss of a nettle so it was difficult to tell if he was annoyed about being handed a GCSE Maths exercise just before his biggest speech of the year

Dazed Digital: Congrats to a great show, what's the immediate reaction been like?
Joe Wade: In football speak we are "Over the moon." Far more people watched it than we imagined, and when we spent ages obsessively reading all the reviews, we were amazed at how positive they've been. Obviously everyone fixated on the few negative ones and started saying stuff like: "They are called critics because they criticise. It's their job." "They don't actually create anything. I thought you were wonderful." "Who gives a shit about The Scotsman?" We have had great reviews from the Guardian right through to the Mail (which is weird, especially as we prank them later in the show. Spoiler alert.) So yes the reaction has been great and it seems like people have been waiting for a show like this to come along.     
 
DD: Are politicians easily bruised or do you think they'll be able to see the funny side of the show?
Joe Wade: We saw that Ed Miliband wrote on his blog how he was pranked by Jolyon and Heydon and he seemed fine with it. Boris had a sense of humour too. George Osbourne always looks like he's licking piss of a nettle so it was difficult to tell if he was annoyed about being handed a GCSE Maths exercise just before his biggest speech of the year.  
 
DD: Who's easiest to make fun of: Tories, Labour or Lib Dems?
Joe Wade: 'Spitting Image' in the 80s did a great job of mocking the then Tory Government but it did seem there were more mad characters about then like Norman Tebbit. The current crop are more bland however - whoever is in power is easiest to lampoon. It's not as much fun mocking the opposition as they don't have any real power and no-one knows who most of them are anyway.
 
DD: Which of the sketches did you enjoy the most yourself, and why?
Joe Wade: Personally I enjoyed a sketch we did about Google. Google is an amazing company who's services we all rely on however it is sometimes worth questioning the reach and power of a company who motto is Don't Be Evil  
 
DD: Was there any funny incidents when filming that didn't make the final cut?
Joe Wade: Quite a lot of stuff couldn't be included but will likely make it onto the DVD extras. Jolyon interrupted a speech by the health secretary Andrew Lansley and that got binned for legal reasons. We also had some amazing reactions from members of the public who then wouldn't sign release forms. A brilliant old lady in Chipping Norton thought she was being called a witch, stiffen and said "How Dare You" and had everyone in the edit in stitches, but alas she wouldn't sign.   
 
DD: Was there a point where the team went 'We've gone too far this time'?
Joe Wade: No. We want to go further.
 
DD: What can we expect from future shows?
Joe Wade: I could tell you but then we'd have to kill you and then myself. There's fun, laughter, Nick Clegg and much much more.