The Revolution Will Be Televised is back
- Text by Alex King
For political pranksters Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein, comedy is a powerful tool to expose the corruption, hypocrisy and greed that infects our society.
Their stunts in The Revolution Will Be Televised see them running rings around the army of PRs, press officers and security who exist to protect companies and politicians.
In the new series, TRWBT heads across the pond to take their unique brand of ambush-satire to Bill Clinton, Sarah Palin and in the Deep South.
Were there any stunts in the new series which made you think: ‘There’s absolutely no way this is going to work?’
Getting Bill Clinton was pretty hard. We had to go through about four press people and plenty of Secret Service. Also, getting into the George Bush library where he has his exhibition to put up a fake picture of him as a crusader. The gallery’s security guards and even the US police were sniffing around, but we still managed to get the picture up on the wall.
How do you decide who to target?
We read the newspapers and get really angry. The things we get most angry about we put on a big flow chart. Then we work out which ones we do something funny on. Then we ask the BBC and they tell us what we’re allowed to do!
How do you hope The Revolution Will Be Televised will have an impact?
We hope it will engage people with politics and the pressing issues the world faces, but we also hope it entertains. I think people are angry, but they also feel powerless. Hopefully our show feels empowering. We want people to go out and protest and get involved and change things for the better.
How have you tried to keep the new series fresh?
The US is a whole new world – and it was made for Dale Maily who has a lovely time with all the right wingers out there. And yes there are new characters. We have a chap called Eugene X who is a South African racist who has a lovely time with a group of bigots in in Alabama.
Catch the news series of The Revolution Will Be Televised, Tuesdays on BBC Three or on iPlayer.
Latest on Huck
In the ’60s and ’70s, Greenwich Village was the musical heart of New York
Talkin’ Greenwich Village — Author David Browne’s new book takes readers into the neighbourhood’s creative heyday, where a generation of artists and poets including Bob Dylan, Billie Holliday and Dave Van Ronk cut their teeth.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
How Labour Activism changed the landscape of post-war USA
American Job — A new exhibition revisits over 70 years of working class solidarity and struggle, its radical legacy, and the central role of photography throughout.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Analogue Appreciation: Emma-Jean Thackray
Weirdo — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, multi-instrumentalist and Brownswood affiliate Emma-Jean Thackray.
Written by: Emma-Jean Thackray
Meet the shop cats of Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan district
Feline good — Traditionally adopted to keep away rats from expensive produce, the feline guardians have become part of the central neighbourhood’s fabric. Erica’s online series captures the local celebrities.
Written by: Isaac Muk
How trans rights activism and sex workers’ solidarity emerged in the ’70s and ’80s
Shoulder to Shoulder — In this extract from writer Jake Hall’s new book, which deep dives into the history of queer activism and coalition, they explore how anti-TERF and anti-SWERF campaigning developed from the same cloth.
Written by: Jake Hall
A behind the scenes look at the atomic wedgie community
Stretched out — Benjamin Fredrickson’s new project and photobook ‘Wedgies’ queers a time-old bullying act by exploring its erotic, extreme potential.
Written by: Isaac Muk