In Power was a satirical British mockumentary created by Jimmy Perry and Roy Battersby, and written by Battersby and Edward Du Cann, transmitted by BBC Television from 1970 to 1974 in four six episode seasons. Overall there were 25 episodes, all but one which lasted half an hour.
A sequel of the 1963 stage play of the same name,
In Power was principally a satire of the then contemporary British Government, and an ensemble following Cabinet of the fictitious Conservative Prime Minister Ted Heath, played by Edward Heath, previously Chief Whip in the stage play. The series would be notable for its unprecedented portrayal of a dysfunctional Government, centering on themes of clumsiness, frustration, social dysfunction, animosity and the struggles of running a functioning Government, which many would see as a direct attack of the Pike Premiership. Due to this, the series would be plagued by controversy and received mixed reviews, although in retrospect has received acclaim.
Initially set around a small cast of characters, the scope of
In Power would greatly expand in second and third series, tackling issues of economic strife, reformation in education and local government, Northern Ireland, and perhaps most famously European Integration, as well as more personal issues of death, sexuality, and personal loyalties. The fourth and final season would see Heath and his Cabinet cast to the Opposition following a narrow defeat in the General Election that resulted in a hung Parliament, and finally defeated in a subsequent Snap Election.
Other aspects of the show that would be noted was its style; unlike many other comedy shows of the time,
In Power broke the trend of single-camera set ups and studio audiences, instead using the fly-on-the-wall style of Cinéma vérité, producing a show unique and unlike anything else at the time. Due to the pressures of filming, with single takes often times running for some ten minutes, and the issues Peter Carrington had in remembering his characters name, it was decided by the production for the cast to use their real names, giving an added sense of realism.
Whilst receiving low ratings during its second and third season, the show was broadly popular, even adapted to American audiences with
Farmer Jimmy, which premiered 20 January 1977 on CBS. Syndication on BBC 4 and Sky TV during the late 80's and retrospective analysis of the series would see a follow up,
Grey Men and Red Boxes, premier in November of 1990, and last seven seasons until 1997. The show remains a cult classic.
Grey Men and Red Boxes is a British Political Satire of the inner workings of the then modern British Goverment, first broadcast on 28 October 1990. A follow-up to
In Power, and created by co-creator Roy Battersby, like its predecessor,
Grey Men and Red Boxes is a mockumentry exploring the day-to-day work of the Cabinet of Conservative Prime Minister John Major (played by then unknown comedian Roy Major in his breakout role), and the frustrations and strains of high political office.
Following Major and his Cabinet from Major's succession of the previous Prime Minister to his heavy General Election defeat, the show was notable for its large and continuously changing cast of characters. With similar themes of frustration, desperation, political impotency, and social animosity,
Grey Men and Red Boxes was initially seen by reviews as a rehash of
In Power, an accusation unhelped by story arcs such as economic strife and European Integration. Despite this, many would find the more personal focus on Prime Minister Major refreshing, although courted controversy due to the homoerotic subtext and his infidelities during the early seasons, newspapers viewing the topics as inappropriate and insulating to then Prime Minister Collingridge. However high ratings, particularly in the second season, would save the show from cancellation, although the show would continue to court controversy with the sleaze arc.
Another notable aspect of the show would be its unique filming arrangement, with the script and filming done weeks, even in some cases days, before broadcasting. This allowed the show to comment on then contemporary political event, such as Black Friday, which was immortalized as Black Wednesday, although this arrangement would cause controversy, such as during the third season episode
Luck of the Irish, in which Major announced his refusal to sit down with fictional Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams, which came on the day of the Good Friday Massacre. Despite this, the arrangement would allow for greater dexterity and variety; following the death of John Smith, his character would die with him, replacing him with Tony Blair, who remained a prominent fan favorite following his debut.
As with
In Power, the cast used their real names for their characters, although Roy Major would be referred to as John Major. Whist retaining the fly-on-the-wall style that made the original famous, Grey Men and Red Boxes would shed its ensemble focus, instead centralizing on Major. Some, such as Michael Heseltine and John Redwood, were unhappy by this decision. Redwood's own displeasure would be used as the basis of the season 5 episode Survival of the Fittest, for which Redwood would win a BAFTA for best dramatic performance.
Despite critical acclaim and early high ratings, though seasons five to seven the show suffered low ratings, which many pointed to as being caused by the perpetuation of the Sleaze Arc, and the inability to top Black Wednesday. The show would end on 2 May 1997 in a two hour special, which would see John Major loose heavily to Tony Blair. The finally, titled
Last Call, would receive a staggering 20 Million Views, and a BAFTA.
Immediately following the shows end, there was talk of a spin-off following Major's successor- both Michael Portillo and Malcolm Rifkind would be offered the lead, however they would turn it down due to scheduling issues. Eventually William Hague would be cast as Major's successor, although the spin-off would languish in development hell until its axing in 2001. A second follow up, this time following Michael Howard, would be proposed in 2003, but it too was axed. Finally a follow up, titled
The High Castle, following the Premiership of the season 2 and 3 recurring character David Cameron, premiered on 11 May, 2010, and ended on 13 July, 2016.
The show was also saw a crossover with
Farmer Jimmy, in the form of cast member George Bush, here portraying the American President (having previously portrayed Senator and subsequent Vice President), George H.W. Bush, which bought the shows into shared continuity.
The High Castle was a satirical British mockumentary broadcast by the BBC on BB2 from 6 May 2010 to 23 June 2016. The third and most recent entry of the
In Power series, it followed the Cabinet of Prime Minister David Cameron (played by Donald Cameron) and the day-to-day activities of a Coalition Government. Overall 48 episodes were released over six seasons.
Following David Cameron from his near victory in the 2010 General Election and the formation of his Coalition Government with Nick Clegg (played by Nick Clegg), through to his resignation in the aftermath of a Referendum on Britain's status in the European Union, the show was noticeably bleaker than its predecessors, with critics noting that the previous focus on the frustrations of running Government eschewed in favour for, as Seamus Milne of the Guardian would write, "the anxiety of the public mask and what it means to be a politician in modern society, and the consequences of when that mask slips". Other critics would also point out that the show concerned itself strongly with the interactions between the Coalition partners and the "savage" breakdowns of those interactions, as well as the traditional themes of desperation and political impotency.
Much like its predecessors, the show was frequently written shortly before filming and transmission in an attempt to keep it relevant to ongoing political events. Notable examples of this would include the Falklands diplomatic stand-off, the Arabian Civil War (rendered in-show as the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars), the offshore banking scandal, and the London Riots. Additionally, as had become tradition many of the actors used their real names, though some, such as Donald Cameron, Gideon Osborne, and Theresa Braisier, would opt to use variations of their names in order to personally distance themselves from the characters.
The show has received a great deal of attention, both critically and politically, famously coming under fire from Prime Minister Durrell. Though receiving warm reviews from the press, the fifth season of the show would prove to be controversial, with the Coalition ending and much of the cast leaving, many finding the subsequent plots to have become increasingly outlandish and silly, such as the infamous 'Piggate' story, as well as bordering at times of wish-fufilment, espeically after the introdution of Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn. The development of Michael Gove would receive particular attention among the fan community, who noted a dramatic decline in his intelligence and abilities as the series progressed, as well as the absurdly antagonistic behaviour of Iain Smith. Despite this, the sixth and final season, which delt with the collapse of the Cabinet, a Refrendum on the European Union, and the resignation of Cameron was critically acclaimed, with 33 million watching the series two-part climax,
Turning and Turning.
The High Castle has receive several BAFTA nominations, with Cameron receiving attention for his potrayal of the Prime Minister, critics praising his performance of a "charecter perpetually on the verge of loosing his cool", and Nick Clegg for his role as the belittled Deputy Pime Minsiter. The show was relativly successfull, with an American adaptation, obstantly a sequal to
Farmer Jimmy, announced in 2017.
In Power is a collaborative play by British playwrights William Douglas-Home and Iain Macleod. The play was first produced in 1963 by Chichester Festival Theatre in Chichester, England. Initially written by Macleod as a biography of his time as the Private Secretary of former Prime Minister Iorwerth Jones, Macleod would expand on the fictionalised Jones, who quickly evolved into a fictionalisation of then Prime Minister George Blocket.
Originally titled '
Questions for the Prime Minister', the play is a satire that largely revolves around the brief Premiership of Fredrick, a Foreign Secretary of a scandal ridden Government who is thrust against his will into the role of Prime Minister. Set mainly in his Office at Downing Street, the play confronts the emotional strain Fredrick is put under as he is forced to cope with the burden of both the extraordinary power and impotency of the office, his strained relationship with his wife, the pressures of the Cabinet to pursue conflicting policies, and of the overbearing President Lyndon (based on then sitting President John Merwin). The play concludes on Fredrick's defeat in a General Election, and his replacement by 'Harold', who through the play had heckled the Prime Minister from the peanut gallery, and his decision to resign as Leader in favour of his Whip, 'Ed'.
The initial production was produced by Sir Laurence Oliver and directed by Macleod himself. It opened on October 19, 1963, and closed after 45 performances despite strong reviews, largely due to little interest at the time. It starred Alec Douglas-Home, William Douglas-Home's brother, as Fredrick.
A sequel to the play would eventually be produced as the TV Series
In Power. It ran for four seasons.
An American version of play would be produced in 1974, starring Gerald Ford and translated for American audiences.
The play would experience three major revivals: 1976, 1990, 2007, and most recently in 2016. The 1990 and 2016 productions would star the lead actors of
Grey Men and Red Boxes and
The High Castle- Roy Major and Theresa May, respectively- in the role of Fredrick.
Alexander Frederick "Alec" Douglas-Home, the 14th Earl Home, KT (2 July 1903 – 3 January 1996) was a British actor and cricketer. Noted for his stage presence and physicality, Home garnering attention for his various roles in pre-war films, however is best remembered for his performance as Lawrence Queen in the 1968 movie,
A Serious Man, which earned him nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor, as well lesser roles in the movie
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, and television series such as
In Power,
Situation Room,
The Bush War,
The Hurd Diaries, and
Furthering Heights. He starred in various stage plays, often for his brother, the playwright William Douglas-Home, and had a famously strained relationship with writer Iain Macleod.
A keen political activist, Home entered the House of Lords following his fathers death in 1951 and sat as a Conservative member until his death in 1996. He married Elizabeth Percy, the daughter of the Duke of Northumberland, with whom he had four children, including the Politician Lilian Douglas-Home, and Economist Charles Douglas-Home. He died on January 3 1996 of renal failure aged 92.
A Serious Man is a 1968 British-French political thriller film directed by Sidney J. Furie, with a screenplay by Edward du Cann. The film stars Alec Douglas-Home as Newspaper Baron Lawrence King, who, following an incident, goes mad, and, after having his request for an Earlship rejected by the Prime Minster (played by James Callaghan), decides to launch a coup against the Government, who he believes is trying to destroy the country. Dorothy Cavendish plays Agnes Queen, his wife who spurs him on to take down the Government, and Harold Evans as his untrusting assistant. Playing with themes of paranoia, anxiety, and conspiracy, the film presents a detailed depictions of shadowy back room cables and brutal political conflicts.
The film was the second highest grossing movie in Britain in 1968, and received a warm critical reception, with critics citing Home's performance as Lawrence Queen as "electrifying", though were critical of the pacing of the film and the script. Despite this, the film would win a Golden Globe for best picture, with Home nominated for an Academy Award.