- Radio Times
- Review by:
- David Butcher
The last of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian dramas is the sharpest and lightest on its feet. It’s also the most nakedly political. Daniel Rigby plays a depressed comedian, Jamie, who has found success on TV as the voice of Waldo, a foul-mouthed cartoon bear. Waldo’s slot taking the mickey out of politicians on a weekly satire show is so popular that his media masters dream up a new stunt: Waldo will stand at a real by-election! (The producer figure, played by Jason Flemyng, who approves this idea is a priceless media twonk of the kind Brooker has been satirising since Nathan Barley.)
But things get complicated in the course of the by-election and the drama evolves into a story of why reviling politicians gets us nowhere. The system may be rotten but, as one character observes, “It built these roads.”
About this programme
3/3. A failed comedian who appears on a late-night topical show in the form of an anarchic blue bear is asked by producers to stand at a by-election as his adopted character. But how will politicians and the voting public react? Satirical drama, written by Charlie Brooker, starring Daniel Rigby, Tobias Menzies, Jason Flemyng, Chloe Pirrie and Christina Chong.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Jamie
- Daniel Rigby
- Gwendolyn
- Chloe Pirrie
- Jack Napier
- Jason Flemyng
- Liam Monroe
- Tobias Menzies
- Tamsin
- Christina Chong
- Roy
- Michael Shaeffer
- Robert
- Jack Monaghan
- Simon Finch
- Louis Waymouth
- Philip Crane
- Pip Torrens
- Colin
- Michael Webber
- Juliet
- Abigail Thaw
- Gordon
- Bruce Mackinnon
- Conor Simpson
- James Lance
- Jeff
- David Ajala
- Jim
- Kenneth Collard
- Sara
- Amber Anderson
- Shaun
- Ed Gaughan
- Campaign agent
- James Richard Marshall
- Returning officer
- Daniel Tatarsky
- Reporter
- James Howard
- Woman with pushchair
- Sarah Hoare
Crew
- Director
- Bryn Higgins
- Executive Producer
- Charlie Brooker
- Executive Producer
- Annabel Jones
- Producer
- Barney Reisz
- Writer
- Charlie Brooker
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