Back in 2005, "Behind the Scenes Crisis" created by Iannucci was broadcast on BBC4. The first two seasons combined had only six episodes. This sitcom with limited funding cannot afford any famous actors. Later, Peter Capaldi, the twelfth Doctor Who actor, played the protagonist Malcolm Tucker, who was almost too poor at the time. Giving up acting, and this political comedy with suboptimal ratings changed the fate of both people at the same time.
Malcolm’s recognized character prototype is Alastair Campbell, the head of media response for the Blair administration. Although Campbell resigned in 2003, he is often asked about his views on the show. Campbell himself firmly denied that Malcolm was similar to him, but he frankly told reporters: "There is a scene in the play that almost happened in reality." The seemingly bizarre emergencies and solutions, and there is a certain real ecology in teamwork that cannot be guessed by common sense. This can not help but make audiences who are not too concerned about political games sweating.
The movie "Smart People" is actually a secret story of "Behind the Scenes Crisis". Only a few characters, including Malcolm, are connected to the series. The rest of the resident actors are all new characters who have changed positions. The plot revolves around a war in the Middle East similar to the Iraq war. The senior governments of the United Kingdom and the United States are arguing about whether or not they should go to war, and they are arguing with each other, and finally get a result that satisfies some politicians. The film was released in 2009 when the British and Americans had changed dynasties, but the political pattern in the film still continued the Bush-Blair basic system in the first two seasons of "Behind the Scenes Crisis", but the active stage of media consultants and cabinet ministers extended from London to Washington and even the United Nations. . In an interview with the BBC, the British Minister of International Development Simon Foster expressed his views on the "unpredictable" of the war. They were regarded as anti-war remarks, and they disagreed with the Prime Minister and were immediately reprimanded by Malcolm. When he was subsequently ambushed by reporters, he incoherently described his views as "on the road to peace, we must be ready to climb the mountains of conflict", and he was understood to be the main warrior. Therefore, when he went to Washington to conduct investigations on the Middle East issue, both the pigeon eagle factions in the United States thought that Simon could be used. He tried not to favor any side, slumped back to England, and had to face more serious troubles than war and peace-his voter wall nearly collapsed in an old woman’s garden, and he eventually became a victim of the political situation. Resign.
The hapless minister has the most roles in the film and is also the clue figure of the film. Of course, the soul character is still hidden behind the scenes most of the time, and only suddenly jumps out at a critical moment, playing everything in the palm of Malcolm. After the release of "Smart Men", Campbell deliberately wrote an article in the "Guardian" to clarify that he had nothing to do with Malcolm. Campbell, a journalist, asked Ianucci aggressively: "Does he think all political activities are stupid? All politicians are corrupt and pervert the law, and all consultants are despicable and shameless?” Because the political incidents alluded to by the "Smart Men" are too obvious, that is, the suicide of the British weapons expert David Kelly who directly led to Campbell's resignation.
In the movie, no one died due to intelligence problems, and the process of the incident was also full of doubts. The report written by the doves was deleted by the British side and rewritten as credible British intelligence and returned to the hawks. The hands of the people have become evidence of the UN's decision to start a war. Ianucci linked the doubts about the Blair Cabinet’s submission of the Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Report to his political experience in the United States. In addition, he always resented the spin doctor (media consultant) and wrote the report. He is satisfied with the script of the movie. "Smart People" failed to sell well, but the script was nominated for an Oscar, and Iannucci was also appreciated by HBO, leading his British screenwriting team to start creating Emmy Award regular guest "Vice President" with the background of American politics. The same Composed of Xia Sanlu jokes, sharp tongues, and office jokes, the drama "Vice President" is still regarded as "real" by many viewers with work experience in the White House.
After "Behind the Scenes Crisis" officially ended in 2012, Jonathan Lynn, one of the authors of "Yes, Prime Minister" commented that "Behind the Scenes Crisis" is a political comedy that describes a specific period. The whole story is outdated. The "Yes, Prime Minister" series is bound to be Eternal. But if you compare the bureaucratic politics described by the two, the civil service system in "Yes, the Prime Minister" is already a fairly stable model, and the political environment in "Behind the Scenes Crisis" and "Smart Men" is much more volatile. Many years later, Armando Ianucci recalled the year when he created "The Smart Man", and he even expressed a bit of nostalgia: "In hindsight, the Bush era was a period of stability, and you look back at a politics in confusion. The golden age.” For a political satire screenwriter, the worst may have just begun.
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