How Europe Stole My Mum
- TV factual
- Channel 4
- 2019
- 1 episode
One-off one-hour comic documentary about Brexit, starring Kieran Hodgson. Also features Harry Enfield, Liza Tarbuck and Tom Palmer.
Press clippings
A glorious slice of semi-serious fun arrived on meant-to-be-Brexit night in the shape of Kieran Hodgson's "comedy documentary" How Europe Stole My Mum. The premise was nice. The day after that referendum, the comedian visits his "mum", Liza Tarbuck, who makes an admission: and the ensuing dialogue just about wraps up life over the last three-and-a-half years.
Hodgson had the genius idea of analysing how we joined the EEC ("Brentry") - Heath, Wilson, Benn, Jenkins, Labour's earlier civil war, De Gaulle - to try to find some parallels, even answers. He actually got further, with the inspired help of Tarbuck, Harry Enfield and some dusty footage, than an entire slew of Newsnights. An inspired chunk of educative cleverness.
Euan Ferguson, The Observer, 3rd November 2019How Europe Stole My Mum review
Kieran Hodgson and Liza Tarbuck offer up a rare treat indeed - the only thing that has managed to make me laugh about Brexit.
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian, 1st November 2019How Europe Stole My Mum review
Finally, a funny side to Brexit.
Chris Bennion, The Times, 1st November 2019The lighter side of the (former) Brexit deadline
A comedian, author and musician tell BBC News why they wanted to mark the date the UK was to have left the EU.
Neil Smith, BBC, 31st October 2019Documentary and dramedy reconstruction combine to tell comedian Kieran Hodgson's story of how Brexit divided his family. Irreverent and erratic, Hodgson's jittery tone works well with the complex subject material of Britain's historically fraught relationship with Europe, while "librarian" Harry Enfield and Hodgson's fictional mother Liza Tarbuck steal the show with their on-the-nose impressions. A helpful distraction from the continuing real-life confusion.
Ammar Kalia, The Guardian, 31st October 2019How Europe Stole My Mum review
The mix of educational and humour is a bit like a Horrible Histories for grown-ups, but with a wit that's sharp as the insight it makes for a wonderfully entertaining and eye-opening piece of television.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 31st October 2019TV review: How Europe Stole My Mum, C4
I presume this comedy-slash-documentary was scheduled for the late night slot on C4 on Halloween night because that was the point when Britain was scheduled to leave the EU.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 31st October 2019We nearly didn't have the budget for TV Brexit
The producer was panicking. "There's nothing wrong with the script, Kieran. It's just that when it says in the stage directions 'a packed House of Commons chamber' I get nauseous. You're talking a massive set, hundreds of extras, obscure points of order."
Kieran Hodgson, The Times, 29th October 2019Channel 4 to screen Brexit comedy How Europe Stole My Mum
Channel 4 is to air a one-off comedy about Brexit, written by and starring Kieran Hodgson. The mockumentary How Europe Stole My Mum will be screened soon.
British Comedy Guide, 16th October 2019