Jack Dee interview
Just ahead of the first episode being recorded, Jack Dee talks about Power Monkeys...
Who do you play in the series?
I play Oliver, who is in the Unity Unit, which is a quasi-secret Conservative office which is supposed to not really exist. Our job is to try and prevent the Conservative Party from slipping apart at the seams.
My character is an ex-journalist who now works in politics, and is rather jaded - he can't stand the whole referendum business, and feels it should never have happened anyway. He's quite passionate about staying in Europe, and thinks it's a disastrous idea of David Cameron's that we're even having a referendum.
Much of the series is going to be shot on the day of transmission. Have you filmed anything like that before?
No, I don't think I have. Probably the occasional chat show or panel show that's gone out over a specific event, like an election, and I've done HelpDesks close to an event, but nothing like this where you're creating a drama right up to the minute.
Are you nervous about it?
There's always nervousness, because you worry whether you're going to be able to step up to the plate and do a good job. But I think the writing's very, very good so far, which makes everyone's lives a lot easier anyway. You don't have to discuss the script too much, there's no big loopholes in it or logic flaws, and it's also funny. And when it's funny it's easier to remember and get into your head when you're performing. Fingers crossed it will continue that way.
Have you worked with Guy and Andy before?
Yeah, I've worked with them on a couple of things. I did a pilot with them, and I've worked with Andy quite a lot on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue - he's quite a regular guest on that.
What was it that made you say yes to Power Monkeys?
The reputation of Ballot Monkeys, and Andy and Guy's work in general. It's nice to be asked, and it'd be a great shame not to be able to do it. I was very happy to say yes.
Did you watch Ballot Monkeys?
Yeah, I did, and in fact I've been re-watching it. It's very good. I rather like being in four different buses, which gave it a sense of claustrophobia and worked really well for it.
Is there something quite liberating about not having too much time to agonise over every aspect of your performance?
I think you're right, I think there is that. You can agonise over a script for too long, and it almost starts to wither on the vine. So to get something the minute you arrive on the set, a scene that was written 10 minutes ago, and you have to get together with the other actors and run the lines and learn it and get it into your head, it immediately becomes a very much more visceral experience. You're really feeling it, there's a sense of danger, which is good, because there's always tension in those offices during campaigns like that anyway.
Have you filmed any of it yet?
We've done three scenes already, which will be structural scenes into which we insert the topical stuff as we go along.
There will be episodes the day before and the day after the referendum - how do you feel about that? That's going to be pretty full on!
Oh yeah, it's going to be amazing. I love the journey that my character and our office [the Unity Unit], as it were, is going to go through. It will be really intriguing to see how that works with a real life decision, and how the events of the 23rd June impact on all of our characters.
I think it's going to be a fascinating experience, actually. I think the trick is for it to be intriguing either way. My character, for instance, is a bit of a glass half-empty type, so whichever way it goes, it's going to be more hard work for him, more of a slog.
You're also presenting HelpDesks - you're going to be rather busy, aren't you?
For about two weeks I'll be massively busy. I'll be all over the place. But I'm very lucky to be in that position. HelpDesks is generally, fingers crossed, a show that runs itself, because it's a show that the audience writes on the way into the studio - they get a card to put a question on, and those questions become the show. It's not pre-written, there's very little you can do in advance. That's exciting. The number of times I've been behind the scenes, waiting to go on, and wondering what on earth the show is going to be like. There's nothing on the autocue, there's nothing to fall back on, all I've got is the cards in my hand of these questions that these people have asked - and they might all be crap.
Do you find it difficult to maintain a sense of impartiality?
No, I don't really. I think I'm really passionate about hearing all sides of the story in an non-hysterical way, and I think that is missing, generally, in the political dialogue. I think that's what the public tire of, because they perceive hyperbole, they can tell. One of the functions of comedy and satire in these situations is to allow us to see it through a different lens for a minute, and get a different view on it.
Would you describe yourself as a political creature?
No, but I'm interested. I'm not political in that I don't take an entrenched position. But I'm very interested, and I read a lot about it.
What will you do once it's all over - take a well-earned holiday?
Yes, later in the summer I will, absolutely. Thank you for your concern.
Power Monkeys airs on Channel 4 every week at 10pm from Wednesday, with two special episodes bookending the EU referendum, airing on 22nd and 24th June.