The Comic Strip Presents Redtop (2016)

"The Sweeney" meets "Boogie Nights" as fact and fiction collide in this satirical take on the phone hacking scandal that brought down one of Britain's biggest tabloid newspapers.

Director:

Peter Richardson

Writers:

Brigit Grant, Peter Richardson

Stars:

Maxine Peake, Russell Tovey, Stephen Mangan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maxine Peake	...	Rebekah Brooks
Russell Tovey	...	Andy Coulson
Stephen Mangan	...	Tony Blair
Johnny Vegas	...	Johnny
Harry Enfield	...	Ross Kemp
Nigel Planer	...	Rupert Murdoch
Eleanor Matsuura	...	Wendi Deng
Dominic Tighe	...	David Cameron
Mark Williams	...	Police Commissioner Hamish Pritchard
James Buckley	...	Blitzy
Alexei Sayle	...	Colin Goodman
Catherine Shepherd	...	Julie
John Sessions	...	The Accountant
Lewis Macleod	...	Alan Rusberger
Sid Mayall	...	Cotton

Storyline

Flame-haired Rebekah Brooks hitch-hikes from Warrington to London where media tycoon Rupert Murdoch immediately makes her CEO of tabloid paper The Sun, edited by Andy Coulson - affording her absolute power. As such there are no depths to which she will not sink to publish scurrilous exposes of the famous, whilst at the same time politician David Cameron crawls to Murdoch and his ferocious wife Wendi to be made prime minister. When Buckingham Palace complains about phone tapping Coulson finds a scapegoat - to the outrage of Guardian editor Alan Rusberger. Key muck-raker is the shabby Johnny Bristol but after Coulson goes too far, causing a suicide, he turns whistle blower on the Sun's phone tapping exploits. The red top is now under threat but , hey, this is the 70s after all (yes!) and whoever else she sacrifices, be it Rusberger, Coulson or actor husband Ross Kemp, Rebekah knows that she Will Survive.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode is dedicated to Comic Strip regular Rik Mayall who passed away in 2014, and also stars his son, Sidney, as Cotton.

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Connections

Featured in How The Young Ones Changed Comedy (2018)

User Reviews

Details

Official Sites:

trailer

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2016 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Great Western Features

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (PAL)