Jump to content

Cultural depictions of Tony Blair

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is part of
a series about
Tony Blair
Leader of the Opposition
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Policies
Appointments
First ministry and term
Second ministry and term
Third ministry and term
Post–Prime Minister

Tony Blair's signature

This page is a list of cultural depictions of Tony Blair onstage, in film and in other forms of fiction.

Overview[edit]

Appearances[edit]

Blair made an animated cameo appearance as himself in The Simpsons episode "The Regina Monologues" (2003).[1][2] He has also appeared as himself at the end of the first episode of The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, a British television series about an unknown housewife becoming prime minister. On 14 March 2007, Blair appeared as a celebrity judge on Masterchef Goes Large after contestants had to prepare a three-course meal in the Downing Street kitchens for Blair and Bertie Ahern.[3][4] On 16 March 2007, Blair featured in a comedy sketch with Catherine Tate, who appeared in the guise of her character Lauren Cooper from The Catherine Tate Show. The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day fundraising programme of 2007. During the sketch, Blair used Lauren's catchphrase "Am I bovvered?"[5]

Portrayals[edit]

Michael Sheen has portrayed Blair three times, in the films The Deal (2003), The Queen (2006), and The Special Relationship (2009).[6] Robert Lindsay portrayed Blair in the TV programme A Very Social Secretary (2005), and reprised the role in The Trial of Tony Blair (2007).[7] He was also portrayed by James Larkin in The Government Inspector (2005), and by Ioan Gruffudd in W. (2008). In the 2006 Channel 4 comedy drama documentary, Tony Blair: Rock Star, he was portrayed by Christian Brassington.[8] He was portrayed by Damian Lewis in the Confessions of a Diary Secretary (2007) and by Toby Stephens in The Journey (2017).[9] Bertie Carvel played Blair in the fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown (2022–23).[10] In 2023, comedian Charlie Baker portrayed Blair in TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera, written by Harry Hill.[11]

Blair in fiction and satire[edit]

When Blair resigned as prime minister, Robert Harris, a former Fleet Street political editor, dropped his other work to write The Ghost. The CIA-influenced British prime minister in the book is said to be a thinly disguised version of Blair.[12] The novel was filmed as The Ghost Writer (2010) with Pierce Brosnan portraying the Blair character, Adam Lang. Stephen Mangan portrays Blair in The Hunt for Tony Blair (2011), a one-off The Comic Strip Presents... satire presented in the style of a 1950s film noir. In the film, he is wrongly implicated in the deaths of Robin Cook and John Smith and on the run from Inspector Hutton.[13] In 2007, the scenario of a possible war crimes trial for the former British prime minister was satirised by the British broadcaster Channel 4, in a "mockumentary", The Trial of Tony Blair, which concluded with the fictional Blair being dispatched to the Hague.[14][9]

Television drama and film[edit]

Satire[edit]

Literature[edit]

Radio[edit]

Music[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Regina Monologues". TheSimpsons.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2007.
  2. ^ "Tony Blair a 'Simpsons' guest star". CNN. 24 November 2003. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Masterchef Addict's blog". The Stage. 15 March 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
  4. ^ "PREMIERS SERVED A TV DINNER". Daily Mirror. 21 February 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Catherine Tate hails Blair's comic skills". The Telegraph. London. 22 March 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
  6. ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (6 April 2020). "'I was face-to-face with Tony Blair': Michael Sheen on Murdoch, class and giving away his money". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  7. ^ Aitkenhead, Decca (13 January 2007). "I feel that Blair is a man trapped". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  8. ^ Pook, Sally (3 November 2005). "Comedy reveals almost all of Blair's early ambitions to be Mick Jagger". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  9. ^ a b Seale, Jack (9 May 2017). "The Tony awards: who are the best and worst onscreen Blairs?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  10. ^ Hibbs, James (10 November 2022). "Who plays Tony Blair in The Crown?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  11. ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (9 March 2023). "Harry Hill has written a ridiculous new musical about Tony Blair". Time Out. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  12. ^ Holden, Anthony (30 September 2007). "This one's for you, Tony". The Observer. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  13. ^ Plunkett, John (26 August 2011). "Comic Strip returns with Tony Blair on the run in Channel 4 film noir comedy". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  14. ^ Lowry, Brian (14 June 2007). "The Trial of Tony Blair". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Production Diary (8)". MI6.co.uk. 30 January 2008. Archived from the original on 14 November 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
  16. ^ Hunter, Sakaynah (2022-04-12). "EYNTK About The Confirmed Cast List For 'The Crown' Season 6, Including Kate Middleton And Prince William Actors". ELLE. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cultural_depictions_of_Tony_Blair&oldid=1233156005"