Phoo Action is a
BBC ThreeBBC Three is a television channel from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel is described by the BBC as an outlet for 'New drama, talent, comedy, films, and accessible news'. The channel is on-air from 19:00 to about 04:00 each night, in...
60 minute TV pilot, one of six drama pilots that were transmitted in early 2008, and was first broadcast on February 12, 2008 at 21:00
UTCCoordinated Universal Time , ) is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation...
.
Phoo Action is based on the
Jamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
created
stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
'Get The Freebies' which ran in
The Face (magazine)The Face was a magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan out of his publishing house Wagadon. Logan had previously created titles such as Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s during one of its most successful periods.The magazine, often referred to as the...
from June 1996 to June 1997. It stars Jaime Winstone as Whitey Action,
Carl WeathersCarl "The Truth" Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is well known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films, as well as his role as Dillon in the first Predator movie.-Personal life:Carl Weathers was born in...
as Police Chief Benjamin 'Ben' Benson and
Eddie Shin"Eddie Shin is a Korean-American actor. He landed the role of Roger on That '80s Show, after playing recurring roles as Henry Cho on Gilmore Girls, and Stanley Mao on ER...
as Terry Phoo.
Despite ratings that were reported as being underwhelming, at 232k (105k down on the slot average, with a proportionately lower audience share), a full six-part series was commissioned to begin shooting later in 2008 for broadcast in 2009.
Phoo Action is a
BBC ThreeBBC Three is a television channel from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel is described by the BBC as an outlet for 'New drama, talent, comedy, films, and accessible news'. The channel is on-air from 19:00 to about 04:00 each night, in...
60 minute TV pilot, one of six drama pilots that were transmitted in early 2008, and was first broadcast on February 12, 2008 at 21:00
UTCCoordinated Universal Time , ) is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation...
.
Phoo Action is based on the
Jamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
created
stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
'Get The Freebies' which ran in
The Face (magazine)The Face was a magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan out of his publishing house Wagadon. Logan had previously created titles such as Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s during one of its most successful periods.The magazine, often referred to as the...
from June 1996 to June 1997. It stars Jaime Winstone as Whitey Action,
Carl WeathersCarl "The Truth" Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is well known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films, as well as his role as Dillon in the first Predator movie.-Personal life:Carl Weathers was born in...
as Police Chief Benjamin 'Ben' Benson and
Eddie Shin"Eddie Shin is a Korean-American actor. He landed the role of Roger on That '80s Show, after playing recurring roles as Henry Cho on Gilmore Girls, and Stanley Mao on ER...
as Terry Phoo.
Despite ratings that were reported as being underwhelming, at 232k (105k down on the slot average, with a proportionately lower audience share), a full six-part series was commissioned to begin shooting later in 2008 for broadcast in 2009. However, just before production was due to begin the BBC announced that the series was cancelled.
The show is set from the perspective of the disaffected teenage female protagonist, Whitey Action, who joins together with tough guy kung-fu cop Terry Phoo to form a dubious crime-fighting duo who thwart many mutant miscreants of The Freebies Gang on the streets of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in 2012.
The screen adaptation was written by Matthew Enriquez Wakeham, Jessica Hynes and Peter Martin, and directed by
Euros LynEuros Lyn is a television director. He was born in 1971 and educated at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera and the University of Manchester.To date, he has directed nine episodes of Doctor Who. Including "Silence in the Library", for which he won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Director and "The Girl in the...
.
Production began in September 2007 at a number of
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
locations. Some scenes were shot inside the main studio at
BBC ScotlandBBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
's
Pacific Quay StudiosBBC Pacific Quay is BBC Scotland's television and radio studio complex at Pacific Quay, Glasgow, Scotland. Opened by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in August 2007, the studios are home to BBC Scotland's television, radio and online services...
.
Plot
Whitey Action is daughter of Ben Benson, the
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
er Chief of the
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
police. When the
QueenElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
is killed by a gang of mutants, known as The Freebies, Whitey guesses they are behind the murder while her father's forces focus their attentions on a single 'a
mutantA mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the wild type. The natural...
insurgent' suspect. Terry Phoo, a highly trained combat cop from the
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
JKD police force is called in by Benson's superior, Lord Rothwell, as he is supposedly an expert at fighting mutants. However, his investigative skills leave much to be desired.
The Freebies are castigated by a mysterious group of sinister characters known as the Star Chamber for killing the Queen as they were supposed to mutate her not murder her. The
Star ChamberThe Star Chamber was an English court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster until 1641. It was made up of Privy Counsellors, as well as common-law judges, and supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts in both civil and criminal matters...
give the Freebies one last chance, demanding that William is mutated before he is crowned. While at a party in the Freebies nightclub, Whitey sees Princes
WilliamPrince William of Wales , KG, is the elder son of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and Harry being led off by the Freebies, and she causes a big scene, preventing them from being captured but getting herself arrested by Terry Phoo. Convincing him that she is a special agent, he takes her to his hotel room, where, while looking for chocolate, she finds a case containing 'the
BuddhaBuddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
's
loinclothA loincloth is a one-piece male garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt, which covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks.-History and types:Loincloths are and have been worn:*in societies where no other clothing is needed or wanted...
that transforms into a pair of hotpants, which she immediately tries on. Phoo is rather shocked by this, especially when she pulls a giant chocolate egg out of them and the legend of a 'Chosen One' who is destined to use their power is revealed. Whitey can pull anything she desires from the pants and Terry decides this means that she is the Chosen One.
Together Phoo and Action save the Princes from the evil plot to mutate them, and the subsequent plot to set the lead mutant, Jimmy Freebie, on the throne. The story ends, however, with William beginning to mutate as he is
crownedThe Coronation of the British Monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
, the
Star ChamberThe Star Chamber was an English court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster until 1641. It was made up of Privy Counsellors, as well as common-law judges, and supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts in both civil and criminal matters...
seem to have won this battle despite the Freebies bungling and Phoo Action's best efforts.
Reception
On Saturday 8 September, before principal photography began, John Patterson of
The GuardianThe Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
, writing in 'The Guide' (a weekly
listings magazine), placed Phoo Action at number 13 in his list of '50 Must See Shows' of Autumn.
On transmission Phoo Action polarised the UK's TV critics' opinion.
The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Colonel Arthur B. Sleigh in June 1855 as the Daily Telegraph and Courier...
's Michael Deacon hated it, writing - "BBC3 has had a revamp. Judging by Phoo Action, though, the channel remains unwavering in its commitment to diabolical television,". Whereas
The TimesThe Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
' Andrew Billen loved it "to an almost indecent degree". Writing in
The IndependentThe Independent is a British newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily newspapers. The daily edition was named National...
newspaper on Sunday, 17 February 2008 in a review entitled '
Lily Allen and FriendsLily Allen and Friends was a British TV talk show presented by Lily Allen. The programme is produced by Princess Productions for BBC Three. It was first shown on 12 February 2008. The audience consists entirely of Lily's online friends, who sign up via the programme's website...
, BBC3; Phoo Action, BBC3;
SkinsSkins is a teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England as they grow up. The controversial plotline explores issues including homosexuality, narcissism, dysfunctional families, absent parents, personality disorders, post traumatic stress, substance abuse, anorexia,...
, E4;
Attila The HunAttila , also known as Attila the Hun, was the Emperor of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire which stretched from Germany to the Ural River and from the River Danube to the Baltic Sea...
, BBC1', Hermione Eyre stated the opinion that 'BBC3 struck
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
with Phoo Action, a
cultCult may popularly refer to a religious group with relatively few adherents whose beliefs or practices are regarded by others as strange or sinister.The term "cult" was originally used to denote a system of ritual practices...
comedy in the making'.
Vehicles
The 'Phoo Mobile' is a Napiersport 'SuperStratos' Corse, which is a replica of the Lancia Stratos HF. The Freebies vehicle is a GP Mk2 Beach Buggy, copied from the
Meyers ManxThe Meyers Manx dune buggy was designed by Californian engineer, artist, boat builder and surfer Bruce Meyers. It was produced by his company between 1964 and 1971....
and based on a
Volkswagen BeetleThe Volkswagen Type 1 is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. It used an air cooled rear engined rear wheel drive ....
. During filming the car was only pushed around as the exhausts were too loud for the sound editor to cope with.
Trivia
- During one of the news flashes, writing at the bottom of the screen is seen to say, 'All your base are belong to us
"All your base are belong to us" is a broken English phrase that was central to an Internet phenomenon, or meme, in 2000-2002, with the spread of a Flash animation that depicted the slogan...
' Referring to the popular video game and internet memeA meme is a postulated unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, and is transmitted from one mind to another through speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena...
.
- In the sequence explaining the Buddha's Loincloth, the narrator says that "The magic of the loincloth is irrepressible", referring to the opening narration for the Japanese TV series Monkey
Monkey is the dubbed English language version of the Japanese television series , based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. It was originally produced by Nippon Television and International Television Films in association with NHK.The series ran for two seasons of 26...
of which creator Jamie Hewlett is a noted fan - prior to the screening of Phoo Action, Hewlett had worked with GorillazGorillaz is a English virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D , Murdoc , Noodle and Russel...
collaborator Damon Albarn on Monkey: Journey to the WestMonkey: Journey to the West is a stage adaptation of the 16th Century Chinese novel Journey to the West, by Wu Cheng'en. It was conceived and created by the Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-zheng, together with the British musician Damon Albarn and British artist Jamie Hewlett.The production...
which, like Monkey, was an adaptation of the Journey to the WestJourney to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty, and even though no direct evidence of its authorship survives, it has been ascribed to the scholar Wu Cheng'en since the 20th century.In...
by Wu Cheng'enWu Cheng'en , courtesy name Ruzhong , pen name "Sheyang Hermit," was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty, most famous for being the probable author of one of the Four Great Classical Novels, the Chinese classic known as Journey to the West.-Life:Wu was born in Lianshui, in Jiangsu...
.
Awards
The pilot was scheduled as part of the 'Best Pilots' section, at the second annual
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
TV festival, 'Roma Fiction Fest', which took place from the 7 – 12 July 2008. Phoo Action writer Mat Wakeham was in Rome to explain the thinking behind his unique pilot.
Phoo Action won the
Lloyds TSBIn January 2009, Lloyds TSB Group changed its name to Lloyds Banking Group. This article is now about the brand Lloyds TSB which is still operated as part of the Lloyds Banking Group....
Bafta Scotland award for best television drama, beating Fiona’s Story Directed by Adrian Shergold, Produced by David Boulter by BBC Scotland for BBC ONE.
Cancellation
On Friday 14 November 2008 BBC Scotland notified BECTU of the decision to cancel production of “Phoo Action”. BECTU Scottish Organiser,
Paul McManusPaul McManus may refer to:*Paul McManus , currently playing for Chester City*Paul McManus , currently playing for East Fife...
was quoted as saying, “Naturally everyone at BBC Scotland and at BECTU are disappointed that the commission has been withdrawn. This was in marked contrast to the BBC's statement released Thursday, February 14 2008, 15:52 GMT which read "We really believe in the originality and boldness of Phoo Action,"... "It's fantastic news that the work of Jamie Hewlett and the rest of the crew will be back on the channel." The cost of cutting the show, which was due to start filming in
DumbartonDumbarton is a burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. Dumbarton is in West Dunbartonshire...
late November 2008, is reported to be in the region of £500,000 from the BBC license fee in contract payments.
However, in an official statement regarding the cancellation, BBC3 was said to be looking into whether or not Phoo Action may come back in another form in the future.
External links