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My Dad's the Prime Minister

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My Dad's the Prime Minister
GenreComedy
Created byIan Hislop
Nick Newman
Written byIan Hislop and Nick Newman
Directed byJuliet May
StarringRobert Bathurst
Carla Mendonça
Jasper Britton
Joe Prospero
Emma Sackville
Theme music composerSteve Brown
ComposerSteve Brown
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersSophie Clarke-Jervoise
Ian Gordon
Elaine Sperber
ProducerMatthew Francis
CinematographyChris Goodger
EditorJake Bernard
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesCBBC[1]
BBC Entertainment[2]
Original release
NetworkBBC One[3]
CBBC Channel[4]
Release23 March 2003 (2003-03-23) –
31 December 2004 (2004-12-31)

My Dad's the Prime Minister is a 2003–2004 British sitcom written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, and was a co-production between CBBC and BBC Entertainment.[5] It centres on the life of the Prime Minister, his family and his spin doctor. Its main cast include Robert Bathurst, Joe Prospero, Carla Mendonça, Brian Bovell and Emma Sackville.

It was filmed at Bushey in Watford, and extras included students of the nearby Bushey Hall School and Bushey Meads School.

Series 1 was shown on BBC One as part of its CBBC strand, in April and May 2003. Season 2 was promoted to a primetime slot on BBC One, airing in November and December 2004. Series 1 focused more on Dillon (the Prime Minister's son), while the second season had greater coverage of the life of the Prime Minister.

Synopsis

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Dillon Phillips is twelve years old, and also burdened with a father who is the Prime Minister and has just been voted "Naffest Man in Britain" by his favourite pop magazine. His dad's smarmy and unlikeable spin doctor, Duncan Packer, interferes with everything and the slightest bit of bad behaviour may trigger an international crisis. Dillon's mother, Clare, is a successful businesswoman and has little time for him, while his older sister, Sarah, is annoyingly bossy and dismissive of her brother and his problems: however, the pair do occasionally join forces in order to fight against their oppressive regime, and especially against Packer. At school, Dillon's only real friend is a boy known as 'Geezer', the other boys (a boy known as 'Flash', his main nemesis, in particular) frequently picking on him because of his father's position, especially when the latter shows him up, for example by arriving at the school's sports day in a helicopter. Dillon achieves some solace through imagining himself as a feisty, Jeremy Paxman-style, newsreader and interviewer, constantly interrogating his parents and sister and the odious Packer on matters that impinge on him. Most episodes open and close with these 'fantasy' newsflashes. He also occasionally gets some support from his kindly paternal grandmother, who takes surprisingly little interest in Michael's political career, preferring instead to focus on the achievements of her other son and her grandchildren.

Cast

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  • Robert Bathurst – Michael Phillips
  • Joe Prospero – Dillon Phillips
  • Carla Mendonça – Clare Phillips
  • Emma Sackville – Sarah Phillips
  • Jasper Britton – Duncan Packer
  • Brian Bovell – Detective Andy Sharp (Series 1)
  • Paterson Joseph – Detective Gary McRyan (Series 2)
  • Simeon Gunn – JJ
  • Joe Gunn – Geezer
  • Liam Hess – Dom Clackson
  • Luke Newberry – Lighthouse
  • Leagh Conwell – James "Flash" Gordon
  • Eugene Simon – Harry
  • Marcia Warren – Granny Phillips
  • Robert Vansittart – Chancellor
  • Michael Cronin – Mr Speaker
  • Michael Fenton Stevens – Home Secretary
  • Neil McCaul – Foreign Secretary
  • Jane Bertish – Education Secretary
  • Martin Chamberlain – Trade and Industry Secretary
  • Steve Toussaint – Transport Secretary
  • Amanda Holt – Health Secretary
  • Albert Welling – Opposition Leader
  • Kenny Ireland – Union Leader

List of Episodes

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Series overview

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1623 March 2003 (2003-03-23)27 April 2003 (2003-04-27)
275 November 2004 (2004-11-05)31 December 2004 (2004-12-31)

Series 1 (2003)

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Episode
number 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Sports Day"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman23 March 2003 (2003-03-23)
The Prime Minister's son Dillon anticipates sports day humiliation.
2"The Party"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman30 March 2003 (2003-03-30)
In an attempt to restore his credibility, the Prime Minister organises a celebrity party at Downing Street.
3"Ghosts"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman6 April 2003 (2003-04-06)
During a weekend at Chequers, Dillon has to show that he is not afraid of ghosts, while the Prime minister Must prove that he's not scared of his Belgian counterpart.
4"The School Play"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman13 April 2003 (2003-04-13)
As rehearsals for the school's stage production begin, Dillon is hiding something and Granny's arrival does not help. Will things be all right on the night?
5"The Project"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman20 April 2003 (2003-04-20)
Dillon is working hard on his project.
6"Homework"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman27 April 2003 (2003-04-27)
Can Dillon and his new friend foil the PM's plans to introduce an extra hour's homework a day - just for boys?

Series 2 (2004)

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Episode
number 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Election"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman5 November 2004 (2004-11-05)
Father and son clash at the general election polls.
2"Exam"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman12 November 2004 (2004-11-12)
Is the PM's arithmetic up to a GCSE maths test? Can Dillon avoid a date with Amanda Gruntly?
3"Desert Island"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman26 November 2004 (2004-11-26)
The offer of a holiday puts Michael in a tight spot.
4"Marathon"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman3 December 2004 (2004-12-03)
The PM tries to prove his fitness when rumours of ill health dog Downing Street.
5"Jobless"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman10 December 2004 (2004-12-10)
A temporarily suspended Clare spends more time with her family, but they are keen as she returns to work.
6"Diaries"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman17 December 2004 (2004-12-17)
The PM confronts the serious business of having his portrait painted.
7"Powerless"Juliet MayIan Hislop and Nick Newman31 December 2004 (2004-12-31)
The last-ever episode of the children's political comedy-drama.

Home Media releases

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Series 1 was released on DVD and video in 2004 by DD Video, under license from the BBC.

References

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  1. ^ "BBC – Press Office – My Dad's the Prime Minister".
  2. ^ "BBC – Press Office – My Dad's the Prime Minister".
  3. ^ "BBC – Press Office – My Dad's the Prime Minister".
  4. ^ "BBC – Press Office – My Dad's the Prime Minister".
  5. ^ "BBC – Press Office – My Dad's the Prime Minister".
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