Russell T Davies shares damning indictment of next prime minister Liz Truss
Russell T Davies has responded to Liz Truss’ election as prime minister (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
It’s a Sin writer Russell T Davies has slammed new prime minister Liz Truss by sharing an Instagram post of his satirical character Vivienne Rook, alongside the caption: “And so it came to pass”.
Rook is a populist politician in the 2019 series Years and Years. Davies, its writer, has drawn a distinct comparison with Truss after he shared the post earlier today. The drama explores the next 15 years of life in the United Kingdom.
Over the course of the series, Rook experiences an (almost) inexplicable rise to power as a politician and eventual PM who is loved for speaking her mind – as long as it is entertaining. However, she reveals very few actual policies until she grabs power.
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Emma Thompson, who plays Vivienne Rook, spoke to the BBC about the character.
“She presents as a down to earth, ordinary, working woman who just wants the best for everybody and feels passionately about ordinary people and ordinary issues,” said Thompson around the time of the show’s release. “Of course she’s not that at all, she’s something a great deal more sinister and is someone who wants power.”
Emma Thompson as Vivienne Rook in Years and Years (YouTube/ Benjamin Nealon)
Sounding a little too close to home? Russell T Davies revealed in an interview with Times Radio that if Rook reminds people of far-right politicians such as Donald Trump, Nigel Farage or Marine Le Pen, there’s a very good reason.
Davies also spoke about what influenced Vivienne Rook’s character. “There’s a whole generation of tricksters learning how to use social media, how to use the television, how to say whatever they like in public as long as it entertains us,” he said.
Davies’s post is a clear sign of how the Doctor Who writer sees the parallel between Rook, the unpredictable and seemingly unintelligent leader of the Four Star Party in Years and Years, and Truss.
Truss beat multi-millionaire Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership contest. More than 140,000 Conservative party members voted in the election.
An excerpt of episode six of Years and Years strikes shocking similarities with today’s political climate as Vivienne Rook seizes control.
Davies is a staunch opponent of the Conservative Party, calling them a “wounded dog” as he accepted his award for best drama at the Sky Arts Awards earlier this year.
He also discussed the potential privatisation of Channel 4 under culture secretary Nadine Dorries.
“While I’ve got this stage, [It’s a Sin] was made by Channel 4, a public service broadcaster dedicated to making this kind of programme,” Davies said at The Savoy hotel in London in July.
“We know that the government has said that they’re going to sell that off. I know the government’s wounded at the moment, but it’s like a wounded dog; a wounded dog bites everyone. And the rabies will spread.”
Read about what Liz Truss’s victory means for LGBTQ+ people in the United Kingdom.
