Life is never dull with Australian comedian Sam Campbell. At the press launch of his new comedy Make That Movie he explained that following Sam Mendes who was making biopics about all four Beatles, Campbell hoped to make films about every member of the London Symphony Orchestra. Earlier in the day, promoting his C4 series on local radio, he said the nearest comparison was Mr Bates and the Post Office. Of course it is nothing of the sort.
Each episode of Make That Movie (co-written by director Joseph Pelling and SNL breakout star Paddy Young) is an insane self-contained film wrapped inside the equally insane process of making that film. Campbell plays maverick director Sam Campbell who chooses his films based on submissions sent in by members of the public, with further members of the public with no acting experience or, frankly, no talent cast on the spot. He is helped by his team, including fellow comics Aaron Chen, Lara Ricote and Helen Bauer and veteran actor David Hargreaves, who has a huge CV from dramatic screen epics to the RSC but never something like this.
The first two episodes shown at the launch were two very different stories. In one, suggested by quietly simple dreamer Mick, played by Kim Noble, two people have the ability to turn into snakes, but only one can be a snake at any particular time. Stick with me. A detective is on the case but the actor playing him is terrible and has to be replaced by a passing Spaniard who speaks no English. As I said, stick with me.
The second episode stars Amy Gledhill (who, like Campbell, has won an Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show) and is a bit of a high school mystery/caper based around a traumatic event in the teacher’s childhood. It could be Pitch Perfect meets Mean Girls but needless to say, with Campbell directing there is nothing remotely ordinary about this.
It’s all done in a style that is both straight-faced and loopy. It’s not clear where Campbell gets the money to finance these films but it may have something to do with the fact that crew member Sebastian, who has no discernable film-making ability and minimal social skills but is somehow the intimacy co-ordinator, does come from a very wealthy family.
Of course, Campbell IRL is such a prankster who knows what to expect? When he won his Edinburgh Comedy Award he followed it up the next year with a one off performance of a show that only lasted for ten minutes. The snakes episode is billed as the first one in the series, but with Campbell who knows. Maybe it doesn’t actually exist, even though reviewers saw something claiming to be that episode. Maybe instead we’ll see a biopic about someone in an orchestra.
TV: Make That Movie, C4, Thursdays from May 28, 10pm.
Picture: C4
