Time for the prime minister and his Bullingdon buddies to grab the port, purée some swan and batten down the hatches – their student days’ worst excesses are about to hit the cinema.
Young playwright Laura Wade’s fiercely successful and poignant play revived in 2012 at the Royal Court, Posh, has been made into a film called The Riot Club. The production, which spewed on stage the gold-trimmed horrors of entitlement, hysteria and expensive hotel restaurants, struck a chord (or a dischord) with audiences watching under one of the most Etonian governments since the old boysy days of Alec Douglas-Home.
David Cameron, his chancellor George Osborne and the mayor of London Boris Johnson were all members of elite drinking society the Bullingdon Club while studying at Oxford, and the fictional club in The Riot Club is a reflection of what we know about the club, spangly waistcoats and all.
Sadly for Cameron and chums, the film is to be released in September this year, perfect timing for some angry think pieces about their riotous out-of-touchery as general election guessing games kick in.
Related
Here’s the trailer, released this week:
It’s not for this mole to say what rings true of Cameron’s student days in this film and what doesn’t. But it’s pretty sure the film-makers have used some artistic licence when it comes to cheekbones.