Morgan Spurlock arrived in Britain to dissect the cultural fault line between the UK and the US, recording ten hour-long episodes in a London studio for Sky Atlantic. Each instalment pitted a mixed panel of comedians, journalists and minor celebrities against topics such as why Americans deep-fry everything, why the British obsess over class and whether fame means the same thing on both sides of the ocean. The format blended Spurlock’s trademark stunt segments, audience polls and desk-chair banter, all taped in front of a studio crowd and cut down to 46 minutes once adverts were removed.
Broadcast in the prestige slot straight after Game of Thrones on Monday nights, New Britannia debuted on 2 April 2012 and limped on until 4 June. Critics dismissed the series as rushed, repetitive and overly dependent on national stereotypes; viewers followed suit and Sky quietly let the licence lapse after one run. The production, a co-venture between Spurlock’s own Warrior Poets and Manchester-based Thumbs Up Productions, has never been repeated on the channel or issued commercially. Ten episodes exist, all labelled Series 1, and no second series was commissioned.
Production Details
Sky One / 1 Season / 10 Episodes / 2012
Created by: Morgan SpurlockJeremy ChilnickDave HansonMarc HaynesWarren PrenticeBrad Aldous
Writer(s): Morgan SpurlockJeremy ChilnickDave HansonMarc HaynesWarren PrenticeBrad Aldous
Main Cast
