Recommended viewing: 'Inside The Commons', BBC2

The concept of a BBC film crew being given unprecedented access to film in the House of Commons for a year is a concerning one: for the first time, the public gets to see what MPs are really like (to an extent). On the one hand, this could be very positive: we see that MPs are human, and just like us. On the other hand, it exposes suspicions about absurd traditions and a lack of true representative democracy. It's ultimately up to you as to whether you see this programme as encouraging or not, but it is doubtlessly fascinating.

Clerk of the Commons Sir Robert Rogers
telegraph.co.uk

Personally, I found Inside The Commons one of the most interesting, funniest and most entertaining programmes I've seen so far this year. Narrated by Michael Cockerell, Inside The Commons gives us the reality of the House of Commons, without hiding its flaws - and there are certainly plenty of flaws.

itv.com
Charlotte Leslie MP is a member of the Commons focused on
by the programme

The first person from an ethnic minority we see is Gladys, the lady in charge of the Tea Room - only 4% of MPs are from an ethnic minority. The Tea Room itself is laughably traditional, maintaining the feel of an exclusive gentlemen's club. There is an unspoken etiquette here, where certain members of certain parties sit in certain places and it is a faux pas to make a mistake with this.

dailymail.co.uk
Interior of The Tea Room at the House of Commons, albeit
set up for a formal function.

The process of Prime Minister's Questions is a depressingly staged one, not that this was really a huge secret. The Prime Minister's PPS sends an email to all Conservative MPs with a set of 'suggested' topics: effectively, giving them a question to ask along the lines of 'Does the Prime Minister think we're doing a great job?', to which he will of course reply in the affirmative. The system of asking questions at PMQs is also a stiff one - those MPs lucky enough to be selected via a computerised ballot can ask a prepared question, while the others must 'bob', in the vain hope of catching the Speaker's eye.

guardian.co.uk
Sarah Champion MP is another of the relatively young MPs
the programme focuses on

I'm afraid that some of the footage of John Bercow as the Speaker of the House of Commons cemented my feelings of disdain towards him: I find him patronising and irritating. The procession for the Speaker is incredibly antequated: a man calls 'Spea-ker!' in a sing-song voice, while a procession glinting with gold comes down to the House. As they pass, the command 'hats off, strangers!' is called: we see a group of schoolchildren dutifully remove their caps as Bercow comes striding along, waving and nodding condescendingly. Clearly, Bercow has no real control over the nature of the procession, but I found his manner somewhat abrasive.

bbc.co.uk
John Bercow MP as the Speaker of the Commons

Personally, I found Inside The Commons one of the funniest programmes I've seen so far this year. Besides the fact I find it difficult not to laugh as soon as Ed Miliband opens his mouth, there really were some gems. David Cameron remarked that the Palace of Westminster looks a bit like a school; George Osborne looked mechanical and shifty as ever; Jacob Rees-Mogg felt applause was 'unparliamentary'; Sir Robert Rogers snorted snuff and remarked that it is 'quite invigorating'.

But I also found it depressing to a degree - it reminded me why people dislike politicians. The braying, baying and 'whay'-ing of the Commons makes me groan inwardly - it's obnoxious and rude. I'm all for passion in politics but when whoever is speaking cannot be heard, there's clearly something wrong. The traditions make the whole system feel out of touch and distant - the exact opposite of what a representative body should be. 

youtube.com
Backbench MPs are as rowdy as ever 

I'm desperately hoping that the next three episodes of Inside The Commons will be equally as engaging and insightful, but will hopefully enthuse people about politics, rather than confirm their concerns.

Whether you're looking for entertainment, humour or food for thought, Inside The Commons is certainly worth a watch.

Episode One of 'Inside The Commons' is available on BBC iPlayer now.
Episode Two 'Inside The Commons' will be broadcast on BBC Two on Tuesday 10th February at 21:00.

Recommended viewing: 'The Revolution Will Be Televised', BBC3

In case you haven't noticed, there's a revolution going on...and it's being televised. One of BBC Three's best programmes is back for a third series - 'The Revolution Will Be Televised' Series Three is well under way, and this time, it's heading Stateside.

bbc.co.uk
Jolyon Rubinstein (left) and Heydon Prowse (right) are both
University of Sussex graduates.

The programme features Jolyon Rubinstein and Heydon Prowse highlighting flaws in our society by 'fighting back', and generally wreaking havoc; one of the best examples of satirical comedy out there for sure. As the opening of the programme says:

'Our world is full of hypocrisy, corruption and greed. Someone has to fight back. Shame it had to be these two...'

I would, however, argue that it's not a shame at all that it's Prowse and Rubinstein who are taking a stand. Both of them deliver incredibly brave and persuasive performances, managing to get away with some pretty incredible stunts. Lots of the action takes place on the streets of Britain and America, where hidden cameras document the boys presenting an issue to the public in the form of satire.

For example, when discussing the large amount of taxpayer's money spent on police guarding Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy, Heydon Prowse waltzes into the embassy and greets the receptionist. He then goes on to say; 'I've got a room booked for one night. This is my bag. I'll have a wake up call at 9am and I'll take The Times, and also The Guardian. I've got the promotional code from the B&B website; it's "I'm seeking asylum".' When he begins to get confronted by security, he warns 'You're cruising for a very bad review on TripAdvisor, young man.' The idea here is that the Ecuadorian embassy is like a bed and breakfast, where Assange can stay for £8,000 a night - the cost of his police guard which has come from our taxes.

screenrobot.com
The comics deliver 'bullshit' to Parliament, as they're concerned the MPs
are running out.

comedy.co.uk
Characters include Zam Smith (top left), Dale Maily (top centre),
Conservative MP James Twottington-Burbage (bottom left) and
Liberal Democrat MP Barnaby Plankton (bottom right)

Similarly, Jolyon Rubinstein takes on the role of Zam Smith from BBCOMGWTF (a fictional entertainment and gossip programme) and appears at various star-studded events, the most recent of which is London Fashion Week. He interviews celebrities at London Fashion week such as reality TV stars Millie Mackintosh and Rosie Fortescue and models Abbey Clancy and Rene Borisova. 'Zam Smith' begins with trivialities, such as talking about designers, but then suddenly confronts the celebrities with tough political questions. He asks Mackintosh and Fortescue in a light, bubbly voice 'But seriously, can we justify selling arms to Saudi Arabia?', only to be met by baffled silence. Perhaps the best moment of the entire episode (Episode 3) was when Rubinstein - sorry, Zam Smith - asked Lady Mary Charteris about Boko Haram. The exchange which followed was quite something to behold;

Interviewer: 'But seriously, what should we be doing about Boko Haram?'

Lady Charteris: 'What? Boko Haram?'

Interviewer: 'Yeah, have you seen his collection yet?

Lady Charteris: 'No.'

Interviewer: 'Well, he had his runway show yesterday.'

Lady Charteris: 'Oh, how was it?'

Interviewer: 'It was quite fabulous, but it was quite, mm...niche?'

Some other stand-out features include the honest subtitles put under politicians' speeches, the characters of Tory MP James Twottington-Burbage and Lib Dem MP Barnaby Plankton, Prowse's character of Alternator (a street magician who 'loves magic, but not when it's used for dark arts, like when the Wall Street bankers got greedy and screwed us all in the financial crash in 2008'), Rubinstein's character of Dale Maily (a self-described 'fearless hetero journalist who's not afraid to be unafraid' who delivers 'fair, impartial news, as it happens, wherever it happens, telling you the right way to think.').

huffingtonpost.co.uk
Last series saw James and Barnaby on escapades such as
presenting George Osborne with a GCSE Maths textbook,
asking David Cameron to sign a Bullingdon Club album,
and trying to persuade Alex Salmond to drop the campaign for Scottish independence.

As performers, both Prowse and Rubinstein are very impressive - they hold their nerve, have absolutely no shame and exhibit incredible composure. But what is perhaps more impressive is what they come up with, and how well they tap into the growing feeling of discontent with 'traditional' politics, and the rising disdain and distrust for politicians. The way in which they present their ideas strikes the right balance between slapstick and satirical humour - enough to watch purely for a laugh, but for plenty to think about to actually be taken from the programme. There are also neat summaries of certain stories before some of the sketches; it's the sort of programme which should be required viewing for Government & Politics A Level students.

digitalspy.co.uk
'TRWBT' won a BAFTA for 'Comedy Programme' last year

This programme is in similar company to 'Bad Education' and 'Some Girls', in that it shows just what a shame it will be when BBC Three ceases to be a main televisual channel and goes online. Until then, 'The Revolution Will Be Televised' is an extremely well engineered, cleverly constructed, outrageously funny programme: well worth watching.

tvwise.co.uk

Series Three of 'The Revolution Will Be Televised' is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
You can follow Jolyon Rubinstein on Twitter as @jolyonrubs.
You can follow Heydon Prowse on Twitter as @heydonprowse.