Chivalry 6 x 30 min – Channel 4

Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge, Philomena) and Sarah Solemani (Him and Her, Barry) team up to write and star in a timely drama that skewers and satirises the complex state of contemporary sexual politics.

Cameron (Steve Coogan), an acclaimed film producer, needs to detoxify his latest movie or face ruin. Bobby (Sarah Solemani), an ambitious, feminist filmmaker, in a hurry to make her mark, has what he needs to get ‘woke’ and stay relevant. All they need to do is reshoot an inappropriate sex scene in order to save a movie. How hard can it be?

But as Bobby and Cameron bounce between gender tension, a creeping attraction and the nagging feeling that they are just pawns in the studio’s secret agenda, a toxic sex scene becomes the tip of the iceberg. This modern battle of the sexes is fought on the fault line where art meets commerce and sex meets exploitation. Who really knows how to navigate post-woke sex? How fluid are our politics and how political are our fluids?

Starring: Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws, Blackish), Sienna Miller (The Loudest Voice, American Woman), Lolly Adefope (This Time with Alan Partridge, Shrill), Robert Lonsdale (Chewing Gum, Finding Alice) and Adjani Salmon (Dreaming Whilst Black, Enterprice) star in the series, alongside guest cameos including Paul Rudd (Living with Yourself, Ant Man), Peter Mullan (Cursed, Mum) and Amy Landecker (Your Honor, Transparent). Chivalry is written by Sarah Solemani (Him and Her, Barry) and Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge, Philomena) and is produced by Baby Cow Productions.

 

NATIONAL PRINT 

26.04_ Heat: ★★★★★ Review

24.04_ Mail on Sunday: ★★★ Review

24.04_ Mail on Sunday: ★★★ Preview

23.04_ The Times: Hugo Rifkind review

22.04_ The Guardian: ★★★★ Review

22.04_ The Times: ★★★★ Review

22.04_ The i: Chivalry gets the nuance of Me Too just right

22.04_ Daily Telegraph: ★★★★ Review: Sex and the satire-how to do Me Too with all seriousness 

22.04_ The Independent Daily Edition: ★★★★ Review

 

KEY FEATURES AND HIGHLIGHTS

NATIONAL PRINT 

29.04_ Metro: Interview ‘Your life in Alan’s hands’

22.04_ Evening Standard: Interview with Lolly

18.04_ The i: Interview with Sarah

16.04_ The Guardian (Guardian Saturday): ‘Balancing Act’ interview with Sarah 

12.04_ Radio Times: Sarah Solemani authored feature, PG1 PG2

10.04_ Sunday Times: ‘Me Too was an education for me’

 

QUOTE HIGHLIGHTS

‘Making a comedy series about how the #MeToo Movement has affected Hollywood could very easily hit the wrong note, but creators Steve Coogan and Sarah Solemani pull it off with this confident, tongue-in-cheek six-parter’ – The Observer

‘Steve Coogan and Sarah Solemani delight in unexpected comedy Chivalry’ – Financial Times

‘A searing yet laugh-out-loud examination of the entertainment industry post Me Too’ – iNews 

‘The series is a phenomenal high-wire act, taking on as many issues of power and consent as you could fit into six hour-half episodes with proper nuance, whilst also functioning as a superbly accurate and hilarious take-down of Hollywood greed, shallowness and egomania. Can we have a second series right now?’ – Heat

‘Chivalry is a quality, precision-engineered piece of work by a duo with extraordinary chemistry, both on and off -screen, in the writers’ room . Add Adefope and her immaculate timing (and delivery almost as dry as Solemani’s), Wanda Sykes as the manipulative powerhouse studio executive, and occasional impeccably daft cameos from the likes of Paul Rudd (“One of the most unpleasant people I’ve ever met,” says Cameron) and, unlike any of Cameron’s former assistants and most of his leading ladies, you have no cause for complaint.’- The Guardian 

‘Certainly it is funny, but also blistering, and its blisteringness is the best thing about it’ – The Times

‘Steve Coogan and Sarah Solemani are a writing dream team as proven by this sharp, scathing exploration of the movie industry in wake of the Me Too movement’ – iNews 

‘It’s an intelligent witty take on a tricky subject, with brilliant performances from a great mix of actors. And most importantly, a really enjoyable watch’ – Evening Standard

‘#MeToo isn’t an obvious source of humour, and Chivalry never reaches for the low-hanging fruit of mocking the movement. Instead, it picks apart the blanket ban of anything sexual that has been laid over an art form which has a lot to say about sex and the absurdities of protocol that come along with it. Its brave, candid writing and its dedicated performances make it one of 2022’s best comedies yet.’- The i

‘There is a naturalness to Solemani’s acting which makes you believe that the character she’s playing could be an extension of the real her. As for Coogan, one wonders what level of self-examination was involved in creating the series for this 50-something star once notorious for his lapdancers-and-cocaine lifestyle. Together, though, they’ve achieved what seemed impossible: a nuanced, intelligent take on MeToo that doesn’t stint on jokes.’- Daily Telegraph