The Trailer for 'Brian & Maggie' Reminds Us of the Power of the Press

Over the last decade, there's been a disingenuous argument over whether entertainment has gotten "Too Political," as if telling stories that reflect one's personal experience isn't revolutionary for anyone who is not an upper-class white male from Western civilization. In reality, some of the most political series in the past ten years wound up that way because outside events accidentally occurred near enough to the premiere that they couldn't be ignored. The Handmaid's Tale, for example, seems to be newly relevant every time a new season arrives. Now, the same is happening for Channel 4's rechristened Brian & Maggie.

Initially under the working title Brian & Margaret, the series deep dives into a moment of television history rapidly fading into the past: a key live TV interview of the Prime Minister by one of the BBC's best reporters, which aired in primetime on the BBC in 1989. The answers (and non-answers) given by the Prime Minister of the time, Margaret Thatcher (the "Maggie" of the show's title), were so bad the video went viral (something that in the pre-internet era took a lot of factors to accomplish). She resigned before the year was up.

That kind of power, exposing leaders who are cruel and callow and holding them accountable for their horrible policies that make people's lives worse, is one uniquely held by the press in a free society. It's an incredibly timely reminder, as the 2024 US election results have emboldened Elon Musk, who is now spreading disinformation and slander not just at Americans but in hopes of getting Nazis elected in Germany and Labour thrown out in the U.K. Moreover, most of America's free press is controlled by billionaires determined to kowtow to their dear leader instead of holding him and his cronies to account.