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The Trews (web series)

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The Trews
Logo featuring Brian the dog
GenreNews, politics, comedy
Created byRussell Brand
Gareth Roy
Presented byRussell Brand
Opening themeThe Rubberbandits
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes367
Production
ProducersGareth Roy
Marika Connoly
Charly Cox
Running timeVaries (6–20 minutes)
Original release
NetworkYouTube
Release27 February 2014 (2014-02-27) –
present

The Trews is a YouTube web series by English comedian, actor and activist Russell Brand. The Trews features Brand and his take on media as it appears in newspapers or on television as well as special episodes in which Brand responds to comments left by viewers. The show's name is a portmanteau of "true" and "news".

The show is generally a solo piece to camera supplemented with clips and screenshots from the media but at times also features interviews with celebrities, activists and other guests.[1] Notable guests have included Alain de Botton, Alastair Campbell and George Monbiot.

Brand's status as a comedian delivering political commentary has led to comparisons to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, though Brand's approach is more "low-key".[1] The series is typically filmed in a casual style at Brand's house in the Shoreditch district in the East End of London[2] or in the car with Brand. According to journalist Kristian Markus, the format establishes "an intimate connection with his viewers, portraying himself not as some impenetrably pristine star fans are only to admire from a distance, but as a fellow citizen of the world who seeks connection with the people and world outside."[3] A few episodes have been filmed at rallies, where Brand interviews activists about their causes.

The series is produced, directed and edited by Gareth Roy,[4][5][6] a producer who has worked on other projects with Brand.[7]

History

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The show debuted on 27 February 2014. With few exceptions and the 2015–16 hiatus period, a new episode is uploaded each weekday. The show's premise, according to Brand, is to provide "the true news so you don't have to invest any money in buying newspapers that charge you for the privilege of keeping your consciousness imprisoned in a tiny box of ignorance and lies."[8]

A theme song for the show, performed by The Rubberbandits, debuted in April 2014.[9] The show's logo features Brian, a white Alsatian dog,[10] that belongs to Brand's ex-girlfriend, journalist and activist Jemima Khan.[11]

In March 2015, the channel surpassed 1 million subscribers.[12] The 300th Trews episode was posted on 16 April 2015.[13] At the end of April 2015, the week before the general election, The Trews received significant international coverage after Labour leader Ed Miliband appeared on the show for an interview.[14]

Hiatus and return

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On 20 August 2015, Brand uploaded the 366th Trews video, announcing that it would be the final episode. He said "I think we've come as far as we can with The Trews... for now."[15][16]

On 12 October 2016, Brand uploaded the 367th Trews video announcing his return,[17] though no further episodes have been released since.

Prevailing themes and messages

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Media coverage of The Trews

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Fox News feud

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Brand frequently analyzed the commentary of the Fox News Channel and criticized its owner Rupert Murdoch, eventually sparking a feud with the network's conservative pundits.[1]

In June 2014, Brand lampooned Jeanine Pirro in response to her appearance on Justice with Judge Jeanine, in which she suggested that ISIS "was trained by U.S. instructors at a secret base in Jordan" and that her solution to defeat ISIS is to "bomb them, bomb them, keep bombing them, bomb them again."[18][19][20]

During Brand's analysis of Pirro's rant on 24 June 2014, he "picked apart"[21] her argument:

Pirro: What should we do? Send in more troops to protect sacrifices already made? Cut a deal with the devil, Iran?
Brand: Iran is not the devil, and referring to them as such is incendiary and provocative. She's talking about the situation in Iraq, she's judged Iran to be in league with Satan or even the embodiment of Satan…
Pirro: The ISIS assault, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, signals the beginning of the reverse crusade. They are coming for us. To THEM, WE are the infidels.
Brand: Hold on. They're not (laughs). They're not coming. Also it's interesting the way she said "to THEM, WE are the infidels" meaning that she regards them as infidels! Which means unclean, disconnected from God. Don't try to counter religious extremism with religious extremism.
Pirro: Americans have shed enough blood there. My resolution? Airstrikes. Bomb them, bomb them, keep bombing them, bomb them again and again!
Brand: Fucking hell, Justice Judge Jeanine! Bomb them? She's pointing and everything, "Bomb them!" When they do these bombings, it creates more insurgents. That's what creates them. Don’t think of them as going down there and destroying stuff. Think of it as like a seed that goes into the ground and grows insurgents out of it.
Pirro: ISIS is a radical religious terrorist organisation.
Brand: So is Fox News. It's a fanatical terrorist propagandist organisation. This isn't reasonable, is it? The way she's talking: "Bomb them! Bomb them!" She's worse. You know when you see those videos of someone with like a (face mask) on and a rifle, going, "(imitates Arabic) Bomb them! Bomb them!" you go "fuckin’ hell, they're a bit heavy" – she's doing it, she's just doing it with a city backdrop! She's the savage. She's totally espousing savage values.[22]

The Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple wrote of the episode, "The Brand video is indeed fun stuff. It's 100 percent derivative fare ... His riff gained a lot of recirculation on the Internet, via Raw Story, the Wrap, The Times of India and several others."[21]

In a July 2014 episode ("Israel-Palestine: Is This A Debate?"), Brand ridiculed Sean Hannity's interview with Palestinian-American Yousef Munayyer, labeled the Fox host "a bully" for his treatment of Munayyer and said Hannity resembled "the Ken doll from Toy Story 3." The episode went viral,[23] and Munayyer quipped that Brand's video received more viewers than Hannity's original interview.[24] Hannity responded on air, showing clips from The Trews and calling Brand a "D-list actor better known for his failed marriage to Katy Perry."[25]

The Trews and Brand's commentary on Fox were discussed on the network multiple times, and there was wide media coverage of the ongoing feud.[26] In late August, panelists on Fox roundtable "The Five" derided Brand's comments on the network's coverage of the ongoing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Greg Gutfeld referred to Brand as a "scruff bucket" and a racist, while Brand laughed off the insults and referred to the Fox News presenters as "aliens."[6][27] Gutfeld also called him a "left-wing commie scum" and said "radical Islam is spewing from his homeland, but he's too much of a coward to actually focus on that."[28][29]

In October 2014, Brand said he had been scheduled to appear as a guest on Hannity's show, but producers canceled his appearance. He attempted to film an episode of The Trews outside of Fox News headquarters in New York City, but a security guard threatened to arrest him for trespassing.[30][31]

2014 Sydney hostage crisis

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Australian news media discussed Brand after the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis, which began on 15 December, due to an episode of The Trews titled, "Don't Let Sydney Siege Claim Your Freedom". Using footage of Australian prime minister Tony Abbott, Brand explained in the 16 December episode:

That is the important thing here. Now, at this time, when we're finding out that the CIA used unconscionable torture methods to get information to go into a war that subsequently proved to be illegal and unfounded, gave the state more power as the result of events that may or may not be intrinsically linked to political objectives seems like a dangerous thing to do ... Terrorism is continually used as a tool to control the domestic population.[32]

Yahoo! News website described the 212th episode of The Trews as a "crazed siege rant",[33] the online Brisbane Times newspaper published just over two minutes of the episode,[34] and the Nine News website wrote that Brand has "taken aim" at Abbott and targeted Rupert Murdoch.[35] The video was viewed more than 235,000 times in a two-day period.[36]

2015 Miliband interview

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In the week before the 2015 UK general election, The Trews received extensive media coverage after Brand interviewed Labour leader Ed Miliband for a two-part "Milibrand" episode that aired 30 April and 4 May. Prior to the interview being released, a photo of Miliband outside Brand's residence attracted significant media attention,[37] and British Prime Minister David Cameron derided Miliband for doing the interview, saying "Brand is a joke and Miliband is a joke for seeing him." Britain's conservative papers and tabloids criticised Miliband harshly for the interview.[38]

Writing for The Independent, Simon Usborne noted the popularity of The Trews and wrote, "By aligning himself with The Trews, Miliband may yet have the last laugh by reaching an audience for whom Newsnight is anathema."[14] Another columnist for The Independent wrote, "my overwhelming feeling after having watched the interview was that it was authentic, and that in being so it had unwittingly revealed so much of the pre-election build-up to be the opposite. By comparison, the televised debates and interviews were both staid and staged."[39] Journalist Alastair Campbell, who appeared on The Trews in May 2014, praised Miliband's decision in his Huffington Post blog.[40]

International media also covered the story; The Washington Post asked in a headline, "Will Russell Brand decide the British election?"[41] Steven Erlanger wrote in The New York Times that the interview "drowned out" Cameron's campaign promises on 30 April.[42]

Ed Miliband's Labour Party lost the 2015 General Election while David Cameron's Conservative Party secured sole control, following their previous coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, increasing both their share of the national vote and number of votes, and increasing their number of Parliamentary seats.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Laurie Fanelli (13 October 2014). "Russell Brand's 'The Trews' injects humor into the news". AXS TV. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  2. ^ Simon Hattenstone (11 October 2014). "Russell Brand: 'I want to address the alienation and despair'". The Guardian.
  3. ^ Kristian Markus (7 September 2014). "Russell Brand redefines Hollywood celebrity with 'The Trews'". Tech Generation Magazine.
  4. ^ Russell Brand (14 November 2014). "@rustyrockets: The guys who bring you the trews as KISS as we prepare to do Pied Piper (at) the Albert Hall". Twitter. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  5. ^ "How Do We Stop Corporations Becoming Evil?". The Trews. YouTube. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Who's More Dangerous, Me Or Fox News?". The Trews. YouTube. 28 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Gareth Roy". IMDb. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  8. ^ Russell Brand. "Russell Brand's YouTube Channel: About". YouTube.
  9. ^ Russell Brand (29 April 2014). "The new #Trews theme tewn is by @Rubberbandits and has knocked my English socks off". Twitter.
  10. ^ Russell Brand (27 August 2014). "Russell Brand The Trews (E133)". The Trews. YouTube.
  11. ^ "Russell Brand And Jemima Khan 'Split Up'". MTV. 21 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Russell Brand The Trews (E269)". YouTube. 4 March 2015.
  13. ^ Brand, Russell (16 April 2015). "Would A President With A Vagina Make A Difference?". The Trews. YouTube. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  14. ^ a b Usborne, Simon (29 April 2015). "Russell Brand's interview with Ed Miliband has everyone talking about The Trews". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  15. ^ "Final Episode Of The Trews - Goodbye, Good Luck: Russell Brand The Trews (E366)". YouTube. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  16. ^ Kemi Alemoru, Jasper Jackson (20 August 2015). "Russell Brand halts The Trews and takes Facebook and Twitter break". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Guess Who's Back: Russell Brand The Trews (E367)". YouTube. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  18. ^ Steve Benen (23 June 2014). "When Fox becomes Conspiracy Theory Central". MSNBC. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  19. ^ Andrew Kaczynski (21 June 2014). "Is This The Craziest Rant A Fox News Host Has Ever Done?". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  20. ^ Katherine Fung (23 June 2014). "Fox News Host Gets Herself Into The 'Unhinged Rant' Hall Of Fame". Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  21. ^ a b Erik Wemple (26 June 2014). "Fox News elevates allegation it's a 'fanatical terrorist propagandist organization'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  22. ^ "Is Fox News More Dangerous Than ISIS?". The Trews. YouTube. 24 June 2014.
  23. ^ Frances Perraudin (8 August 2014). "Viral Video Chart: Russell Brand takes on Fox News, Hillary Clinton". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  24. ^ Yousef Munayyer (2 August 2014). "Ratings for @seanhannity the night I was on? 1.9 million. Views for @rustyrockets video slamming him? 2 million+". Twitter. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  25. ^ Nick Thompson (4 August 2014). "Russell Brand, Fox's Sean Hannity trade barbs over Israel-Hamas conflict". CNN.
  26. ^ Leslie Salzillo (29 August 2014). "'Leftist Commie Scum' Russell Brand Hilariously Destroys FOX News In Ongoing Feud (VIDEO)". Daily Kos.
  27. ^ Greg Gutfeld (27 August 2014). "Gutfeld: Russell Brand is a racist". Fox News Channel.
  28. ^ Natasha Culzac (26 August 2014). "Russell Brand is 'left-wing commie scum', Fox News says, as fight to the death continues". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  29. ^ Josh Feldman (26 August 2014). "Greg Gutfeld Blows Up at 'Commie Scum' Russell Brand for Attacks on Fox". Mediaite. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  30. ^ Sarah Gray (17 October 2014). "Russell Brand slams Fox News outside of Fox News headquarters, is threatened with arrest". Salon.com.
  31. ^ Katie Calautti (19 October 2014). "Russell Brand Almost Got Arrested For Filming His Web Series Outside Fox News". MTV. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014.
  32. ^ "Don't Let Sydney Siege Claim Your Freedom: Russell Brand The Trews (E212)". The Trews. YouTube. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  33. ^ Melissa Hills (17 December 2014). "Brand targets Abbott in siege rant". Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  34. ^ "Russell Brand criticises Abbott". Brisbane Times. 18 December 2014. Archived from the original (Video upload) on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  35. ^ "Russell Brand takes aim at Tony Abbott over Sydney siege 'terror' comments". Nine News. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  36. ^ Peter Terlato (18 December 2014). "Comedian Russell Brand Takes Shots At The Media And Politicians For Their Portrayal Of The Gunman In Sydney Siege". Business Insider Australia. Allure Media. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  37. ^ Sommers, Jack (29 April 2015). "Russell Brand Vs Ed Miliband Trews Interview Released After Howls Of Indignation From The Press". Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  38. ^ Sommers, Jack (28 April 2015). "Russell Brand Just Became The General Election's Key Battleground After Late Night Ed Miliband Meeting". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  39. ^ Devon, Natasha (29 April 2015). "Russell Brand interviewing Ed Miliband was the most authentic moment of the election so far". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  40. ^ Campbell, Alastair (29 April 2015). "Why Ed Was Right to See Brand and Why It Is Dacre, Murdoch and Cameron Who Are the Real Rusty Rockets". Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  41. ^ Witte, Griff (28 April 2015). "Will Russell Brand decide the British election?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  42. ^ Erlanger, Steven (29 April 2015). "Miliband Takes His British Election Pitch to Russell Brand's Audience". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
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