Brian Cox, British comedy and the unfair treatment of ‘Brass Eye’: “That ignorant sensibility is prejudiced and biased”
Whether you know him as William Stryker from X-Men 2, Jack Langrishe from Deadwood, Robert McKee from Adaptation, Hannibal Lecktor from Manhunter, or, most likely, Logan Roy from Succession, chances are you will have come across Brian Cox at some point in your life.
The Scottish star has been around for a very long time, and his first film appearance was in 1971. His successful stint as the foul-mouthed media mogul and Father of the Century came when he was in his ’70s, and he’s still going strong. Across his lengthy and varied career, Cox has seen all sorts of things come and go in the entertainment world, including one iconic British comedy that he thought was given an unnecessarily hard time.
When speaking with the BBC in 2001, Cox was asked for his opinion on the show Brass Eye. Created by legendary satirist Chris Morris, Brass Eye was a fake news show that ran outlandish spoof stories about the day’s current events and aimed practical jokes and takedowns at prominent figures in British culture. They infamously tackled the subject of underage sex crimes with their 2001 special ‘Paedogeddon’, which received widespread condemnation. It sparked a moral panic that dominated tabloid headlines and was allegedly the most complained about TV episode in British history at the time.
Cox took a more favourable view of the show, claiming that it was “unfairly treated”. He said, “It was attacked by a bunch of people who hadn’t even seen the programme. That ignorant sensibility is prejudiced and biased.” He went on to explain that topics as sensitive as this “have to be kept within the boundaries of how people deal with it, because there are families who have lost children. But, it has to be said, not every paedophile is a murderer. Nor is every paederast a murderer.” For the benefit of those reaching for their dictionaries, a paederast is an adult man who enters into a sexual relationship with an adolescent boy.
It makes sense why Cox was asked about such an unusual subject when you realise what film he was promoting at the time. L.I.E., directed by Michael Cuesta, stars Cox as ‘Big John’, a middle-aged man who enters into an inappropriate relationship with a young boy. Howie (Paul Dano) is still grieving the death of his mother when John enters his life, creating a dangerous, yet enlightening situation for the 16-year-old.
The actor was initially hesitant about taking the role, worried that he wouldn’t be able to do it justice before he came to terms with the more nuanced parts of the script. “It’s a rites-of-passage story that any 15-year-old would identify with,” he said. “This film is meant to unsettle and, I think, that is what drama at its best does.” Though L.I.E. didn’t capture any major gongs, Cox was nominated for several critics awards for his performance, including an Independent Spirit Award.
Brass Eye originally ran for six episodes in 1997, before returning in 2001 for its ‘Paedogeddon’ special. It featured a who’s who of British comedic talent, including Graham Linehan, Charlie Brooker, and Simon Pegg. Critical reception towards ‘Paedogeddon’ has improved considerably over the years. In 2019, The Guardian newspaper ranked it as the 37th best TV show of the 21st century so far.
