Heydon Prowse
| Heydon Prowse | |
|---|---|
 Prowse mimicking Joaquin Phoenix in a sketch for Revolting, BBC2 | |
| Born | 1981 (age 37–38)[1] London, England |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film, radio |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Genres | Topical comedy/satire |
| Subject(s) | Politics, current affairs |
Heydon Prowse (born 1981) is a British activist, journalist, satirist, director and comedian. He is best known for writing and performing in BBC Three's Bafta-winning The Revolution Will Be Televised alongside Jolyon Rubinstein.[2][3] As part of that show he gave George Osborne a GCSE maths text book, a stunt that featured on the front cover of The Daily Telegraph and other publications.[1][4]
Contents
Early life[edit]
Prowse was educated at King Alfred School, London and the University of Sussex where he studied philosophy, graduating in 2004.[5] Heydon made national news in the UK in 2009 when a secret recording he made of Conservative politician Alan Duncan in the Houses of Parliament resulted in Duncan's dismissal.[6][7][8][9] As a schoolboy he played Colin Craven in the 1993 film The Secret Garden.[10][11]
Revolting[edit]
Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein created and starred in Revolting on BBC2 on 2016, a satire show garnering global controversy through various sketches including "The Real Housewives of ISIS".[12][13]
Don't Panic[edit]
Heydon Prowse is director and talent with the viral creative agency Don't Panic[14] for whom he has created a number of award winning films. In 2013, Prowse directed his first VICE show, presented by Nimrod Kamer at the Venice Film Festival.[15]
Michael Green[edit]
For the United Kingdom general election, 2015, Prowse changed his name to Michael Green via deed poll to stand as an independent candidate against Grant Shapps in the Welwyn Hatfield constituency.[16][17] The name Michael Green is a pseudonym of Shapps which has attracted controversy. He secured 216 votes in the election, placing sixth out of seven candidates.[18]
Presenting[edit]
Prowse also acted as the presenter for the BBC documentary show The Town That Took on the Taxman shown in January 2016, where businesses in the small Welsh town Crickhowell attempted to minimise their tax burden using the same ways as large corporations.[19][20]
Prank calls[edit]
Prowse is known for prank calling notable figures in politics and entertainment. In February 2017 he duped Number 10 Downing Street claiming the US President wanted to send Theresa May her favourite bouquet as a special gift [1]. On May 2017 he called Jeremy Corbyn who has mistook Prowse for Stormzy and discussed making a grime video together [2].
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b The pranksters who gave George Osborne a GCSE maths book, By Leo Hickman, 22 August 2012, The Guardian
- ^ "BBC3 announces new entertainment commissions". Televisual. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ "Heydon Prowse". Financial Times. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
- ^ "Heydon Prowse & Jolyon Rubinstein: 'We do The Revolution Will Be". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ "From angel to activist: Heydon Prowse". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ "Alan Duncan's exchange with Heydon Prowse". 2009-08-13. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ Bingham, John (2009-08-13). "How Alan Duncan's olive branch to YouTube prankster Heydon Prowse backfired". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ "From angel to activist: Heydon Prowse". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ "The pranksters who gave George Osborne a GCSE maths book". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ "Secret Garden actor turns into a green campaigner". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ Samadder, Rhik (2014-10-06). "'Some of the things we do are brazen. I would punch us'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ BBC comedy sketch Real Housewives of ISIS sparks fury among viewers | Daily Mail Online
- ^ "Interview: Heydon Prowse on politics, controversy and the future". The Cambridge Student. 2017-02-03. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- ^ "Heydon Prowse | Contributors". www.dontpaniconline.com. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
- ^ Best Ever VICE Series – Nimrod Kamer – Medium
- ^ Burke, Dave (29 April 2015). "Satire show comic is standing against Grant Shapps after changing name to Michael Green". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ Crace, John (29 April 2015). "A la Recherche du Shapps Perdu … or anyone seen Grant Shapps?". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Metcalfe, Neil (8 May 2015). "General Election 2015: Welwyn Hatfield result". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ The Town That Took on the Taxman, BBC Two, review: 'disappointing' – Telegraph
- ^ BBC Two – The Town That Took on the Taxman at BBC Programmes
