The
lowdown: Party Animals is an eight-part drama series
that was broadcast on BBC Two between 31 January
and 21 March 2007. It provides
an insight into the world of Westminster, looking at the professional and
private lives
of MPs and their staff.
The series stars Matt Smith as Danny Foster, who works as a researcher
for a junior Labour
minister in the Home Office,
Jo Porter (Raquel Cassidy). Danny shares an office with an intern, Kirsty,
who herself
has ambitions of going into
politics, and whom Danny is very attracted to. However, Kirsty ends up
sleeping with
Danny's brother, Scott,
whom Danny lives with. Scott too used to work for the Labour Party, but
became a lobbyist,
including working on behalf
of the Tories. Politics is in the Foster brothers' blood, as their father
had been a Labour
MP for many years.
The Opposition is represented
by Jo's counterpart in the Conservative Party, James Northcote (Patrick
Baladi), and
his chief adviser, Ashika
Chandrimani. Northcote is married but having an affair with Ashika, and
is widely seen as
a future Cabinet minister,
so their relationship is not destined to go far. Ashika is approached to
stand for the Tories
in a by-election (coincidentally
the seat held by Danny and Scott's father). Ashika decides to run for parliament,
but
not before she begins a
relationship with Scott. Things become complicated when he is hired to
work for the Labour
candidate. Much of the second
half of the series focuses on the by-election campaign, culminating in
a very close
election result. The series
begins with Danny almost losing his job after going to a pub with Scott.
Unfortunately he
had the notes for a speech
Jo was to make the following day, and left them in a toilet. One of Northcote's
staffers is
in the pub and finds them.
Jo is embarassed in parliament when Northcote knows the entire contents
of her speech.
She remains angry with Danny
for some time, and punishes him by taking Kirsty to a formal dinner for
the President
of South Africa. Danny was
desperate to go to the dinner, as his father was a good friend of the president.
Video
clips: The leaked report
7.0mb Meet
the president 5.5mb
Roger Brenton
4.6mb
Video
clips: Danny's
mother 6.3mb
Family dinner
6.6mb |
 |
