Brexit filmmaker reveals biggest surprise from referendum review

This article was first published in Radio Times Review.

Norma Percy is an award-winning filmmaker whose subjects for over 50 years have spanned Watergate, Vladimir Putin, the Iraq War and the Obama White House. Today she uses her tried-and-tested technique of “talking to the people in the room when the decisions were made” to explore the feverish Brexit referendum campaign.

Brexit: A Very British Civil War reflects 13 months in which politics and the country have been torn apart by conflict. It’s no wonder that, as series director Max Stern says, “some contributors told us the interviews were like therapy sessions.” Here, Percy reveals what inspired the duo and how it took shape.

It’s been 10 years since the UK voted to leave the EU. Is this what pushed you to come back to Brexit?

Yes, but it was a particularly good time to tell the story because most of the main players are still alive and remember everything. When we started we didn’t know how relevant it would still be, but EU membership is starting to come up in politics again. Our series begins with the 2015 general election, the triumph of David Cameron and the resignation of Nigel Farage after failing to win a seat. In the end, Cameron resigned and Farage won. This could be seen as the first chapter of Farage’s journey to date.

Some of your interviewees arouse strong emotions on all sides. How do you manage yours?

Our programs don’t specialize in nice people and you can feel how you feel about them. We don’t play politics, we don’t point fingers and if people give you a good interview, you accept them on their own terms. The twist may be different, but we find that people’s stories are confirmed. There is, however, something personal about Brexit and the EU. We try to give a multi-faceted account. This is what helps us get the interviews.

Boris Johnson’s former senior adviser Dominic Cummings is the only major figure you haven’t spoken to…

Oh, there is always someone! I have this reputation for perseverance, and boy, did we try. He firmly said no, in a way that… he feels like he has to control the story and he thinks everyone is lying. That’s his problem; he decided to let others speak for him.

Did you have any qualms about including Peter Mandelson after his dismissal as ambassador to the United States?

We filmed him before he was arrested, but he started the Remain campaign, he was a former EU commissioner, a senior Labor figure, a very convincing campaigner, and that’s what you need to know about the programme. What happened to him afterwards is really of no interest.

You have already interviewed many of these politicians. How have they changed?

David Cameron was much more relaxed when talking about his relationship with Putin, but for him it is such a personal subject. He found it painful – and who wouldn’t? Boris simply becomes more Boris: he has realized the importance of this in his life. I was very pleased with George Osborne’s account that he came out in favor of the economic case against Brexit rather than talking about immigration. When he talks about presenting an imaginary budget about how Brexit would affect households and people’s pockets, and it was the day he abandoned his leadership ambitions, it was a moment. He probably wouldn’t have admitted it five years ago.

What was the biggest revelation of the series for you?

The real indecision of Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. I felt, probably like everyone else, that it was a political decision for them. You can question their motives, but you really get the sense that Boris, in particular, looks back and describes how upset he was about the path forward. Before he even went out and spoke to the press, he asked his press advisor: what should I do? I remember us members of the production team all looking at each other in the middle of an interview when he said to us: “I didn’t go for Leave to become Prime Minister, I would have been Prime Minister anyway.” »

What topics would you still like to cover?

Everyone wants to do Trump’s foreign policy, but you have to come at the right time to say it. I certainly hope to do some more programming when the time comes.

Brexit: A Very British Civil War will be broadcast on Monday 8 June at 9pm on BBC Two and will be available on iPlayer.

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