The Fishing Party
April 9, 2013 3:27 PM   Subscribe

The BBC documentary The Fishing Party captures the mood of the Thatcher era with devastating accuracy. First broadcast in 1986, it follows a group of four City businessmen on a fishing trip to Scotland as they air their opinions on politics, money, education, discipline, women and dogs. Hilarious and appalling by turns, the whole documentary can now be viewed on YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. (Bonus link: the director Paul Watson describes the making of 'Mrs Thatcher's least favourite film ever'.)
posted by verstegan (21 comments total) 72 users marked this as a favorite
 
See also The Line of beauty.
posted by No Robots at 3:42 PM on April 9, 2013


Thanks so much for this! Don't miss the follow-up documentary: The Fishing Party: 10 Years On (BBC)
posted by doreur at 4:11 PM on April 9, 2013


... is this for real...?
posted by Decimask at 4:49 PM on April 9, 2013


Unfortunately, yes. And in the 2006 follow-up documentary, he actually has the balls to crow about how he and his friends were right all along since the country benefited economically from Thatcherism.
posted by doreur at 4:57 PM on April 9, 2013


The follow-up doreur mentioned:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
posted by Decimask at 5:09 PM on April 9, 2013


The Fishing Party: 10 Years On (BBC)

Actually 20 years on.

If you've seen the three part version in the op, parts 5 and 6 are all uyou need to see of the follow up. Fascinating stuff.
posted by 2N2222 at 5:30 PM on April 9, 2013


I only got to watch parts so far, but will sure finish both out and pass along in the few Thatcher-lovey-dovey-revisionist threads that I am watching on other sites.

Sheesh....some of the things coming out of their mouths is unreal.....almost like, say, an entitled presidential candidate who had spent his life lining his pockets by ripping off the economy and society while blaming the ripped off society and economy for allowing it to happen that necessitated a need to satisfy his White Knight Syndrome by saving 47% of society who were the only ones who deserved to be saved in the first place.

But that kind of thing would never happen today?

amirite or am i amirite?
posted by lampshade at 5:32 PM on April 9, 2013 [1 favorite]


...oh...and thanks for the links....I had not seen this before.
posted by lampshade at 5:32 PM on April 9, 2013


See also The Line of beauty.

yes indeed, an excellent mini-series. I can't seem to find the whole thing on Youtube, which it was a few months ago.
posted by philip-random at 6:09 PM on April 9, 2013


But here's the beginning ...
posted by philip-random at 6:10 PM on April 9, 2013 [1 favorite]


That was really interesting. Does anyone know whether the attitudes of these four men were typical of the upper class in England at that time, or did the filmmaker go find a few well-bred louts and stick them on a boat with copious amounts of alcohol?

Also: narrated by Ian Holm!
posted by Guernsey Halleck at 7:11 PM on April 9, 2013


amirite or am i amirite?

53%.
posted by pompomtom at 9:56 PM on April 9, 2013


Does anyone know whether the attitudes of these four men were typical of the upper class in England at that time, or did the filmmaker go find a few well-bred louts and stick them on a boat with copious amounts of alcohol?

According to Paul Watson, they actually approached him and invited him to make a film about their fishing trip, because they thought it would interest fans of big-game fishing.

Non-UK viewers may need an explanation of the conversation recorded in Part 2 (starting at 2:50): 'Thank God there's a decent law left in this country. One had been in doubt recently, after that poor policeman got in trouble for shooting that Waldorf fellow. Anyone could make a mistake like that. Easily done. In fact, very good reason to put 22 bullets in him, then club him over the head [laughter], stuff a hand grenade up his arse.' This refers to the case of Stephen Waldorf, who was shot by police in January 1983 after being mistaken for an escaped prisoner. The police officers who shot him were later charged with attempted murder, but were acquitted. The training procedures for armed police officers were tightened up as a result of the Waldorf case, so luckily that sort of mistake couldn't possibly happen today *cough*
posted by verstegan at 1:26 AM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Not only were they typical of the upper classes then, they're fairly typical of the upper classes now, if you catch them off their guard. It's one of the reasons the country's in so much trouble (as it's people like this who are running it).
posted by Grangousier at 1:33 AM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


The perfect example of 'Give 'em enough rope and they'll hang themselves' and of documentary makers sitting back and letting their subjects talk
posted by DanCall at 3:27 AM on April 10, 2013


Unfortunately, yes. And in the 2006 follow-up documentary, he actually has the balls to crow about how he and his friends were right all along since the country benefited economically from Thatcherism.

Well-packaged though, in an argument about how we should be as suspicious of manipulative journalism coming from the left, as well as the right.
posted by ipsative at 4:05 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Paul Watson made a sort of follow up documentary called The Dinner Party in 1997 just at the end of 18 years of Tory rule.

(p.s. I don't know if the above link will work in the US)
posted by BlueMarble72 at 8:22 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


I just underwent, like, an hour-long shudder
posted by forgetful snow at 1:22 PM on April 10, 2013


Good jesus, that 'Dinner Party' film. These people are still out there nowadays, too, in force, and with very little difference from the blasé callousness of the Fishing Party crowd.
posted by Drexen at 5:39 PM on April 10, 2013


Drexen:Good jesus, that 'Dinner Party' film. These people are still out there nowadays, too, in force, and with very little difference from the blasé callousness of the Fishing Party crowd.

If you go to any local pub around here you'll hear things much worse than was heard in "The Fishing Party" and "The Dinner Party".

I think many people who post to Metafilter maybe slightly disconnected from the lower middle class opinions.

That's why I think it's benificial to have people like jfuller and Corb, to counter an echo chamber of extreme left opinions

They both as far as I can see exhibit moderate opinions as far as I can see.
posted by BlueMarble72 at 8:48 PM on April 10, 2013


If you go to any local pub around here you'll hear things much worse than was heard in "The Fishing Party" and "The Dinner Party".

I think many people who post to Metafilter maybe slightly disconnected from the lower middle class opinions.


Believe you me, my family, which belongs to the descending middle class, has plenty of terrible to spread around, and we're all from Massachusetts, supposedly a bastion of liberalism.

Further, the bad opinions of members of one class don't improve the bad opinions of members of another. Knowing that some middle-class people believe some ridiculous thing doesn't make me think better of the rich people who believe the same ridiculous thing.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 9:39 AM on April 11, 2013 [1 favorite]


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