Getting into the spirit of panto season, Channel 4 is putting on its own production of a familiar fable. It’s about a hapless prince who is led astray by predatory monsters, overshadowed by his brother and cursed with an inability to sweat.
Prince Andrew: The Musical presents a survey of the scandal-riddled life of the Duke of York in seven showtunes. Conceived in the fevered mind of comedian Kieran Hodgson, the hour-long special arrives as the crown jewel of the broadcaster’s Truth or Dare season — although this is more of a tickling farce than a daring satire.
That said, a send-up of Andrew is a tricky thing to pull off. The grave allegations levelled against him of sexual assault (which he has denied) clearly demand a degree of sensitivity. One line in which the prince (Hodgson) wonders how a “humble queen’s son [was] meant to get opportunities without being friends with a paedophile” is about as dark and cutting a reference to his closeness with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison awaiting trial for sex trafficking, and convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell as you’ll find.
More frequent are swipes at Andrew for being a deluded narcissist — a gurning court jester who sees himself as a beloved royal icon. Hodgson is a gifted impersonator, but he opts for outright caricature here to the extent that he resembles a living Spitting Image puppet (while also channelling Austin Powers and Alan Partridge).
If the humour can be heavy-handed at times, it’s offset by some lively compositions and fleet-footed choreography. These big musical numbers largely revolve around biographical lowlights, including Andrew’s divorce from Sarah Ferguson (a duet with Jenny Bede), his stint as a trade envoy, and the recent removal of his titles.
Best of all is the opener, “I Nailed It” — a victory song performed by Andrew and Emily Maitlis (Emma Sidi) following the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview. But the inclusion of real clips from that excruciating encounter only serves to prove that despite Hodgson’s best efforts, nobody can humiliate Andrew as effectively as Andrew himself.
★★★☆☆
On Channel 4, December 29 at 9pm, then available on All4
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