We loved the idea of sticking a pin in the ego of our own celebrity
Spandau Ballet brothers Martin and Gary Kemp are making fun of themselves in their new spoof mockumentary. finds out why they are having the last laugh
DON’T believe everything you see in new comedy spoof The Kemps: All True. The mockumentary catches up with real-life brothers Martin and Gary Kemp and presents a world in which Gary is marketing a new vegan meat-substitute called Wonge and Martin is attempting to launch a new film franchise.
Formed in 1979, Spandau Ballet were one of the most successful groups to emerge during the New Romantic era. During the 1980s, they spent 159 weeks on the UK singles chart and have had eight UK top 10 albums, including three greatest-hits compilations and an album of re-recorded material.
The Kemps: All True sees Rhys Thomas, comedian and co-creator of spoof ageing rock star Brian Pern, interview the pair, playing a fictional version of themselves, about their lives following Spandau Ballet’s 40th anniversary celebrations in December 2019.
Perry Benson from Benidorm also features as their brother Ross Kemp, alongside Line of Duty duo Daniel Mays and Anna Maxwell Martin, The A Word’s Christopher Eccleston and The Fast Show’s Simon Day.
Snatch actor Alan Ford and After Life’s Tony Way are also involved, as is Shirlie Holliman, of Pepsi & Shirlie fame, who is of course Martin’s real-life wife.
Here, the brothers tell us what to expect...
It’s funny! We corpsed a lot on set which was great fun but held up the shoot a bit.
It’s basically a mockumentary about our lives and relationship.
A spoof of the Imagine-type series, with all its usual obsequiousness, but a much cheaper version with poor research!
It was one of those projects that came to me and Gary as a draft script from the BBC.
I had worked with Rhys Thomas a few years back, so knew how great his work is and his style of comedy, and he opened the script up to me and Gary and said let’s make this something special.
Gary and I and Rhys all threw ideas at each other for about nine months before we had a draft we were happy with.
About a year ago Rhys asked if the three of us could meet up.
He’d already worked with Martin on the Brian Pern series, which we both loved.
We immediately trusted his instincts for the idea and came up with a few more
ideas for the show there and then.
It seemed to suit that strange place Martin and I occupy of being actors as well as musicians with a public family story and a band story that goes from the sublime to the ridiculous, to the sometimes out-and-out self-destructive.
We also loved the idea of sticking a pin in the ego of our own celebrity.
Brilliant and this was so nice! Watching G take the mickey out of himself was so nice, he made me laugh so much!
It’s a total joy to work with Martin again – mining our own histories for comedy and pathos as well as building on the fiction that Rhys had given each of us.
We both went into this headfirst with a lot of trust. It felt totally mad at times, but we knew we had to commit to the idea 100% or it wouldn’t work.
Improvising with him came very easy, especially in the ‘interview’ sections, as we had so much of our own stuff to draw from.
We have the great Daniel Mays. I’ve seen a lot of his stage work and love him. I met him backstage when I did Pinter’s The Homecoming. Chris Eccleston has worked with Rhys a few times and likes being in Rhys’s work, so it was a thrill to have him on board, as it was Alan Ford.
Having Anna Maxwell Martin as my wife was so lovely as she has great natural comedy in her work. And Simon Day is a comedy legend! We were very lucky to have such a stellar cast of brilliant actors.
Perry Benson, who plays our brother Ross Kemp (not that one), I have known since we were kids at The Anna Scher Theatre.
I think what you see on screen are heightened versions of both of us… or at least I hope so!
After being known as Roman Kemp’s dad for a few months (the pair are currently on screen in Celebrity Gogglebox), I’m really happy to be getting back in the limelight and being known for being that one from Spandau Ballet who hit someone over the head with an ashtray in EastEnders
Growing up in working-class London in the 60s and 70s, being child actors and then being in an 80s band comes with a lot of funny, easily parodied experiences and references but also allows us to over-do the nostalgic memories that you hear all the time in interviews.
No one ever tells the truth in celebrity interviews anyway!
They are usually awash with pomp and fake sincerity and selfimportance and I enjoyed pushing my character that way!
Scarily it seemed rather natural.
I was meant to be on tour with Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets this year but it’s been cancelled till October.
We’ve got a live album and film coming out later in the year too.
Like everyone else we’re isolating and I’m finishing up my own solo album as much as I can in these sadly separated times.
Just working on a new Sunday Morning Show called Sunday Best with my boy Roman .... at least I don’t have to go visiting on a Sunday!