Successionomics: Brian Cox presents a picture of wealth
Playing the fictional billionaire Logan Roy in the hit drama Succession has given Brian Cox a unique view on wealth. His latest work is a documentary examination of money in the world right now, and Cox’s decision to make the new series, How The Other Half Live with Brian Cox, is rooted in another businessman very different from ruthless Roy.
“My father, I think, was greatly troubled by the fact that he was a great socialist. He was a pater familias in the small ghetto area of Dundee where he had a shop,” explained Cox.
“I recently met a man from the area who was 80-plus who told me he remembers my dad as a very kind and very considerate man.
“My father had this shop, this business where he gave credit to people who didn’t have the money to pay or he let them have it ‘on tick’. People were not able to pay the debt back and they took advantage of that.
“But even if they were taking advantage of him, he wouldn’t see that. He would just say that there was some kind of trauma at the root of their behaviour and he would let it slide. He was very kind.”
In the show, Cox explores our complicated relationship with money and wealth. Throughout the programme he tells his own story, from growing up in poverty to becoming a highly paid Hollywood actor, playing one of the most bloodthirsty businessmen on TV.
He visited Dundee as part of the making of the show, which he can compare to the life of Logan Roy, who he has played since 2018.
“Those feelings existed before I ever did the programmes,” he said.“the great thing about Succession is it is a satiric critique of that world.
“It’s very much about anti-entitlement and it shows the problem of entitlement and what entitlement does, particularly through the Roy children.”
When it comes to a solution, Cox himself believes it is up to government to redistribute wealth.
“A lot of the very richest people are very happy to pay the wealth tax,” he added.“billionaire John Caudwell, who I interviewed for the programme, said he would happily pay it. It’s just governments that go,‘well, we can tap into something else’.
“But if you have a proper government, they should say that everybody must pay what they can to support the state and the welfare. We had a welfare state that was second to none, and they’ve been battering it for years.”
How The Other Half Live, Channel 5, Thursday, 9pm