00:00 Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor for Sussex Newspaper. Now one
00:06 of the great pleasures as we go into Wharton at the Festival Theatre is the fact that we
00:10 have the return of Quiz, starring Rory Brenner, the story behind the great Who Wants to Be
00:16 a Millionaire scandal, The Coughing Major, and the play is written by James Graham. And
00:21 James, really lovely to speak to you. It must be so exciting that this is coming back to
00:26 Chichester after six years. It's really exciting, yeah. Yeah, it's really wonderful. I love
00:33 both those theatres and I have really fond memories of making the show originally in
00:38 2017. It's always quite nerve-wracking and vulnerable as a playwright to share a new
00:42 play for the first time. You don't really know if people are going to be compelled by
00:45 the story or particularly in the case of Quiz, in a really safe, comfortable, fun way, there
00:51 is a level of audience engagement because we get them to vote on keypads in the way
00:56 that they used to vote on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and they ask the audience. So
01:00 you need the audience to engage and the fact that they did so well and the fact that we
01:04 got to move to the West End and then we made a TV drama out of it on ITV. It's so great
01:10 to be back and doing it again. And you were saying back in Chichester in 2017 it became
01:14 apparent that it was going to work just as soon as the audience came in. Yeah, it did.
01:21 That first night, you do dress rehearsals and everything else, but that first night
01:25 the audience seemed so taken by the story. And I'm not surprised because it's the most
01:29 incredible story, this scandal of the coffee major and did he or did he not cheat and in
01:34 which way to a million pounds. And this is 2001 this happened, but people are still talking
01:41 about it. And this is still a live issue. The Ingrams still maintain their innocence
01:49 and those who prosecute them still maintain their guilt. So this is a live issue still.
01:54 And what about you? Do you know? I couldn't possibly.
01:59 Well, the interesting thing is that the cast changed their minds from day to day and that
02:07 suggests just how clever the play is, doesn't it?
02:11 I hope so. Yeah, I mean, I hope it's really the production that Daniel Evans built in
02:16 Chichester that we're taking on tour. I hope it's, you know, above all entertaining and
02:20 really fascinating. But I think there are serious issues that we try to talk about in
02:24 terms of the nature of truth. And in this post-truth world where we are.
02:31 Has the context changed in the six years since it was first done in Chichester, do you think?
02:35 Yeah, that's a good question. Well, I think we're in a greater existential crisis around
02:39 truth given, you know, even in the past few months, anxieties about AI and how that's
02:45 going to end, about the stolen election and storming of the capital and of COVID parties
02:54 and denials. And I think, you know, we're in dark territory when it comes to the truth
02:59 and people believe in things. So to tell a story about manipulation and the show itself
03:05 almost be a form of manipulation as well, I hope is able to tackle those issues in a
03:09 fun way.
03:10 I'm sure we'll say it's the best kind of play. It just doesn't leave your head afterwards.
03:14 You just debate and debate and you become a bit obsessive about the issue.
03:19 Yeah, we all like, unfortunately, any audience member I've ever spoken to goes down a huge
03:23 rabbit hole once they see the show and they just start to watch YouTube clips and explore
03:27 blogs and things. And that, yeah, like you say, that's great. It doesn't, the show in
03:31 your mind doesn't leave you when you leave the theatre.
03:33 Brilliant. Well, I tell you, it's a really lovely prospect to see it again, six years
03:37 on. James, thank you so much. Really lovely to speak to you.
03:39 Thank you.
