The Walk-In: MP Rosie Cooper criticises ‘stupid’ ITV series dramatising real-life far-right plot to kill her
A Labour MP who was the target of a far-right murder plot has criticised a “stupid, stupid, stupid” ITV series dramatising the story.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Rosie Cooper accused the broadcaster of using her as a “marketing tool” over The Walk-In, starring Stephen Graham.
The drama focuses on informant Robbie Mullen, his handler at anti-fascism campaign group Hope not hate (Hnh), and how the organisation infiltrated banned far-right terror group National Action (NA) and prevented the planned attack on Ms Cooper in 2017.
Rosie Cooper was the target of a far-right murder plot in 2017. Pic: Twitter
Ms Cooper, currently MP for West Lancashire – although she is soon to stand down to take up a role with the NHS – told the Commons she was “appalled at ITV’s recent treatment of the threats to MPs”.
She said all the money generated from the TV series, which launched on 3 October, should be donated to the Jo Cox Foundation, which was set up following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016.
“I have been used as a marketing tool by both Hope not hate and ITV,” Ms Cooper said. “What excuse is there for a press release that says, ‘Who is Rosie Cooper, and who wanted to murder her?’
“There is no defence to that. So, let’s test the public defence, the public interest defence, to their despicable behaviour and I call on Hope not hate and ITV to donate all money and profits generated from this TV series, both here and abroad, every single penny should go to the Jo Cox Foundation.
“We should not tolerate this kind of behaviour.”
Ms Cooper’s comments came after Alicia Kearns, Conservative chairwoman of the foreign affairs committee, raised a point of order about ensuring that “threats on the lives of our colleagues are not treated as entertainment”.
Jack Renshaw, now 27, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, is currently serving a life sentence for preparing acts of terrorism, after admitting planning to kill Ms Cooper with a sword-like Gladius knife on the first day of a trial in 2018.
A spokesperson for ITV said the broadcaster was “very sympathetic to the horrific ordeal” Ms Cooper has been through, but pointed out that “this has never been the emphasis of our press and marketing” around The Walk-In.
Andrew Ellis and Dean-Charles Chapman also star in The Walk-In. Pic: ITV
“The series has never been described in this way in any ITV press release,” the spokesperson said. “From Hillsborough, Bloody Sunday, Appropriate Adult, Little Boy Blue, A Confession to The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jeffries, ITV has a long record of broadcasting factual dramas based on or representing real events.
“Like these, The Walk-In is an important story which we believe it is overwhelmingly in the public interest to broadcast. We always conduct the making of these series carefully and responsibly.”
Mr Mullen, a former member of NA, spent a prolonged time undercover as a mole for Hnh and passed information on to the police.
He is played by This Is England star Andrew Ellis in the series, while his handler Matthew Collins is played by Graham.
In response to Ms Cooper’s comments, a Hope not hate spokesperson said The Walk-In highlights “the very real danger of far-right extremism – especially for those in public life”.
In a statement, the spokesperson said. “We sympathise with Rosie Cooper for everything she has been through in recent years. No one should endure murder threats simply for doing their job.
“Clearly, we are disappointed to hear Rosie’s words in the chamber today. In 2017, several members of our organisation worked tirelessly and at tremendous sacrifice to themselves to foil the murder plot against Rosie Cooper.”
The spokesperson added: “We cannot change what has happened to Rosie Cooper, but we can continue to work to tackle far-right extremism”.
Entertainment
Creatives having to be even more creative as National Theatre overhauls how it stages productions
The National Theatre is overhauling how it stages productions – as its ambitious climate targets mean creatives are having to be even more creative.
After setting itself the goal of achieving net zero as an organisation by 2030, off-stage quietly radical changes are under way.
Pic: Reed Watts
Sky News was invited to see how the theatre, based in Southbank, central London, has gone about overhauling its approach to staging productions, meeting with some of those who’ve worked on its adaptation of the much-loved children’s classic Ballet Shoes.
While critics have been full of praise for the visual spectacle on-stage, how the whole look was created required a fundamental shift in approach.
“All of the team have had to be on board with reinventing, recutting and reimagining items rather than just making them from scratch,” costume designer Samuel Wyer said.
A new resource they had to work with was the National Theatre Green Store in Bermondsey, southeast London.
The warehouse has more than 131,000 items of costume and almost 22,000 props now housed under one roof so that designers can repurpose items from previous productions to try to cut their carbon footprint.
It’s a surprisingly satisfying challenge.
Mr Wyer said they were able to “dip and cut clothes… which meant I was finding things even outside my imagination that were more perfect than I could have drawn on a piece of paper”.
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Trying to lead by example, the theatre hopes to demonstrate how the industry needn’t take a fast fashion approach to making sets, props and costumes from scratch.
“I think if it’s demonstrated that we can do things in this way that helps all of us imagine a world where we can use what we’ve got rather than new, new, new, because we need that balance,” Mr Wyer said.
“Theatre is where we come to imagine who we could be.”
Pic: Reed Watts
‘Every piece has its own little quirks’
Last year, the National set itself targets of 50% of the materials used in its productions having had a previous life, and 65% being repurposed at the end of each production.
For set designer Frankie Bradshaw, hitting those targets has meant working with a lot more repurposed furniture.
“Lots of second-hand cabinets, bookshelves,” she said. “Ordinarily [carpenters] would have been used to building from scratch following a drawing and this has been quite different.
“Every piece has its own little quirks, and they’ve had to adapt their processes to fit that way of working.”
While it’s by no means straightforward, the process is proving rewarding.
“It requires everyone to be a little bit more flexible, a little more patient, but it does mean you can end up with a product you’re a lot more proud of,” Ms Bradshaw added.
Ballet Shoes runs at the National Theatre until Saturday 22 February.
Neil Young has been confirmed as a headliner at this year’s Glastonbury – despite saying he was dropping out due to the BBC’s involvement in the festival.
The 79-year-old Canadian musician wrote on his website earlier this week that both he and his band, The Chrome Hearts, were pulling out because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.
He has now said in a statement that this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.
Emily Eavis, the organiser of the Glastonbury Festival, posted on Instagram on Friday: “Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury.
“He does things his own way and that’s why we love him.
“We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June.”
Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.
Posting on Neil Young Archives, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer wrote in his initial statement: “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs.
“We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.
“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”
Young performing at Glastonbury in 2009. Pic: AP
Young, who headlined the festival’s Pyramid stage in 2009, added: “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.
“Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”
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In an updated statement, he wrote: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury festival, which I always have loved.
“Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing! Hope to see you there!”
Young, who is married to US actress Daryl Hannah, was booked to play Glastonbury in 1997 but pulled out after cutting his left index finger while making a ham sandwich.
Glastonbury, one of the UK’s largest music festivals, is set to take place between 25 and 29 June, with Sir Rod Stewart booked for the Sunday teatime legend slot.
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