In a new interview on Blazing Minds I got a chance to ask The Bruvs writer-producer Ian Brown a few questions about the inspiration behind the characters, working with animator Eoin Clarke and what we can expect from the upcoming Halloween Special.
Q. For those who haven’t seen the show what can they expect from The Bruvs?
A. Knockabout cartoon comedy featuring a family of villains trying – and failing – to mend their ways in a new home. Brothers Doug and Den Bruv are the main protagonists and usually things end in violence – between the brothers, proving blood is thicker. As they try to make their new life we see them visiting hipster coffee shops, trying to get culture at an art gallery, almost queuing patiently in a bank, visiting the dentist, pulling one of their nephew Jason’s milk teeth and trying to cash in by filming it for the home video show You’ve Been Maimed, doing their own version of Gogglebox, addressing the inconvenience of traffic calming speed bumps in their neighbourhood and trying to support local artisanal shopkeepers when buying supplies for their next, er, job. It’s a bit violent and a little bit sweary here and there. It’s been called Family Guy meets Eastenders.
Q. How did the idea for the animated series first come about?
A. I’d come up with the idea of comedy villains some time ago. Then I was lucky enough to write a script for The Simpsons. It was for Homer to deliver a message on a tribute show to Simon Cowell, who’d been on The Simpsons three times by then. I wrote something and the bosses at The Simpsons liked it and agreed to animate a special piece from Homer. That made up my mind to try to make The Bruvs an animation.
Q. What was the inspiration behind the characters Doug and Den and why did you decide to base the events in Essex?
A. I was noticing these sort of characters in my area when I moved to a new home on the Essex borders. Amazing cars parked up on pavements outside cafes, bald-headed gents at tables outside keeping tabs on their motors. I wondered what their line of work might be. Of course, some see a familiarity as well with certain well-known underworld characters. But I could not possibly comment. That said, we have quite a big following from certain characters.
Q. The Bruvs is designed and animated by animation director Eoin Clarke. How did he get involved in the project and why did you feel he was the right animator for the series?
A. He was working with an animation house at the time. I went to them to work on art work and production budgets. Eoin did some character design and a storyboard for what has become our episode Tooth Fairy, made from those original storyboards. Eoin got it all immediately and knew what The Bruvs should look like. We are on the same wavelength. The Bruvs was not picked up back then. When I suggested to Eoin that we just make some episodes to test the water, he was on board.
You have a special Halloween episode which is coming out this October. Can you tell us what the latest episode is about?
A. It’s one of our musical specials.. A music video for the song Brick Or Treat. Written by our superb musos Stig Winslet and Pete Harbour. It tells the story of how The Bruvs see Halloween and Trick Or Treat as a chance to demand stuff with menaces round the neighbourhood with their nephew Jason.. With added spiders, dancing pumpkins and aggro.
Q. In addition to the animated series you also now have podcasts for The Bruvs. Why did you decide to expand into podcasts and how have the responses been compared to the animated series?
A. We have loads of ideas for The Bruvs cartoons but are slightly held back by the time and budget constraints that we have. Our brilliant editor and sound recordist Paul Richmond suggested Podcasts as they were becoming all the rage. We can do longer episodes, introduce new characters and experiment a bit with the podcasts. On the same Soundcloud site we also put our original music and songs from our great musos Stig Winslet and Pete Harbour.
Q. The series has continued to grow in popularity and has even been broadcast on the UKTV channel Dave. Are you surprised at how well it has been received?
A. I am a bit surprised – but more thrilled than surprised. I thought they had potential and when we posted the first couple, the feedback was good. And the joy of YouTube is that it is international and the feedback is instant. The same goes for our Facebook, Twitter and Insta sites. We have had a great response from all over – particularly in the States.
I was delighted when UKTV acquired 10 episodes. It was a great boost. I’d love another broadcaster to help us take The Bruvs even further… Longer with bigger storylines. We have the concepts and ideas.
Q. How much has the programme evolved from the initial concept and are you looking to do anything different with the characters in the future?
A. We are more confident now and we know the characters well – and know how they would react in certain situations and to certain people. We are developing the storylines through our podcast audio sketches but we would love to make longer animations – more like sitcoms. We believe there is a lot more potential for these characters as they take on modern life, the pressures of trying to reform and each other.
Q. Are there any celebrity guests that you would like to have on the series or podcast?
A. People have raised this before. It would be good to have some hard nut actors take part – the likes of Jason Statham, Ray Winstone… Sir Michael Caine would be great. We have resisted Reality stars that have been suggested to us. We’re happy with our very own Chanterelle – who might remind some people of quite a few reality personalities.
Q. Prior to The Bruvs, you have had quite a varied career as a writer and producer, can you tell me a little bit about the projects which you have worked on previously?
A. I started out as a journalist on local then national newspapers as a reporter and sub-editor. Then into TV news for the London area. I moved then into entertainment TV as a researcher on chat shows before joining the long-running tribute show This Is Your Life. I became a writer on that series and through that show wrote or produced for many household names. I also worked on various game shows and then started to work with Jeremy Clarkson – before the rebirth of Top Gear under his stewardship. Beyond that I’ve also worked with Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, the Youtubers Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee and The Fast Show’s Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.
Q. You have worked on some amazing projects and people over the years, but are there any which you are particularly proud of or would like the opportunity to work on again?
A. It would be nice if This Is Your Life might return. Whether I’d be wanted to be a part of it is another matter. But it was a great mix of journalism, celebrity expose, famous faces, celebrating real-life heroism. The trouble is everyone is a celebrity now thanks to insta and most lives are laid bare all over social media. What would be news?
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on outside of The Bruvs?
A. I am – some interesting potential road trips with comedy and sports stars. I can’t say much more. It’s in the early stages. Also a possible documentary about a rock ‘n roll scandal. Unfortunately, although we offer The Bruvs merchandise, we’re not making enough out of The Bruvs just yet to do it full time.
Q. If someone is looking to get into the industry as a writer what advice would you give them?
A. Go for it. It would be tough, I feel. The explosion in media courses, film-making courses and creative courses has flooded the workplace and market place. I trained to be a journalist. It was a great grounding for me. But even that is a tough one now as most local papers have vanished. It’s where best to get a foothold. Often these days it is a case of luck and perseverance. If you can get any sort of work experience in a newspaper or magazine office or in a production office take it. Don’t work for nothing for too long. Have some self-worth. See if it’s what you really want. You might also start writing and posting blogs or any creative work you have produced. You can enter film scripts to film festivals now and just keep knocking on doors.
The Bruvs Credits
Writer : Ian Brown
Director : Eoin Clarke
Sound : Paul Richmond
Music : Stig Winslet, Pete Harbour
You can find out more about The Bruvs on the website: www.TheBruvs.com and the following social media pages Twitter – Facebook – Instagram
You can also watch episodes of The Bruv on YouTube and listen to them on Sound Cloud
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
