“Hilarious, brave and strangely arousing” says actor Hugh Grant. The Scotsman states it’s “Devilishly Devious” and of course, the Daily Star simply says, “A Judas”. With reactions such as these, Rich Peppiatt’s One Rogue Reporter has certainly seemed to have divided opinions and polarised audience members – as this hour long, intensely informative endeavour is a thought provoking and eye opening piece of documentary cinema.
As previous journalist Peppiatt states, everyone wants to tell their boss exactly what they think of them – albeit very few actually verbalise their inner feelings. Just imagine writing down everything you feel, handing it to them and walking out the door. For Rich he doesn’t have to imagine and after everything he had done for the Daily Star; including dressing up in ridiculous outfits and proposing to Susan Boyle in a kilt. After getting his letter of resignation to boss Richard Desmound published in The Guardian for everyone and their cat to see, Peppiatt decided to turn to comedy and create an act based on his experiences in journalism – One Rogue Reporter. Scandalous some say, but what it is, is highly entertaining and fantastically funny. This man pushes everything to the nth degree, but of course from his experience in the industry he himself knows this is the only way to get results.
Along with help from producer, director Tom Jenkinson, Peppiatt was able to push the boundaries of privacy, public expression and freedom of expression, much like a reporter really. Using the phone hacking scandal of The News of the World, Rich cleverly and expertly transforms his specific skill set on the very people who take advantage of those always in the public eye. Whilst slipping in ideal film clips from various classics revolving around journalism, we see his comedy act turn into something much more advanced – and boy is it enthralling. Targeting said individuals who gave the orders to dig up dirt on a certain someone puts them in the same position as the people their own employees were previously hunting, and let’s just say they don’t like it. The sheer determination and persistence expressed by Peppiatt is second to none and the man has certainly proved his point.
One Rouge Reporter is a great feat for Naughty Step Productions. The concept alone is fantastic and bringing onboard celebrity contributors such as Hugh Grant, Steve Coogan and John Bishop only enhance Peppiatt’s already enticing subject. Yes, some may find what this man does abusive and outrageous, yet one has to look at the greater picture. By provoking the various people he approached, whether it was marching up to their front doorsteps or posing as someone else in order to gain some facetime, this really was the only way to catch them out. The message at the heart of this somewhat dark comedy is simply too big to ignore.
