Posted in: Apple, TV | Tagged: apple tv, Dick Turpin, highwayman, hugh bonneville, noel fielding, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin: A Very Real Look
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin premieres on Friday, March 1st, on Apple TV+ - and now, we're getting a new preview video.
Article Summary
- Apple TV+ launches 'The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin' on March 1st.
- Dick Turpin, played by Noel Fielding, leads a gang of whimsical outlaws.
- The British comedy features a star-studded cast including Hugh Bonneville.
- Satirical take on a classic folk hero, combining slapstick and witty humor.
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 1st, and the streamer has released a new preview video. In the series, Dick Turpin (Noel Fielding) sets out on a journey of wildly absurd escapades when he's made the reluctant leader of a band of outlaws — and tasked with outwitting corrupt lawman and self-appointed thief-taker Jonathan Wilde (Hugh Bonneville). In this irreverent retelling set in the 18th century, Turpin is the most famous but least likely of highway robbers, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship, and great hair. Together with his gang of lovable rogues, Turpin rides the highs and lows of his new endeavors – including a brush with celebrity – all whilst trying to escape the clutches of the thief-taker.
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is Apple TV+'s foray into goofy British comedy of the type the BBC used to do regularly but strangely doesn't really produce much anymore. Why that is still remains a bit of a mystery. Well, not really. It's the increased corporatised mentality of the BBC executives whose idea of creativity is another boring cop show. At another time, the BBC might have produced Slow Horses as well, but their loss is Apple TV+ and the global audience's gain.
Dick Turpin was a real-life highwayman in 18th Century England, and he was eventually hanged. He has been a folk hero for centuries in that way that the British love to romanticise rebels and outlaws, which, let's face it, is better than worshipping murderous slavers, politicians, generals, and colonialists who kept killing people for profit and power. Dick Turpin is in the same tradition as Robin Hood, though his life and career as a robber and gang leader were more thoroughly documented, while Robin Hood remains a legend and a probable amalgamation of several figures over several periods in history. He killed some dudes, too, by the way, but the British kind of forgive him for that.
The thing about the British is that they eventually have to make fun of everything, and this is not the first time they made a goofball out of Dick Turpin; just the latest version for the first time in at least a generation. You'll probably notice from the trailers that The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is nearly all made-up, a blend of slapstick, puns, and double-entendre humour with absolutely nothing taken in the least bit seriously, with the big giveaway being the cast of a virtual "who's who" of current British comedy actors from Tamsin Greig to Greg Davies to Jessica Hynes to Diana Morgan (Philomena Cunk herself!).