ToryBoy The Movie

''ToryBoy The Movie'' is a 2011 gonzo-style British documentary feature film directed by and starring John Walsh. It follows Walsh as he becomes a political candidate for the Conservative Party in the north east England constituency of Middlesbrough.

Background

A staunch Labour Party supporter all his life, Walsh had become disillusioned with the party. When David Cameron opened the door to allow non party members to run for the Conservative candidacy ahead of the 2010 general election, John Walsh decided to do just that and document his experiences on camera.John Walsh interview, Young People In Politics, n.d.
/ref> He came third in the election; Stuart Bell remained the MP for Middlesbrough, but the Conservative share of the vote increased to 18.8 per cent.

The film

The film was based on the 72 hours of footage made by Walsh on the campaign trail. It made the case that Labour's Stuart Bell should not be the Member of Parliament (MP) of Middlesbrough, as Bellwho had been the MP since 1983was absent so often from Middlesbrough that he would be an unsuitable candidate. Walsh showed the finished film in a free showing a year after the election. On the '' Who Can I vote For?'' website, Walsh gives a humorous warning: "this film contains strong language throughout and scenes of politicians that some viewers may find offensive".

Walsh paid homage to the great title designer Saul Bass and recreated his angular animations to create a fresh approach to telling this story. According to The White Balance (the animation studio that Walsh worked with), "This mad cap comedy best captured the visual style and the transition of the film was making from a serious expose of the political shenanigans in the North East, to a political satire."

Interviewed for Benjamin Glass' blog published by the ''Digital Journal'' in April 2011 before its release, Walsh said that he took a risk making this film: "For something like this, an investigative film, there will be some who think that I have exceeded my brief as a candidate. I would say that it is right to look at injustice and in this country people have died so that we may all have the right to question those in authority and those in public office." When it premiered in London in May 2011, ''The Northern Echo'' reported Walsh's suggestion that the film might force a by-election as a result of its findings. Walsh said he had been serious about becoming an MP and had self-funded his £15,000 election campaign. "When I got to Middlesbrough I found a town that politics had forgotten and a MP who was there in name only, a truly depressingly affair.”

A screening at the Frontline Club took place on 22 November 2011 followed by a Q&A with John Walsh.

In 2018, in a podcast interview with BritFlicks, Walsh talked about the difficulties in making the film.

Critical reception

In 2011 the film was nominated for the Grierson Awards for "Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme".

The '' Radio Times'' film review by Jeremy Aspinall on the film's re-release gave it four stars, and called it "A revealing and droll fly-on-the-wall documentary. It's a fascinating odyssey illuminated by pithily informative animations. Who would have thought politics could be so entertaining?". ''The Irish Post'' said Walsh’s "documentary about a rookie Conservative candidate aimed to provide an insight into British political culture, and in doing so uncovered the next big political scandal."

According to Richard Moss, the BBC
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