The Irresistible Rise of Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is one of the most popular and immediately recognisable politicians in Britain. The London mayor has surfed the Olympic wave to become a potential future Prime Minister. Yet few people know what he is really like. This candid TV portrait by Michael Cockerell reveals the real Boris Johnson.

Until now, Johnson has always refused to be interviewed for a TV profile. Now, in a series of interviews with the man himself and those who know him best, Cockerell charts Boris Johnson’s irresistible rise.

The documentary shows sides of Boris never seen before - from home-movie footage of him as a child, to his take-no-prisoners technique on the tennis court.  And it tracks his relationship with David Cameron – from their school days together at Eton, to their time in the notorious Bullingdon club at Oxford, to their often edgy dealings behind the scenes today.

The film deals frankly with controversial subjects like Boris Johnson’s tangled love life, and explores how he manages to get away with things that would have sunk most other politicians.  As David Cameron put it when Johnson was stuck on a zip wire: "Boris defies all forms of gravity."

The film also shows how Johnson managed to become a Conservative mayor in traditionally Labour London - and how he has interpreted the role. Interviewees include Boris Johnson’s mother, in her first TV interview; his remarkably candid sister Rachel; Ian Hislop; Conrad Black; and Ken Livingstone.  And Johnson himself goes further than ever before on the key question: whether he wants to be Prime Minister.

Publicity contact: MH