The Hunt for Tony Blair

The Hunt for Tony Blair is a one-off episode of The Comic Strip Presents..., a British television comedy, which was first shown on Channel 4 on 14 October 2011.

[3] Determined to clear his name, Blair escapes from 10 Downing Street; but he is a man with no friends willing to give him sanctuary, while the fervent media demand his capture.

Speaking about the forthcoming film, Jay Hunt, the television channel's Chief Creative Officer said: "Comic Strip defined comedy for a generation and it's a real coup to have the team back tackling one of the most controversial subjects of our time in a way that only they can.

Tony Blair on the run, Jennifer Saunders as Margaret Thatcher, a stellar cast and hotbed of political intrigue – I can't wait to see the rushes.

Locations included The Imperial Hotel and Casino in Torquay, while some outside scenes were shot in Plymouth (Royal William Yard), Cornwood (Police car passing petrol station), Totnes and Dartmouth.

Peter Richardson, who co-wrote and directed the film, told The Guardian that he had read Blair's autobiography A Journey as inspiration, and had even taken some lines from the book for use in the script.

He also said that he had been sensitive with the portrayal of real people, particularly the former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and the late Labour Party leader John Smith, both of whom are deceased.

"[10] Caitlin Moran writing in The Times described it, in a generally enthusiastic review, as "The television equivalent of doing nitrous oxide at a party – a quick puff and you're left beaming, with an empty balloon in your hand wishing you could have another one.

"[12] But John Preston, another Telegraph reviewer appears to have had a more mixed opinion of the production, writing: "I saw the Comic Strip Presents… The Hunt for Tony Blair (Friday, Channel 4), described in another paper as "mercilessly satirical".