Make Me Famous is an intimate portrait of a young man’s experiences dealing with newfound fame. We follow Billy’s journey through his post-reality-TV experience as he struggles with his self-image. As the world closes in on him, he finds himself increasingly alone. The film looks at fame, mental health and the toxic consequences of social media trolling.
The full film can be seen here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08fvdyp/make-me-famous
The film is honest and heartfelt, and we were always conscious of creating something unbiased. We present the reality of the situation, trying to break down the stereotypical image people expect to see of the playboy character living it large. We reveal Billy’s true off-screen character and how he struggles to live up to the expectations of the public, and in turn how it affects his mental health.
We were lucky to have an incredible ensemble cast, but the film is anchored around a fantastic, heartfelt performance from the lead, Tom Brittney, who creates a deeply nuanced Billy, which perfectly expresses the dichotomy of his public and private personas.
Produced by Expectation, this 60’ single drama was commissioned for BBC Three by Fiona Campbell, Controller BBC Three, and Clare Sillery, Head Of Commissioning, Documentaries. The Executive Producers for Expectation are Bafta-winners Colin Barr and Sue Horth (Damilola, Our Loved Boy, Our World War, My Murder). It has been written by Reggie Yates, directed by Peter King and produced by Margaret Conway. Make Me Famous is distributed by BBC Studios.