Think Trainspotting meets Van Helsing… but with cops

When they first conceived of the concept of a 1980s cop spoof back in 2014, three-man comedy company Nathan Parkinson, Zachary Hunt and Tom Roe could not have envisioned where Police Cops might lead them.

Parkinson describes their style of show as “supercharged, gag-a-second, narrative-lead comedy plays”, using film genre parody as a jumping off point for original stories.

“Our narratives are designed for maximum audience entertainment and packed with written jokes, visual/prop gags and physical comedy,” he says.

But the audiences aren’t the only ones having a great time. “The spirit of our shows are very playful, intimate and performed like every show might be our last,” reflects Parkinson.

“We keep sections open for improvisation to keep it fresh and things are always going wrong which we need to figure out in front of the audience which keeps things authentic and fun.”

Their first three shows Police Cops, Police Cops in Space and Badass Be They Name have won a clutch of awards and rapturous receptions from festival crowds around the world, and new show Police Cops the Musical – an ambitious musical adaptation of Police Cops, featuring live music and original songs – is set to do the same at Edinburgh Fringe in August 2022.

So how did it all begin for the company? While undergraduates, they made three scenes from an action movie spoof. “We were just hoping to get a good grade for our comedy module at drama school and have some fun in the process,” recalls Parkinson. “After that, it kind of erupted.”

(l-r): Tom Roe, Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson – photo: courtesy of Police Cops

The trio went up to Edinburgh Fringe with “young, naively optimistic anticipation of the possible success we could have”, and returned with a hit show on their hands. Nevertheless, the speed of velocity and magnitude of success is not something they take lightly.

“The writing and devising process is a mixed bag,” Parkinson admits. “There are those flow state creative juices flowing moments where the ball is rolling and jokes and ideas are coming organically and smoothly.

“Then there is the real craft of it, which can be arduous: figuring out the storyline, creating montages, fight sequences and dance routines, and then practising them over and over again to get them tight. Realizing something is wrong and needing to re-write or scrap entirely is exhausting.

“With our second show Police Cops in Space we made it over six months, did a preview in June, realized the whole show was not working and had to make the whole show again in four weeks during July whilst we were touring in South Africa, to then premiere in Edinburgh in August. That wasn’t fun. But somehow it worked out and that relief and joy adds to the whole experience.”

Police Cops in Space, promotional image: courtesy of Police Cops

As the momentum of Police Cops began to build, it made sense for the second show to be loosely connected to the first. “They’re in the same universe,” agrees Parkinson. “Police Cops is a 1970s/80s action cop parody following rookie cop Jimmy Johnson; then Police Cops in Space is an 80s sci-f parody following Jimmy Johnson’s son Sammy.”

But the third outing, Badass Be Thy Name works as a standalone show. “It’s completely independent. It’s a 90s rave-themed gritty brit-flick parody mashed up with a vampire-slaying horror epic. It’s Trainspotting meets Van Helsing.”

Despite the different settings, there is a common aesthetic woven into the fabric of all Police Cops adventures. For Parkinson, it is influenced by a celebration of what he calls “the wacky side character” in movies.

“I think we all love the small character in the movie that steals the entire film in one scene. It’s why none of us want to play the protagonist in our shows, and we’re all battling to play the smaller parts! We all love that style of chaos that those characters bring; you can go off on crazy tangents and be really off-the-wall.”

(l-r) Tom Row and Zachary Hunt – photo: courtesy of Police Cops

Police Cops: Badass Be Thy Name is at Tobacco Factory Theatres, Raleigh Road, Bristol, BS3 1TF on February 17-19 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com.

Main photo: courtesy of Police Cops

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