Another day, another project announcement from the king and queen of the grifters Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He may never sit on the throne in the UK, but they have more than earned royal status amongst chancers for their shady attempts at inserting themselves into the entertainment industry. Having been derided for their attempts at documentary and lifestyle programming, they are now turning their hands to drama.
The pair are executive-producing a "polo-themed" drama series for streaming giant Netflix, two years after Harry's Polo documentary was savaged by both critics and his polo-playing chums. The idea is just a further example of how out of touch the pair are, as even Jilly Cooper couldn't make the sport work on screen. The late great Dame penned a book called Polo as the third offering in her Rutshire Chronicles, which also includes Rivals. The book is an epic tome. However, while many other books in the series have been adapted, plans to bring that to the screen were axed due to the high production budget required to capture the glamour and action of the international polo circuit.
Therein lies the delusion in their idea. There is a reason Polo is called the sport of kings - because it is extremely elitist. Historically, it was used for training elite cavalry and was considered a prestigious pastime for emperors and royals. As a case in point, Harry has been playing since childhood.
It was removed from the Olympics in 1939 and isn't broadcast on television because it simply doesn't have a mainstream audience. Instead, you can watch this niche sport on dedicated polo streaming channels.
I have attended polo matches and can attest that, despite looking glamorous, they are extremely dull. They are nothing like the scene in Pretty Woman (which is probably Meghan's only experience of the sport prior to meeting Harry), aside from the copious quaffing of champagne.
Very few of the "spectators" appeared to be paying any attention to the match, and it seemed to be more of an excuse to get squiffy and socialise while appearing part of the upper echelons than a tense sporting event.
Deadline reports the series is currently untitled, but will be set in the "high-flying equestrian town" of Wellington, Florida. It will be co-produced by the couple's Archewell Productions and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's Fake Empire.
According to reports, the drama is "widening the scope of what is considered an elitist 'sport of kings' beyond the rich owners and players", and apparently it will have an upstairs/downstairs spin.
The fact that Harry and Meghan can't see that their "spin" only serves to prove just how elitist polo is boggles the mind. No doubt they will be hoping it will take off in the way ice hockey romantic drama Heated Rivalry has, but the key difference is that ice hockey is a hugely popular and pretty accessible sport. Polo isn't something people can get behind the way they do with other sports, like football.
There would never be a good time to run this, but at a time when people are struggling, and the cost of living is through the roof, it seems rather skewed to expect Joe Public to watch a series about some overprivileged elites spending more on their polo pony than many people earn in a year.
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