Party Animals is a British television drama series that aired on BBC Two in 2007. It was produced by World Productions, the production company behind No Angels and This Life.
The series is set in and around the British Parliament in Westminster, following the lives of young researchers, lobbyists, and Members of Parliament. It explores the high-stakes, high-pressure world of British politics from the perspective of the junior staff who shoulder significant responsibility behind the scenes.
The show is notable for featuring Matt Smith in his first major television role, portraying Danny Foster, a Labour Party researcher. Andrew Buchan played Scott Foster, Danny's older brother and a lobbyist. Shelley Conn starred as Ashika Chandrimani, a Conservative Party parliamentary researcher and aspiring Minister, and Andrea Riseborough played Kirsty MacKenzie, an intern working alongside Danny.
Key details:
- Network: BBC Two
- Created by: Robert Jones and Ben Richards
- Production company: World Productions
- Number of series: 1
- Number of episodes: 8
- Original run: 31 January 2007 – 21 March 2007
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Language: English
Main cast:
- Andrew Buchan as Scott Foster
- Shelley Conn as Ashika Chandrimani
- Andrea Riseborough as Kirsty MacKenzie
- Matt Smith as Danny Foster
- Patrick Baladi as James Northcote
- Clemency Burton-Hill as Sophie Montgomery
- Pip Carter as Matt Baker
- Raquel Cassidy as Jo Porter
- Colin Salmon as Stephen Templeton
- Peter Wight as George Morgan
The series was also broadcast internationally, including on ABC1 in Australia (from December 2008), TVOntario in Canada (from February 2010), the Knowledge Network in British Columbia (from September 2011), and NRK in Norway (from May 2012).
