It was one of the worst-kept secrets in Holyrood, but today producer and star Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that plans for a sequel to IndyRef were underway.
The first IndyRef was released in September 2014 to record numbers, breaking all-time records for audience turnout, but proved to be divisive, with 45% giving it the thumbs-up and more than half saying ‘no, thank you’.
But after the blockbuster Brexit: The Referendum hit the UK like thermonuclear warhead, Holyrood executives have decided to give IndyRef another outing.
Titled IndyRef 2: This Time It’s Serious, the sequel is slated for a Spring 2019 release, with the tagline “A Once In A Generation Opportunity – Again”.
In a statement released by Holyrood Studios, Sturgeon said: “The response to the first IndyRef, followed by the unexpected popularity of Brexit, gave us the confidence to pursue a sequel.
“We’re working on it now and expect the follow-up to be the success that we all hoped the first IndyRef would be.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and we can’t wait to share it with you all.”
She added that there were currently no plans to turn IndyRef into a trilogy, but didn’t rule out future expansion into a franchise.
Confirmation of the sequel had been teased since June last year, with some fans no doubt relieved and excited to see a new IndyRef. However, news of the follow-up was not met with universal enthusiasm.
Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images
Executive of rival studio Westminster Theresa May said that the public “has no appetite for a sequel to IndyRef” and that “the numbers speak for themselves – the public were offered the first IndyRef and the public didn’t want it.”
Star of the successful Backstabber franchise and executive producer of Brexit: The Referendum Michael Gove said: “Brexit was a phenomenal hit.
“All the so-called experts said it would flop, but it has gone on to become the single most-definitive piece of British culture since Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
“For the heads of Holyrood to try and have another bite at the cherry is unbecoming of a once great institution.
“It’s greedy, and I would know about that.”
Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Semi-prominent industry figure Jeremy Corbyn was approached for comment, but instead mumbled something about unions and shuffled off into his allotment.
IndyRef 2: This Time It’s Serious is a Holyrood Studios production, slated for release in Scotland Spring 2019
