Bunny and the Bull: interviews

Director Paul King and stars Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby on the surreal British comedy.

With television credits that include groundbreaking comedies like Garth Marenghi's Dark Place and The Mighty Boosh, director Paul King is well practised at bringing the surreal to screen. It's therefore no surprise that his feature debut Bunny and The Bull (nominated for two BIFA awards) goes a lot further off the beaten track than the average road movie...

As expected though, there are plenty of laughs along the way as a young agorahobe, played by Edward Hogg (last seen in White Lightnin') relives a backpacking trip whilst stuck in his London flat, contemplating a visit to the corner shop. King's pal Simon Farnaby co-stars as his gregarious travel companion and also inspired the script with tales of his grandfather.

Richard Ayoade as a tour guide in Bunny and the Bull

What sets the film apart, however, is the extraordinary mix of visual ingredients which King uses to recreate Europe. He takes references from vintage children's television, including Paddington (which he is currently developing for the big screen), setting live action against projected backdrops and throwing in plenty of stop-motion animation.

There's also an inventive use of props with newspaper cuttings doubling for snow, a fairground made of clockwork parts and a scrap metal bull.

King talks to BBC Film Network about his eclectic style of filmmaking while co-stars Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby reveal the challenges of trying to fit within that vision.

Interview and text by Stella Papamichael | Editing by Ravi Ajit Chopra