Since being made First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland in May of last year, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness have gone on to raise the eyebrows of spectators both home and abroad with their displays of ostensible friendship and mutual respect.
These once former adversaries have gone on to become Northern Ireland’s jovial politicians and ambassadors, often caught on camera sharing a joke and a smile. They have even been nicknamed ‘The Chuckle Brothers’ in some quarters.
Now, just more than a year after being elected and as Rev Ian Paisley steps down as First Minister, BBC One Northern Ireland is looking beyond the spirited surface in an attempt to discover if Paisley and McGuinness really are two fellow politicians enjoying each others’ company, or if it is all just a show for the cameras.
In The Honeymooners Dr Peter Collett, one of the world’s leading experts in behavioural psychology, studies the unique relationship between Paisley and McGuinness.
Five years ago, Dr Collett studied the behavioural patterns between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown which suggested their relationship behind closed doors was much different to the one they displayed in public.
The film follows the pair on the “honeymoon” of the formation of their coalition government: a trip to America; gets the outsiders’ view from their hosts in the States; and puts the material before Dr Collett for his scientific analysis.
Here, Dr Collett lends his objective expertise to Paisley and McGuinness’ relationship, studying their behaviour towards each other during their business trip to America in December last year.
Using exclusive footage filmed for BBC Northern Ireland for this documentary, Dr Collett analyses the language, jokes and gestures used by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to unpick their unique bond.
Dr Collett says in The Honeymooners: “When you get married and you tie the knot, you've got to do something memorable, something really special. You've got to have a honeymoon. Why not go somewhere where people are going to give you a really great time, where you are going to be treated as though you were royalty.
And that in a way is why Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley decided to go to America. Admittedly they had other business to do, but they knew that by going there they would be feted, they would meet people who regarded their new union as absolutely crucial; a new step in the history of Northern Ireland.
A lot of people have compared the relationship between Paisley and McGuinness as the Chuckle Brothers. Now, this is good, light-hearted fun but in fact it completely misses the point; and that is that humour transforms the whole political process into a completely different entity.”
Trevor Birney who produced the programme says: “This is a relationship which has amazed everyone who has seen it and it seems appropriate, as that relationship comes to an end, to look back at what it was all about.
Between the views of the American well-wishers and the observations of Dr Collett, this documentary should give viewers a completely fresh take on the Paisley-McGuinness relationship.”
The Honeymooners features interviews with many of the influential personalities Rev Paisley and Mr McGuinness met in America, including actor Liam Neeson, and also includes archive footage of the two men.
The Honeymooners is a Below the Radar production for BBC Northern Ireland.