Comic makes documentary about 'boy racers'

Stand-up Matt Rudge has made a documentary about the super-wealthy young Arab men who allegedly turn the well-heeled streets of Knightsbridge into a dangerous racetrack.

Now Channel 4 is to air the film – which Rudge filmed, directed and narrated– in its Cutting Edge strand

Each summer, rich young men from the Gulf descend on London’s most upmarket areas with their million-pound supercars – causing locals to complain they are racing on the residential roads, causing serious collisions and sleepless nights.

The documentary’s executive producer, Jonny Young said: ‘We’d seen Matt’s stand-up and stor telling at Edinburgh and then when he was on tour with Stewart Francis. He has a way of finding humour and comedy in some serious topics and tense real life situations.

‘Having also seen his past films, we were really excited about making this film with him. We knew it had be funny and mischievous, but simultaneously it had to be balanced and journalistically sound.’

Rudge who was nominated for the Bafta Breakthrough Talent award for his first full-length documentary, The Autistic Me, travelled to the Gulf with his camera, to capture the multi-millionaires transporting their Lamborghinis and Ferraris by airplane to London for a few weeks in the summer.

Rudge also spent July and August filming with the locals and police in Knightsbridge. He said: ‘Knowing I had to be out filming in The Gulf during August, and miss the 2012 Edinburgh Festival was really difficult. It’s the first festival I’ve missed in five years.

‘But I’m really proud of this documentary – it’s got conflict, cars and a conscience - but is also very comical.’

During filming, Rudge had his camera kit confiscated, was confined by Kuwait customs, and was chased by Royal bodyguards when he started filming an unknown Prince’s car in London.

The documentary airs on Channel 4 at 10pm tomorrow.

Published: 2 Jan 2013