Controversial U.K. Politician Jacob Rees-Mogg Gets Discovery+ Docu-Series

Warner Bros. Discovery's Discovery+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland has given the green light to a new show centered around the public and private life of divisive British politician Jacob Rees-Mogg, named Meet The Rees-Moggs.

The Optomen-produced series of five parts aims to provide a closer look at the man beyond his public persona. This show offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Rees-Mogg's life at his residence in Somerset, where he resides with his wife and six children.

Rees-Mogg, known as a classic Englishman who made headlines for wearing a top hat at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, sparked mixed reactions during his tenure in Parliament. The Conservative politician lost his seat in the last UK election, where Keir Starmer's Labour Party achieved a big win.

A strong supporter of Brexit, Rees-Mogg represents a far-right stance that the conservative Tories have embraced in recent years. He has challenged the validity of climate change multiple times and opposed taxes on bankers' bonuses, gay marriage, and abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. In 2022, he proposed that businesses should no longer be required to disclose information about the gender pay gap and their promptness in paying suppliers. Rees-Mogg consistently supports stricter immigration policies, and one of his most controversial moments was when he appeared to recline and fall asleep during a House of Commons debate in 2019.

People are drawing parallels between former Tory Health Secretary Matt Hancock and far-right Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage appearing on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in the past. Some viewers in the U.K. think it is inappropriate to showcase "out-of-touch" politicians like Jacob Rees-Mogg, whose net worth is around £100 million ($128 million), on such platforms. On the other hand, some believe that humanizing these politicians is beneficial for British democracy.

Get ready to join The Rees-Moggs as they navigate the lead-up to the upcoming general election and all that comes after. Rees-Mogg, along with his wife Helena de Chair, will take viewers on a journey filled with animals, children, and the chaos of a film crew. As the politician humorously puts it, the resulting documentary may end up more like a comedic Fawlty Towers episode than a refined Downton Abbey one.

The program will debut on Discovery+ in the upcoming months. Charlotte Reid commissioned the series for Discovery+ and Deirdre Dowling and Matt Reid oversaw it for Warner Bros. Discovery. Nick Hornby is the executive producer for Optomen, a company under All3Media.