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'{{Infobox Simpsons episode | episode_name = The Regina Monologues | episode_no = 317 | prod_code = EABF22 | airdate = November 23, 2003 | show runner = [[Al Jean]] | writer = [[John Swartzwelder]] | director = [[Mark Kirkland]] | couch_gag = The back wall is a Play-Doh Fun Factory press that creates clay figures of the Simpsons | guest_star = [[Jane Leeves]] as Edwina<br>[[Tony Blair]] as himself<br>[[Evan Marriott]] as himself<br>[[Ian McKellen]] as himself<br>[[J. K. Rowling]] as herself | image = [[File:The Regina Monologues.png|220px]] | image_caption = Promotional artwork for the episode featuring [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], [[J. K. Rowling]], [[Tony Blair]], [[Evan Marriott]], [[Ian McKellen|Sir Ian McKellen]] and Edwina stuffing Homer into a British [[Mini Cooper]] car. | season = 15 }} "'''The Regina Monologues'''" is the fourth episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki> [[The Simpsons (season 15)|fifteenth season]], and originally aired November 23, 2003 in the United States. It was written by [[John Swartzwelder]], and directed by [[Mark Kirkland]]. The episode sees the [[Simpson family]] travel to the [[United Kingdom]] on holiday. There, they meet several celebrities including [[Tony Blair]], [[Evan Marriott]], [[Ian McKellen]] and [[J. K. Rowling]], who all appear as themselves. Meanwhile [[Abraham Simpson]] journeys to find Edwina, his long lost love, who is voiced by [[Jane Leeves]]. ==Plot== Mr. Burns withdraws a $1000 bill from an [[Automated teller machine|ATM]], but he drops it and an updraft carries it away to the [[742 Evergreen Terrace|Simpsons' house]], where it is found by [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Milhouse Van Houten|Milhouse]]. [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] makes Bart and [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] put up fliers so that the person who lost the bill can reclaim it. No one can describe it correctly so [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] suggests that they spend the money on a vacation, but then decide against it because Homer always manages to ruin any trip they go on. After realizing he can make money from the bill, Bart displays it in a museum in his tree house. Mr. Burns visits and reclaims his money, forcing Bart to close his museum. However, Bart has made over $3000 from the museum so they decide to spend the money on a vacation for Marge. [[Abraham Simpson|Grampa]] suggests they go to [[London]], where he hopes to meet his long-lost love Edwina. During World War II, he made love to her after claiming he was going out to the front lines the next day, not realising that he was shipping out the next day ([[D-Day]]). Upon their arrival in London the family is greeted by [[Tony Blair]], whom Homer mistakes for [[Mr. Bean]]. They visit London's tourist attractions, and later meet [[J. K. Rowling]] and [[Ian McKellen]]. Grampa tries to contact Edwina whilst Bart and Lisa go on a "sugar rush" after discovering the joys of British chocolate. Homer and Marge rent a [[BMW MINI|Mini Cooper]] and start to drive around London but get stuck on a [[roundabout]]. After literally driving in circles for hours, Homer decides to break out of it, plows straight through the gates of [[Buckingham Palace]] and slams into [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]]'s horse drawn carriage. Homer is put on trial for causing harm to the Queen as well as wrecking her carriage. He calls the Queen an impostor, since her luggage is inscribed "[[Royal Highness|H.R.H.]]" which he believes is short for "Henrietta R. Hippo". The Queen, highly offended, demands that he be executed. He is taken away to the [[Tower of London]] to await his execution, where it is planned for his head to be stuck on a pike. The rest of the family call him from outside and Lisa tells him that he can use a secret tunnel that [[Sir Walter Raleigh]] built to escape. However, the tunnel leads straight into the Queen's bedroom, and she calls her guards. Homer pleads with the Queen to find it in her heart to forgive him and she allows him to leave the country on the condition that he take [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] as well. As they prepare to leave, Edwina appears and introduces Grampa to her daughter Abbie. Fearing that he is most likely the father, Abe runs away quickly. Abbie looks and sounds exactly like Homer. ==Production== [[File:Tony Blair at the World Economic Forum.jpg|thumb|left|It took eight months of negotiation to get [[Tony Blair]] to guest star.]] "The Regina Monologues" is (as of 2012) the last regular episode written by longtime ''Simpsons'' writer [[John Swartzwelder]] (though Swartzwelder was credited for contributing to the script to ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html|title=About the DVD|publisher=The Simpsons Movie.com|accessdate=2007-11-29}} On the main page, click on "About the DVD" then on "Production Notes".</ref> The episode was directed by [[Mark Kirkland]].<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/731/731095p3.html|title=The Simpsons: 17 Seasons, 17 Episodes|author=Goldman, Eric; Dan Iverson, Brian Zoromski|work= [[IGN]]|publisher=IGN Entertainment|date=2006-09-08|accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref> The plot of Homer hitting the Queen's carriage was recycled from a [[spec script]] that previous ''Simpsons'' [[showrunner|showrunning team]] [[Al Jean]] and [[Mike Reiss]] had pitched to ''[[The Golden Girls]]''. In that script, [[Dorothy Zbornak]] was injured after a collision with [[Mother Teresa]]'s car.<ref name="Jean">{{cite video|people=Jean, Al|date=2006|title=The Simpsons The Complete Eighth Season DVD commentary for the episode "[[Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious]]"|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> [[Tony Blair]] recorded his part for the episode in April 2003,<ref>{{cite news|author= Staff writer|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/22/blair.simpsons/index.html|title=Tony Blair a 'Simpsons' guest star|date=2003-11-24|accessdate=2007-05-02|work= [[CNN.Com|CNN.com]]|publisher=CNN}}</ref> in ten minutes at [[Downing Street]].<ref name=express/> Blair was sent the script early on in the writing process,<ref name=express>{{cite news|title=The man who finds friends for Homer|date=2004-05-30|publisher=[[Daily Express]]|publisher= Express Newspapers|author=Thurlow, Lorraine}}</ref> and it took eight months of negotiation between [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] and Blair's director of communications [[Alastair Campbell]] before Blair could guest star.<ref name=graph>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2003/12/30/basimp30.xml&page=1|title=Homer and Tony – how I set them up|accessdate=2008-04-25|date=2003-12-30|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|publisher= Telegraph Group Ltd.|author= Broadbent, Lucy}}</ref> In the original script, Blair was supposed to welcome the Simpsons to the United Kingdom "with a garland of 'genuine [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] coal' and hand [Marge] a complimentary Corgi", but Campbell had them changed,<ref name=tele>{{cite news|title=Guess who came to dinner|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/04/16/svrick16.xml&page=3|accessdate=2008-08-03|date=2006-04-16|work=[[The Sunday Telegraph]]|publisher= Telegraph Group Ltd.|author=Roberts, Jack}}</ref> as Blair "made it very clear that he was only interested in doing the show if he could promote tourism in Britain".<ref name=graph/> The show's staff did not know whether Blair would actually record his lines until showrunner Al Jean and his wife were in London promoting the 300th episode of ''The Simpsons''. They received a call stating: "If you go over to Downing Street tomorrow and can promise to get the recording done in 15 minutes, then the Prime Minister will do it". Jean was "so nervous, it was ridiculous" when he met Blair, an event he has cited as "one of the most fantastic moments of his life". Blair was the top choice to guest star in the episode, but the staff did not think they had a chance to get him to appear.<ref name=graph/> Blair is the only head of government to guest star in the show,<ref name=war/> with [[Rudy Giuliani]] (who played himself in the episode "[[Stop or My Dog Will Shoot]]") the only other politician to guest star.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings.aspx?id=20070419fox13|title=Listings|accessdate=2008-07-09|publisher=The Futon Critic}}</ref> [[J. K. Rowling]] recorded her part via [[satellite]] from her home in Scotland,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.dvd.ign.com/articles/436/436093p1.html|title=An Interview With Al Jean|accessdate=2008-04-25|date=2003-08-29|author=Patrizio, Andy|work=[[IGN]]|publisher= IGN Entertainment}}</ref> and [[Ian McKellen]] recorded his over the phone.<ref name=express/> Evan Marriott, contestant on the first series of ''[[Joe Millionaire]]'' appears as himself, while [[Jane Leeves]] plays Edwina.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,465629,00.html|title='Tooning In|accessdate=2008-07-09|date=2008-07-18|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher= [[Time Inc]]|author=Susman, Gary}}</ref> [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] footballer [[Ryan Giggs]] is mentioned by Homer, something which Giggs thought was "brilliant".<ref>{{cite news|title=Giggs' cartoon caper|accessdate=2008-04-25|date=2006-12-29|work=[[Daily Express]]|publisher= Express Newspapers|author=Dunn, Matthew}}</ref> The writers originally drew up a list of ten British celebrities they wanted to appear in the episode.<ref name=ind>{{cite news|title=When Homer met Tony for tea and tourist tips at 10 Downing St|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/when-homer-met-tony-for-tea-and-tourist-tips-at-10-downing-st-757576.html|accessdate=2008-08-03|date=2003-11-22|work=[[The Independent]]|publisher= Independent News & Media|author=Burrell, Ian}}</ref> The [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] [[Rowan Williams]] (a fan of the show) was included in a draft of the script acting as a tour guide and showing some of his relatives around London. Williams had to reject the part due to other engagements.<ref name=ind/> The script also included a role for a musician; the staff had hoped to get [[David Bowie]] or [[Morrissey]] for the part but nothing came together.<ref name=ind/> [[David Beckham|David]] and [[Victoria Beckham]] were also originally sought to guest star in the episode, and would be seen bickering on the street. The idea was dropped after Blair agreed to guest star,<ref name=ind/> and it was deemed that they were not famous enough in the United States and so were not approached.<ref name=ind/><ref name=newsround>{{cite news|author= Staff writer|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_2937000/2937711.stm|title=D'oh! The Simpsons say no to Becks!|date=2003-04-10|accessdate=2007-04-06|work=[[Newsround]]|publisher= BBC}}</ref> Jean commented "We thought about it, we didn't ask. I've heard of him because my daughter plays soccer."<ref name=newsround/> ==Reception== The episode originally aired in America on November 23, 2003 on [[Fox Network|Fox]],<ref name=bbcnews>{{cite news|author=Staff writer|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3222674.stm|title=Blair lined up for Simpsons debut|accessdate=2007-05-02|date=2003-11-23|work=[[BBC News Online]]|publisher= BBC}}</ref> and on January 9, 2004 in the United Kingdom on [[Sky One]].<ref name=western>{{cite news|title=Homer on Buch trail to meet PM and Queen|date=2003-11-25|work=[[Western Mail (Wales)|Western Mail]]|author=Buchanan, Kirsty}}</ref> [[IGN.com]] named the episode the best of the fifteenth season, saying that "It may not be the best episode ever, but hell if it isn't a lot of fun", as well as calling it "extremely funny" and a "high point for the past few seasons."<ref name=IGN/> Tony Blair received criticism from a number of commentators for his appearance in the episode due to the fact that he recorded his part at the height of the [[war in Iraq]].<ref name=war>{{cite news|title=When Ricky Met Homer|date=2007-05-27|work=The Australian Magazine|author=Viner, Brian; Kerrie Murphy|page=034}}</ref> ''[[Sunday Telegraph]]'' journalist Jack Roberts noted that it was "not [Blair's] finest hour".<ref name=tele/> On the other hand, Simon Crerar of ''[[The Times]]'' named Blair's appearance as one of the 33 best guest appearances in the show's history,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2021776.ece|title=The 33 funniest Simpsons cameos ever|date=2007-07-05|accessdate=2008-07-12|author=Crerar, Simon|work=[[The Times]]|publisher= Times Newspapers Ltd.}}</ref> and the [[BBC]] classified his appearance as a "[[public relations|PR]] masterstroke".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3387651.stm|title=Review: Blair's Simpsons role is great PR|accessdate=2008-07-22|date=2004-01-11|work=[[BBC News Online]]|publisher= BBC|author=Brant, Robin}}</ref> The episode is included on the ''Around the World in 80 D'ohs'' DVD.<ref>{{cite news|title=Around the World in 80 D'ohs PG|date=2007-05-25|work=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]|publisher= [[Trinity Mirror]]|author=Fulton, Rick}}</ref> When Blair left office in 2007, it was reported that his successor as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], [[Gordon Brown]], was also being lined up to guest star on the show. Animator [[Dan Povenmire]] noted that American audiences would probably require [[subtitles]] to understand what Brown was saying.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Audiences-Need-Subtitles-For-Gordon-Brown-On-Simpsons/Article/20080141301871?lpos=Politics_1&lid=ARTICLE_1301871_Audiences%2BNeed%2BSubtitles%2BFor%2BGordon%2BBrown%2BOn%2BSimpsons|title=Audiences Need Subtitles For Gordon Brown On Simpsons|accessdate=2008-07-28|date=2008-01-14|author=Brady, Enda|work=[[Sky News]]}}</ref> Voice actress [[Yeardley Smith]] noted that she would like Brown to appear in ''The Simpsons'', but Brown ruled a guest role out stating: "I think Tony Blair did that, I don't think that is for me".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/31/arts/EU-A-E-TV-Britain-Brown-Simpsons.php?WT.mc_id=rssap_news|title=Britain's Brown rules out cameo role on "The Simpsons"|accessdate=2008-07-28|date=2007-10-31|work=[[International Herald Tribune]]|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Series creator [[Matt Groening]] confirmed that Brown would not be approached for a part. {{quotation|I think with Tony Blair we've reached our quota of British Prime Ministers we're going to have on the show. We have one per century - I think that's our rule. Sorry, Gordon Brown, it's too late!<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a66301/no-simpsons-role-for-gordon-brown.html|title=No 'Simpsons' role for Gordon Brown|accessdate=2008-07-28|author=Kilkelly, Daniel|work=[[Digital Spy]]|date=2007-07-17}}</ref>}} The episode has become study material for sociology courses at [[University of California Berkeley]], where it is used to "examine issues of the production and reception of cultural objects, in this case, a satirical cartoon show", and to figure out what it is "trying to tell audiences about aspects primarily of American society, and, to a lesser extent, about other societies". Some questions asked in the courses include: {{quotation|• What aspects of American society are being addressed in the episode?<br>• What aspects of them are used to make the points?<br>• How is the satire conveyed: through language? drawing? music?<br>• Is the behavior of each character consistent with his/her character as developed over the years?<br>• Can we identify elements of the historical/political context that the writers are satirizing?<br>• What is the difference between satire and parody?<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sociology.berkeley.edu/documents/undergrads/syllabi/Soc190_1.pdf|publisher=University of California Berkeley|title=The Simpsons Global Mirror |year=2008|author=Thomas B. Gold|accessdate=2011-07-18|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090407081710/http://sociology.berkeley.edu/documents/undergrads/syllabi/Soc190_1.pdf|archivedate=2009-04-07}}</ref>}} ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons#The_Regina_Monologues_.5B15.4.5D|"The Regina Monologues"}} {{portal|The Simpsons}} *[http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/1504.htm "The Regina Monologues"] at The Simpsons.com *[http://www.tv.com/the-regina-monologues/episode/223791/summary.html "The Regina Monologues"] at [[TV.com]] *{{IMDb title|701258}} {{Tony Blair}} {{The Simpsons episodes|15}} {{good article}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Regina Monologues, The}} [[Category:The Simpsons (season 15) episodes]] [[Category:2003 television episodes]] [[Category:London in fiction]] [[Category:Cultural depictions of Tony Blair]] [[es:The Regina Monologues]] [[fr:Homer rentre dans la reine]] [[pt:The Regina Monologues]] [[ru:The Regina Monologues]]'