Not for Broadcast / Characters

Characters from the video game Not for Broadcast. Being a Characters page, ALL SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED.

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Channel One

Alex Winston

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_not_for_broadcast_offer_3vvnw_2_2.jpg

You, the player character. Once a janitor in the Channel One studio, you were suddenly propped into the studio manager position when the poor sap before you decided to quit the country.

Almighty Janitor: You were initially a janitor at Channel One before scoring a big job in studio directing. While your job in editing is a powerful one, you have the ability to shape the future of the nation as a whole of your own volition.
Ambiguous Gender: Alex uses gender-neutral pronouns, so it's unknown if Alex is male, female, or non-binary.
Featureless Protagonist: Aside from working as a studio director and having a family, nothing about Alex is ever revealed.
Gender-Blender Name: Deliberate to make the character a better player substitute.
Meaningful Name: Alex's last name is the same as the first name of the main character in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Notably, both are tasked with manipulating the public's perception of current events in a way that favours the ruling party. The difference is that Alex edits a television news broadcast, whereas Winston edits the newspaper).
Mike Nelson, Destroyer of Worlds: If you really, really want to, your decisions and actions can either kill or tank the careers of nearly every named character in the game (including yourself) while leaving a massive Crapsack World behind for the few unlucky survivors of your homicidal rampage to have to live with. "All Fall Down" indeed.
Unlikely Hero: If you really would like to be more heroic in your playthrough. Despite being a studio director, they can assist in exposing both a totalitarian and a terrorist group through nothing but picking the right choices when putting what goes live on television. You can even choose to let the side characters, and your own family, live happy lives if you desire.
Villain Protagonist: Downplayed. While Alex gets nowhere near as evil as most examples in video games due to their passive role, it's still possible for them to range from being a Jerkass to a total asshole by ruining people's lives through negative headlines, siding with an oppressive government or a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist rebel group to the very end, letting Jeremy kill himself or get shot to death on live television, assist in a terrorist attack during Peter Clement's memorial, and siding with Alan James when he's holding the studio hostage with a suicide bomb vest. And all of this by your choices.

Robert Boseman

Voiced by: Andy Murray (English); Alexander Kurazhy (Russian)

Your boss, the head of programming at Channel One.

Big Good: If Jeremy and Alan are both dead, he becomes Alex's main support for exposing the factions' corruption.
Disappointed in You: During Path A, if your standing with Boseman is low and you don't play his tape, he'll fire Alex.
Drowning My Sorrows: During the game's penultimate segment, he can be heard downing several glasses of booze in his office, clearly depressed about the pathetic mess Channel One has become under Advance's ownership.
Everyone Has Standards: He spends the last broadcast despairing over how the National Nightly News has devolved from proper journalism into a cheesy talk show. Plus, if Jeremy and Alan are both dead, he provides a tape exposing Advance's food tampering for Alex to broadcast, and arranges for Jeremy's special guest appearance if he's still alive and Alan is dead.
Get Out!: If Alex has bad standing with Channel One and doesn't play the tape on Path A, Boseman will finally make good on his threats to fire Alex.
Boseman: "Winston. This is... I can't believe this. Consider this your last broadcast. After tonight, you are no longer welcome at the Channel One building. And you can be damn sure you'll never work in television again."
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Normally, he's a Pointy-Haired Boss par excellence, more concerned about his show's success and reputation than anything else. However, at the end of the game, when it becomes clear that Advance has turned his show into a shallow propaganda outlet, he expresses genuine remorse for letting things get to that point, even going as far as to actively encourage Alex to take Advance down in certain endings.
Last-Name Basis: His first name doesn't appear in the game itself, instead being given by invokedWord of God.
Pointy-Haired Boss: More concerned with sucking up to the government and maintaining his position than with presenting the truth. That said, if you're doing your job well, he'll be much more amicable to Alex.
Punny Name: The player's boss, literally called Boss-man.
The Voice: Never physically appears, existing only as a voice on the phone.
What the Hell, Hero?: Two instances. One if you play the Disrupt tape during The Heatwave, and another if you don't play the tape during The Finale, but you have a good relationship with Channel One.
Boseman (The Heatwave): "Oh Alex, you're going to get me in trouble with that. Let's hope you made the right call."
Boseman (The Finale): "Alex... I trust you had your reasons. But that footage... if I didn't like you so much, you would be out that door in a heartbeat. But what's done is done, and now we have to live with your decision. I hope we can."
You Are Not Alone: Mixed with So Proud of You. In Path A, if you choose to play the tape (regardless of your relationship with Channel One), Boseman will congratulate you and declare that whatever happens next, he'll stand by you regardless.
Boseman: "Well done Alex. You made the right choice. Whatever happens, has happened, I will stand by you on this. That footage needed to be shown, and we'll face the music together."

Dave Davison

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/davenewworld.png

"'Ello, mate! It's Dave!"

Voiced by: Jason Orbaum (English); Vyacheslav Vyshegorodsky (Russian)

Your predecessor, a studio manager who seriously despises his job.

Character Exaggeration: In the main game, he had some moments of mentioning the game's actual controls during the tutorial, but mostly avoiding Breaking the Fourth Wall otherwise. In the Bits of Your Life DLC, he is completely aware he is in charge of his own DLC and is ecstatic about it, even referring to the player directly since you're playing as him.
Karma Houdini: When Peter learns Dave ruined the "Bits of Your Life" episode starring him, Dave flees the country once Advance comes to power.
The Pig-Pen: Bits of Your Life shows the broadcast room cluttered with garbage everywhere. Amusingly, Alex takes over Dave's position while cleaning the room.
The Prankster: He once had a massive prank war with Frank, the studio's head of maintenance, which he likely won by peeing in the water cooler during a Christmas party. In Bits of Your Life, Dave deliberately goes off-script after finishing the initial broadcast to make the eponymous show more interesting.
Promoted to Playable: Replaces Alex in the Bits of Your Life DLC, due to being set seven weeks before the main game. While they obviously play the exact same (aside from assigning which guest appears for the DLC specifically), Dave is much more talkative.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He leaves the country just before Advance comes to power, likely to avoid facing repercussions for ruining Peter Clement's "Bits of Your Life" episode.
The Voice: Never appears other than as a voice on the phone, though there is a picture of what is him with a couple of friends on your desk for the first couple of broadcasts.
Voice with an Internet Connection: Dave walks you through the editing process the first time around.
What Happened to the Mouse?: After your second broadcast session, Dave vanishes for good. He's one of the few characters whose fate at the end of the game is completely unknown.

National Nightly News

Jeremy Donaldson

"Have a peaceful night."

Played by: Paul Baverstock

Also voiced by: Alexander Raguzin (Russian)

NNN's star anchor. A popular TV personality with an ego to match.

Accidental Misnaming: A Running Gag in the 3rd segment of The Lockdown. Jeremy is constantly misnamed by Tommy and Sonia, (Jamie, Jerejimmy, Gerbil, etc.), and the subtitles even change his name. Later, he does correct them, but refers to himself as "Jeffrey Donnington".
Back for the Finale: He's taken into custody after The Heatwave if he survives, but is eventually broken out by Disrupt and shows up during The Finale in order to confront Julia.
Big Good: Among a cast of characters including fascists, terrorists, their allies and enablers, and everyone caught in the middle, Jeremy is the most unambiguously morally upstanding person around, with everything he does, for good or ill, coming from an honest desire to report actual news. This ultimately places him at odds with both Advance, whom he is critical of; and Disrupt, whose corrupt leadership he uncovers.
Brainwashed: In the "A Better Jeremy" ending, he gets brainwashed into accepting Advance and reporting on fluff stories.
Deadline News: The entire hostage situation builds up this trope, and plays straight when Jeremy is cornered into a fatal situation, either by the hands of security or himself.
Deadpan Snarker: He has a wit as sharp as a sword and tends to have creatively sarcastic things to say about the more ridiculous stories he covers.
Despair Event Horizon: If the Disrupt tape is played during The Heatwave, Jeremy crosses this when he learns that Alan James is the leader of the eponymous rebellion, a man for whom Jeremy has nothing but open contempt. After a brief Heroic BSoD, it eventually leads him to shoot himself in the head unless you cut to an ad break before he pulls the trigger.
Deuteragonist: Outside of the Player Character, Jeremy is the most prominent character and the one that affects the ending you get the most. And if you want to get the Golden Ending or one of the more positive endings, you'll have to work with what he gives you.
Doesn't Like Guns: He really hates guns. Ironically, he uses one himself during the hostage situation. This plays into Five-Second Foreshadowing in the Path D^*Jeremy alive, Alan alive. outcomes. Look at the one Disrupt member without a gun.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Jeremy is abrasive, and only barely manages to veil his contempt for his co-workers and the people he interviews. He also doesn't hesitate to go to bat for his co-workers and takes journalistic integrity very seriously.
Morton's Fork: In The Heatwave, you have the choice to play the Disrupt tape in the second break. But neither carries positive outcomes.
- Refusing to play it on the second break will result in Jeremy shouting at you for not playing it.
- Playing it will reveal that Disrupt's leader is Alan James, someone Jeremy does not like, causing Jeremy to cross the Despair Event Horizon.
Not in This for Your Revolution: Jeremy sides with Disrupt to some extent, but has little real interest in their cause; During The Heatwave, Jeremy demands their tape be played because he's fed up with Advance taking control of what the public are informed of, and wants people to start thinking critically before what will end up being the biggest upheaval in the country's history. In the event that he and Alan are alive during The Finale, Jeremy will arrive with leaked footage that destroys both party's credibility.
Older Than They Look: Jeremy looks almost childlike in many ways, but is actually in his early forties.
Rage Breaking Point: An unbearable heat wave and finding out that Advance is directly interfering with the National Nightly News' content, alongside being saddled with the world's most insufferable, obnoxious guests while Megan's off interviewing people in paradise results in Jeremy snapping and taking the studio hostage.
Reassigned to Antarctica: As Advance start taking control of the news, Jeremy is gradually shifted away from any actual reporting into talking about human-interest stories and fluff pieces, presumably so he can't have any ammo to speak critically of the government with.
Serious Business: The news. Jeremy takes fair, unbiased, fact-based journalism seriously, and considers himself to have an obligation to give people the tools to make informed choices and participate in the democratic process. He believes being forced to do a Human-Interest Story a Fate Worse than Death.
Signing Off Catchphrase: "Have a peaceful night."
The Snack Is More Interesting: When Megan interviews Alan and Katie during "The Lockdown", Jeremy uses the time off-camera to make an elaborate sandwich, though he's forced to put it away when the interview ends as he's about to eat it.
Suicide by Cop: If you refuse to play the Disrupt tape, Jeremy decides to go out in a blaze of glory by opening fire on the Advance soldiers in the studio, knowing he'll be gunned down himself in a matter of moments. You can save him by cutting to the ads before he gets the chance.
Video Game Caring Potential: Regardless of whether the Disrupt tape is played or not, if you cut to the ads before Advance's security breaks into the studio (Tape not played) or before he takes his own life (Tape played), he'll live, albeit taken to Betterment.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: Or you could not cut to the ads and let him die either by security or his own hands.
- In the path where Jeremy is alive while Alan James is dead, if you choose not to air the tape Jeremy brought that exposes Julia having Peter assassinated, he will be forced back to Betterment against his protests and fears. Depending on Advance's popularity, he will either be "reformed" against his will, or killed in Betterment's custody.

Megan Wolfe

"Let's make tomorrow better."

Played by: Andrea Valls

Also voiced by: Olga Klochkova (Russian)

NNN's culture correspondent and later co-anchor.

All Lesbians Want Kids: Takes the forced sterilization by Advance personally, as she and Kate have been trying to have kids.
Broken Pedestal: Initially supports Advance when they come into power, but gradually becomes more critical of them after the events of Liberation Night. In most of the endings, she's angered upon learning the cause of the Sterility Plague, as she and her wife were unable to have kids. In Path A, she's betrayed when Julia replaces her as host, having backed her all the way through.
Character Development: She starts off as a staunch supporter of Advance, which ultimately leads to them sidelining Jeremy in favor of her. After Jeremy gets arrested and the country goes into war, she gradually becomes more critical and displeasured with them.
Disproportionate Retribution: Fires several of her makeup artists for displeasing her, with one of them being fired simply because Megan feels she's "too complacent".
Lipstick Lesbian: Generally feminine and glamorous, and is also mentioned in one ending to be married to someone named Kate.
Professional Butt-Kisser: Has no qualms with sucking up to Advance as they make the news more and more biased, fully going along with their guidelines on what language to use and what topics to avoid. She starts thinking more about what she's doing after The Heatwave, and in some of the endings she will turn against them.
Running Gag: She fires any makeup staff member for displeasing her. By "The Finale", she's fired five.
Stepford Smiler: Becomes one by the time of the Nightly Show. She's become far more critical of Advance and disappointed in what's happened to the show, but doesn't openly question it to keep her job.
Trauma Conga Line: She misses Jeremy's breakdown by being outside of the studio, nearly loses her brother to the nukes on Liberation Night, and she's unable to have kids with her wife and has to adopt a short-tempered teenager, shocking her when she learns that it was caused by Advance's Sterility Plague. Depending on the endings, she either gets demoted or loses her job, gets killed by Alan's suicide bomb, or loses Jeremy.
Up Through the Ranks: Megan starts out as a culture correspondent, but as the story progresses, she moves to more serious reporting and eventually becomes a news anchor proper while Jeremy ends up getting pushed to the sides.

Patrick Bannon

"Under-appreciated by management, and frankly, if you ask me, very very much underpaid."

Played by: George Vere

Also voiced by: Victor Vosvilov (Russian)

The channel's designated on-site reporter.

Agent Scully: Doubts the existence of ghosts despite nearly being killed by one who has it out for his father.
Butt-Monkey: Always gets stuck with the worst jobs, like reporting from the smelliest town in the country.
Destroy the Evidence: On "Day 85: Live & Spooky", if he's sent to the vault, he'll get killed by Marie Murphy for trying to burn her film reel. During the good ending, he'll try to convince Holly to do so to salvage his father's reputation, causing her to turn on him.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Its implied that most of Channel One don't think highly of him despite having worked there for ten years. Jeremy mocks him off-screen during Day 296, questioning how he's still a reporter, and one of the rewards for Alex's office is a dartboard with his picture on it. When Francis assumes his identity, everyone plays along and get along better with her than with him.
Generation Xerox: Looks and sounds almost identical to his father, Graham Bannon, during the height of his career.
Is This Thing Still On?: He fails to realize that his camera is rolling and ends up badmouthing Advance on live television. Cue a dumbfounded "...oh." upon realizing what's happened... and what's likely about to follow.
Noodle Incident: During Day 232, he can mention that he's not legally allowed within 31 yards of the coastline, but doesn't elaborate on it.
Porn Stache: He has a prominent mustache that his assistant Holly constantly makes fun of.
Replacement Goldfish: Taken to ludicrous extremes: immediately after the above happens, the camera feed suddenly cuts out. When it returns, he's been replaced by a woman who was clearly just pulled out of the crowd at random and has no idea what's going on. This woman officially becomes the "new" Patrick Bannon for the rest of the game, even adopting his name. It ends up getting lampshaded in one of the possible finale segments when Jeremy returns to the studio.
Replacement!Patrick: Hi, I don't think we've met before. I'm Patrick Bannon.
(awkward pause)
Jeremy: Is that what you keep telling yourself?
Unexplained Recovery: Despite the events outlined above heavily implying that the original Patrick Bannon was arrested if not outright executed offscreen, in two of the Path B^*Jeremy alive, Alan dead finale's epilogues, he suddenly reappears out of nowhere anchoring for a rival news show, having somehow escaped/avoided custody.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: In "Live and Spooky", he desperately tries to preserve his father Graham's legacy and hide his misdeeds, even though Graham ignored him as a child and was a far worse person than Patrick.

Robyn Shorte

"Crikey."

Played by: Jade Johnson

Also voiced by: Vladislava Zabiyaka (Russian)

The channel's other roving reporter.

Bestiality Is Depraved: Played for Laughs during her red carpet interview with a professional Sophia. When Sophia says that not all dreams are worth chasing, she brings up "sleeping with the family dog" as an example, making Robyn confess to having that exact dream after licking a toad during flute camp.
The Comically Serious: Often commits to her job even when her interviews turn bizarre or hostile. Though she's fond of snarking or subtly mocking the more hostile guests.
Deadpan Snarker: Day 296 shows her casually roasting poet Emilia Jackhammer while doing her segment.
Innocently Insensitive: When interviewing the Tadlock family if the Mr. Snugglehugs ad was played, she ends up making Timmy cry and anger Martin by asking if the former will ever be considered normal again. This ends up causing a massive scene when Martin attempts to push Robyn away, but misses and lunges at his son instead.

Jennifer Hartley

"Ten seconds, everybody!"

Played by: Sarah Gibbons

Also voiced by: Nadezhda Tericheva (Russian)

The NNN floor manager.

All There in the Manual: Her full name has been stated by her actress. She is simply referred to as Jenny in-game.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Constantly hurls abuse back and forth with Jeremy, but Jeremy runs interference with Mr. Boseman for Jenny, and before Jeremy's suicide, Jenny tearfully confesses her love for him. In the path to the Golden Ending, when Jeremy reveals himself, the two share a tearful hug as they reunite.
Beleaguered Assistant: Victim to a near-constant stream of abuse from Jeremy. Not that she doesn't give as good as she gets, mind.
Defiant to the End: During Path C, if Alex doesn't play Julia's tape, Jenny will mock Alan before he shoots her dead.
Sassy Secretary: A floor manager rather than a secretary, but otherwise has the personality down pat.
Tsundere: Towards Jeremy: she's almost constantly verbally berating Jeremy and going out of her way to ensure that his life in the newsroom is as difficult and humiliating as possible, but it's obvious that she genuinely cares about him, eventually confessing her love for him outright just before he commits suicide.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In a brief lapse of judgement, Jenny accidentally lets it slip to Jeremy that Advance are the ones behind the National Nightly News' gradual decline in quality and integrity, rather than Boseman as he'd initially suspected. This proves to be a key factor towards Jeremy reaching his Rage Breaking Point and taking the studio hostage.

Francis ("Not Patrick Bannon")

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/francisisnotpatrick.png

"I'm Patrick Bannon and we are indeed live. Here. Apologies for the technical difficulties there."

Played by: Emma Mulkern

Also voiced by: Anna Roiphe (Russian)

Patrick Bannon's assistant, chosen to replace him after he accidentally badmouths Advance on air, only to end up taking both his position and his name.

All There in the Manual: Her real name, Francis, is only mentioned on an official cast listing, and can be heard for a split second before Patrick's report during "The Uprising". The credits simply refer to her as "Not Patrick Bannon".
Becoming the Mask: Initially forced into being Patrick Bannon when he's taken away by security, only to end up assuming his identity by the end of the game.
Lethal Chef: During the final episode, she tries to bake an apple pie with Chef Jordan Rankly. Hers is barely edible, as the apples are barely cut, there are bits of eggshell visible, and there's no filling or pastry surrounding the apples.
More Popular Replacement: An in-universe example. Despite literally being pulled off the street to replace Patrick, she ends up being far more respected than he ever was.
Paper-Thin Disguise: No one seems to acknowledge that she isn't Patrick. During any ending where Jeremy and Alan are still alive, Jeremy snarks after she introduces herself as Patrick.
Sweet Polly Oliver: Exploited. When Patrick gets taken away for badmouthing Advance on air, they give her the microphone despite her visible nervousness. She ends up fully assuming his identity and becoming a competent reporter by the end of the game.

Advance

Advance in general

"Forwards, Together."

Shock election winners. A left-wing political party with a radical agenda, that ultimately evolves into an expansionist regime that controls the Territories with an iron fist.

Big Brother Is Watching: Advance's citizens are encouraged to report any signs of government resistance in their neighbors, friends, and even their own families. The Go-Getters and Cohesion Cadets have children and teenagers spying on their own parents.
Bread and Circuses: Advance's modus operandi. By Day 912, they're providing three meals a day, for free, to everyone in the Territories, and they slowly replace the news with mindless entertainment as they take over the media. They do actually improve the quality of life for much of the population with their policies, out of an apparently genuine desire for change, especially early on, as poverty and homelessness are all but eliminated. But once things get tough, it becomes clear that Advance is using the media to distract people from learning about the government's controversies and mistakes.
The Dictatorship: What they eventually become in the late game, as their rule becomes more brutal and totalitarian.
Government Drug Enforcement: They accidentally contaminate the Territories' food supply with birth control. It's also implied that the Cohesion and Betterment centers prescribe drugs to anyone who is discontent.
Intellectually Supported Tyranny: As mentioned on Day 713, many intellectuals support Advance wholeheartedly because of the positive change they have brought, causing Disrupt to attempt to silence them.
Light Is Not Good: Their color scheme consists of white and teal, and they are very much a totalitarian government.
Police State: Openly disagree with the government? Expect to be swiftly taken away by a Community Cohesion Official, probably violently, and locked away in a Betterment center until you change your mind.
Population Control: Advance predicts the population will grow at an unsustainable rate. To prevent this, they begin covertly genetically modifying the food so that it contains birth control. This works a little too well, leading to an 85% sterility rate alongside high rates of stillbirth and terminal birth defects. In one ending, Prime Minister Salisbury desperately encourages the populace to try to have children, promising huge government payouts for each child in a family, as the population shrinks.
Revenge by Proxy: Their response to you showing a preference to Disrupt is to kill your son Charlie to send a message to you, rather than dealing with you.

Julia Salisbury

"The door to my government is always open."

Played by: Claire Racklyeft

Also voiced by: Nadezhda Tericheva (Russian)

The co-founder of Advance. Co-Prime Minister of the Territories. Though she claims her aim is to bring about prosperity, there's more to her behind the curtains.

Amoral Attorney: Seems to be genuinely concerned with the general welfare of the people, but has no qualms when it comes to dealing with people who object to her way of doing things. This ends with her poisoning Peter Clement and attempting to install herself as President for Life.
Bad Liar:
- When interviewed after Disrupt's attack at the memorial gardens, Julia states there were no casualties, despite security killing several Disrupt protests, and Julia running to one of the victim's bodies. Francis quickly questions her before being shooed off.
- During Path A, she claims that Boseman's tape was illegally obtained, only to contradictorily say that it was falsified. When all the hosts interrogate her, she states she's never seen the footage, despite it having happened inside her office.
Big Bad: As the head of Advance and the mastermind behind their increasingly tyrannical policies.
Crocodile Tears: She seemingly breaks down crying when Jeremy asks about her arguments with Peter during Path B. Megan catches her out by noticing her lack of tears.
Dismissing a Compliment: Her reaction to Edwin Neverlay saying they're alike, followed by saying Peter should have had more of Edwin's qualities, is to tell him to "piss off to his mother".
Faux Affably Evil: Hides her true tyrannical nature behind an air of fun-loving, almost motherly cheer.
Gone Horribly Wrong: Her attempts at making opt-in birth control through crop tampering resulted in nearly the entire food supply for the Territories being contaminated with the modified crops and causing an underpopulation crisis.
Green-Eyed Monster: While the official reason for having Peter assassinated was to prevent him from possibly defecting to Disrupt loaded with Advance secrets, if the assassination plot is revealed to the public, she'll confess that she was jealous of how the people loved and trusted Peter while hating and distrusting her.
It's All About Me: In the endings where she's exposed, she believes being Prime Minister means she's above the law and either downplays or denies her actions. In Path B, its revealed that part of the reason she ordered Peter's assassination was because people favored him over her.
Knight Templar: She's willing to nuke several cities and establish a One World Order in order to spread Advance's policies.
Manipulative Bitch: She fakes tears just to try and convince the public that she actually mourns Peter Clement's death.
Meaningful Name: She shares her first name with Julia from Nineteen Eighty-Four, the latter of whom is a member of the book's ruling party.
Nice Character, Mean Actor: Presents a kindly, maternal face to the people, but is utterly ruthless in private.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Julia's character seems to be heavily inspired by Hillary Clinton, being a democratic, blonde-haired ex-lawyer who's calm and rational on the surface.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Zig-Zagged. While initially parading a message of equality and fairness, over time it becomes less clear whether she genuinely believes what she's saying, if she's just another despot, or a bit of both.
Nuke 'em: Her solution to a war against a World Council blockade is setting off four nuclear bombs in the rebelling territories.
Performance Anxiety: Downplayed. Though she is more than capable of appearing calm, volitous and imposing on live television, she is visibly uncomfortable during the reprise of Just the Job in the Bits of Your Life DLC.
Precision F-Strike: When arguing with Peter on one of the finale tapes, she tells him that tomorrow he'll come back and "do your fucking job".
President for Life: She eventually assassinates Peter and "suspends" elections in all the Territories to become this.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The cool, collected blue to Peter's loud, brash red.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: While this is technically true from the moment Advance takes power, this trope truly comes into effect once she has Peter assassinated and takes full control of Advance, at which point the regime's brutal oppression begins in earnest.
Villainous Breakdown: She has a spectacular one in the Finale if Jeremy is alive and Alan is dead, and if you play Jeremy's tape. If you do so, she tears up as her assassination of Peter is made public.
- After Jenny finally has enough of her corruption and quits. And when Megan presses her for answers, Julia can only lash out and orders her security to arrest all the people in Channel One. When Megan tells her that she's not the criminal here, Julia screams that she's the Prime Minister, but Megan rebukes and deconstructs her Well-Intentioned Extremist attitude by saying that regardless of her position she is not above the law.
- Seeing her security hesitate, Julia screams at them to do their jobs. When they do, Megan tells her that it's all for nothing as since the public knows the truth now, they'll demand for Julia's arrest.
- And to top it all off, during the last 45 seconds of the broadcast, Julia has the audacity to blame the public for all the things she's had to do, swearing that she'll "make tomorrow better." And after the broadcast is done, all she can do is sulk in defeat and mutter, "We're out of time..."
Well-Intentioned Extremist: If Julia really is this, then she is a very big deconstruction of the trope. Her willingness to take extreme measures on Liberation Night is not celebrated but met with disgust by Peter and potentially heartbreak with Alex, not to mention that she was willing to assassinate Peter to stop him from jeopardizing the goals of Advance. And as said above, when she agrees that it is her duty to keep the country safe, Megan shoots back that regardless of her position, she committed crimes and she is not above the law.

Peter Clement

"It's like me old mam used to say: You can keep your money in your pocket, but people will call you a stingy cunt."

Played by: Roger Alborough (current day), Joseph Ayre (younger)

Also voiced by: Vyacheslav Vyshegorodsky (Russian)

The co-founder of Advance. Co-Prime Minister of the Territories. A TV personality turned politician known for being in touch with his fellow man, and even more in touch with his booze.

A Day in the Limelight: "Bits Of Your Life" is centered on Peter's life before he went into politics.
Abusive Parents: While Peter has a close relationship with his mother, his father Martin frequently bullied him in his youth and saw him as weak. Peter's reaction to seeing Martin is to give him a Death Glare.
Affably Evil: Charismatic, passionate, joyous if a huge alcoholic, and happens to be the co-Prime Minister of a dictatorship, albeit he does have lines he won't cross. Unlike Julia, his demeanor is genuine.
The Alcoholic: Appears drunk on TV the first time he shows up, and gets no better... until Day 371 in a pro-Advance run, where he's kicking the habit.
- This comes to a head in the "Intervention" route of the Bits of Your Life DLC when his mother Fanny relates a story about how he promised to "never hurt, always help" when his younger self injured a pigeon by accidentally kicking a football into it, only to bring up how he later drunkenly cheated on his ex-girlfriend Chelsea and bullied his colleague Jim, as well as voicing her concerns about his father Martin and Ivan Vodovich, who are both passed out in drunken stupors by the end of the route. Julia then relates how a young activist was turned off from voting for Advance in the campaign run when Peter drunkenly called an audience member a "cunt", leading to Peter himself revealing that he wants to quit and everyone else agreeing that he should try to lay off the booze.
Berserk Button: Insulting or joking about his wife infuriates him. A ventriloquist who joked about her while in-character got beat up and had his puppet destroyed, and Peter ignored his brother (who previously dated her before she met Peter) for 25 years after the latter insulted the two during his wedding reception.
Bourgeois Bohemian: Likes to present himself as a straight-shooting, no-frills man-of-the-people, but was the face of a very successful TV show and a celebrity in his own right before he went into politics. That said, he really did have a humble start as a mere stagehand.
Broken Pedestal: To say that Peter lost respect for Julia on "Liberation Night" would be a massive, massive understatement. On the secret Path B tape, he completely explodes on Julia for giving the go-ahead to detonate the nukes, and ultimately doesn't accept her reasonings as to why she did it. He then intends to go to every news station to tell the world what a "fucking monster" she is.
Butt-Monkey: Nothing ever seems to go right for Clement, despite his apparent popularity with some of the population. He frequently embarrasses himself with crass or unthinking behaviour in interviews, or gets made to look stupid in some way by another guest on the show. A popular rap artist writes a diss-track targeting Clement in particular above the rest of Advance. Julia upstages him practically every time they are seen together for publicity purposes. Hilariously, he can't even just take a seat in the studio without getting electrocuted repeatedly during a live broadcast. In a darker turn, later he rapidly loses his tenuous grip on power and Julia has him assassinated without much effort at all.
The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: Peter dies shortly after Liberation Day, seemingly from liver failure. The Path B endings reveal he was actually poisoned by Julia after threatening to expose her.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He's shown to have a close relationship with his mother Fanny, who often stood up for him whenever his father Martin bullied him.
Even Evil Has Standards: While Peter's perfectly willing to go along with Advance's schemes early on, he goes absolutely ballistic when he finds out that Julia authorized and carried out a nuclear strike against Advance's opponents behind his back. It's enough to make him seriously consider defecting from Advance and possibly even joining Disrupt before Julia has him assassinated.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From a simple stagehand in the 50s to a national treasure and co-Prime Minister of an authoritarian regime-in-progress in the 80s.
Generation Xerox: Inherited his many vulgar sayings from his mother Fanny, as well as possibly getting his aggressive behavior from his father Martin.
Handy Man: Peter played the role of one on Just the Job, inspired by his former stagehand job.
He Knows Too Much: When the risk of Peter defecting from Advance and possibly joining Disrupt, armed with tons of Advance secrets, becomes too great, Julia has him assassinated before he can get the chance.
Meaningful Name: His last name, Clement (as in clemency, another word for mercy or lenience), at first seems to be an Ironic Name - he does not seem a very merciful person, between his fiery temper and drunken rants. However, it turns out that he is quite merciful, if only in comparison to the much more ruthless Julia. When she responds to the military blockade with nuclear bombs that kill millions of people, he is furious with her.
Morality Chain: Surprisingly, he's this to Advance. Between him and Julia, he's not willing to go to the extremes of nuclear terrorism like she is. Which is precisely why she has him killed.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He would have definitely made the right choice exposing Julia on international airwaves, but he said his plans to her face. And look where that gets him.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The loud, brash red to Julia's cool, collected blue.
Running Gag: Often quotes a swear-laden sentence that his mother said.
Sibling Triangle: In the Brother path of "Bits Of Your Life", its revealed that Peter met his wife Mrs C. when she was the girlfriend of his brother Sidney. This led to him and Sidney falling out when the latter insulted both of them during the wedding reception and avoiding each other for 25 years.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Has a mouth that would make an old sailor blush. This is lampshaded in his official eulogy which claims that the number of F-bombs he dropped on camera in his TV career is well into the four digits.
"OH FUCK MY GRANDMOTHER WITH A RUSTY TWAT-BASHER!!!"
Too Dumb to Live: A tragic and realistic example. While he wanted to show the world what a monster Julia was, he literally told his plans right in her face during an argument, which gave her perfect grounds to have him assassinated. However, he was too furious to listen to reason, and how would you react knowing that your friend did a horrible thing behind your back?
Trumplica: As Julia seems to be based on Hillary Clinton, Peter is clearly modelled after Donald Trump - he's a loud, brash, foul-mouthed former celebrity with no prior experience in politics and a tendency to speak without thinking, which lands him in hot water on a few occasions. However, these very traits endear him to many who interpret his lack of a filter as a sign of rare earnestness in a politician, leading the people to trust him more than Julia.
Villain with Good Publicity: He was a former television host and is admired by the public for his man-of-the-people image. During Julia's Villainous Breakdown in Path B, she admits that the public favored Peter over her.

Disrupt

Disrupt in general

"You can resist. You can Disrupt."

La Résistance to Advance's policies. A right-wing resistance group.

Dark Is Not Evil: They present themselves with dark colors and a intense orange, but try to make themselves appeal to the public. This eventually becomes subverted into Dark Is Evil as their unpleasant behavior and motives are revealed.
Nebulous Evil Organization: Should Alan die during "The Uprising", Disrupt drops their grassroots movement façade and goes corporate, with their following hacks featuring a sharp-dressed spokesperson inside an office and a simplified logo.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: They pride themselves as a resistance group against Advance. Many of the Disrupt members are legitimately well intentioned. The leaders, not so much.
Staged Populist Uprising: Claims to be a grassroots movement that values freedom above all else, but unbeknownst to most of the rebels, it's actually being run behind the scenes by the old elite, who only care about regaining their wealth and power.
Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: They eventually use violence to achieve their ends. Advance portrays them as terrorists, while they claim that their actions are necessary and that they reduce casualties as much as possible, even when people are injured or killed in the process. Ultimately, the player chooses how the media will portray them, affecting their popularity.

The Sponsors (SPOILER CHARACTERS)

A cabal of oligarchs who have pooled their remaining resources to fund the resistance, because dystopia has slam-dunked their profits into the gutter. They turn out to have even more twisted motives than mere greed.

The group consists of:

Jacob Hamilton-Mann, the ex-Prime Minister before Advance
Ivan Vodovich, the ex-Foreign Minister of Irkistan
General Jefferson Masters
Viscount Piers Antony Gaviston-Ridley

Card-Carrying Villain: These guys are so over-the-top evil they'd make your typical Saturday morning cartoon villain blush.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: The only reason they're funding La Résistance is because Advance came for them first. They use their influence to turn the movement ultra-violent. And they're head-deep in the drug and sex slave trades.
Engineered Public Confession: Jeremy manages to fool the Sponsors into boasting about their plans. Alex can choose to broadcast his findings.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: For some reason, they believe Jeremy Donaldson, of all people, would be perfectly willing to go along with their schemes to overthrow the government so they can be on top once again.
Eviler than Thou: They are guilty of everything Advance has ever scapegoated them for, and more.
Final Solution: One of their stated goals upon seizing power is to purge the Territories of intellectuals... and everyone else they don't like.
Greater-Scope Villain: They're the true masterminds behind Disrupt, yet they're never encountered directly or interact with the public, and you only see or hear them in a recording at the very end of certain endings. Even more, one of their ranks is Jacob Hamilton-Mann, aka the former Prime Minister!
The Sociopath: It's almost easier to list the crimes they haven't committed.
Villain with Good Publicity: It's safe to say that none of Disrupt's admirers and followers - not even the group's own voice and figurehead - are even the slightest bit aware of how despicably evil the people giving orders from the top are.

Alan James

"We're still vassal slaves, we're just in prettier cages."

Played by: Jonathan Hawkins

Also voiced by: Vladimir Bolbat (Russian)

A popular conspiracy theorist with a talent for self-promotion, who becomes the spokesman for Disrupt once he realizes his conspiracies actually have some basis in reality.

Conspiracy Theorist: Goes on about how government programs are intended to subjugate the people and tap water is laced with "Belief Juice". He later disavows a lot of them when he becomes Disrupt's spokesman.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Who would've thought that a Cloudcuckoolander would've been a genuinely terrifying rebel leader?
The Cuckoolander Was Right: Zig-Zagged. While he's still wrong about a lot of things, his suspicions about Advance's future endeavours are very true.
Decoy Leader: He is the public face of Disrupt, but the actual leaders are a group of "old money"-families who exploit the general public's discontent to protect their own privilege.
From Nobody to Nightmare: While he was a popular speaker beforehand, he then becomes the leader of Disrupt once Advance's agenda becomes more nefarious.
Graceful Loser: When Jeremy and Alex expose Disrupt's corrupt leadership, he accepts defeat.
In the Hood: He opens Disrupt's first tape with one of these, before quickly removing it.
Alan: But why should you trust us? Another faceless organization. A shadowy figure with a distorted voice. You've seen it so many times in the movies. Well, this is not a movie.
Karma Houdini: Zigzagged in the Golden Ending. He doesn't face any punishment for Disrupt's terrorist attacks, but he's exposed as an Unwitting Pawn for Disrupt's corrupt leadership, and Disrupt fall out of the public's favor alongside Advance.
Knight of Cerebus: Once an insufferable conspiracy theorist, he becomes this when he's revealed to be the leader of Disrupt.
Know When to Fold 'Em: If you play the footage in Path D, unlike Julia (who threatens the station staff on being exposed), Alan simply admits, "We're done. They got us both." His only attempts at threats is to accuse Jeremy of having set him up as he leaves.
Misplaced Retribution: Partially blames Megan for Jeremy's death during Route C, despite her having no control over Advance's distaste for Jeremy and Megan being physically absent from the studio during his breakdown.
Mouth of Sauron: For Disrupt. While the true leaders stay out of the public eye, he stays in the public eye and espouses their agenda.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Alan James is clearly a pastiche of notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, right down to having the same initials and letter count.
Obliviously Evil: Zigzagged. To his credit, Alan James seems genuinely unaware of his sponsors' true intentions and is likely a genuine Well-Intentioned Extremist. Though when the truth is exposed, he seems less genuinely guilty about spreading their agenda and more concerned about what will happen to Disrupt's public opinion.
Oh, Crap!:
- In Path C, he loses it upon discovering Disrupt's sponsors intend to dispose of him upon returning to power, being visibly distraught when he realizes his bomb has been disarmed.
  Alan: I-I don't understand— [gets fatally shot]
- In Path D, he has a similar reaction, but instead accuses Jeremy of setting him up.
  Alan: My bosses won't be pleased with you.
  Jeremy: Child sex traffickers and wannabe dictators. The natural enemies of the reporter.
Psychotic Smirk: He pulls one before detonating his bomb if the player doesn't air the tape exposing Disrupt in Path C.
Shameless Self-Promoter: Lampshaded. Alan does what he can to flog his book.
Alan: It's all in my book, "Alan James Is—"
Jeremy: "—Shamelessly Self-Promoting"?
Significant Monogram: He has the same initials as conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Unwitting Pawn: He's unaware of Disrupt's sponsors being corrupt oligarchs that are using him as their voice because of his popularity and intend on killing him once they regain power.
Villain Respect: He has few good things to say about mainstream media, but he does (in some playthroughs) show respect for Jeremy's refusal to do fluff pieces and dedication to bringing the truth to the people.
Water Source Tampering: One of his big bugaboos as a conspiracy theorist is the idea that the government is indoctrinating the citizens by spiking water supplies with "Belief Juice". Later on, in one route, he realizes that this isn't the case, but compares the "Belief Juice" he previously believed in with Advance's very real propaganda.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: When he becomes the spokesman for Disrupt, he does genuinely seem to desire freedom for the Nation and the Territories, and is unaware of his sponsors' crimes or opinions of him.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The Sponsors reveal to Jeremy during his sting operation that they plan on disposing of Alan once they overthrow Advance and seize power.

Gordon Goodman

"Here at Disrupt, we want to reassure you that your freedom is our number one priority."

Played by: Malcolm James

Also voiced by: Savva Revich (Russian)

The spokesman for the Disrupt Party that forms should Alan's attack fail.

Corrupt Corporate Executive: To match the vibe of the "new" Disrupt as a whole, the second Disrupt hack featuring Gordon has him listing off brands sponsoring Disrupt - not to mention he himself looks and acts like a company spokesperson more than a political figure.
Mouth of Sauron: As the spokesman of the Disrupt Party, this is his role.
Politically Incorrect Villain: One of his hacks features a massive anti-immigrant stance.
Uncanny Valley: His cadence and mannerisms are deliberately designed to be rather off-putting.

The Telethon

Graham Bannon

Played by: George Vere

Also voiced by: Victor Vosvilov (Russian)

A famous actor and TV host during the The '50s, and the father of Patrick Bannon. He first appears as the host of the "The Telethon", and features again in the "Live & Spooky" DLC, where his abandoned soundstage is the setting for the episode.

All for Nothing: Graham's attempts to take control of Dying Is Another Man's Job ended up getting the show canned and destroyed his career. Holly makes sure his reputation is damaged posthumously by proving Marie's creation of the show.
Arc Villain: Of the "Live & Spooky" DLC, as the soundstage's various issues were all caused by his actions.
Ambiguous Situation: The game doesn't show if he pushed Marie to her death or let her fall into the vault. Though its clear that he was backing her into a corner and made her death look like a suicide.
Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Graham caused Brent's accident by slashing the costume department's budget, destroyed the original reels and scripts for Dying Is Another Man's Job, and framed Marie's death as a suicide, all without being caught. Despite that, the show's turbulent production killed his career.
Didn't Think This Through: While he seemingly burned all of the scripts and reels that credited Marie, he didn't expect her to have kept one of the reels.
Fiery Cover Up: Burned all of the reels and scripts crediting Marie as the creator of his show with his own petroleum. He didn't account for Marie keeping one of the tapes.
Generation Xerox: His son Patrick looks and sounds identical to him, and they share the same career path.
He-Man Woman Hater: Treats most of the woman around him as objects, and believed no one would believe Marie's accusations for this reason.
Jerkass: Most of "The Telethon" consists of Graham berating the crew, particularly Yong and Raj, after finding out everyone involved is stuck in traffic. The few callers they manage to get all hate him. "Live and Spooky" reveals he was a Prima Donna Director who abused his co-producer and endangered his show's cast because of his unsafe soundstage.
Nice Character, Mean Actor: Percival Peril, his role in Dying Is Another Man's Job, is The Hero, while in reality, he is a jerk who never cares for anyone but himself.
Prima Donna Director: During the production of Dying Is Another Man's Job, Graham frequently fought with the crew and cut corners, resulting in a stunt double being injured because of the Bannon Soundstage's lack of safety. His relationship with Marie Murphy became vitriolic, culminating in him burning all of the show's original scripts and tapes, hiding her credit as the show's writer, and attempting to bribe her into keeping quiet.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: He rivals Peter Clement in how often he swears, most notably after Raj comes in wearing a monkey outfit. Though most of his swears are minced oaths.
Graham: No. NO! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE! FUDGE!

Live & Spooky

Wayne de Spiritwhistle

Played by: Michael Duran

Also voiced by: Alexander Sokolov (Russian)

A psychic and spirit medium who hosts Live & Spooky.

Cruel and Unusual Death: If he's sent to the vault, Marie hangs him alive as he screams.
Guyliner: He wears thick eyeliner to go with his hammy persona.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: His career, reputation, and strong Liverpudian accent appear to be based on late television host Derek Acorah.
Saved by Canon: Wayne is mentioned during the credits if the player lets Johnny Hamsleeves dies, regardless of if Alex sacrifices him to Marie Murphy or not during "Live & Spooky".
The Show Must Go On: Whereas the other actors break character when trapped in the vault or projection room, Wayne continues narrating over his discoveries. He breaks down into tears and begs the viewers to remember him if he's locked in the projection room.

Dr. Amara Ahmed

Played by: Serena Khan

Also voiced by: Anastasia Nazarova (Russian)

A scientist and the co-host of Live & Spooky.

Bollywood Nerd: A paranormal scientist and inventor who appears to be South Asian.
For Science!: If she's sent to the vault, Amara eagerly tries to document Marie's body and the tape before the latter kills her.
Fun with Acronyms: Parodied. Her ghost-hunting detection is called the Branching Octahedral Oscillating Optoelectronics, or B.O.O.O., but she's unaware of the acronym and gets spooked when Patrick points it out.
Not That Kind of Doctor: The title screen says she's an "actual doctor", though its left ambiguous as to whether or not she is.

Holly Nicholls

Played by: Evangeline Beaven

Also voiced by: Veronika Borisova (Russian)

Patrick's assistant.

Badass Bystander: Despite not being part of Live & Spooky's cast beyond being Patrick's assistant (only being summoned because Wayne's cameraman got killed by Marie), by obtaining the previous two reels, Holly is able to deduce that Marie created Dying Is Another Man's Job and gets the final tape from her. In contrast, Patrick destroys Marie's tape, while Amara and Wayne don't solve the mystery and get killed.
Beleaguered Assistant: She suffers the brunt of Patrick's temper, whom she hates working for. During the episode's Golden Ending, she snaps and steals the film's tape from him upon realizing that he's more interested in protecting his father's reputation than clearing Marie's name.
Big Damn Heroes: If Holly is sent to the vault and Patrick is left alive, she'll manage to talk Marie's spirit out of killing her and retrieves the tape. When Patrick attempts to steal it to cover up his father's actions, she'll smack him and run off with the tape.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers one to Patrick when she realizes he wants to cover up his father's name.
Holly: Oh, and I lied before! You're a shit person and an even shittier news broadcaster, and no amount of moustache is ever going to make him proud of you. Finally, I quit, by the way! Just because your dad was a cunt doesn't mean you have to be!
Take This Job and Shove It: During the Golden Ending, she quits after stealing the film's tape back from Patrick.

Marie Murphy

"I don't care about money. I want what I deserve, Graham."

Played by: Abigail O'Regan

Also voiced by: Christina Sherman (Russian)

The former costume designer for the Bannon Soundstage, who seemingly killed herself inside the vault. Her vengeful spirit still haunts the building.

Arc Villain: Of the "Live & Spooky" DLC. She interferes with the Spiritjammer and will kill the show's cast, and potentially Alex, if the mystery isn't solved.
Creator Backlash: In-Universe. After having her credits revoked, she hated what Graham did to Dying Is Another Man's Job.
Marie: Espionage? Car chases? Gratuitous nudity? It's appalling! It's crass and it's tasteless and it's God awful! [...] You destroyed the show with your arrogance. My show.
Disappointed in You: If Alex fails to recover all of the tapes, Marie will express her disappointment that Holly believes that she's to blame before killing her and Alex.
Good All Along: Marie was never at fault for the show's turbulent production; Graham used her as a scapegoat for his actions.
Manipulative Editing: If Alex doesn't solve the riddle, the tapes played during each break will either tell the player to look around the production studio, or mock them for trusting Bannon.
Never Suicide: She plunged to death inside the vault after her argument with Graham. He proceeded to cover it up by pretending she hung herself.
Our Banshees Are Louder: Marie takes some inspiration from banshees, being a spirit with a lethally loud scream, alongside having a strong Irish accent.
Revenge by Proxy: She goes after Patrick, Graham's son, as he's well aware of what his father did.
The Scapegoat: Graham blamed her for the studio fire that destroyed Dying Is Another Man's Job's tapes when she discovered he was stealing her credit.
Stolen Credit Backfire: Marie conceived, co-wrote and produced Dying Is Another Man's Job alongside Graham Bannon. When Brent Backflip was injured after his costume's harness broke, the latter burnt all the show's original manuscripts and footage inside the projector room, blaming Marie and removing all of her credits afterwards. She found out and confronted Graham, having kept a copy of the original script, only to fall to death inside the vault soon after.
Trauma Conga Line: Graham stole her credit as the show's creator, she was falsely blamed for a workplace accident and a fire, was subjected to abuse and blackmail from Graham, and got killed before she could expose him.
Unfinished Business: She wants to clear her name and expose Graham Bannon for destroying the film tapes. If Alex solves the mystery, her spirit will silently smile before disappearing.

Celebrities

Laurence Blunderclatch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2024_01_28_at_70650pm.png

"What a wild ride this has been!"

Played by: Dermot Kearney

Also voiced by: Vladimir Bolbat (Russian)

A renowned film actor with a fiery temper and an ego to match.

Malicious Misnaming: Gets referred to as "Wankersnatch" and "Thundertwat" when he shows up late for an interview.
Meaningful Name: His surname seems to be a parody of Benedict Cumberbatch and how he tends to get into many blunders, including a backstage rant that can kill his career and being the star of a movie that ends up being pulled before its release.
Nice Character, Mean Actor: He acts polite and humorous, if somewhat vain, when being interviewed, but flies off the handle when things don't go his way.
The Prima Donna: He's first seen shouting at his assistant for making him do more than one interview and for giving him a bagel that isn't whole wheat. He ends up angrily leaving the interview after Megan asks for his political opinions, making a massive scene that destroys his career if its broadcasted.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can wreck his career by briefly cutting to his backstage rant during the trailer for "The Medicated", which disgraces him in the public eye and makes it virtually impossible for him to find work, forcing him to eventually scrape together a living as a talking clock.

Johnny Hamsleeves

"Get match fit!"

Played by: Jack Sewell

Also voiced by: Nikita Petrov and Oleg Fedorov (Russian)

A football pro with a home workout video, and potentially shaky relationships with his girlfriend and alcohol.

The Alcoholic: Again, depending on your choices, but you can choose for Johnny to both have and resolve his substance abuse issues. Or potentially create a successful brewing company.
Dumb Jock: A pro footballer, and, as befits the stereotype, not the brightest bulb in the box.
Happily Married: It's up to you, but make the right choices and Johnny can end up in a loving marriage with his girlfriend. Or a boyfriend.
Killed Off for Real: In a bit of a cruel twist, if you choose to air a happy report about his new fling and then a positive shot of them at a restaurant, it causes him to ignore a terminal illness until it's too late to prevent it, succumbing to it towards the end of the game.

Sophia Rymmington

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/professionalsophia.png

"Hi, I'm Sophia Rymmington, CEO of Rymmington-Svist."

Played by: Bethany Slater

Also voiced by: Daria Shafiro (Russian)

The CEO of manufacturing giant Rymmington-Svist.

Bungling Inventor: Several of her inventions are improbable or bizarre, regardless of how you portray her. Some of the inventions include a children's toy that combusts, a "swag box" that contains items like fish and weapon modifiers, or a series of elevators that go through the Earth's center as an alternative to flying.
Cargo Cult: One headline path will see Sophia becoming head of a church centered around the humble flard. During this route, her red carpet appearance will have her become a Pope parody.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Doesn't hesitate to sell completely unsafe toys, firearms and whatever else might turn a profit. She does spend a lot of media time doing damage control.
Driven to Suicide: If you use the headlines to wreck her reputation and ruin her career, she'll toss herself into a flard vat.
Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Her "wild child" personality often appears drunk and disheveled, particularly during her interviews in "The Lockdown" and "The Sterility".
Improbable Age: Sophia took the reins of the company at age 23. It is implied some nepotism was involved.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Destroying her reputation results in her hiding in a foreign embassy to avoid facing trial, parodying Julian Assange. Her status as a young, female CEO of a company involved in some shady dealings, as well as her all-black outfits, also mirror digraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes.
Seriously Scruffy: Portraying her as an incompetent CEO causes her appearance to gradually get more disheveled, to the point her jacket and shirt aren't on her left shoulder.

J-Zuss

"I let the music speak for itself. And the people agree with me."

Played by: Dejon Mullings

Also voiced by: Alexander Sokolov (Russian)

A hip-hop musician known for his controversial but direct lyrics.

Bourgeois Bohemian: Portrays himself as an anti-Advance man of the streets despite being the heir of a hotel company.
Cloud Cuckoolander: Should you allow his music career to take off, he later appears in a red carpet interview spouting an endless chain of Ice Cream Koans and declaring his intent to become Emperor of the Moon.
Multiple-Choice Past: Exaggerated during his interview, where he claims to have been abandoned by his mother, live inside a charity shop, watch his adoptive mother die in his arms at 18 months old, and led a gang of orphaned infants. When things go wrong for him, however, he looks for his father's support.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's an obvious pastiche of Jay-Z, right down to the name. Later in the game, if his anti-Advance lyrics don't go censored, he becomes a pastiche of Kanye West.
Protest Song: "Paint It Red", the song he performs during his interview, is a rant against Advance that praises Disrupt.
Gonna take this fact, gonna stain it red
Gonna slam it into Peter Clement's mother fucking head
'Cause he's thick as shit, he's got a job he's unfit for
It's time to storm the castle with a motherfucking pitchfork!
Punny Name: His name is obviously a play on "Jesus", putting his vastly overinflated ego on display.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can wreck his career by censoring all of his anti-Advance lyrics during his performance, which causes his popularity to plummet and his managers to drop him, forcing him to continue what's left of his music career out of his parents' basement.

Li'l C

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/probesoldier.png

"Overnight, I went from that, like, annoying little girl from that show to that, like, sexy little girl from that show!"

Played by: Georgia Katz

Also voiced by: Vera Andreyeva (Russian)

A former sitcom star and a raunchy pop musician.

Brown Bag Mask: Wears one with a massive frown drawn onto it if her career is ruined.
The Ditz: Subverted. She acts airheaded during her interview, unaware of her managers' shady actions, her father's abuse, or her albums promoting unrealistic standards to young girls. When the interview ends, she tells Megan it's part of her image.
Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Claims to have had one at the hands of her father, who encouraged her to join the Family Business with his belt. When the cameras are off, however, she claims that the whole story was his idea to make her more sympathetic to the public, and that he was never anything other than loving and supportive.
Intercourse with You: "These Babies Gonna Bring You Home", a pop song filled with war-themed sexual euphemisms that she performs live during Day 371.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: She's a pastiche of several pop stars from The '90s.
- She's clearly based on Miley Cyrus, having been a child actor before going into music as an adult, and also the daughter of a famous country star.
- She's also themed on Britney Spears in both her music and a mention of her father controlling her estate.
- Her name is likely based on Spice Girls member Melanie C, whose name is often shortened to Mel C, and her foray into fashion is likely based on Victoria Beckham, another Spice Girls member who later became a fashion designer.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can wreck her career by allowing Disrupt's feed through while she's plugging her new fashion line, causing said fashion line, and eventually her subsequent albums, to tank.

Jordan Rankly

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ramsayisagirl.png

"Fuck off."

Played by: Holly Wilson

Also voiced by: Christina Sherman (Russian)

A ruthless, foul-mouthed celebrity chef who appears as a guest on The Nightly Show during the finale.

Ambiguous Gender: Portrayed by an actress named Holly Wilson, wears a ponytail and an androgynous chef's outfit, and the only time the game ever genders Jordan directly is in the "Coming Up Later" voiceover on Day 371, well before their in-person appearance, which uses he/him pronouns. However, this could just be a holdover from an earlier version of the game where the character was called Gordon Ranty. A conversation during Day 2602, where the characters discuss bras and single out "Patrick" for being "male," might imply that she is a woman after all.
Berserk Button: Having to bear witness to "Patrick"'s culinary "skills" brings out the absolute worst in her.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: Possibly has the foulest language of all the characters in the game, save for Peter Clement.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Celebrity chef? Potty mouth? Hosts a reality game show where she demoralizes and antagonizes her contestants? She checks off all the boxes for being a gender-bent Gordon Ramsay.

Groups

Take Us Seriously

A group of people with silly medical conditions who seek to raise awareness and respect.

Rose Piercy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiccupswoman.png

"I've been surprised at- [hic!] -how much support I've received."

Played by: Annie Lees-Jones

Also voiced by: Christina Sherman (Russian)

A woman who developed a bad case of the hiccups after Advance's election.

Frankie Steampipe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gasshole_5.png

"It's high time people like me were respected."

Played by: Joseph Simpson-Bushell

Also voiced by: Serafim Yelistratov (Russian)

A man with a propensity for comically-timed flatulence.

Brian Truman

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/truman_4.png

"A bunch of fucking losers."

Played by: Dominic Waldron

Also voiced by: Konstantin Kozhevin (Russian)

A man who is compelled to answer any questions completely honestly.

Brutal Honesty: What his mental condition boils down to.
Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears in one scene, but his arrest for speaking honest truth on an already stressful day brings Jeremy to his breaking point, compelling him to take the officer's gun and hold the newsroom hostage.

The Noticeboard Cast

A troupe of actors commissioned by Advance to write and act in The Noticeboard.

Geoff Algebra

"I do all my best work with my trousers off."

Played by: Dan Ellis

Also voiced by: Yegor Puojunas (Russian)

A theatre personality with delusions of adequacy, who used to be a maths teacher.

Giftedly Bad: Everything he touches turns to complete crap. If Advance wasn't so willing to throw money at everything and anything that might distract people, he would still be teaching sixth-form maths.
Meaningful Name: A maths teacher named Algebra, and later a director and playwright named de Plume.
Only in It for the Money: He is absolutely open about the fact that he considers The Noticeboard to be "utter shite" that he only did for the £25,000 payout Advance offered him for some party-approved entertainment.
Pen Name: Quite literally - he apparently divorced his wife and remarried a man called Norm de Plume in order to legally change his surname to de Plume, after his career in drama took off.
Prophetic Names: He's a maths teacher with the last name Algebra. He lampshades it on Day 8.
Punny Name: A math teacher with Algebra as his surname. When he becomes a writer, he marries someone called Norm De Plume and takes his last name.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: The game lets you boo him during the first episode of The Noticeboard. On Day 912, the show's poor acting, and constantly receiving hate mail from viewers, causes him to get so mad that Tommy and Phillipa bag his head and pull him off-stage.

Tommy Harris

"I've got it all: four World Championships, two cars, a bidet, and an enlarged prostate gland."

Played by: Adam Willis

Also voiced by: Vladislav Sommer and Andrey Zhuravsky (Russian)

An actor who used to be a top Sportsboard athlete.

The Alcoholic: If the player boos Tommy enough in the first episode of The Noticeboard, the negative reaction he gets will drive him to drink.
Dumb Jock: Another complete idiot with an athletic career. Probably even dumber than Hamsleeves.
Patrick Bannon: Uh, Harris... perhaps, the brawn and not the brains. Stupid.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: The game allows you to boo Tommy during The Noticeboard's first episode. Doing it exclusively to him will result in a special version of Day 912 with him becoming an utter wreck.

Phillipa Rayden

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"It was only a yoghurt commercial, but I'm still proud of it."

Played by: Helen Potter

Also voiced by: Christina Sherman (Russian)

An actor for the National Theater, who has starred in a variety of shows, stage plays, and yoghurt commercials.

Other Guests

Katie Brightman

"Alan, I can explain it to you, but unfortunately I can't understand it for you."

Played by: Lucy Blake

Also voiced by: Yekaterina Basinskaya (Russian)

A young economist with something of a temper.

Hostage Video: She's kidnapped by Disrupt and forced to read a confession renouncing her support for Advance. You have the option to play a recording of this confession during The Uprising to bolster support for Disrupt's cause, though as usual, you're not aware of the contents until you actually play it.
Meaningful Name: Her surname Brightman, in two ways: she's intelligent and well-spoken, so "bright" in that sense, and she's cautiously optimistic about Advance's changes, so she sees the future as "bright," especially in contrast to fellow interviewee Alan James.
Token Good Teammate: Potentially one for Advance. If Julia is exposed in either Path A or B, Katie will become the party's new leader, where she restores independence to the Territories and makes the party's leadership accountable for its actions.

Constable Robert Peele

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"Crime is the responsibility of the criminal. No one else."

Played by: Tim Brown

Also voiced by: Yegor Bondarenko (Russian)

A policeman who upholds the law and despises criminals, albeit with an embarrassing secret.

Bigot with a Badge: Names "moral decay" as the source of all evils, and blames said decay on "foreigners, gays and gypsies, mostly."
Hypocritical Humor: He blames "foreigners, gays, and gypsies" for "moral decay", yet his speech gets interrupted by a male gimp coming out of his closet.
In-Universe Factoid Failure: Claims that Jesus didn't like immigrants once to justify his bigotry, despite the Bible saying that immigrants should be treated like normal people.
Meaningful Name: Shares a name with Sir Robert Peel, generally regarded as the father of modern policing.

Ivan Vodovich

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tinypenisman.png

"Soon, you have tiny penis. And beard full of secrets."

Played by: Bruce Chattan-McIntosh

Also voiced by: Alexander Kurazhy (Russian)

The foreign minister of Irkistan, who has a tendency to comment and critique.

Ascended Extra: He only appears twice in the main campaign, but is one of the guests in "Bits Of Your Life".
The Dictatorship: He rules Irkistan, an oppressive Soviet-esque nation with several gulags.
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: While he's bald in the main campaign, "Bits Of Your Life" shows him with a curly mullet, which he jokingly promised to shave if Peter won the election.
Hobbes Was Right: Vodovich believes that people would behave selfishly if left to their own devices, considering it to be the nature of all beasts.
Odd Friendship: He's friends with Peter Clement and plays golf with him despite them being political opposites, as they met each other while fighting in a war.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Frequently swears or says some sort of vulgar comparison, particularly during the argument he'll get into with Peter in an anti-Advance run.
Teeny Weenie: He has a strange predilection for insulting others by insinuating that they have tiny penises.
Verbal Tic: Making comments about penis sizes.
Vodka Drunkenski: He's the dictatorship of a Soviet Union pastiche and is frequently seen with vodka or alcohol, a trait he shares with Peter.

Bjerk

"In Svenland, we don't really go in for all that restrictive monogamy stuff, yah. We're kinda fluid actually."

Played by: Andy Anson

Also voiced by: Serafim Yelistratov (Russian)

Svenland's Minister of Mojo with a radically progressive outlook.

New-Age Retro Hippie: A long haired politician who advocates for sexual freedom and progressive politics, and only wears a robe during his interview.
Only One Name: Jeremy Donaldson is initially confused by Bjerk's lack of a surname. This is apparently a trait of all Svenlanders, as Bjerk claims that surnames are "socially divisive".

Stacey

"Fuddy-duddy. Fucking says it all."

Played by: Lucy Foley

Also voiced by: Anna Roiphe (Russian)

Megan's foster daughter, who is frequently sarcastic and bratty.

Abusive Offspring: Tends to argue or insult Megan throughout the show.
Bratty Teenage Daughter: Her main character trait. She's constantly sarcastic, she's as foul-mouthed as Peter Clement on a good day, she rolls her eyes, and she argues with her stepmother throughout the broadcast. Until the broadcast's finale, where she describes her struggle of surviving abuse in am Orphanage of Fear until Advance won the election and made her life better.
Brutal Honesty: Spends most of the show giving her blunt opinions on the topics covered. She ends the episode giving a thought-provoking speech about her life before and after Advance came to power.
Dark and Troubled Past: Spent her childhood in a run-down and badly-run orphanage, where she was constantly bullied. It was only until Advance came to power that her life actually got better.
Foster Kid: To Megan, since neither her or her wife have been able to conceive. Despite them not getting along well, its implied that Stacey stays with her judging by Megan's dialogue during the Path D ending.

Bits of Your Life Crew

Eamon Tightly

"But as always dear viewers, you know better."

Played by: Louis Dempsey

Also voiced by: Vitaly Kashevarov (Russian)

The show host of "Bits of your Life", a once great entertainer whose career got ruined by Dave's machinations

All for Nothing: It only takes one false guest appearance, and he is ready to abandon ship, resulting in an early finale, with an Eamon breakdown special. Even if you get the rest of the guests in the right order, he'll stil be doomed to go through yet another classic "Eamon episode".
Grin of Rage: Even during his mental breakdown, Eamon’s wide smile hangs on his face, albeit only temporarily, as it completely fades away once he contemplates that his career is effectively ruined.
Sanity Slippage: The Bits of Your Life DLC basically boils down to this. Call the guests in the wrong order and watch Eamon's mental health visibly decline over the course of the show.
Stepford Smiler: He didn’t go to drama school in hopes of running a show like Bits of Your Life, he longs to sing the great swing numbers, he wants to tap dance on live television. He doesn’t want to be here, but he must. He isn’t happy, but he is smiling to the camera regardless.
Would Hurt a Child: He admits on live television that he smacks his kids.

Other Characters

Jacob Hamilton-Mann

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hesimportantlater.png

"I think we have ably demonstrated these past seven years that we are truly the party of commerce."

Played by: Sam Halpenny

Also voiced by: Alexander Sokolov (Russian)

The previous Prime Minister before Advance, who was ousted following a major scandal.

Faux Affably Evil: Speaks and acts in a refined manner even while discussing Disrupt's genocidal plans.
Politically Incorrect Villain: In the secret footage of the Disrupt leaders' meeting, he expresses his desire to let the poor die off or to kill intellectuals.
Small Role, Big Impact: He doesn't have much screen time beyond mentions and his appearances in two ending routes and "Bits Of Your Life", but his removal from office ultimately allows for Advance's rise to power.

The Winston Family

Your family.

Sam

Your spouse.

Gender-Blender Name: Again, a deliberate choice to let you roleplay.
Killed Off for Real: If you sell your house and let everyone else in your family die, Sam will come home one night in a drunken rage. You can choose to kick them out, which leads to them getting killed in a drunk-driving accident.
What the Hell, Hero?: If you have a negative relationship with Sam and speak positively of Advance's nuclear terrorism, they'll call Alex out for it, kick them out of the house, and divorce them.

Suzie

Your daughter.

Killed Off for Real: If you let her go on vacation, and your reputation with Advance isn't good enough to bring her back via the Advance Warning program (or if you refuse to do it), she ends up getting hit by one of Advance's nukes.

Charlie

Your son.

Killed Off for Real: There are two instances where Charlie can die during the campaign.
- Day 872: A Spark To Light The Flames: If you let Charlie join Disrupt, but don't participate in the Night of Fire, you'll receive a call informing you that he was involved with the Night of Fire terrorist attack, and was killed during a confrontation with the police.
- Day 989: A Message Delivered: If Advance is incredibly suspicious of Alex, the Uprising was a success, and Charlie didn't die on Day 872, then Advance will arrest Charlie and bring him to Betterment (two months prior), despite no official charges being pressed. He displayed good behaviour while in Betterment, but then in the present day, Charlie died while in Betterment's care. The implications are clear: Advance murdered Charlie to get their point across to you, and that your support of Disrupt had cost your son's life.

Chris

Your sibling-in-law.

Gender-Blender Name: As with Alex and Sam, Chris's ambiguous name leaves their gender open to interpretation.
Killed Off for Real: If you give Chris your passport, they'll be killed by one of Advance's nukes.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: If you give them your passport so they can flee the country shortly after Advance takes over, they end up getting hit by one of Advance's nukes.

Cassandra

Your mother.

Mercy Kill: She can be sent to the Transition Centre if Alex doesn't pay for a nurse or if they don't have enough money to.
Scatterbrained Senior: She's in her late 70s and is suffering from dementia. Though she does have moments of clarity, including if Chris is gone.

Characters / Not for Broadcast

Channel One

National Nightly News

Advance

Disrupt

The Telethon

Live & Spooky

Celebrities

Groups

Rose Piercy

Frankie Steampipe

Brian Truman

Geoff Algebra

Tommy Harris

Phillipa Rayden

Other Guests

Bits of Your Life Crew

Other Characters

Sam

Suzie

Charlie

Chris

Cassandra

Previous

Index

Next

Characters / Not for Broadcast

Edit Locked

Channel One

National Nightly News

Advance

Disrupt

The Telethon

Live & Spooky

Celebrities

Groups

Rose Piercy

Frankie Steampipe

Brian Truman

Geoff Algebra

Tommy Harris

Phillipa Rayden

Other Guests

Bits of Your Life Crew

Other Characters

Sam

Suzie

Charlie

Chris

Cassandra

Previous

Index

Next