New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Politics
  2. Media
4 September 2013updated 26 Sep 2015 11:47am

Did About Time fake its Twitter reviews?

Sometimes it's really important to check for typos.

By Media Mole

A tweet from Luke Whiston is doing the rounds, accusing poor Richard Curtis (by proxy) of faking reviews:

The advert in question, which appeared on page 4 of today’s Telegraph, does indeed quote two accounts which have never tweeted anything about the film. Or, in fact, anything legible at all.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

But never ascribe to malice what can be explained with incompetence. The About Time team have actually been very thorough at tracking down real audiences – who saw the film at the Edinburgh Festival – and asking them permission to put their praise on posters.

(And so on) So all it takes is a quick scroll down the film’s full feed to find out where the problems came. Because while @tracyann28 might not have liked the film, @traceyann28 did:

And @sambradley tweets gibberish, but @sammbradley tweets lavish praise for Richard Curtis:

See! Richard doesn’t have to make up fans. He’s got plenty.

Content from our partners
Can green energy solutions deliver for nature and people?
"Why wouldn't you?" Joining the charge towards net zero
The road to clean power 2030