Westville News

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Janie Grins, the fictitious presenter of Westville News

Westville News is a satirical television comedy programme in West Ariddia, created by James Sawd and Tiffany Lemont. It airs daily for five minutes at 20:55 on Canal V, as a commentary on the day’s news.

Politicians and other celebrities are represented by sketched caricatures, while voice artists imitate their voices with great accuracy. Characters are interviewed by a fictitious presenter, Janie Grins, an airhead blonde bimbo intended as a generic image of several real news presenters. Grins often asks brainless questions, but sometimes asks more embarassing ones in a naïve and clueless way, prompting the interviewee character to reveal the truth of his or her beliefs or actions.

Politicians from the neighboring PDSRA and other foreign countries are also represented (targeted).

Westville News aims, according to Sawd, at “getting those celebs to say things that are true but that they’d never actually really say”. It is critical of both major parties (the right-wing libertarian Free Democratic Party and the left-wing Democratic Communist Party): Luc Sands and Ea L'lew are both relentlessly mocked. Other frequent targets include pop singer Ping, comedian Ümit Makhmudov, PDSRA leader Nuriyah Khadhim, Backwardistani dictator Max Power, OMGTKK celebrities such as Manuelo Fernanda, Gruenberger politician Moltan Bausch, Pacitalian leader Fernando Chiovitti, CBBC boss Dick Rabbit, and many others. Sawd and Lemont even have caricatures of themselves. [1] [2]

Sawd himself once admitted that he “loosely” supported the left-of-centre Socialist Party – “if only to give the Big Two a kick in the pants and make politics a bit more democratic in this country”. He added: “But when the Socialists start lying or making silly promises, I’m harder on them than on anyone. I can just as easily waste my vote on the Rainbow Party or something”. Lemont’s political inclinations, if any, are not known.

The programme once attracted increased controversy by depicting the ghost of recently executed Cluichstani Sheik Larebil bin Cluich (pictured here before his death). Lori Jiffjeff of Gruenberg also reacted strongly to her own caricature. Similarly, Westville News is broadcast in Pacitalia on PBC2 at 23:55 AOTC+0300, where the prime minister (Chiovitti) reacted favourably to his corresponding likeness, joking "how strangely similar the drawing looked" to himself (source).

Westville News is so popular in West Ariddia that, according to one poll, many West Ariddians identify politicians first and foremost via their “WVN” caricatures.

Images of Westville News characters

• Moltan Bausch, Gruenberger diplomat
• Tad Braxton, Kennyite ambassador to the PDSRA, who has been known to nip over to Aqeyr and smash a few CBBC restaurants
• Larebil bin Cluich of Cluichstan ("Peace, love & lollipops!")
• Nadnerb bin Cluich
• Fernando Chiovitti, Prime Minister of Pacitalia
• Chairman Diřgę of the PDR Yelda
• Siobhan Donovan, spokeswoman of the Rainbow Party
• Manuelo Fernanda, President of Omigodtheykilledkenny
• Lori Jiffjeff, Gruenberger founder of Mothers Against Weird Stuff, and one of WVN's favourite targets
• "Mr. Jones", fictitious faceless entity behind the Bram the Bored Corporation
• Bule Kalotang, President of Tika Vanu and close ally of West Ariddia, portrayed as a religious fanatic
• Nuriyah Khadhim, Prime Secretary of Ariddia
• Hanifah Kyaw, famous Ariddian football player
• Ea L’lew, a blind West Ariddian politician, looking particularly angry
• Leonhard II, Prince of Ausserland
• Ümit Makhmudov, West Ariddian comedian, creator of the character Tarob Veyidgas
• Ping, West Ariddian pop singer
• Max Power, Relur Emerpus of Backwardistan
• Dick Rabbit, Allanean co-founder of the Cute Bunny Burger Corporation
• Luc Sands, President of West Ariddia, rarely seen in other media
• Captain Spaulding I of The Palentine
• Aj Ud, former Prime Secretary of Ariddia
• Lady Viannor of Starblaydia
• Christelle Zyryanov, senior PDSRA ambassador
• the Westville News version of a snurf, a cartoon character thought to typify Ariddians