Fallout: London somehow has the former Speaker of the House of Commons taking on a role

When I first saw pictures of Fallout: London, I was impressed. There was an acute sense of detail. I recognised train stations and pubs from near where I grew up, and the whole expansion gave off this quintessentially British aroma that I couldn’t ignore (lager, body odour, and petrol.) I didn’t think it could get more Blighty than that, but now that Team Folon has announced that the former Speaker of the House of Commons will be voice acting in-game, it somehow has.

John Bercow is the politician in question, who resigned from the House in 2019 due to his issues with the handling of Brexit. Following that, he joined The Labour Party before being suspended after bullying allegations, appeared in 2023’s series of The Traitors, and is now set to feature in a volunteer project for a video game mod. What a series of events.

If you’re not well-versed in British politics, the reason you might find the former Speaker familiar is thanks to the viral meme he was central too back in 2019. After a backbencher shouts ahoy there, Bercow has no option but to restore order with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek shout of order. It’s weird, funny, as ponce-y and arbitrary as British politics gets, and it’s some of Bercow’s finest work. CNN calls him “the man that shouts ‘Order!’ when UK Parliament gets chaotic.”

John Bercow is one of a few very high-profile names starring in Fallout: London. When you start playing it, you’ll probably recognise the timbre of Astarion, or perhaps the manic voices of two different Doctor Who actors.

All of these collaborations have me thinking just how have Fallout: London and its team convinced all these high profile celebrities to get involved? As cool as it is, it’s nowhere near as amusing as Nigel Farage’s appearances on Cameo.