Richard Branson Talks ‘Branson’ And Why It ‘Was Like Being In A Psychiatrist’s Chair’

Profiling multi-billionaire Sir Richard Branson is a herculean task, but that’s what the new four-part documentary series Branson sets out to do with great success. Directed by Chris Smith, it’s more revealing than even the entrepreneur himself expected it to be – and at times, unexpectedly harrowing.

“It was a bit like being in a psychiatrist’s chair,” he recalled as we spoke over Zoom. “The first four or five hours we sat and talked to each other, I found tough. I must admit, I thought, ‘Christ, do I really want to go through this?’ but Chris had a job to do, and understandably he wanted to make sure it was a warts and all documentary series.”

Not only does the series contain never before seen family footage, even by Branson himself, but interviews conducted with the mogul in the days leading up to his historic spaceflight.

I caught up with Branson and Smith to discuss the revealing documentary series, the difference between him and the likes of Elon Musk and recording a video for loved ones in case he didn’t make it back from space.

Simon Thompson: Condensing this into four episodes, was that the biggest challenge?

Chris Smith: One of the things that is important to note is that it’s not a straight biopic. You would need many more episodes to tell the whole story. We focused on the adventure side and how that related back to Richard’s business endeavors and looked at the root of that. It was something that was unknown to me, but it definitely seemed to lead back to his mother, Eve.

Thompson: Who, by the way, I did not realize was such an endearing and enchanting woman, Richard. As much as this documentary is about you, it also feels like a tribute to the support she gave you, along with the occasional kick in the ass.

Richard Branson: (Laughs) I know the other title that they were thinking of calling it was Son of Eve, which, in the end, they decided would make it more challenging to promote. I’m very much the son of my mother. I’m biased, of course, but she was an incredibly powerful lady that you had to run hard to keep up with and, at all times, would be pushed ahead of her. I had to get out there and perform for her and prove myself, and I’m very grateful for how she brought us up. I appreciate your words about her because she was special.

Thompson: Several times during the series, you appear to be remembering things that you’d forgotten, were considering stuff you hadn’t known or things you hadn’t put together until now. How much of that was there?

Branson: I think a lot. One of the things that Chris’ team managed to do was find footage I had no idea existed. It was an absolute delight to see footage going back decades that I have no idea where they managed to dig it out from. The archive people did a great job. It was a bit like being in a psychiatrist’s chair, particularly with Chris. His reputation as an independent producer is second to none. You know he will ask searching questions and try to get underneath your skin. Being an independent production made it all the more interesting, even if there were tough questions. I’ve never been to a psychiatrist, but this was the closest I’ve ever come to experience.

Thompson: How was that?

Branson: The first four or five hours we sat and talked to each other, I found tough. I must admit, I thought, ‘Christ, do I really want to go through this?’ but Chris had a job to do, and understandably he wanted to make sure it was a warts and all documentary series. There wasn’t any question that he left unasked. As the subject matter, I’ve looked at a rough cut. I’m sure I would have changed one or two things if I’d had any say over the matter, but it makes it a much better and more gripping documentary to have an independent firm making it. There are things like the name Branson. I haven’t been called Branson since I was at school. I hate the title, but I have no say in the matter. My wife said to me today, ‘I quite like the title, Branson.’ If it has passed her test, then I’m happy with it.

Thompson: Chris, I want to pick up on what Richard mentioned about some of the archive footage. There is no shortage of footage of his career and in public, but the amount of stuff you got hold of when it came to private home video content was seriously impressive. How did you get hold of that?

Smith: I don’t think even Richard knows this, but one of the things that was most interesting in the archival process was that we got all the original Super 8 reels from his family that his mother had taken. I don’t think anyone realized that his mother decided which reels should and shouldn’t be developed. She had self-censored it all but not because it was controversial; she just said it wasn’t interesting. When Richard refers to a lot of stuff that we’ve never seen before, it’s because it has never been transferred. She made the editorial decision that it was not worthy of it, which was amazing for us. We had been given low-resolution versions of some of the material, but in getting everything transferred, once we got the actual film, there was twice as much footage, most of which had never seen the light of day.

Thompson: That ties in nicely to something that one of the contributors, and I believe one of Richard’s Virgin colleagues, mentioned. They said that with any story, there is their version, Richard’s version, and the truth.

Branson: (Laughs)

Thompson: So, Richard, how does it feel to have those three versions put together so publicly? And Chris, how did you weave everything together, so it wasn’t something that contradicted itself?

Smith: We all have our own memory of how events play out and our version of them. That statement isn’t unique to Richard. We all have memories of what we see. You might be with friends, remember something totally differently, and you’re both probably wrong. It wasn’t so much something that was singular to this idea, but we’re talking about information and stories from 30, 40, or 50 years ago, and I think that it was a nice nod to the fact that as you’re watching these things that you have to keep that in mind. That was my take on it. Richard and I have never actually talked about that sequence, so I don’t know if he has a different take.

Branson: It was funny. Like you say, often, there are two sides to a story. The story I told about catching a plane from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands, getting bumped, and ringing up BoeingBA
the next day was true. Equally, somebody approached me to see whether we’d like to start a business airline, and they both happened around the same time. As Chris says, it depends on who knows what as to what’s accurate. In that situation, both stories were accurate.

Thompson: Branson starts off with some compelling footage. It’s Richard filming his posthumous message in case his journey into space ended in tragedy. Richard, you struggled with that, and it’s tough to watch. What was that like?

Branson: I’ve been through that once before, where I walked into a broadcast truck just before I took off in a balloon over the Pacific and found them making an obituary for me, so I watched it. On that occasion, I have to admit that I had a couple of tears in my eyes. It’s strange watching a story about yourself having gone, but you’re still here. Since they had all the equipment set up for this documentary series, I asked the cameraman whether I could do it and then be given the tape. As you see, I choked up a bit, trying to do it. Obviously, I’ve also had to address the other people on the spaceship with me. It wasn’t until later that Chris rang and said, ‘Would you mind if we used a bit of it?’ We had to think about it. Did we mind? By then, we basically trusted that it would be used tastefully, as much as you can, and it was. I have had to sit down on quite a few occasions in my life. Every time I do an adventure, climb a mountain or cross an ocean, I sit down and plan what happens if I don’t come back. All of us need to do it on occasion, and this forces one to do it and work out what needs to happen if one doesn’t return.

Thompson: Is space the final frontier for you, Richard? Have you run out of adventures to have?

Branson: Well, I’ve just come back from climbing Mount Kenya.

Thompson: Of course you have, Richard!

Branson: (Laughs) I think I’m lucky that my kids love adventures, and I think that came across in the documentary. We do one or two big adventures together every year. We’re doing Lapland in February and Bhutan in the autumn, and I love the camaraderie of doing these things with my children and friends. We raise a bit of money for good causes at the same time. Will we do anything as extreme as space? It’s less likely than likely, but we will certainly continue to challenge ourselves.

Thompson: You will likely both have your own views on this. Chris, what do you think sets Richard apart from the Richard Bransons of today, such as Elon Musk? And Richard, what do you think sets you apart from them?

Branson: I think I’m very inquisitive. I love learning, and I love a new challenge. As it was clear in the documentary, I can’t say no and see life as one long learning process. One statement in the documentary, and it was strange as it was made by a close friend and somebody I’ve known for years, was where he talked about the bottom line and said, ‘That’s important to Richard.’ I don’t think it has ever been and will ever be. I love to create great things I can be proud of and continue to create things I can be proud of until I drop.

Smith: One of the things that was interesting going into this project is that I knew very little. There are people like Elon Musk or Richard Branson, where you think you know them because they have some profile in the public eye. Getting into the project further, I realized I knew nothing about Richard, really. I didn’t know his family background, and I didn’t know about the adventures; there was so much I didn’t know. So, to try to make a comparison to someone like Elon Musk, there’s probably the same amount that I don’t know about him that I didn’t know about Richard. That’s an impossible thing. I just came off doing some true crime things and went from that to a surf series called 100 Foot Wave, which is also on HBO, and then this project. It was lovely to be in a world I call optimistic, with people striving to make the most of their lives. I felt like at the time, going through Covid and everything else, that those stories are equally, if not more, valid or important for us to get windows into these worlds that can hopefully be a reflection for people who want to make the most of their time while they’re here.

Branson is streaming on HBO Max. The first episode debuted on Thursday, December 1, 2022, with new episodes dropping on subsequent Thursdays.