As headlines have reported on the continued burning of our home planet, we, its parasite inhabitants, have done little but stoke the flames. There’s one particular group among us, however, that have dedicated themselves to heightening awareness of the climate crisis we currently face, and pressuring the government to take action to curb the damage already done before it’s too late. They are, of course, Extinction Rebellion.
Back in November of last year, the group unleashed their campaign of non-violent civil disobedience across London, grinding key points of the capital to a halt. With a Trafalgar Square base camp as their hub, thousands of activists partook in ‘swarming’ roads to block traffic, or even locking themselves to the steering wheel of an inconveniently parked hearse. There on the front line was none other than the London nightlife’s best-known roving reporter, Miss Jason.
While we’re typically used to seeing the Jason’s Closet presenter in the nooks of the city’s best alternative parties, this latest episode saw Miss Jason leave the club for the daylight of London’s most famous square. “For this season, we wanted to spend more time outside of parties, to make it more about events where there’s a sense of togetherness,” he explains. “The XR protests just happened to be taking place when we were filming, and it’s such an important cultural phenomenon, so it slotted in perfectly.”
From day to night, the new episode sees him roam the occupied square meeting plastic-bottle giraffes, a ‘Rebellious Shakespeare’, and a group of incredibly woke teenagers along the way. “The group of teenagers definitely most memorable for me,” he says. “We were stood there with the police, and they were talking about ‘swarming’, and all of these things I had no clue about. These girls were just so knowledgeable, it just goes to show how clued-up the next generation is.”
For all of its eccentric characters and H2T “apocalyptic chic” which doesn’t hold a candle to anything in Season 1’s dancehall outing, the episode has a serious message at heart: “It was about drawing attention to the seriousness of the climate crisis with a humorous Jason’s Closet twist,” he says. “With all the episodes of the show, we’re never trying to take the piss out of anyone, we’re just trying to highlight their scene. I think it was just really good that we had the opportunity to highlight them, the important work they’re doing, and their influence on the younger generation.”