Did anyone catch the “Brass Eye” special tonight? Blimey. What did you think?
(For curious non-Brits, “Brass Eye” is an infamous spoof current affairs documentary show, which tonight aired a special on the problem of rampant paedophilia in the UK. It sailed, uh, fairly close to what would normally get on TV. Phil Collins is threatening to use over his clueless appearance on tonight’s show)
Classic moments tonight … “Why is it no longer the British Isles, but the Paedoph Isles?” … the DJ comparing paedophile genes to those of a crab - “There is no evidence, but it’s a scientific fact.” … the MTV VJ warning of online paedophiles producing suggestive toxic fumes from the keyboards of unsuspecting children …)
I love Brasseye. Chris Morris is a god in my eyes. The more Phil Collins is ridiculed the better I say. And I love the two guys out of spaced and Kevin Eldon and Peter Baynham (who, incidentally, used to go out with a friend of mine).
The one about drugs, aping the hype that our media generates, was funny and drew olots of criticism.
They did the whole shock investigative journalism treatment thing to a ‘new’ drug called cake (which was in fact cake) and conned various worthies, career minded celebs and politicians into making statements about the evils of cake.
It was hilarious to them them all making these deep meaningful comments about a subject they had only been told about by the ‘concerned’ reporters.
I thought this one was as good as the drugs one - an excellent satire on media hysteria. I guarantee that the tabloid press won’t get the joke. (I haven’t seen today’s papers yet)
I have a question: Do you think that some of the celebs are in on the joke, or are they all so very naïve?
I suppose some of the celebs are frightened of what people might think of them if they refused to appear on a TV news special about the threat of paedophilia, so they go along with it, but there’s got to come a point where they realise that they’re being asked to talk complete and utter rubbish.
Cake produces its high by stimulating the area of the brain known as Shatner’s Bassoon. The Comedown from Cake can be so bad that one girl coughed up her pelvic bone.
Cake, it can be made from everyday ingredients such as eggs and flour…
Very good television. Wouldn’t describe much of it as “funny” per se, i didn’t laugh out loud as much as i did in previous episodes. This is just a personal reaction. I am more comfortable with the issues raised by previous episodes, drugs, animals, sex etc, and find them easier to laugh at. I realise that Brass Eye is written to be near the knuckle, but I found myself doing the sharp intake of breath several times last night. A job well done I guess.
For anyone interested, here’s a good – if out of date – Chris Morris website:
http://www.koekie.org.uk/funnel/
To answer your question, Tansu i suspect Morris starts the celebs off with some reasonable sounding material to record, then progresses to wilder and progressively more unbelievable stuff then edits creatively if necessary. Not that he always needs to. I think it was Kim Wilde who actually fell utterly for the footage of homeless people being clamped. I mean really. Thank god for people like Chris Morris.
Yes, good stuff. The current hysteria about paedophiles deserves to be sent up; hysteria never solved a problem yet.
The way some of these celebrities fall for this stuff is unbelieveable. I’ll never forget the sight of Steven Berkoff smashing little plastic cows to demonstrate how “heavy electricity” falls out of the wires and kills cattle in India…
I’m not sure, there was one where they were interviewing some woman (might have been Clare Rayner, not sure) and repeatedly asking her: “If you were attacked by a pervert, would you beat him off?”. I’m sure that she had no idea that ‘beating off’ can mean more than one thing.
The eleven o’clock show used to do the same sort of interviews (although not quite so well IMHO).
Oh, I can quite see how Claire Rayner responded in that way.
Richard Blackwood talking about suggestive fumes coming from a computer keyboard is a lot further down the scale of, um, suggestibility.
I’m not saying that none of the celebs should have been taken in at all. I’m wondering whether any light dawned on them as they were being asked to say more and more ridiculous things.
not that i don’t think it’s a valid point, and a great way of making it, i just can’t bear to watch the “celebrities” make such class 1 fools of themselves.
I did feel most of the paedophilia show was extremely uncomfortable, but then it’s a special kind of television, isn’t it? For some reason I too find myself revering Chris Morris, although I could equally be persuaded to join in a lynching, if bored enough. He has willingly opened himself for televisual martyrdom.
Best moment of his career: Once on The Day Today, during the closing credits when the studio fell dark and the camera drew away from his Jeremy Paxman newsreader persona, he could clearly be seen to be shooting up.
Best moment from last night: as usual, it’s what he does with words. Related the massive beating of a suspected paedophile: “now he lies in bed, brainbroken and quadrospazzed”… honestly, I could have wet myself. And now I come to think of it… the guy wasn’t even a suspected paedophile. He was just someone they mob had beaten up.
Most surreal moment: it was last night. You know that guy he does with the big grey moustache, kind of macho on-the-front-line reporter with a gruff voice? Doon MacKichan asked him about the giant behind him, dressed as a girl. “Yes,” he replied, looking like a little boy pleading for understanding “He’s been here all day.” I actually came close to a rectal prolapse, laughing at that one.
And I definitely DO NOT APPROVE of any of this hilarious material, okay? Even the Day Today special about bullying in the church…
best line ever (as Paxman, when a junior reporter lets a government minister escape into a cab): Peter, you’ve lost the news! What do you say? Sorry, yes. Look like you mean it. Look down at the ground and say you’re sorry. Peter, next time you cross the road don’t bother looking…"
THEORY The Day Today and Brass Eye are the natural successors to Drop the Dead Donkey, except that they’re better.
Discuss.
