# Channel 4's "Peep Show" - whence the name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009 "2011-05-06T20:36:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/1 "2011-05-06T20:36:14Z")
I recently discovered through Hulu the British TV series “Peep Show,” which has apparently been going on for years, but I’d never heard of it. It’s reasonably funny, but uses a kind of annoying fish-eye camera effect. What I’m wondering is, why the title “Peep Show”? In my experience, a peep show is basically a stripper or a sex show that you can watch through a window whose shade rises and falls as controlled by a coin-operated machine. The premise of the show doesn’t seem to have anything to do with that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/2 "2011-05-06T21:20:04Z")
A peep show need not be pornographic. I assume the series is called that because it’s a voyeuristic look inside the lives of these two characters, often through first-person perspective (with that fish-eye effect) which echoes the effect of an old fashioned [peep show.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peep_show) Fantastic series, by the way. ETA: [Here’s a BBC News](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/213207.stm) article about the rise of “peepshow” television, in which the term is being used as a synonym for something like reality TV. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/3 "2011-06-04T14:11:22Z")
This gave me a chuckle --'In one of the early episodes, Jezz is often flipping channel and when he cones across The Joy of Painting, he refers to Bob Ross as “God” – “Ooh, what’s God doing?” Later, when Mark is faced with a difficult choice, he decides to flip on the TV and base his decision on what “God”'is painting. I wonder, is this Bob Ross = God thing a broader thing in British pop culture or was it just something the show’s writers came up with? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmundex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@Sigmundex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmundex)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/4 "2011-06-04T15:36:52Z")
I just want to say that Super Hans is one of the greatest tv characters ever, and the episode where they go on that boat and have the “problems with the dog” is one of the funniest episodes of tv that I can ever remember. There were some slow spots and parts I wasn’t into as much (more in the later seasons) but I love the show. And I do agree that it’s called “Peep Show” because we’re so intimately involved in the lives of Mark and Jeremy, and the filming style has them looking at the camera and talking directly to us on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/5 "2011-06-04T16:07:17Z")
Heh … I thought his name was Super **hands** until I saw it in writing. I would never have come up with “Hans” on my own ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/6 "2011-06-04T19:26:37Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > This gave me a chuckle --'In one of the early episodes, Jezz is often flipping channel and when he cones across The Joy of Painting, he refers to Bob Ross as “God” – “Ooh, what’s God doing?” > > Later, when Mark is faced with a difficult choice, he decides to flip on the TV and base his decision on what “God”'is painting. > > I wonder, is this Bob Ross = God thing a broader thing in British pop culture or was it just something the show’s writers came up with? Something the show’s creators came up with, I reckon. I’d never heard of Bob Ross until this post. It’s certainly not a name that has any pop culture resonance for me. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/7 "2011-06-06T22:33:54Z")
For a show that’s so heavily focused on sex, I find myself wishing that at least one of the main characters was seriously hot. Elena was probably the hottest character, but was hardly in the show. Nancy, Big Suze, and Zahra are passable, but again, have very limited screen time. But the principal characters – Mark, Jezz, Sophie, Super Hans – are all positively repulsive. It’s more horrifying since so many of the shots are extreme closeups of their puffy faces and horrible teeth. Maybe that’s part of the joke. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/8 "2011-06-07T00:53:07Z")
You guys realize that the show is filmed from the perspective of the narrator right? Like, they actually[move the actor aside and replace him with a camera](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5lPWegq11o) for most shots or in some cases the actors wear a helmet-cam. Hence the “peep” show - you’re peeping through someone else’s eyes. _Peep Show_ is my absolute favorite sitcom from the past decade. I’ve watched the entire 6 season run 4 times through now. It’s just…wow. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/9 "2011-06-07T01:25:30Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > But the principal characters – Mark, Jezz, Sophie, Super Hans – are all positively repulsive. It’s more horrifying since so many of the shots are extreme closeups of their puffy faces and horrible teeth. Maybe that’s part of the joke. Jesus. That’s pretty harsh. _Positively repulsive?_ Really? They’re ordinary looking people. Care to post a photo of yourself, you Adonis, you? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/10 "2011-06-07T01:36:06Z")
> [@Crusoe](#): > > It’s certainly not a name that has any pop culture resonance for me. Does the phrase “happy little trees”?? **pulykamell** , I’ve never heard anyone use the term peep show in a non-pornographic way either, which lead me to be confused about what this show might be about too. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/11 "2011-06-07T01:41:47Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Jesus. That’s pretty harsh. _Positively repulsive?_ Really? They’re ordinary looking people. > > Care to post a photo of yourself, you Adonis, you? And ordinary means Hollywood Ugly on TV. Especially when you see them in those extreme closeups. Not that I had time to tell in the clip I watched. Too much camera movement to actually have time to see anything. I do not get this trend. Real people don’t see that way. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/12 "2011-06-07T02:14:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I assume the series is called that because it’s a voyeuristic look inside the lives of these two characters I have also never heard ‘peep show’ in a context that doesn’t refer to the sex shows mentioned in the OP. I want to zero in on this line of **pulykamell** ’s post because it seems to me that the voyeurism of the show’s concept is the reason for the title. It’s also an uproariously funny show. I was watching it on Hulu in my living room and was unable to contain myself from laughing until I couldn’t breathe. My mom kept asking me if I was okay, then asking me what was so funny. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/13 "2011-06-07T02:25:39Z")
By the way, if you like Peep Show, give That Mitchell and Webb Look a try. Same primary actors, but doing sketch comedy. (after that it’s on to Little Britain). ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/14 "2011-06-07T04:14:39Z")
> [@Doctor\_Who](#): > > By the way, if you like Peep Show, give That Mitchell and Webb Look a try. Same primary actors, but doing sketch comedy. Might as well give it a try, but keep in mind, the writers are completely different (Mitchell and Webb don’t write for Peep Show; they just act) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/15 "2011-06-07T04:33:13Z")
I’m a fan of pretty much everything Mitchell and Webb have done. I originally discovered them through the radio series, The Mitchell and Webb Sound, when I was playing around on the BBC Radio Player. The Mitchell and Webb Situation is another one worth looking at. [The farming skits](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pDTiFkXgEE) are one of my favorites. However, yes, all three of these other Mitchell and Webb projects are written by Mitchell and Webb and are skit-based comedy, so completely different feel than Peep Show. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/16 "2011-06-07T17:12:38Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Jesus. That’s pretty harsh. _Positively repulsive?_ Really? They’re ordinary looking people. > > Care to post a photo of yourself, you Adonis, you? No, but then again, I’m not subjecting the television viewing public to extreme closeups of my face. Jezz is supposed to be a reasonably successful “puller,” but I can’t see how any woman (or man) who gets a closeup view of his jack-o-lantern grimace would stay that close for very long. (I tried to find a picture of Robert Webb to illustrate this, but he [seems to keep his mouth tightly closed whenever there’s a camera around](http://www.google.com/search?q=Robert+Webb&num=100&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=N7f&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnsol&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=oVzuTaPUL8Pr0gHiqeTeAw&ved=0CD8QsAQ&biw=1067&bih=641).) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/17 "2011-06-07T19:04:58Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > You guys realize that the show is filmed from the perspective of the narrator right? Like, they actually[move the actor aside and replace him with a camera](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5lPWegq11o) for most shots or in some cases the actors wear a helmet-cam. Hence the “peep” show - you’re peeping through someone else’s eyes. > > _Peep Show_ is my absolute favorite sitcom from the past decade. I’ve watched the entire 6 season run 4 times through now. It’s just…wow. I’m mentioned Peep Show tons of times in threads about British TV. Fucking amazing. Favorite epi has to be the season finale (5th?) where they end up eating the poor girl’s barbequed dog. Yes, it was absurd, and you saw it coming, but it didn’t make it any less hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/18 "2011-06-19T05:25:21Z")
I just realized that Nancy is Sally from the very first episode of Flight of the Conchords. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/channel-4s-peep-show-whence-the-name/581009/19 "2011-06-20T21:57:27Z")
> [@Crusoe](#): > > Something the show’s creators came up with, I reckon. I’d never heard of Bob Ross until this post. It’s certainly not a name that has any pop culture resonance for me. He became a minor pop icon among the type of people who watched a lot of educational television growing up. He was a very very mellow painter who demonstrated a kind of “under painting” technique (I don’t know the correct terminology, but he started by painting his canvas white and using various kinds of brushes and knives to work in underpaint in to soften his images). His demeanour was very smooth and calm and he always talked about putting “happy little trees” in his pictures, which all had a kind of sameness to them. I think “God” is a brilliant nickname for him. > [@Doctor\_Who](#): > > By the way, if you like Peep Show, give That Mitchell and Webb Look a try. Same primary actors, but doing sketch comedy. I watched it on Hulu. It’s moderately good. I was disappointed with all the recurring bits, like Numberwang, which was only slightly funny the first time, but then kept reappearing in nearly every episode and became completely unfunny.