# Charlie Brooker's "Screenwipe" on Youtube **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795 "2009-01-30T23:20:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/1 "2009-01-30T23:20:53Z")
[Friggin’ brilliant (in both the North American and UK meanings of the term).](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSa3W06gQZk&feature=PlayList&p=6A2C4224B981014B&index=0&playnext=1) It appears to be a look at what the heck is going on with television. I can’t really describe it - it’s just fascinating. He’s not very reverent about the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/2 "2009-01-30T23:24:57Z")
Charlie Brooker is one of those people you’d love to be best mates with. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/3 "2009-01-30T23:47:13Z")
I find him to be disturbingly crude sometimes, but his observations and critiques are right on the money. I saw our very own **Ianzin** on one of his shows once. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/4 "2009-01-31T01:26:33Z")
He also pens columns in The Guardian similar to his screenwipe stuff: > **[Charlie Brooker | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/profile/charliebrooker)** > > Charlie Brooker is a Guardian columnist who wrote Screen burn for The Guide from 2000 to 2010. He currently writes a G2 comment piece every Monday and he produces, writes and presents Screenwipe for the BBC ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/5 "2009-01-31T02:04:12Z")
Disturbingly crude, hysterically crude - tomayto, potahto. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/6 "2009-01-31T10:01:39Z")
I’ve never even heard of this but I’m loving it! I love Charlie Brooker’s column and this is like the animated version of it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/7 "2009-01-31T12:24:22Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > [Friggin’ brilliant (in both the North American and UK meanings of the term).](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSa3W06gQZk&feature=PlayList&p=6A2C4224B981014B&index=0&playnext=1) It appears to be a look at what the heck is going on with television. I can’t really describe it - it’s just fascinating. He’s not very reverent about the whole thing. Great fun. Can’t imagine anyone over here getting away with anything like this. It’d be biting the hand that feeds you. I wonder how he does it? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/8 "2009-01-31T12:27:52Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Great fun. Can’t imagine anyone over here getting away with anything like this. It’d be biting the hand that feeds you. I wonder how he does it? He has photo’s of the Head of Television in a compromising position with a goat…allegedly. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/9 "2009-01-31T13:32:15Z")
Wow; I guess telly in the UK is just as stupid as American tv. And he’s right about _Lost_ (even though I continue to watch it, damnit). ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/10 "2009-01-31T14:33:20Z")
He always exposes me to shows I just can’t believe exist - like “Noel’s HQ” and the ‘powerfully erotic’ “Paul Ross’ Black Book of Horror”. He’s as good on tv shows he likes as those he hates (and those he gets invested in but knows are crap, such as X factor). He got me into The Wire and for that I am ever grateful. His zombie tv show, Dead Set, is well worth checking out. Also-I don’t care about the show but anything he writes on 24 is just brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/11 "2009-01-31T15:18:22Z")
He also used to write for PC Zone magazine where he would insult people who wrote in and generally try to be offensive (and very funny). He was responsible for one edition of the mag being pulled from the shops due to his [‘Cruelty Zoo’](http://www.arbitary.i12.com/crueltyzoodebacle.html) feature. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/12 "2009-01-31T15:57:19Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Great fun. Can’t imagine anyone over here getting away with anything like this. It’d be biting the hand that feeds you. I wonder how he does it? He made a point early on in the series that had never occurred to me before - any tv shows _about_ tv are just huge circle jerks - tv does not talk disparagingly about tv. Maybe he’s independently wealthy and is financing the whole thing himself. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/13 "2009-01-31T16:11:29Z")
I just can’t believe how much of it is censored by YouTube. Is there really that much nudity in British TV? I feel like such a prude over here. I love Screenwipe. Between that and all the QI I’ve been watching lately I’m beginning to get a bit of a handle on British pop culture. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/14 "2009-01-31T17:06:30Z")
I made it about a minute and a half before I had to turn it off to avoid slashing my throat open with a bit of old tin. Terribly boring and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/15 "2009-01-31T17:28:05Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I made it about a minute and a half before I had to turn it off to avoid slashing my throat open with a bit of old tin. Terribly boring and annoying. I disagree. Terribly funny and entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/16 "2009-01-31T18:16:23Z")
I guess you’d have to care about television to care about someone dissecting. Or, I guess _I_ would, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/17 "2009-01-31T20:26:30Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I guess you’d have to care about television to care about someone dissecting. Or, I guess _I_ would, at least. I don’t care about television per se, but the effect it has had on society that he is commenting on is interesting (and funny). But if you’d prefer to slash your own throat with a piece of tin I guess that’s your prerogative. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-brookers-screenwipe-on-youtube/483795/18 "2009-01-31T21:45:10Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I find him to be disturbingly crude sometimes, but his observations and critiques are right on the money. > > I saw our very own **Ianzin** on one of his shows once. Yes, thank you, I did indeed once have that honour. Charlie liked my book on cold reading and once, when he was doing a ‘bit’ on TV psychics, he asked me if I’d go on the show. It was nice to meet him. Interested parties may like to know that Brooker’s ‘Screen Burn’ TV review columns for the Guardian Weekend magazine are available as a compilation and are well worth reading. At least as far as these TV reviews go, Charlie isn’t _all_ brilliant _all_ the time, but when he is good, he’s pretty hard to beat.