Fine British political snark

March 24, 2011 6:07 PM

10 O'Clock Live is a show currently airing on Channel 4 in the UK. It could be considered a British take on the Daily Show, but longer, weekly, with more discussion, and performed live. MeFi favorite Charlie Brooker is one of their presenters, along with David Mitchel, Lauren Laverne and Jimmy Carr. While focused on British issues, the show sometimes covers international topics, and is wildly funny. Here are some highlights:
Charlie Brooker: On Gaddafi - On Berlusconi - On the 'Big Society' - On Sarah Palin - On the iPad 2 - On the English Defense League & the Daily Star - On Ed Miliband (Leader of the Labour Party, beating out his brother David) - On Prince Andrew
David Mitchell: On political hyperbole - On language in the media - On encouraging rich people to immigrate - On what to do with the Olympic Stadium
Jimmy Carr: As Berlusconi - On Product Placement
Lauren Laverne: Guide for new democracies - Inside the brain of Ed Miliband - British PR companies helping tyrants
Everyone on David Cameron on The One Show (this one's awesome)

YouTube user sn0otchie has about the whole show to date on his playlist. There are very good bits in the show that I haven't included in the post, but you'll have to find those yourself.

And yes, every letter in Charlie Brooker's name, above, links to a Metafilter post concerning him.

posted by JHarris (84 comments total)

This video contains content from Channel 4, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.


:(
posted by jonnyploy at 6:15 PM on March 24, 2011

What? I built all those links just now, they can't be blocked already!
posted by JHarris at 6:17 PM on March 24, 2011

Most of the Charlie Brooker ones appear to be unfortunately.
posted by jonnyploy at 6:20 PM on March 24, 2011

This this isn't some spin-off take on on the Daily Show, this utterly transcends!

no problem here in the states
posted by clarknova at 6:21 PM on March 24, 2011

jonnyploy, try visiting sn0otchie's playlist above. Almost everything in the individual videos is probably part of that, somewhere along the way, since it seems to be the whole show. Beyond that all I can suggest is torrents. (The show is available over bittorrent if you look around, I can't help there though.)
posted by JHarris at 6:24 PM on March 24, 2011

It literally sucks so bad. It is definitely the worst thing on television. A complete waste of time and talents.
posted by parmanparman at 6:26 PM on March 24, 2011 [3 favorites]

For reals parmanparman? Because I just saw "Charlie Brooker" and "David Mitchell" and I was like "Yay!"
posted by tumid dahlia at 6:28 PM on March 24, 2011

I think it has a lot of potential but feels too much like it is constrained by the format clamped upon it by the producers and execs. There is never enough time for a proper debate because they always have to move to a new segment, and quite a few of the segments seem forced.

I'm glad to watch it just to see Mitchell and Brooker on the screen together, they are the power team that bind it.
posted by tumples at 6:28 PM on March 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you're in the UK then the Youtube links are unlikely to work. In that case you can see most of the same clips on the 4OD website. The full episodes are there as well, on the "Watch Now" tab.
posted by MUD at 6:33 PM on March 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

It could be considered a British take on the Daily Show, but longer, weekly, with more discussion, and performed live.

Haven't the British Panel Shows been doing this for decades now? Mock The Week sounds like exactly like that.
posted by schmod at 6:35 PM on March 24, 2011

Thanks MUD! BTW, by my reckoning there should be a new episode of tonight (or was one earlier today, time zones confuse me).
posted by JHarris at 6:35 PM on March 24, 2011

Yeah, this is far from perfect, but even so it's much needed in a political climate where for years, the TV stations have done little more than read out government news releases. We desperately need a Daily Show, and this is as close as we've had in a while.

The first few editions were ropey as hell, but it has improved. Charlie Brooker is almost always good, as is Lauren Laverne. David Mitchell's solo spots are often as transcendent as almost everything else he does, but but tumples's criticism of the debate section is spot on. Even Jimmy Carr doesn't always ruin the show; he's wide of the mark more often than he hits the target, and it's not every week that something he can get his nasty little teeth into happens, but the rest of the team can carry him.

In the absence of a British John Stewart, this is much-needed, and a must-watch for all its faults.
posted by nowonmai at 6:37 PM on March 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

That "how do you sleep at night?" line was fucking gold.
posted by Wataki at 6:38 PM on March 24, 2011 [3 favorites]

Now you see nowonmai, I think the show is excellent nearly all around. I'm not British mind you, but I think nearly all the comedy works well. Jimmy Carr has some pretty good bits too I thought.
posted by JHarris at 6:40 PM on March 24, 2011

I'm a fan, but a disappointed one. I like Jimmy Carr (in doses), I adore David Mitchell, and Charlie Brooker is great (though his latest show is not great). I wasn't familiar with Lauren Laverne, and she doesn't contribute a lot to the show, but she's somewhat entertaining.

But I agree that the format is the big problem, it's too rushed by half. As soon as a debate or an interview gets going, it has to be cut off to rush to the next segment. If they took away half of Jimmy Carr's bits (probably the ones where he is in a costume doing a terrible accent) and gave it to David Mitchell so that he could have something approaching a fuller debate, the show would be better. Otherwise it seems manic. And like I said before, Laverne seems interesting, her offhanded comments and occasional strident bits are good. But her pieces that are closer to skits just don't fly for me and I sometimes feel like she's only on the show to make sure that it isn't just four white dudes. Which is fine, because I'm glad it's not four white dudes, I just wish what she was doing felt more into the show rather than a segue for the other people to get in place for their next bits. It must be a marathon though.
posted by X-Himy at 6:44 PM on March 24, 2011 [2 favorites]

Was just about to say something pretty similar to what nowonmai just said. All I'd add is that it seems to me Jimmy Carr is sick of hammering the "nasty deadpan" shtick and that this is him trying to branch out. This leaves him beyond his comfort zone at times, and I agree that he can struggle with this a bit. But at these points I can still enjoy tittering at his incongruous pronunciation of "news" to rhyme with "moos".
posted by howfar at 6:45 PM on March 24, 2011

JHarris: Carr has some good bits, but he is probably on TV 8 hours a day over here. One can get tired of his schtick. He is also guilty of a few of my comedy pet hates, one being the occasional pointless insult of random celebrities, another being to grab a laugh from things that just aren't true. But he provides plenty for a less jaded viewer to enjoy, I'm sure. It's just that when a bit in this show falls flat, it always seems to be one of his.
posted by nowonmai at 6:48 PM on March 24, 2011

I have been meaning to watch this for a while now, so thanks JHarris for the push! Having looked a few clips I'm in the 'promising, but uneven' camp. Laverne is the weak link. I love her on the radio, but she is ill-suited to this.

Nowonmai: I think the closest thing we have to a British John Stewart is Armando Iannucci, and the closest thing there has been to a British Daily Show is Friday Night Armistice.
posted by jonnyploy at 6:49 PM on March 24, 2011 [3 favorites]

X-Himy, Lauren Laverne is there mainly because of her presenting experience (she's also witty and charismatic, of course). You're right that a live show like that must be a marathon, and if you're looking out for it, you'll notice that Laverne is frequently the one holding the thing together.
posted by howfar at 6:50 PM on March 24, 2011

howfar is right about Carr trying to branch out; I recently saw him on some horrible programme trying to do some kind of Michael Barrymore reach-out-to-the-real-people sentimental bullshit. He is struggling to find a role beyond standup; maybe he will grow into this.
posted by nowonmai at 6:51 PM on March 24, 2011

I already know I'll like this seeing the presenters' names, but I'd love it if it had some Frankie Boyle and/or Simon Amstell.
posted by droolshark at 7:17 PM on March 24, 2011

I'm tired of Frankie Boyle AND Jimmy Carr.

Lauren Laverne can stay though. I love her little face.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:24 PM on March 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've been watching this since the beginning and I really, really want to like this show, but the overenthusiastic audience begins to grate terribly (I recall a bit where Brooker can barely get through his segment for all the cheering, and partway through he just turns and sneers, "sycophants.") Last week it seems like they've made a conscious effort to get them to tone it down a little bit though, and the show's much better for it. (Listen to Mitchell is by miles the best regular segment!)
posted by btfreek at 7:26 PM on March 24, 2011 [2 favorites]

I guess I need to toddle off to my favorite UK television programming torrent website and see if any episodes of this show are available!
posted by hippybear at 7:27 PM on March 24, 2011

Hrm. there's apparently also an audio-only podcast available via iTunes. Not sure whether that's only the UK iTunes or elsewhere, but that might be worth seeking out for people who like that sort of thing.
posted by hippybear at 7:30 PM on March 24, 2011

It could be considered a British take on the Daily Show

Or an earlier 11 O'Clock Show.
posted by Artw at 7:32 PM on March 24, 2011

howfar, good point. Laverne does hold the show together, and in the cases when she does that, she does it well. Perhaps it's not enough. She's very charismatic, but I often feel like she's an appendage to a show and not doing as much as the other three. I like the bit at the end when all four presenters get together, I rather wish that segment was expanded.
posted by X-Himy at 7:52 PM on March 24, 2011

Ta for the reminder. I've been meaning to torrent this ask UK friends about this.
posted by pompomtom at 7:54 PM on March 24, 2011

Tag fail... TFIF.
posted by pompomtom at 7:54 PM on March 24, 2011

I wish we could get this weekly in Australia. Just Brooker and Mitchell would be a decent weekly comedy dosage.
posted by AzzaMcKazza at 7:56 PM on March 24, 2011

AzzaMcKazza, for a nice dose of Brooker/Mitchell, there's one of those British end-of-the-year quiz show things, I think it was for 2009 or 2010, with the two of them on the same team. Of course it also had the fairly obnoxious duo of Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross doing their best to fill the room with shit-gas, but you take the good with the bad, I suppose.
posted by tumid dahlia at 8:09 PM on March 24, 2011

And uhh I meant to say you should have a look on YouTube for the show, I think "Brooker Mitchell quiz" would probably do it. Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, I think it was.
posted by tumid dahlia at 8:10 PM on March 24, 2011

Well again, besides Brooker I don't know any of these people outside of these clips, and I think they're fine. Maybe they're just in the shadow of Brooker and Mitchell. Carr has a self-effacing way in his segments I think, and Laverne makes me laugh just in the incredibly sweet way she had of explicating the horrible things British PR firms have said in the service of mideast dictators. "That's literally the worst thing I've ever heard."
posted by JHarris at 8:22 PM on March 24, 2011

Put me in the camp of desperately wanting to like this more than I do. In fact, I'm slightly puzzled why it falls flat for me. Jimmy Carr has never made me laugh very much, but he's had some good bits. Lauren Laverne I didn't know before so she's a pleasant discovery, very funny and has great timing and I agree with howfar, she's very good as a presenter and keeps things flowing. David Mitchell I could listen to talk about anything, but his interviews are, well, rushed and unfocused. Charlie Brooker I've loved since he reviewed computer games and drew silly cartoons for PC Zone and his monologues are frequently hilarious, but he has problems adapting to the format. I can't quite put my finger on why but frequently I'm bored, and given the talent involved, I really shouldn't.
posted by Kattullus at 8:46 PM on March 24, 2011

This week's episode has a fine piece from Brooker ripping the shit out of the "Rebecca Black Hate Mob," as he calls it.
posted by btfreek at 8:53 PM on March 24, 2011

GREAT FPP JHARRIS

(That shot by David Cameron shot by Matt Baker is effing gold.)
posted by humannaire at 9:37 PM on March 24, 2011

I was chuffed when I heard about the collaboration, but I join the choir of people disappointed by the format. I imagine, doing it live saves money for them, but I think the programme would be improved immensely by allowing the worst blunders to be cut out, and it wouldn't lose any significant amount of either drive nor contemporariousness. Mr. Brooker and Mr. Mitchell are excellent writers, but they're not performers, and they need more practice with a format like that. Mr. Carr and Ms. Laverne is, but both could use the chance to test out their material before it goes out.

Also, their take on current politics seems ham-fisted and is obviously biased towards a welfare oriented ideal of a state. They don't yet have the ability to argue seriously with political players and they fall back on cheap shots at politicians and bankers too often. And while they get a lot of cheers and panto noises from the audience by doing so it ends up with the interviews being pointless, unfunny and (too) short. Mr. Mitchell mentioned in an interview recently that they might start to vet the audience to get a more politically balanced group. I think such a move will put a lot more pressure on the four to have their arguments in order and to be able to think on their feet.

I'm still hopeful, though. I think it has improved already. I hope they remove a segment or two, I hope they'll allow for more banter between the hosts, and I hope they drop the idea of it being a live show. If there is a popular demand, they can do as many other comedy programmes do and edit and show an extended version as well, for the hard core fans of the show.
posted by cx at 9:41 PM on March 24, 2011

I love this show.

But what's-her-face (seriously, who is she, anyway?) is just awful. She has absolutely no feel for comic timing or delivery. If she played the straight man, it would all undoubtedly work much, much better.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:44 PM on March 24, 2011

(Did she come from a children's show? She seems like she probably came from a children's show--one for very little children.)
posted by Sys Rq at 9:51 PM on March 24, 2011

Add me to the segments are too short camp. Agree with cx on the taping vs live issue. The show has its flaws, but overall, Brooker carries this show like a boss. I don't have much else to say except that he is one charming prick. His quips are so devastatingly clever and nasty that I almost feel bad for his targets--until I remember, of course, that CHARLIE BROOKER IS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING.
posted by jng at 10:03 PM on March 24, 2011

It could be considered a British take on the Daily Show, but longer, weekly, with more discussion, and performed live.

yeah Australia has something like this called Good News Week. it's more guests and random improv comedy tho
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:05 PM on March 24, 2011

I generally like it a lot, it's funny and doesn't have the Have I Got News For You problem of being a topical humour show shot days in advance.

The interviews annoy me though: they're not journalists and they generally let the politically-savvy interviewees run rings round them and make blatantly false statements.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 11:39 PM on March 24, 2011

The only way I've found to enjoy this show is watch it recorded, with my finger hovering over the fast forward button. That way I can speed past all the Carr and Laverne bits, some of the Mitchell bits, but none of the Brooker bits.
posted by chill at 11:51 PM on March 24, 2011

Finally watching episode one. "You know, there are so many pedophiles in the Catholic Church, it's sometimes easy to forget that the Pope is a Nazi."

Okay, that kind of sets the tone.
posted by hippybear at 12:12 AM on March 25, 2011

Now that I've bothered to Google, I find that Lauren Laverne was in Kenickie. I have a soft spot for Kenickie from back in the day.
posted by Kattullus at 12:19 AM on March 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

Lauren Laverne plays Hawkwind at 10am on t'wireless. I think that was when I fell in love.
posted by vbfg at 12:51 AM on March 25, 2011

It could be considered a British take on the Daily Show, but longer, weekly, with more discussion, and performed live.

I actually think its inspiration is That Was The Week That Was, and the golden era of 60s satire.

I think the problem with it is that it's not the 60s anymore, and the writers/performers just aren't as good as the TW3 crowd, much as I love Charlie Brooker.
posted by Summer at 1:43 AM on March 25, 2011

But what's-her-face (seriously, who is she, anyway?) is just awful.

Lauren Laverne is a poor fit for the show if what you're looking for is another comedian; even just picking from who I can remember off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen women comedians who would thrive in this format (and show up Jimmy Carr, too) so if they chose her for her comedy skills they messed up. But she's a consummate presenter, with years of experience in turning chaos into watchable TV, and it shows when you sit through the whole awful thing: she's the one who picks up after the awkward pauses where Brooker doesn't know what to do with himself, or Mitchell makes that face, or Jimmy Carr, and she does it brilliantly. She's also usually funnier when she's allowed to go off-script, although I guess the humour that comes naturally to her isn't confrontational enough for this sort of show.

Having said that, I find chill is right: after a couple of terrible hours where I lay down to do my Boring Weekly Medical Thing, stuck the whole thing on to watch, and found myself trapped in eternal torment, I now torrent it and stab around with the progress bar until I find Brooker.

My dream line-up for this kind of show moves Laverne into Carr's role, gives Simon Amstell the anchor/spontaneous wit job, and boots Mitchell in favour of someone like Phil Jupitous or Josie Long. Yes, that is basically the Good Era of Buzzcocks, but I wants more, dammit!
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 2:08 AM on March 25, 2011

'wildly funny'? I must have been watching a different show. David Mitchell and Charlie Brooker should fire their agents as the show is terrible and doing serious damage to their careers despite their great talent. Jimmy Carr's jokes are consistently poor and are years out of date and touch whilst Laverne is a terrible presenter, barely able to conceal her inner self-satisfaction and desire to appear 'cool'. Channel 4 are the ones that keep trying to spin this show as the UK's answer to the Daily Show in the hope it will 'catch on' in the same way, but it's just terrible. Particularly bad are the audience who will hoop and clap at absolutely anything vaguely left-wing. Even Charlie Brooker's monologues are looking tired as he attempts to trot out some kind of extreme similie after another. The only way of saving the show is to cut it down to half an hour and just have Brooker and Mitchell.
posted by Pilly at 2:10 AM on March 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ah, no wonder I've never heard of this programme. It's on on Thursdays and I'm always out on Thursday evenings. Given the talent involved, despite the less than glowing reviews in the comments here, I'll set the V+ box to record it and see what I think.
posted by salmacis at 2:22 AM on March 25, 2011

My dream line-up for this kind of show moves Laverne into Carr's role, gives Simon Amstell the anchor/spontaneous wit job, and boots Mitchell in favour of someone like Phil Jupitous or Josie Long. Yes, that is basically the Good Era of Buzzcocks, but I wants more, dammit!

Huh. I'd definitely take Josie Long over Laverne. Phil Jupitus, though? He'd just relate everything to either his most recent wank or his favourite poo. Not exactly a step up from Carr, that.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:41 AM on March 25, 2011

I think the problem with Lauren Laverne on the show is that her role is unclear. She's not a comedian, and I think that shows. She has proven in the past that she is a decent presenter - she'd be better off in more of a straight anchor role.

I also agree that the interview sections are clunky and let people off the hook. They need either someone with a journalism background or one of the more forensic political comedians - Mark Thomas, Mark Steel, Jeremy Hardy. Ideally a sweary version of Paxman.

Oh, and nthing the Josie Long suggestion. With such a strong crop of female stand ups at the moment it seems criminal that the only prominent woman in TV comedy is Miranda Hart.
posted by spectrevsrector at 2:58 AM on March 25, 2011

Mark Thomas, Mark Steel, Jeremy Hardy

Stewart Lee often annoys me, but he'd be good on this kind of show. He wouldn't play up to the crowd for a start. Mitchell's too cuddly for the role he's been given.
posted by Summer at 3:12 AM on March 25, 2011

Watched the first epsiode when ti went out but could not get over my hatred of Jimmy bloody Carr... be good to go back and watch the bits without him... or Mitchell... and whilst Laverne was ok on the Culture show she's kinda lost here. So that's just Brooker then.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:21 AM on March 25, 2011

Weirdly I was reminded of the now pretty ancient A Stab In The Dark which did a similar thing with Baddiel, Tracey MacLeod and Michael Gove... I now await our horrific future where Carr is a Tory minister in 20 years time.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:23 AM on March 25, 2011

It's a self-congratulatory smug-fest, a bit too knowing.

I like most of the presenters individually, but watching this show is like being punched in the neck repeatedly while someone shouts "WE'RE ALL GOOD LIBERALS NOW -- AREN'T YOU?"
posted by TheAlarminglySwollenFinger at 3:25 AM on March 25, 2011

I refuse to watch that channel because they got rid of TDS to replace it with this.
posted by koolkat at 3:28 AM on March 25, 2011

I like Lauren Laverne, or more specifically I love this song in which she sings.

I can't say I have watched this programme, it sounds like it has potential. I think Bremner, Bird and Fortune were the most recently broadcast quality political commentary on television, FWIW.

Dream team - Stewart Lee, Mark Steel, Mark Thomas and keep Charlie Brooker in for the light entertainment.
posted by asok at 3:32 AM on March 25, 2011

...and is wildly funny.

No, no it isn't. It's awful, which, despite the massive press campaign, is just like the show's ratings.
posted by ciderwoman at 3:38 AM on March 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's a self-congratulatory smug-fest, a bit too knowing.

I do like the show (well, the ranty bits, anyway), but, yeah. Spot on.

That said, if they did away with the audience, it would make the smug seem more like righteous indignation. Or at least it'd seem like more of a personal gripe than an AMIRITE, PEOPLE? pile of applause lines. Then Brooker could be Brooker a la Screenwipe, Mitchell could be Mitchell a la Soapbox, and Jimmy Carr could be... well.. um... maybe Joel McHale a la The Soup?

And you know who'd be an excellent addition to that mix of smartypantses? Karl Pilkington.

Do it up, Channel 4!
posted by Sys Rq at 3:58 AM on March 25, 2011 [2 favorites]

(Did she come from a children's show? She seems like she probably came from a children's show--one for very little children.)

She came from Kenickie, and since then has moved into presenting, notably on BBC 6Music, the Beeb's recently-reprieved station for graying indie kids, and The Culture Show, with Mark Kermode (MetaFilter favorite? I'm guessing MetaFilter favorite).

(Bonus track - Kenickie cover "Save All Your Kisses for Me".)
posted by running order squabble fest at 4:02 AM on March 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

(Bonus track - Kenickie cover "Save All Your Kisses for Me".)

Thanks for a reminder of why I wanted to be Lauren Laverne when I was a kid :)
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 4:44 AM on March 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

This video contains content from Channel 4, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.


:(

So it really IS a true equivalent of The Daily Show !
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 4:45 AM on March 25, 2011

Whenever I see Jimmy Carr I want to scream: 'Just fracking BLINK goddammit!!!'

But yeah, the show isn't as good as the sum of its parts.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 5:00 AM on March 25, 2011

Is it good news that there's so many topical comedy shows?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:18 AM on March 25, 2011

I've only seen the first episode of this and I thought it was creaky as hell, although Brooker is always worth watching. That Gaddafi bit was pretty funny.

Laverne seemed to be a terrible fit. I instantly thought "Sue Perkins should be doing this."
posted by Decani at 5:47 AM on March 25, 2011

I instantly thought "Sue Perkins should be doing this."

That's when you know a show is really in trouble.
posted by ciderwoman at 6:12 AM on March 25, 2011

Speaking of Iannucci & Co., I went to see the incomparable Stewart Lee in Leeds the other week as he polished off the parts of the tour he missed at the end of 2010 and now I can't wait for his Comedy Vehicle Series 2. For those of you of the American persuasion I would heartily recommend watching Series 1 on the Youtubes where it exists in it's entirety. Lee is a comedy genius and probably not well known outside of the UK other than as the man who wrote Jerry Springer the Opera.
posted by longbaugh at 6:30 AM on March 25, 2011

We should get Charlie Brooker to replace John Stewart, when America finally decides that guy deserves a break from TDS.

That said, How TV Ruined Your Life.

Don't say it didn't. It Did.
posted by lslelel at 6:36 AM on March 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

Put me down as a big fan of the show. It doesn't get everything right, but it's a hell of a lot better than any other political comedy show out there. (And I'm including Daily Show in that list).

What we (as 40+ year old cynical internet dwellers) seem to have missed about this is that the kids appear to love it. That it manages to be a popular political show aimed at a younger demographic seems to be nothing short of a miracle.

Jimmy Carr can be a bit hit and miss, but anyone who can make a joke about terrorist explosions at the olympics and the surviving 2012 British Olympiads appearing in the 2016 Para-Olympics is alright in my book. You'd never get that being said on The Daily Show.

I just like Laverne. She's better at this than she appears. & she's just going to improve.

Charlton Brooker and David Mitchell are bona-fide gods. They're *that* far off from me designating them British Institutions.

On Mitchell's "soft" interviews... I enjoy them, least of all because they don't consist of Paxman shouting nonsense at a politician for 15 minutes. Thank God he's asking about policy and not the minutia of each interviewees personal life.

And dear God, listen to yourselves... I love Mark Steel and Mark Thomas as much as the next person, but they're way too left wing to even begin considering as interviewers. Can you imagine Mark Thomas interviewing anyone. He won't ask the tough questions, he'll just spend 15 minutes accusing whoever is there of genocide and asking for *hilarious* ways we can impeach Blair.

<davidmitchellvoice>
Of course, this is all subjective. Maybe ciderwoman is right, and maybe I'm right. Maybe, this time, we can all be right about this one thing. That's what David Mitchell would say, and maybe he's right about it all too.
</davidmitchellvoice>
posted by seanyboy at 9:52 AM on March 25, 2011 [4 favorites]

This is to Newsnight what Newsround is to the Six O'Clock news.

The Daily Show is not my cup of tea, personally (the bloke who does it is a wee bit smug, the wait for a reaction satire a wee bit obvious) but they are good at what they do. Maybe it'll find its feet, but there needs to be a better show involving Brooker and Mitchell.
posted by mippy at 10:19 AM on March 25, 2011

Wow, I had no idea there was so much hate for this show. It seems weird to me.

Maybe the UK has better press overall than the US, so there isn't a feeling that it's desperately needed. In the United States right now there's a bunch of journalists trying to be balanced, and there's Fox News. Few people are expressing anything close to a left-wing point of view in the media. I presume, from the people here complaining about the show's left-wing point of view, that this isn't the case in the UK.

The Daily Show is an interesting comparison despite everyone saying there are closer matches and inspirations for it. Not every bit on TDS works either, but it gets a pass on those because there is that sense it is saying things that desperately need to be said. If you look at 10 O'Clock that way maybe it's easier to overlook the clunkier bits? But if there are media voices posing a stronger resistance to conservative power blocs over there then that then I guess that pass gets revoked for those people.
posted by JHarris at 10:44 AM on March 25, 2011

I should also say that Screenwipe I find generally good, but I don't think it's perfect either. There are these long ranty sections where Brooker gets complaining on something in a "oh you poor slob" sort of way, in which the music overplays the emotions the viewer is supposed to be feeling, where I rebel against it.

I really think it's the music in those bits that get on my nerves. I've mentioned before how even some supposedly good movies now sabotage themselves, to my ears, when they hopelessly overplay their music to try to almost push the audience into sympathy with what's happening onscreen, and I usually react with annoyance, moving to anger in extreme cases. It's the same thing in those bits.
posted by JHarris at 10:52 AM on March 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

How TV Ruined Your Life used orchestral versions of punk hits which I quite enjoyed.
posted by mippy at 11:02 AM on March 25, 2011

but I don't think it's perfect either

This is where you and me part company.
posted by Summer at 12:21 PM on March 25, 2011

mippy: That's what that music was? I didn't know it was a reference. That's fairly clever in that event.
posted by JHarris at 4:25 PM on March 25, 2011

JHariis, it's not how needed the series is, I don't think that's up for debate, it's how well it's done. I'm glad my friedn seanyboy likes it, I tried to, but it's just not for me. Brooker is great in other things (though I worry he thinks he's another Adam Curtis, which I doubt), Mitchell is over exposed, Laverne an annoyance and Carr, just Carr. But as with all these things, you either like it or you don't, and it would appear, on viewing figures, the UK public don't. I'd suggest they desrver better.
posted by ciderwoman at 6:06 PM on March 25, 2011

I guess I don't see it ciderwoman. I get the feeling there's a disconnect between how much I and friends enjoy this and how much many people here enjoy it, that there's some aspect here that's more than just a matter of taste. I've never seen Jimmy Carr before this show, so perhaps that's part of it.
posted by JHarris at 4:29 AM on March 26, 2011

That could go some way to explaining it, JHarris. Here in the UK Carr has been horribly overexposed, and of the other three are in danger of doing the same. Added to this was a huge media blitz of a campaign before series begun that was both smug and horribly unfunny and it's probably of little wonder that not many people over here felt exactly well disposed to the series from the word go.

The UK has a terrible record of trying to do a Daily Show type of programme. No one's got it right, partly, I feel, because they've always started from the comedy side and then tried to add the politics, whereas it seems to me the DS does it the other way round and lets the absurdity of modern politics do the jokes. Maybe one day we'll get it right, but I don't that's this show.
posted by ciderwoman at 7:40 AM on March 26, 2011

The Daily Show writers would claim that they absolutely do it comedy first. They are known to sometimes go the cheap joke route when there's really nothing funny going on, although they don't have to do that often.

I am as apt as anyone to get sick of someone, so I think it's certainly possible to chalk it up to exposure. I get the sense that the people here who have commented and complained about it are Brits, while the people who favorited the post (but have largely not commented it seems) are us outsiders. If this is the case, then 10 O'Clock Live is a strange bird indeed: a show about British politics best enjoyed by the non-British. I know that I had no idea who Ed Miliband was before watching these, and only vaguely who David Cameron was.
posted by JHarris at 9:03 AM on March 26, 2011

All the other links are now blocked (way to help promote your prog Channel 4). Is anyone else having problems viewing this on the 4OD site as well? When you select a clip, it pages the server and then.. nothing.

Let's hope Channel 4 join all of us in the 21st Century soon.
posted by panboi at 7:26 AM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

All the links in the FPP are YouTube and don't seem to be blocked in the U.S., which is where I am with no way of knowing their blocked status in the U.K. Unfortunately I don't really know where else you can go to find them. There are torrent sites I suppose....
posted by JHarris at 5:10 PM on March 27, 2011

I imagine they are from the Channel 4 YT International YT channel - so the same content should be available from Channel 4 itself, along with full episodes. That makes it hard to avoid Jimmy Carr, but into every life a little rain must fall.
posted by running order squabble fest at 5:26 PM on March 27, 2011

Here's Brooker on Rebecca Black and an accompanying Guardian column.
posted by Kattullus at 8:01 PM on March 28, 2011 [1 favorite]