# The Day Today (1994)

> A six-episode BBC Two spoof of British television news that skewers its ridiculous stories, patronising vox pops and self-important presenters.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2622

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 29 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Chris Morris, Steve Coogan, Patrick Marber, Rebecca Front, Doon Mackichan, David Schneider, Michael Alexander St John, Sarah Wynter
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108740/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: deadpan, surreal, satirical, irreverent, breezy

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim the single series as a sharp, surreal satire of television news that rewards repeat viewing.

## Synopsis

The Day Today (1994) is a British satirical comedy miniseries created by Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci for BBC Two. Its six half-hour episodes take aim at the rhythms and pomposity of television current affairs, with Chris Morris playing a range of presenters and reporters in a studio that treats every trivial item as breaking news. The engine of the show is the gap between the gravity of the broadcast and the absurdity of its contents: ridiculous stories are delivered with grave authority, patronising vox pops gather nonsense from the public, offensively hard-hitting research segments collapse under scrutiny, and a sports presenter clearly struggles for metaphors. Steve Coogan appears in multiple roles, adding to the sense of a station filled with overconfident figures. Each episode is built from quick sketches, rapid cuts and bulletin-style links, so the format itself becomes the target. The tone is deadpan, surreal and sharply cutting, with a crisp, relentless pace that rewards close attention. Fans of The Day Today will find resonance in the mock news sensibility of Brass Eye and the sketch absurdity of The Fast Show, as well as the satirical bite of Chris Morris's other work. It is a compact, self-contained satire, short enough to watch in a single sitting.

## Shows like The Day Today

- [Casper & Mandrilaftalen (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/1164)
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- [Jam (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/2083)
- [French & Saunders (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/854)
- [The New Statesman (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/5699)
- [Little Britain (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/354)
- [Brass Eye (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/56)
- [The Fast Show (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/2410)
- [Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/16378)
- [Look Around You (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/2367)

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