Jam

Adapted from Blue Jam, a late night radio show, Jam consists of six shows featuring dark humour and unsettling sketches unfolding over an ambient soundtrack. From the mind of Chris Morris.

Jam (2000) is a British satirical sketch comedy series created by Chris Morris for Channel 4. Adapted from the late night radio show Blue Jam, it runs for six episodes, each a collection of unsettling sketches built around Morris and a recurring company of performers including Kevin Eldon, Mark Heap, Julia Davis and Amelia Bullmore, who play a rotating gallery of grotesque characters. Rather than a conventional premise with a protagonist pursuing a goal, the engine of the series is the sketch itself: each short piece sets up a familiar broadcast or social situation and then bends it toward discomfort, absurdity and bleak humour. Episodes are stitched together by an ambient soundtrack that gives the material a hypnotic, dreamlike drift, so jokes land against a backdrop that feels more like a glimpse into an obscure corner of the psyche than a standard comedy show. The overall shape is a single short season of self-contained episodes, with no continuing storyline to follow. The tone is dark, surreal and uncompromising, with satire aimed at media culture and the rituals of television. Fans of Brass Eye, The Day Today and Inside No. 9 will find resonance in its sharp, unsettling comedy.

• Brass Eyesurreal dark absurdist sketch comedy, satirical media send-up
• The Day Todayfake documentary format, deadpan social satire, uncomfortable comedy
• Inside No. 9bleak absurdist comedy, grotesque unsettling sketches, dark irreverence

Created by

Chris Morris

Release Date

2000-03-23

Episode runtime

24 min

Rating

8.4 / 10 (32)

What is Jam about?

A six-episode British satire of surreal, grotesque sketches that unfold over an ambient soundtrack, created by Chris Morris.

What is Jam like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Jam as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.

Is Jam violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Jam as mild.

Which shows are like Jam?

Shows with a similar feel include Brass Eye, The Day Today, and Inside No. 9.

How long is Jam?

Jam: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is Jam still running?

No, Jam has ended.