Brass Eye

Investigative reporter Chris Morris puts modern Britain under the spotlight, and smacks the issues of the day till they bleed. He tackles weighty issues including animals, drugs, sex and skewered celebrities and politicians alike - and in a later episode in 2001, paedophiles.

Brass Eye (1997) is a British satirical sketch comedy series created by Chris Morris for Channel 4. Morris, who also plays most of its characters, anchors a run of six half-hour episodes that imitate earnest current affairs programming, with Mark Heap as a recurring performer alongside a rotating cast of fake experts, vox pop interviewees and mock officials. Each episode takes a social panic of the day, from drugs and animal welfare to celebrity hypocrisy and political posturing, and treats it with a straight-faced documentary seriousness that makes the absurdity land harder. The engine is the gap between the calm, authoritative tone of the reporting and the increasingly ridiculous claims it presents as fact. Its look is that of a glossy television newsroom, and the comedy is sharp, uncomfortable and often deliberately offensive. Fans of The Day Today and The Thick of It will find resonance in its fake-news framing, its political bite and its refusal to flinch. The show is a single finished season, with no continuing storyline between episodes.

Acclaimed as a fearless, savage satire that skewers British media, politicians and celebrity culture through faked documentary segments.

• The Day Today (1994)satirical mockumentary skewering media and politics, surreal sketch comedy with dark edge
• Brass Eye Specialsurreal absurdist sketch comedy with uncomfortable social targets
• The Thick of Itbiting political satire, deadpan dark comedy aimed at institutions
• Documentary Now!fake documentary format, mock serious reportage of absurd subjects

Created by

Chris Morris

Release Date

1997-01-29

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

8.6 / 10 (111)

What is Brass Eye about?

Chris Morris's six-episode 1997 satire skewers modern British media, celebrities and politicians through fake current affairs reporting.

What is Brass Eye like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Brass Eye as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Brass Eye violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Brass Eye as mild.

What did critics think of Brass Eye?

Acclaimed as a fearless, savage satire that skewers British media, politicians and celebrity culture through faked documentary segments.

Which shows are like Brass Eye?

Shows with a similar feel include The Day Today (1994), Brass Eye Special, The Thick of It, and Documentary Now!.

How long is Brass Eye?

Brass Eye: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is Brass Eye still running?

No, Brass Eye has ended.