Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe | |
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| Genre | Television Review |
| Running time | 30-50 minutes |
| Creator(s) | Charlie Brooker |
| Starring | Charlie Brooker |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Original channel | BBC Four |
| Original run | 2 March 2006– |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, often written as Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe, is a humorous British television review programme broadcast on BBC Four by Charlie Brooker. It is similar in tone to Brooker's Screen Burn column which he writes in The Guardian newspaper’s weekly Saturday listings magazine, The Guide. The programme contains reviews of current shows, as well as stories and commentary on how television is produced. Brooker's style is funny and caustic, though he is nonetheless sincere in his comments. The first three-part series was broadcast on BBC Four from Thursday 2 March 2006 to Thursday 16 March 2006. The second series ran for 5 episodes from Thursday 20 July 2006 and included a special on US television. A Christmas special and third series is scheduled for broadcast from Feb. 2007.
Screenwipe is a television programme about television programmes; the cost, the surprising amount of work and bureaucracy involved, how programmes are selected for broadcast, and, usually scathing, analysis of specific programmes and genres. Brooker often pays particular attention to more obscure channels on satellite, freeview and cable, such as those dedicated to gambling, shopping, horoscopes, and pornography.
He explores the probable effects of television in society, and how often programmes can create in the viewer feelings of inadequacy, depression, fear, and anxiety. To balance things, usually one segment of each show is dedicated to positive reviews, with analysis on why the style and content is so absorbing.
The humour of the show is usually based in sarcasm and cutting remarks, in a similar style to 'Harry Hill's TV Burp'. Screenwipe is harsher, however, with Brooker often making over-the-top - and slightly unbalanced - moral comparisons between the seeming attitude of certain programmes, and the logical conclusions of that attitude if it were turned towards real life. The show is generally charaterised as being intelligent; Brooker often displays archive footage of various shows, but alters the viewer's perception through near stream-of-consciousness narration and/or ironic juxtaposition with contrasting footage or sound, e.g highlighting what he believes is the organised crime feel of Dragon's Den by running the trumpet solo from The Godfather over the original dialogue. He has also been known to make jokes at the expense of his own show and himself, in particular making light of his supposed resemblance to Laurence Fishburne.
Despite his derogatory and insulting remarks aimed at many television shows, Brooker does show his happier side and has spoken of his like for notable US drama series such as Deadwood, and The Wire, as well as older British programmes such as Jacob Bronowski's documentary The Ascent of Man. Brooker singles out Bronowski for praise regarding his style of presentation.
