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Charlie Brooker's acerbic take on recent TV contains reviews of current shows, as well as stories and commentary on how television is produced.
2006
Brooker talks about the actual cost of making simple TV and how TV companies claw the money back from phone in shows. He also discusses the different types of TV presenters as well as reviewing The Jeremy Kyle Show and The Apprentice. Robert Popper talks about his dislike for the TV show Star Quality.
Brooker talks about the process of actually getting an idea onto TV. He reviews 24, Deal or No Deal and breakfast TV and he discusses TV giving itself a pat on the back. Dr Ben Goldacre discusses "bad" science on television.
Brooker discusses TV scaremongering thanks to 24-hour news and reconstruction programmes. He reviews Music channels and TV makeover shows. Simon Farnaby talks about Last of the Summer Wine.
Charlie dissects Hollyoaks, late-night gameshow The Mint, Dragons' Den and more. Plus, what the people listed in the credits of TV shows actually do.
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2007
Brooker looks into the lies TV tells us. He reviews Heroes, Have I Been Here Before? and The X Factor. Nicholas Parsons talks about Saturday night entertainment.
Brooker talks about the decline of the ending credits on TV programmes. He reviews Ann Widdecombe Versus Prostitution, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Street Doctor. Richard Herring talks about Big Cook Little Cook.
In this television news special, Brooker talks about the need to entertain on the news and also the rise of 24-hour news. Adam Curtis talks about the rise and fall of the television journalist.
Brooker talks about television that is aimed at today's youth. He reviews My Super Sweet 16, America's Next Top Model and The Tudors. Matt Berry about television theme tunes, especially those of Ronnie Hazelhurst.
Brooker looks into TV elimination shows and he creates his own to demonstrate how they can be edited to distort the truth. He reviews Pete's P.A. and Any Dream Will Do.
Charlie Brooker
Presenter
2006
Brooker talks about how difficult it is to actually make the smallest bit of TV. Brooker reviews the morning slots on television, Doctor Who, EastEnders and aspirational TV. Jamie Whyte talks about advertising on TV.
Brooker discusses why some people want to be famous and will do anything to get on TV. He reviews psychic and medium programmes, Big Brother and Love Island. David Quantick discusses his gripes with "list" shows.
Brooker looks into sex on television. He reviews where TV is heading in the future and where it is now, Emmerdale, cookery shows and Deadwood. Catherine Townsend talks about unrealistic sex on television.
Brooker goes in depth into how you can get an idea on TV. He reviews TV consumer shows, Hollyoaks and Dragons' Den. A spoof voice commentary from the director of The Mint is supplied (by Adam Buxton).
Screenwipe USA. In this USA special, Brooker goes in depth into American TV and compares the main differences between British and American Television. He reviews American soap operas, American reality crime shows, To Catch a Predator and The Wire. Lewis Black talks about his experiences with television.
2007
Brooker talks about the guidelines that TV has to adhere to. He reviews Celebrity Big Brother 5, Psychic Private Eyes and Battlestar Galactica. Doug Stanhope gives his views on television.
Brooker discusses what TV ratings are and how they work. He reviews 24, video games not getting as much respect as television and Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway. Gia Milinovich talks about video on the web.
Brooker discusses what it's like to be the "talent" on a TV show. He reviews shows aimed at men; Ross Kemp on Gangs, Top Gear and Britain's Hardest. He also reviews courtroom reality show The Verdict. Reginald D Hunter talks about British TV from an American perspective.
Brooker talks about how video and editing techniques and technology have improved over time. He reviews Primeval and The Sex Inspectors. Stewart Lee talks about how the perception of teenagers on TV has changed over the years. Grace Dent talks about love storylines in soap operas.
2008
Brooker discusses the notion of people complaining about television. He reviews Britannia High, Paul Ross's Big Black Book of Horror. Liza Tarbuck talks about Tales of the Riverbank.
Brooker talks about television advertising; the guidelines, its history and how they work. He reviews Mad Men. Tim Key recites another poem.
In this slightly extended episode, Brooker is joined by some of the best TV writers in the business today. They talk about how they started out and how they go about writing a television show. Featured in this episode are; Russell T Davies, Paul Abbott, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Graham Linehan and Tony Jordan.
Brooker talks the about the change in direction that modern day documentaries have taken. He launches his own mission documentary; "Konnie's Great British Wee", fronted by Konnie Huq. Brooker reviews Miss Naked Beauty, Jamie's Ministry of Food and The Great British Body.
Brooker focuses on children's television from past to present, and even has a go at being a children's TV presenter on Toonattik. He reviews Johnny Ball Games, In The Night Garden, Yo Gabba Gabba! and LazyTown. Kirsten O'Brien talks about ChuckleVision and Andy Nyman talks about The Junior Christian Science Bible Lesson. The end of the episode includes a tribute to Bagpuss creator Oliver Postgate who had died the previous week.