TV: Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe

There are few moments on television where you can honestly feel like you’re being told the truth. Charlie Brooker’s quirky, no-holds-barred style of British humour is always a welcome addition to the apparently bleak reality of Television which he’s so keen to reveal to us all.

Charlie Brooker is a British presenter, columnist and writer also responsible for the zombie drama Dead Set; however, the series this article deals with is what put him the spotlight for many.

Screenwipe is a program all about television, in Charlie Brooker’s own words, and is backed by his strong grounding in gaming culture on the whole in several episodes; which is really only a boon in this context.

There are many shows that deal with television in general, but this series is set apart by its overall negative tone towards the industry as a whole. His sarcastic, consistently satirical pessimism is fitting for the tone of the show as being highly critical, but still outrageously funny at many points in each instalment.

“His sarcastic, consistently satirical pessimism is fitting for the tone of the show.

The show deals with every part of television broadcasting, including the business of advertising, reality TV and even game shows. The only notable setback in his quest to expose the truth is that it concentrates, quite understandably, on British television specifically (with the exception of one episode in particular, which has Charlie visiting the States to talk about American television; however this is still done in the context of British TV for the sake of comparison.

"So TruthBot, have you detected any lies in the show yet?"

Although many of the episodes depend on you having good basis on British culture, for the most part the issues dealt with are true across most television stations regardless of nationality. This applies the most to his latest forays into more specialized niches with spinoffs Newswipe and Gameswipe that deal with their own namesakes respectively. Screenwipe is currently in its sixth season while Newswipe has gone through its first season thus far and Gameswipe has only seen its pilot aired, in the hopes of it being produced further.

All three of Charlie Brooker’s in-depth review and exposition shows are highly recommended for TV and Gaming enthusiasts of all kinds. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach his harsh sense of humour then you’re surely in for a treat.