Death to 2020 - Charlie Brooker mocumentary

[Alberon]

Seems Charlie Brooker has a new thing coming to Netflix. A small ad has appeared and has been tweeted by Brooker.

https://twitter.com/charltonbrooker/status/1334616614470377472?s=20

"Even the creators of Black Mirror couldn't make this year up," reads the ad. "But they do have something to add." It's unknown exactly what that is, or precisely when it'll be hitting the streaming service (the advert simply says 'Coming Soon'). But it could be a starry bash, as teased earlier this week by none other than Hugh Grant, who blabbed about a secretive Brooker project he's working on. "I'm doing a thing tomorrow, actually. Charlie Brooker has written a mockumentary about 2020," he told Vulture. "It's for Netflix, and I am a historian who's being interviewed about the year. I'm pretty repellent, actually! And you'll like my wig." Going by this, it won't exactly be a new Black Mirror and not exactly a Wipe either. Perhaps it'll be along the lines of the Philomena Cunk spin-off mockumentaries instead.

Could be good, especially if he can really stick the knife into the year.

[Twonty Gostelow]

He had a right moan at 2016 as well, what's next? "1348 You Bastard"?

[holyzombiejesus]

I really hope this is good but the last thing he did (can't remember if it was a covid special or a 2019 wipe) was so poor. Then again, I find it difficult to like his work nowadays, since he showed himself to be just another bland establishment hack.

[the]

I find it difficult to like his work nowadays, since he showed himself to be just another bland establishment hack.

At what prior point was he appearing not to be?!

[Sin Agog]

At what prior point was he appearing not to be?!

Turning the TV on its side so you can watch it in bed in a depressed fugue state was a pretty relatable prolescum move.

[The Culture Bunker]

I really hope this is good but the last thing he did (can't remember if it was a covid special or a 2019 wipe) was so poor. Then again, I find it difficult to like his work nowadays, since he showed himself to be just another bland establishment hack.

It's petty beyond words, but I did lose some lingering respect when Konnie Huq said something like "oh, he said he didn't want kids, so I said I was off otherwise" - and he caved in. Fuck that shit - be a proper stubborn twat like I've been in the past and tell her to take a hike.

[neveragain]

At what prior point was he appearing not to be?!

TV Go Home - especially the TV version - and Unnovations (even Nathan Barley)... Hell, I mean I'd hardly define Screenwipe or How TV Ruined Your Life as establishment television. But I've no idea what that means. Political establishment or part of the TV establishment? Yes, he became widely successful with Black Mirror but it started with the PM fucking a pig and displayed little slices of his innate spiky weirdness throughout. I'd struggle to call it an establishmenty show.

[Twonty Gostelow]

It's petty beyond words, but I did lose some lingering respect when Konnie Huq said something like "oh, he said he didn't want kids, so I said I was off otherwise" - and he caved in. Fuck that shit - be a proper stubborn twat like I've been in the past and tell her to take a hike.

He was testing her. And she fell for it.

Women!

[imitationleather]

The COVID special he did was some dull ass weak shit.

I can't wait to watch this hour of him tickling the bums of Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock.

[jobotic]

He should get Marina Hyde on. Arsed.

[Brundle-Fly]

I'm hoping he literally says everything I agree with using a great big machete covered in acid.

[Carpool Dragon]

So...Time Trumpet?

[Ray Travez]

It's petty beyond words, but I did lose some lingering respect when Konnie Huq said something like "oh, he said he didn't want kids, so I said I was off otherwise" - and he caved in.

Wonder how his kids are going to feel when they find out they were bargaining chips

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I'm hoping he literally says everything I agree with using a great big machete covered in acid.

You are probably gonna get the former

[Pink Gregory]

How TV Ruined Your Life is frankly a vital piece of accessible, properly informative and fascinating television.

Nothing he's done since has been as good.  Variously enjoyed the following 'wipes but aside from some good lines the format is familiar and workaday at this point.

[the]

TV Go Home - especially the TV version - and Unnovations (even Nathan Barley)... Hell, I mean I'd hardly define Screenwipe or How TV Ruined Your Life as establishment television. But I've no idea what that means. Political establishment or part of the TV establishment? Yes, he became widely successful with Black Mirror but it started with the PM fucking a pig and displayed little slices of his innate spiky weirdness throughout. I'd struggle to call it an establishmenty show.

It was the 'hack' bit I was leaning on more than the 'establishment' bit - if you ever imbued him with some 'Tell it like it is!' gunslinger credibility then I can see that your primary concern could be a supposed rising stock in 'the establishment'. But he was always transparently a hack, 'ranty' and insincere, going after the wrong targets, always in that arrested games journo shtick mode. A beige agreement wagon rolling through town, placating the nebulous dissatisfaction felt by students and the inarticulate pissed as they look on in awe. Finally, someone prepared to stand up to Big Brother contestants. Say another easily-imaginable funny comment about a Public Information Film.

You might detect that I've never seen the appeal.

[thenoise]

Wonder how his kids are going to feel when they find out they were bargaining chips

Standard Dad line is that they weren't sure until they saw their lovely lickle faces looking up and them and they instantly loved them and haven't regretted it ever since.

[thugler]

TV Go Home - especially the TV version - and Unnovations (even Nathan Barley)... Hell, I mean I'd hardly define Screenwipe or How TV Ruined Your Life as establishment television. But I've no idea what that means. Political establishment or part of the TV establishment? Yes, he became widely successful with Black Mirror but it started with the PM fucking a pig and displayed little slices of his innate spiky weirdness throughout. I'd struggle to call it an establishmenty show.

I think his main problem is that he has some good ideas, screenwipe and the black mirror concept and maybe the odd episode, but isn't actually a good enough writer to do the whole thing, but insists on doing it himself, spreading himself too thin and a lot of the material has ended up being hacky. Black mirror should have had different writers for every episode (even if he perhaps primes them with an idea in some cases) with him doing 1 a season and the show (and likely his working life) would be much better for it, similarly his wipes in recent years seem really tossed off and the product of him working himself into the ground to produce all the material himself for no reason. He's not some incredible auteur who's every idea is gold, he's been given too much control and freedom and his work has gotten worse for it. This sounds a bit concepty, and last time that happened it was that pointless choose your own adventure thing.

Still, it's usually worth a watch anyway.

[kitsofan34]

I think his main problem is that he has some good ideas, screenwipe and the black mirror concept and maybe the odd episode, but isn't actually a good enough writer to do the whole thing, but insists on doing it himself, spreading himself too thin and a lot of the material has ended up being hacky. Black mirror should have had different writers for every episode (even if he perhaps primes them with an idea in some cases) with him doing 1 a season and the show (and likely his working life) would be much better for it, similarly his wipes in recent years seem really tossed off and the product of him working himself into the ground to produce all the material himself for no reason. He's not some incredible auteur who's every idea is gold, he's been given too much control and freedom and his work has gotten worse for it. This sounds a bit concepty, and last time that happened it was that pointless choose your own adventure thing.

Still, it's usually worth a watch anyway.

I agree with a lot of this and i'm sure Brooker is very hands on with the Wipe's, but the antiviral one had nine gag writers on it. Nine.

[petril]

Standard Dad line is that they weren't sure until they saw their lovely lickle faces looking up and them and they instantly loved them and haven't regretted it ever since.

depends what the living arrangements are after the inevitable split. unless the whole bargaining thing was just one of those relationship in-jokes where the context wasn't supplied at source

[Jumblegraws]

Finding this a bit rubbish

[Moribunderast]

I feel like the reaction to these here is normally pretty negative but I always enjoy them. The lack of Charlie is a bit of a downer for me. Highlights were Kudrow and Cristin Milioti but I had some good laughs throughout.

[oy vey]

"The virus seeps out of China turns the surrounding areas of the map the colour of disease and ruining a perfectly good atlas." Fine if it's Charlie's tired face to camera. Not a stock-narrator over glossy graphics. Thugler nailed it. Charlie's blitz of sarcastic/surreal one-liners and half-baked ideas needs another writer and I would add editor. Diane Morgan is insufferable. Hugh Grant sucks. Cristin Miloti is a delight purely down to her own performance. I think this mock-doc-style is tired. I want Charlie in front of a cheap camcorder in a dingy studio.

[Moribunderast]

"The virus seeps out of China turns the surrounding areas of the map the colour of disease and ruining a perfectly good atlas." Fine if it's Charlie's tired face to camera. Not a stock-narrator over glossy graphics. Thugler nailed it. Charlie's blitz of sarcastic/surreal one-liners and half-baked ideas needs another writer and I would add editor. Diane Morgan is insufferable. Hugh Grant sucks. Cristin Miloti is a delight purely down to her own performance. I think this mock-doc-style is tired. I want Charlie in front of a cheap camcorder in a dingy studio.

According to the credits there were about twenty!

[BritishHobo]

Yeah it really doesn't work as well with a generic voiceover instead of Charlie. You lose the anger and the humour and end up with a voice flatly summarising events. Mainly the narration feels like you're watching an actual straight documentary on the year.

Cristin Milioti was definitely the absolute standout. So sickly sweet and so nasty.

[thugler]

This is really quite boring and not funny. Really, a funny queen impression? Piss weak. It's an hour and ten minutes and you can basically imagine what it's like after 10 minutes. Also it's just time trumpet.

[Jockice]

It's petty beyond words, but I did lose some lingering respect when Konnie Huq said something like "oh, he said he didn't want kids, so I said I was off otherwise" - and he caved in. Fuck that shit - be a proper stubborn twat like I've been in the past and tell her to take a hike.

Even pettier, I went off him when I saw him appearing on some panel quiz show being all chummy with Jonathan Ross, who to my mind is exactly the sort of media twat he should have been attacking. And also (I can't remember if it was before or afterwards) one of his shows defended Ross and Brand for their Andrew Sachs phone call stunt, saying something like it was in the tradition of Monty Python's bad taste sketches. Again (and again this may just be because of my intense dislike for Ross) I thought that Brooker may as well have the word 'sell-out' tattooed on his forehead.

[BritishHobo]

The big problem with these things now is that most of us have been online all year and have seen all of these events occur alongside hundreds of different jokes and memes. I think that's undermined this type of show. Everyone's seen and read about these things a thousand times over - Trump and the disinfectant, Rudy Guiliani's hairdye, Boris' handshaking - the whole exhausting nature of the pandemic, and COVID deniers, and Zoom-based observational comedy, and antimaskers, and antivaxxers, and BLM statue debates, and Biden and Trump and the election fraud claims and demands for recounts, and FUCKING HELL. It's all been exhaustingly omnipresent for everybody all year. It's hard to breathe life into these things when we're so immersed in them already.

[Ferris]

The big problem with these things now is that most of us have been online all year and have seen all of these events occur alongside hundreds of different jokes and memes. I think that's undermined this type of show. Everyone's seen and read about these things a thousand times over - Trump and the disinfectant, Rudy Guiliani's hairdye, Boris' handshaking - the whole exhausting nature of the pandemic, and COVID deniers, and Zoom-based observational comedy, and antimaskers, and antivaxxers, and BLM statue debates, and Biden and Trump and the election fraud claims and demands for recounts, and FUCKING HELL. It's all been exhaustingly omnipresent for everybody all year. It's hard to breathe life into these things when we're so immersed in them already.

That's a really good point.

I'll still watch this - I like Brooker even if that makes me one of the uncool kids on CaB.

[Jumblegraws]

As others have said, hearing what is pretty on-brand Brooker funnelled through generic voiceover man doesn't work, something about the tone stops the humour landing. It's made worse by the same comic voice coming through in the other characters, what for me always felt like an impressive gag-rate when it was almost all Brooker sitting in his flat feels really thin was spread across a bunch of A-listers (the criticism of Extras that the guest stars were just interchangeable audience hooks providing little plot function feels much more on-point with this).