Brass Eye - Revision history

Kurt at 00:06, 18 September 2024

2024-09-18T00:06:46Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:06, 17 September 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Brass Eye.~~jpg~~		\| image = Brass Eye.webp
	\| caption = ~~UK DVD cover~~		\| caption =
	\| genre = [[Satire]]		\| genre = [[Satire]]
	\| runtime = 25 mins		\| runtime = 25 mins

Kurt: /* Overview */

2024-09-18T00:02:24Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:02, 17 September 2024
Line 24:		Line 24:

	== Overview ==		== Overview ==
	Originally planned as a spin-off from ''[[The Day Today]]'' (1994), the pilot (then called ''Torque tv™'') was passed on by the BBC. Channel 4 commissioned a new pilot, which would be called ''Brass Eye''. The name mixes together the titles of two popular current affairs shows, (''[[Brass Tacks (BBC TV series)\|Brass Tacks]]'' and ''Public Eye''), while the term "brass eye" is also British slang for the anus.~~{{Citation needed\|date=July 2018}}~~		Originally planned as a spin-off from ''[[The Day Today]]'' (1994), the pilot (then called ''Torque tv™'') was passed on by the BBC. Channel 4 commissioned a new pilot, which would be called ''Brass Eye''. The name mixes together the titles of two popular current affairs shows, (''[[Brass Tacks (BBC TV series)\|Brass Tacks]]'' and ''Public Eye''), while the term "brass eye" is also British slang for the anus.

	The series satirised media portrayal of social ills, in particular [[sensationalism]], unsubstantiated establishmentarian theory masquerading as fact, and creation of [[moral panic]]s, and is a sequel to Morris's earlier spoof news programmes ''[[On the Hour]]'' (1991–92) and ''[[The Day Today]]'' (1994). The series stars Morris's ''The Day Today'' colleague [[Doon Mackichan]], along with [[Gina McKee]], [[Mark Heap]], [[Amelia Bullmore]], [[Simon Pegg]], [[Julia Davis]], [[Claire Skinner]], [[John Guerrasio]], [[Hugh Dennis]], and [[Kevin Eldon]].		The series satirised media portrayal of social ills, in particular [[sensationalism]], unsubstantiated establishmentarian theory masquerading as fact, and creation of [[moral panic]]s, and is a sequel to Morris's earlier spoof news programmes ''[[On the Hour]]'' (1991–92) and ''[[The Day Today]]'' (1994). The series stars Morris's ''The Day Today'' colleague [[Doon Mackichan]], along with [[Gina McKee]], [[Mark Heap]], [[Amelia Bullmore]], [[Simon Pegg]], [[Julia Davis]], [[Claire Skinner]], [[John Guerrasio]], [[Hugh Dennis]], and [[Kevin Eldon]].

Kurt at 00:01, 18 September 2024

2024-09-18T00:01:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:01, 17 September 2024
Line 21:		Line 21:
	}}		}}
	}}		}}
	'''''Brass Eye''''' (stylised as '''brassEYE''') is a British [[satirical]] television series parodying [[Current affairs (news format)\|current affairs]] news programming. A series of six episodes aired on [[Channel 4]] in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by [[Chris Morris (satirist)\|Chris Morris]], written by Morris, [[David Quantick]], [[Peter Baynham]], [[Jane Bussmann]], [[Arthur Mathews (writer)\|Arthur Mathews]], [[Graham Linehan]] and [[Charlie Brooker]] and directed by [[Michael Cumming]].		'''''Brass Eye''''' (stylised as '''brassEYE''') is a British [[Satire\|satirical]] television series parodying [[Current affairs (news format)\|current affairs]] news programming. A series of six episodes aired on [[Channel 4]] in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by [[Chris Morris (satirist)\|Chris Morris]], written by Morris, [[David Quantick]], [[Peter Baynham]], [[Jane Bussmann]], [[Arthur Mathews (writer)\|Arthur Mathews]], [[Graham Linehan]] and [[Charlie Brooker]] and directed by [[Michael Cumming]].

	== Overview ==		== Overview ==

Kurt at 21:56, 15 September 2024

2024-09-15T21:56:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:56, 15 September 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~{{Short description\|British TV series}}~~
	~~{{EngvarB\|date=November 2017}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Brass Eye.jpg		\| image = Brass Eye.jpg
Line 160:		Line 158:

	==External links==		==External links==
	~~{{Wikiquote}}~~
	*{{Channel4.com\|programmes/brass-eye}}		*{{Channel4.com\|programmes/brass-eye}}
	*{{IMDb title\|0118273}}		*{{IMDb title\|0118273}}

	~~{{Christopher Morris}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2017}}~~

	[[Category:1997 British television series debuts]]		[[Category:1997 British television series debuts]]

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2024-09-15T21:52:27Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 16:52, 15 September 2024
(No difference)

en>ZimZalaBim: Reverted 1 edit by 2.100.163.46 (talk): Unsourced, unnecessary

2024-09-15T15:57:49Z

Reverted 1 edit by 2.100.163.46 (talk): Unsourced, unnecessary

New page

{{Short description|British TV series}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Brass Eye.jpg
| caption = UK DVD cover
| genre = [[Satire]]
| runtime = 25 mins
| creator = [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]]
| director = {{Plainlist|
* [[Michael Cumming]] (Ep 1–6),
* [[Tristram Shapeero]] (2001 special)
}}
| starring = Chris Morris
| country = United Kingdom
| company = [[Talkback (production company)|Talkback]]
| network = [[Channel 4]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1997|01|29|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2001|07|26|df=y}}
| num_episodes = 7
| related = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[The Day Today]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Jam (TV series)|Jam]]'' (2000)
}}
}}
'''''Brass Eye''''' (stylised as '''brassEYE''') is a British [[satirical]] television series parodying [[Current affairs (news format)|current affairs]] news programming. A series of six episodes aired on [[Channel 4]] in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]], written by Morris, [[David Quantick]], [[Peter Baynham]], [[Jane Bussmann]], [[Arthur Mathews (writer)|Arthur Mathews]], [[Graham Linehan]] and [[Charlie Brooker]] and directed by [[Michael Cumming]].

== Overview ==
Originally planned as a spin-off from ''[[The Day Today]]'' (1994), the pilot (then called ''Torque tv™'') was passed on by the BBC. Channel 4 commissioned a new pilot, which would be called ''Brass Eye''. The name mixes together the titles of two popular current affairs shows, (''[[Brass Tacks (BBC TV series)|Brass Tacks]]'' and ''Public Eye''), while the term "brass eye" is also British slang for the anus.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}

The series satirised media portrayal of social ills, in particular [[sensationalism]], unsubstantiated establishmentarian theory masquerading as fact, and creation of [[moral panic]]s, and is a sequel to Morris's earlier spoof news programmes ''[[On the Hour]]'' (1991–92) and ''[[The Day Today]]'' (1994). The series stars Morris's ''The Day Today'' colleague [[Doon Mackichan]], along with [[Gina McKee]], [[Mark Heap]], [[Amelia Bullmore]], [[Simon Pegg]], [[Julia Davis]], [[Claire Skinner]], [[John Guerrasio]], [[Hugh Dennis]], and [[Kevin Eldon]].

=== Original series (1997) ===


; "Drugs"
The second episode, "Drugs", has been described by Professor Michael Gossop as illustrative of the ease with which anti-drug hysteria can be evoked in the United Kingdom.<ref name=Gossop>{{cite book|last1=Gossop|first1=Michael|title=Living with drugs|date=28 April 2013|publisher=Ashgate|location=Farnham, Surrey, England|isbn=9781472400079|page=21|edition=Seventh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rCa6f85k9SoC&pg=PT21|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> In the opening scene of this episode, a voiceover tells viewers that there are so many drugs on the streets of Britain that "not even the dealers know them all". An undercover reporter (Morris) asks a purportedly real-life [[drug dealer]] in London for various fictitious drugs, including "Triple [[Sod]]", "Yellow [[Michael Bentine|Bentines]]" and "Clarky Cat", leaving the dealer puzzled and increasingly irritated until he asks the reporter to leave him alone. He also explains that possession of drugs without physical contact and the exchange of [[drugs]] through a [[mandrill]] are perfectly legal in English law.

One drug mentioned was a fictitious drug called "Cake", described as being from [[Czechoslovakia]], despite the country no longer existing when the episode was screened. The drug purportedly affected an area of the brain called "[[William Shatner|Shatner]]'s Bassoon" (altering the user's [[perception of time]]), while also giving them a bloated neck due to "[[Edema|massive water retention]]", a "Czech neck", and was frequently referred to as "a made-up drug" (i.e. a [[designer drug]]) during the show.<ref name=Gossop /> Other celebrities such as [[Bernard Ingham|Sir Bernard Ingham]], [[Noel Edmonds]], and [[Rolf Harris]] were shown holding the bright-yellow cake-sized pill as they talked, with [[Bernard Manning]] telling viewers a fictitious story about how one girl regurgitated her own [[pelvis]],<ref name=Gossop/> and recounting that "one young kiddy on Cake cried all the water out of his body. Just imagine how his mother felt. It's a fucking disgrace".

[[David Amess]], the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Basildon (UK Parliament constituency)|Basildon]], was fooled into filming an elaborate video warning against the dangers of this drug,<ref name=Gossop /> and went as far as to ask a question about "Cake" in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|the UK Parliament]], alongside real substances [[khat]] and [[gamma-hydroxybutyric acid]]. In response, the [[Home Office]] minister incorrectly identified the fictitious drug "Cake" as a [[pseudonym]] for the [[hallucinogenic]] drug [[methylenedioxybenzylamphetamine]].<ref>{{cite web|author=((Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster)) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960723/text/60723w10.htm#60723w10.html_sbhd8 |title=House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 23 Jul 1996 (pt 10) |publisher=www.publications.parliament.uk |access-date=30 January 2017}}</ref>

; "Sex"

Morris posed as a talk show host who took a starkly discriminatory attitude in favour of those with "Good [[AIDS]]" (e.g. from a contaminated [[blood transfusion]]) over those with "Bad AIDS" (caught through sexual activity or drug abuse).<ref>{{YouTube|f3xUjw2BCYE|Bad AIDS vs Good AIDS}}</ref>

=== "Paedogeddon!" special (2001) ===
{{main article|Paedogeddon}}
A special one-off edition of the show aired four years after the series had ended. Originally scheduled to broadcast on 5 July 2001, it was delayed as Channel 4 were unhappy with the timing in connection to the disappearances of 15-year-old [[Murder of Danielle Jones|Danielle Jones]] in June and 11-year-old Bunmi Shagaya in early July.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cozens|first1=Claire|title=C4 pulls Brass Eye special|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/jul/05/channel4.broadcasting1|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=5 July 2001|access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref> It eventually aired on Thursday 26 July 2001, and was repeated on Friday 27 July 2001.<ref name="ferguson-20010805">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/aug/05/news.film|title=Why Chris Morris had to make Brass Eye|first=Euan|last=Ferguson|date=5 August 2001|access-date=18 September 2018|quote=broadcast by Channel 4 on <time datetime="2001-07-26" title="26 July 2001">26 July</time> and repeated <time datetime="2001-07-27" title="27 July 2001">the next night</time>}}</ref>

It tackled [[pedophilia|paedophilia]] and the [[moral panic]] in parts of the British media following the [[murder of Sarah Payne]], focusing on the [[name and shame|name-and-shame campaign]] conducted by the ''[[News of the World]]'' in its wake.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} This included an incident in 2000 in which a [[paediatrics|paediatrician]] in [[Newport, Wales|Newport]] had the word "PAEDO" daubed in yellow paint on her home.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/901723.stm|title=Paediatrician attacks 'ignorant' vandals|work=[[BBC News Online]]|date=30 August 2000}}</ref> ''News of the World'''s then Editor [[Rebekah Brooks]] would years later discuss this campaign at the [[Leveson Inquiry]].<ref>{{cite news|author= McNally, Paul|url=https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/rebekah-brooks-anti-paedophile-campaign-could-have-been-done-better-/s2/a549197/|title=Rebekah Brooks: Anti-paedophile campaign 'could have been done better'|work=Journalism.co.uk|date=11 May 2012|access-date=23 February 2016}}</ref>

To illustrate the media's knee-jerk reaction to the subject, various celebrities were duped into presenting fatuous and often ridiculous pieces to camera in the name of a campaign against paedophiles. [[Gary Lineker]] and [[Phil Collins]] endorsed a spoof charity, Nonce Sense, (pronounced "nonsense"—"nonce" being British slang for people convicted or suspected of molestation or sexual crimes), with Collins saying, "I'm talking Nonce Sense!" ''[[Tomorrow's World]]'' presenter [[Philippa Forrester]] and [[ITN]] reporter [[Nicholas Owen (journalist)|Nicholas Owen]] were shown explaining the details of fictional "Hidden Online Entrapment Control System", or HOECS (pronounced "[[hoax]]") computer games, which online paedophiles were using to abuse children via the [[internet]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1792738.stm|title=MPs' Brass Eye complaints rejected|work=BBC News Online|date=31 January 2002|access-date=27 August 2014}}</ref> [[Capital Radio]] DJ [[Neil Fox (media personality)|Neil "Doctor" Fox]] told viewers that "paedophiles have more genes in common with crabs than they do with you and me", adding "Now that is scientific fact—there's no real evidence for it—but it ''is'' scientific fact". At one point, bogus CCTV footage was shown of a paedophile attempting to seduce children by stalking the streets while disguised as a school.

Lineker described paedophile text slang, stating that "P2PBSH" translates to "pipe-to-pipe bushman; code for two paedophiles having sex with each other while watching children from a shrub" and "[[Baltimora|BALTIMORA]]" translates to "I'm running at them now with my trousers down". Labour MP [[Syd Rapson]] related that paedophiles were using "an area of internet the size of Ireland". [[Richard Blackwood]] stated that internet paedophiles could make [[computer keyboard]]s emit noxious fumes to subdue children, subsequently sniffing a keyboard and claiming that he could smell the fumes, which made him feel "suggestible". Blackwood also warned watching parents that exposure to the fumes would make their children "smell like hammers". Other notable figures appearing as themselves were [[Sebastian Coe]], [[Michael Hames]], [[Andy McNab]], [[Kate Thornton]], [[Barbara Follett (politician)|Barbara Follett]] MP and [[Gerald Howarth]] MP.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1461240.stm Channel 4 defends 'sick' satir'], [[BBC News Online]], 28 July 2001</ref>
Morris reported that convicted child murderer [[Sidney Cooke]] had been sent into space to keep him away from children. Prior to the launch, an eight-year-old boy had been placed on board the spaceship with Cooke by mistake, with a spokesman saying "this is the one thing we didn't want to happen".<ref name="McCartney">McCartney, Jenny, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1335714/Are-there-no-limits.html "Are there no limits?"], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 29 July 2001</ref><ref name="Coward">{{cite news|last=Coward|first=Ros|author-link=Rosalind Coward|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2001/jul/31/childrensservices.comment1|title=It had no place on TV|newspaper=The Guardian|date=31 July 2001}}</ref> During the programme, the studio was "invaded" by a fictional militant [[pro-paedophile activism]] organisation called "Milit-pede", and the programme appeared to suffer a short technical disturbance. When it returned, presenter Chris Morris confronted a spokesman, Gerard Chote (played by [[Simon Pegg]]), who had been placed in a [[pillory]], asking if he wanted sex with Morris's six-year-old son (actually a child actor).<ref name="McCartney"/> Hesitantly, the spokesman refused, apologetically explaining "I don't fancy him".

The episode won a [[Broadcast (magazine)|''Broadcast'' magazine]] award in 2002.<ref>{{cite web | title=Awards nod revives Brass Eye row | website=BBC News | date=2002-02-27 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1843689.stm | access-date=2019-11-16}}</ref>

=== ''Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes'' (2017) ===

In 2017, series director [[Michael Cumming]] released a 60-minute film of unbroadcast material from the making of Brass Eye between 1995 and 1997. The film is intended to mark the 20th anniversary of the series's original broadcast and includes scenes previously edited from the series due to time constraints or legal difficulties.<ref name="Observer 22 October 2017">{{cite news |last= Thorpe |first= Vanessa |title= Twenty years on … how comedy genius Chris Morris invented 'fake news' |url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/21/brass-eye-20-years-anniversary-chris-morris| date= 22 October 2017|newspaper= [[The Observer]] |location=London| access-date=22 October 2017 }}</ref> It also includes extended or alternative versions of scenes that made the final cut, together with humorous [[outtake]]s of several scenes. Cumming also narrates the film and details his first meeting with Chris Morris and the difficulties involved in making the series. Comedy website [[Chortle]] described the film as "a thoughtful, curiously touching time capsule which pays fulsome tribute to, and certainly never cheapens, the spirit of the original show".<ref name=Cumming>{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelcumming.co.uk/latest_news.html|title=Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes|date=Summer 2017|access-date=28 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915204622/http://www.michaelcumming.co.uk/latest_news.html|archive-date=15 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Chortle2017>{{cite web|title=Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/features/2017/05/10/36459/oxide_ghosts%3A_the_brass_eye_tapes|date=10 May 2017|access-date=28 September 2017}}</ref>

The film premiered at the Pilot Light TV festival in May 2017 and toured to perform at selected UK cinemas throughout 2017.<ref name=Cumming/> Each performance was followed by a Q&A with the director. It toured again in 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Brass Eye's outtakes show the brutal TV comedy was the tip of an iceberg |last=Logan |first=Brian |newspaper=The Guardian |date=22 March 2022 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/mar/22/oxide-ghosts-tour-brass-eye-25-years-chris-morris}}</ref> Cumming has said that the film will only be shown at such public events and can't ever be released commercially, for rights and legal reasons.<ref name=Chortle2017 />

== Episodes ==
===Season 1 (1997)===
{{Episode table |background=#f4a943 |overall=5 |title=22 |director =20 |writer =20 |airdate=18 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| Title = Animals
| DirectedBy = [[Michael Cumming]]
| WrittenBy = [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Christopher Morris]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|01|29|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary = The proliferation of cruel anti-cow [[graffiti]], with text specifically designed to undermine the animals' confidence, and a spate of arranged fights between large men and [[weasel]]s, indicate a deep malaise at the heart of society. Chris Morris presents a mix of surprising celebrity interviews and startling sketches on the issue of animal cruelty, focusing on Karla the elephant, who has unfortunately trapped her trunk up her anus.
| LineColor = f4a943
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| Title = Drugs
| DirectedBy = [[Michael Cumming]]
| WrittenBy = Christopher Morris
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|02|05|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary = 'Cake', a deadly new killer drug from Prague, is about to take Britain by storm. Our only hope for saving the nation's youth from the horrors of `Czech Neck' is an intensive awareness campaign, featuring the influential voices of Bernard Manning and Noel Edmonds.
| LineColor = f4a943
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| Title = Science
| DirectedBy = [[Michael Cumming]]
| WrittenBy = Christopher Morris
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|02|12|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary = Chris Morris shakes his head in despair as more hoodwinked celebrities pass on their fairly loose grasp of bizarre science stories and experiments, including a campaign against 'heavy electricity'.
| LineColor = f4a943
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| Title = Sex
| DirectedBy = [[Michael Cumming]]
| WrittenBy = Christopher Morris
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|02|19|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary = Chris Morris casts a satirical eye over the subject of sex and its relationship to society. Helpful contributors include Peter Stringfellow and David Sullivan.
| LineColor = f4a943
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| Title = Crime
| DirectedBy = [[Michael Cumming]]
| WrittenBy = Christopher Morris
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|02|26|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary = Chris Morris turns his laser eye to the subject of crime, including shocking revelations of how [[elephant]]s are being used to disperse rioters, and Vanessa Feltz's message to murderers.
| LineColor = f4a943
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| Title = Decline
| DirectedBy = [[Michael Cumming]]
| WrittenBy = Christopher Morris
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|03|05|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary = Chris Morris examines the issue of moral decline in Britain. Religion also falls under the spotlight in this episode, which features Terry Waite discussing how Britain has been poisoned by the gospel.
| LineColor = f4a943
}}
}}

===Special (2001)===
{{Episode table |background=#f4a943 |overall=5 |title=22 |director =20 |writer =20 |airdate=18 |episodes=

{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 7
| Title = [[Paedogeddon|Paedogeddon!]]
| DirectedBy = [[Tristram Shapeero]]
| WrittenBy = Christopher Morris, Shane Allen & [[Peter Baynham]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2001|07|26|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary = In this episode, celebrities were this time duped into endorsing an anti-paedophile charity by denouncing a program in which paedophiles could view children through a webcam and, wearing special gloves allowing them to molest any part of the child they so wished by simply touching their monitor.
| LineColor = f4a943
}}
}}

== Controversies==

=== Postponement ===
The series had originally been scheduled to air in November 1996, but was postponed and ultimately aired in January 1997.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Culf |first=Andrew |date=1996-11-18 |title=Satire show dropped over drug 'cake' joke: Andrew culf on the furore about C4's anarchic brass eye |pages=8 |work=[[The Guardian]] |id={{ProQuest|187952135}}}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=1997-01-10 |title=NEWS IN BRIEF - CHANNEL 4 SETS NEW DATE FOR BRASS EYE SCREENING |pages=8 |work=[[Broadcast (magazine)|Broadcast]] |id={{ProQuest|1705171304}}}}</ref> According to Channel 4, this delay was to ensure that broadcasting standards were met, amid fears that some of the series' pranks might violate the [[Independent Television Commission|Independent Television Commission's]] code on hoaxes.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=1998-01-01 |title=TV of the year |pages=88 |work=[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]] |id={{ProQuest|1776915611}}}}</ref> Two days before airing, the show had been denounced by [[Tom Sackville]], a minister at the Home Office, who criticised "this waste of Home Office time", referring to the programme's 'Cake' hoax which involved Sackville and MP David Amess.<ref name=":0" /> ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that the postponement was the subject of internet speculation on at least 112 different websites, which featured conspiracy theories that Channel 4 had given into pressure from the Home Office, or that the programme had been pulled by the then chief executive of Channel 4, [[Michael Grade]], owing to the negative effect it might have had on the channel's upcoming campaign against privatisation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Jim |date=1996-11-25 |title=Ascent of an iconoclast |pages=6 |work=[[The Guardian]] |id={{ProQuest|187905326}}}}</ref> In January 1997, it was announced that the series would indeed be broadcast, and would begin airing later in the month.<ref name=":1" /> After airing, the programme did indeed attract complaints from MPs David Amess and [[Graham Bright|Sir Graham Bright]] concerning their appearances on the show involving 'cake', which were held up by the Independent Television Commission.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=McCann |first=Paul |date=1997-05-18 |title=Brass Eye wins over watchdog |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/brass-eye-wins-over-watchdog-1262380.html |url-status=live |access-date=2023-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708230652/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/brass-eye-wins-over-watchdog-1262380.html |archive-date=2022-07-08}}</ref> However, the commission also went "out of its way" to praise the series as "amusing and innovative".<ref name=":2" /> While the ITC's television code included a provision that "contributors must be made aware of the format and purpose of programmes", the response to the complaints clarified that "The Commission had no criticism of the overall programme concept. It acknowledged that risks were attached to making innovative programmes and felt that Channel 4 should not be discouraged for that reason from seeking to make such programmes. It proposed to take no further action against Channel 4."<ref name=":2" />

=== Michael Grade ===

[[Michael Grade]], then chief executive of [[Channel 4]], repeatedly intervened to demand edits to episodes of ''Brass Eye''.<ref name=Guardian1 /> The final episode included a single-frame [[subliminal message]] reading "Grade is a cunt".<ref name=Guardian1>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/gallery/2009/apr/23/michaelgrade-itv|title=In pictures: Michael Grade's highs and lows|work=The Guardian|last=Dowell|first=Ben|date=23 April 2009|access-date=25 July 2015}}</ref>

=== "Paedogeddon!" ===
{{main article|Paedogeddon}}
Around 3,000 complaints were received concerning "Paedogeddon!", making it reportedly the most objected-to episode in British television history at the time,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/ibrass-eyeis-paedogeddon-inflamed-the-ukbut-was-th-100242 |title=''Brass Eye''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 'Paedogeddon!' Inflamed the U.K.—But Was That the Point? • TV Club |last1=Adams |first1=Erik |last2=Bowman |first2=Donna |last3=Dyess-Nugent |first3=Phil |last4=Koski |first4=Genevieve |last5=McGee |first5=Ryan |last6=Sims |first6=David |last7=VanDerWerff |first7=Todd |date=17 July 2013 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=3 May 2016}}</ref> and politicians spoke out against Morris. Minister for Child Protection [[Beverley Hughes]] described the show as "unspeakably sick" based on clips of the episode, and Home Secretary [[David Blunkett]] was described by a spokesman as "dismayed",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1335715/Blunkett-rages-over-Channel-4-child-sex-satire.html|title=Blunkett rages over Channel 4 child sex satire|date=29 July 2001 }}</ref> although he may have been relying on a description of the episode.<ref>{{cite news | title=A distasteful spectacle | newspaper=The Daily Telegraph | date=30 July 2001 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1334116/A-distasteful-spectacle.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Television so gormless even Big Brother would have switched off|date=30 July 2001|newspaper=[[The Times]]}}</ref> [[Tessa Jowell]], after watching,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/world_at_one/1465145.stm|title=Programme causes predictable storm|work=[[BBC News Online]]|date=30 July 2001}}</ref> asked the [[Independent Television Commission]] to change its procedures so it could rule more swiftly on similar programmes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,529528,00.html|title=TV spoof to bring tougher regulation|first=Lucy|last=Ward|newspaper=The Guardian|date=30 July 2001}}</ref>

There was also a [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] campaign against Morris, who refused to discuss the issue. The ''[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star]]'' decried Morris and the show, and the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' ran a headline describing ''Brass Eye'' as "Unspeakably Sick" (quoting Beverley Hughes). ''[[The Observer]]'' accused both papers of hypocrisy; it noted that the ''Star'' article was positioned adjacent to an article about the developing bust of 15-year-old singer [[Charlotte Church]], and that the ''Mail''{{'}}s coverage was preceded by "close-ups" of the "[[bikini]] princesses" [[Princess Beatrice of York|Beatrice]] and [[Princess Eugenie of York|Eugenie]], who were 12 and 11 at the time.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010806141503/http://chilled.cream.org/graphics/charlotte.jpg|archive-date=6 August 2001|url=http://chilled.cream.org/graphics/charlotte.jpg|title=Perv Spoof Bosses Axe Wrestling|format=copy of article from the ''[[Daily Star (United Kingdom)|Daily Star]]''|year=2001|access-date=17 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{cite news|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/screen/story/0,6903,532307,00.html|title=Why Chris Morris had to make Brass Eye|first=Euan|last=Ferguson|work=[[The Observer]]|date=5 August 2001|access-date=17 July 2012|quote=Mail … (headed 'Unspeakably sick', the words of one of the Ministers who hadn't watched it) was preceded by close-ups of Princesses Beatrice (13) and Eugenie (11) in their bikinis; in the Star, beside a shock-horror-sicko Morris story, sat a picture of singer Charlotte Church in a tight top ('She's a big girl now … chest swell!'). Church is 15.}}</ref><ref name="telegraph-howse">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1334108/Meddling-ministers-who-cant-tell-satire-from-voyeurism.html|title=Meddling ministers who can't tell satire from voyeurism|first=Christopher|last=Howse|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=31 July 2001|access-date=17 July 2012|quote=Daily Mail carried a banner headline "Unspeakably sick" across a double-page … the Mail printed a large colour picture of the "bikini princesses" … in skimpy swimwear. How old are the "bikini princesses"? They are 11 and 12}}</ref>

Columnist for ''[[The Guardian]]'' [[Rosalind Coward|Ros Coward]] wrote at the end of July 2001: "What's so dishonest about Channel 4's defence of ''Brass Eye'' as a satire of media forms is the implication that they (and the liberal left in general) have a better truth than the tabloids. They don't. ... [I]t suggests concern about sex abuse is exaggerated and that victims' shame and humiliation doesn't matter. That's why there were so many complaints."<ref name="Coward"/>

== Home media ==
A DVD released in 2001 reinstated most of the material cut from the original, although a few items were removed, most notably the subliminal messages directed at Michael Grade and an interview with [[Graham Bright]] MP in the "Drugs" episode. A disclaimer was also added to the "Drugs" episode at the request of [[David Amess]].

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{Channel4.com|programmes/brass-eye}}
*{{IMDb title|0118273}}

{{Christopher Morris}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}

[[Category:1997 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:2001 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1990s British satirical television series]]
[[Category:2000s British satirical television series]]
[[Category:1990s British black comedy television series]]
[[Category:2000s British black comedy television series]]
[[Category:British parody television series]]
[[Category:Channel 4 comedy]]
[[Category:News parodies]]
[[Category:British mockumentary television series]]
[[Category:Television controversies in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Television series about television]]
[[Category:Television series by Fremantle (company)]]
[[Category:Television series created by Chris Morris (satirist)]]