Look Around You Series Two Review

This isn’t from Look Around You. This is the show, Tomorrow’s World, upon which Look Around You, Series 2 is based off of. This time it aired in 2005. Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper were behind this series as well. I have talked about them in my last blog post, so read it.

The format of the series changed quite a bit. The series now took place in the 1980s, whereas in the first series, it took place late 70s early 80s-ish. The series no longer supposedly aired on as part of a cable in the classroom broadcast, but instead aired on the standard BBC. Instead of ten minute modules, we have half an hour episodes. We no longer have experiments, but instead, we have segments, such as “Inventor of the Week” and interviews. The narrator was forgone, and instead, we have four presenters. Jack Morgan, played by Robert Popper, reprising his character from the first series (the music episode), Peter Packard, played by Peter Serafinowicz, Pam Bachelor played by Oliva Colman, and Pealy Maghti played by Josie D’Arby.

But what hasn’t changed is the absurdism, the warped reality, the awkwardness, the humor, and the authenticity.

The authenticity is shown through the colors and camera filters, and the clothing and hairstyles. Pealy and Pam often wear stereotypical eighties outfits, that look hilarious, along with their big eighties hair.

To capitalize on the awkwardness level, we now have four presenters all interacting with not only one another and the audience back home, but other British comedic actors, such as Simon Pegg, Edger Wright, Sarah Alexander, and Nick Frost.

This time the series is focused on upcoming technology—well, what is seen as upcoming from the 1980s. According to the show, by the year 2010, people will live to be 400, reaching puberty when they’re eighty. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

As well, the show uses horrible technical errors. An example can be seen in this clip here:

The show still uses some of its elements from the previous series, such as a recurring motif in each episode, and the use of portmanteau. Like in the previous series, there are also unpronounceable words, probably the best example being the inventor of the hilariously stereotypical computer for women, whose last name is silent.

As well, this series has a subplot that reaches its climax in the series finale. Throughout each episode, there is an invention of the week, which showcases a bizarre invention that has to do with the theme of the episode, and the equally bizarre inventor (one of them was a horse). The first episode introduces us to Leonard Hatred, who invented Psilence, a spray you put on your ears to keep sound from getting in. Hatred is so beautifully portrayed by Mark Heap, who supposedly improvised the funny walk he does. Hatred, hmm… that last name should signify something.

All of the inventors appear in a “live” series finale, in which Prince Charles will choose the inventor of the year, and present them with a trophy. Prince Charles actually appears, and using amazing effects (I’m not joking) he joins them in their live studio in the ten minutes of the show. He’s beautifully edited in, and his dialogue is dubbed by Serafinowicz who does another dead-on impersonation.

While Jack and Pealy await the Prince outside the studio with a cheering crowd, Peter and Pam interview each of the inventors and give the audience a recap and demonstration of their invention. The cap of Hatred’s Psilence can falls off, his demonstration  is cut short, he starts having outbursts throughout the episode, culminating in him spraying a can of psilence in Prince Charles’s face, the program being delayed for a few minutes along with technical difficulties, the scary picture from the video above being shown, and a few minutes of “Birds of Britain,” and Jack ending up inside the winning invention: the sex change machine.

This series has a few more strengths than the earlier series with regards to actors. The hosts all show off their comedic abilities. They all maintain a level of awkwardness. Some hilarious moments for Robert Popper’s character include his character Jack Morgan’s newest song: Reggae Man.

A demonstration for a toilet sterilizer which ends with Jack splashing toilet water in his mouth. This deleted scene:

Note: In the original scene aired Jack loves his newly disfigured face. And finally, Jack emerging from the sex change machine in the series finale, once again giving proof that Robert Popper might be a castrati or a eunuch. The fact that Popper’s character was a chart topper for a while with “Little Mouse” and went back to presenting a second-rate science show is funny enough.

Peter Serafinowicz is funny, period. It’s hard to find a specific example. A good example would be the Leonard Hatred clip I showed above, where he interrupts Jack's monologue by screaming since he can't hear. He also does the announcements and voiceovers on the show.

He kind of plays the straight man in kind of the leader of the presenters. But the way he reads some of the ridiculous lines such as “a bee sting to the anus” in a straight tone is just hilarious. (Just so you know, Clive Pounds was brought back alive at the end of the episode).

Olivia Colman’s funniest moment had to be when she played Pam from the future, at age 90, in the food episode when it was Pam’s birthday. She wore old age make-up and had a robotic, laser eye. As well, in the health episode, the scene with her driving the car while sleeping at the end of the episode was funny as well.

Josie D’arby’s character represented the token black character that TV shows would try to include in the 70s and 80s onward—at least that what’s I think. Also, Josie’s interpretation of Pealy is hilarious, so she obviously is great on the show regardless. She has this perky, yet at the same time awkward energy that is hilarious, along with her enthusiasm and smiling towards the camera, making her look like the only presenter who might be happy to be there.

The guests are funny as well. An example would be Synthesizer Patel, a man who loves Synthesizers so much that he changed his name to Synthesizer. (another man changed his first name to “Computer” because he loved computers so much) Synthesizer Patel is plain funny. He then reappears in the series finale and guess what? All of his synthesizers but one are stolen!

All and all, it was a hilarious series.