Look Around You First Series Review

Robert's the one holding the test tube, Peter's the one with the clipboard

I previous listed this British Comedy Series as an anti-comedy. Keep in mind anti-comedy is comedy without being presented as comedy. Look Around You's First series (series in britspeak=season in americanese) is a sharp, absurd satire of old 1970s and early 1980s educational films that were shown in British schools for either educational purpose, or on rainy days during recess. However, even in America we have the same kind of educational filmstrips as well, so it is just as relatable.

The show was created and written by Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper. They also play the guys in lab coats conducting experiments throughout the season.

Serafinowicz is a wellknown comedic writer and actor. He is an amazing impersonator, and most of the comedy on his 2007 TV series, the Peter Serafinowicz show is based on it, as well as some great original characters. He can be seen in American television on Running Wilde and was in Couples Retreat. A little-known fact is that he voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode One. He can be seen in a number of Simon Pegg films. He voiced Darth Chef on South Park as well. His Paul McCartney impersonation is infamous and spot-on, winning him the role of Paul in Disney's remake of Yellow Submarine (this is the only reason I'm going to see it, other than being a Beatles fan).

Popper is more known for his writing, editing, and music, but can act just as well as Serafinowicz. Popper is known for his alter-ego, Robin Cooper. As Cooper, he wrote the Timewaster Letters, sending a large number of associations and hobby groups asking for absurd, bizarre stuff. As Cooper, he also releases "Timewaster Phone Calls" on his youtube channel Vanillapod. He will call venues, TV shows, and radio shows, reporting ridiculous things (he reported PM Gordon Brown throwing a tangerine at a lamination machine to a radio call-in show, resulting in "Tangerinegate"). Popper made a series of prank phone calls with Tim Heidecker from Tim and Eric, and as well as working with Trey Parker and Matt Stone for their most recent season of South Park.

In order to have the series have some authenticity, Nigel Lambert, a seasoned narrator narrates the first series.

Here are two examples:






The first series (season) aired in 2002. Nine episodes were produced. Each episode was ten minutes long, in the spirit of the actual source material. Like I said, the source material were educational videos shown to the creators in schools. The specific source was the ITV Schools (the English version of Cable in the Classroom) Experiment Series

Here is a typical episode or module.


What makes the series funny?

Comedy is within the truth. The truth is comedy. We've all had to watch these educational videos back in school. The part the immediately made me crack up was the fact that the narrator repeatedly told you to write answers down in your copybook. You get to watch a movie, but wait, it's an educational movie, but it's still a movie--but then you have to take notes. That makes it just as tedious as a regular boring science class. Didn't you hate that? And didn't you hate that you couldn't find the answers to some of the questions within the film? Well, the stuff the audience are expected to write down while watching "Look Around You" is even worse than that.

As well, both Popper and Serafinowicz will commonly play with words, using portmanteaux, and often words that are physically impossible to pronounce, such as cDonald's theorem.

Also, in this world, what is logical is illogical. As we can see, illogical and impossible things happen during experiments, almost to hilarious extents, such as the giant scissors appearing in the sky. As well, some of the experiments are unethical, such as the lab assistant injesting sulphane, and then being shot.

The authenticity makes it funny as well. The random notes played on a synthesizer were composed by Serafinowicz, often improvised. The filter makes it 70s-ish and dated as well, and the clothes and hairstyles worn make it look dated too. This contributes the the anti-comedy genre as well. The authenticity makes it look realistic.

The look on the "scientists'" faces are hilarious as well,  as if they don't want to be there.

Finally, the repetitive motifs in each episode make it funny. In the sulfur episode, the scientist repetively violently disposes of the items in the experiment, to the point of him using a gun. In the iron episode, whenever iron is put on a table, the camera shakes and there is a loud noise.

This series is easy to watch, as each module is ten minutes long. However, it leaves the audience wanting more. As well, depending on the audience, some people might not get it and think it is an actual science series, and be kind of pissed. However, this is not unique to this specific series, as any series that attempts an alternative or anti-comedy format risks this.

I find this series hillarious, and many other people do--Matt Groening, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Tim and Eric, and many more.

I suggest watching it.

In a few days, I will cover the second series, which is somewhat different than the first series.

So remember to look around you. I leave you with probably the best song in the world that originated from this series:

Comedy Genres

The following is a list of modern comedy genres I will be discussing. Yes, even comedy has genres.

Stand-up: Whether it's in a club during amateur night, or on an HBO special, this is one of the most accessible forms of comedy. It consists of one person doing a comedic monologue about various topics. Some have specific specialities, others don't. As well, stand-up is abstract, and any other comedy sub-genre can be applied to it. But there is still the standard traditional stand-up comedy which is the best if you want to get laughs from a crowd.

Examples of Traditional Stand-up Comedy Practitioners:

George Carlin

Jerry Seinfeld

And many more.

Rant: Rants can be put into any stand-up act, and are often disguised as such. Rants are different than stand-up because they are monologue discussing the annoyance or dislike towards a relatable subject, whereas stand-up consists of more than that. Rants can be hard to do. You cannot come off as angry, because it is unsettling, and it will look to the audience like you're some angry, hate-spewing performer. Toss in some jokes, have charisma, and make it relatable, though, and you're golden. Rants can cover anything from politics to everyday subjects.

Behold, the ultimate ranter, Dennis Miller.

Satire: Satire is as old as the Greeks, who would often satirize current events into their comedies, creating smart, political humor--that is until the Spartans took over Athens. Satire has since been recovered and evolved into a more biting, yet entertaining genre of comedy. Satire can be in the form of whole plays and movies, allegories, books, parodies, and sketches. Satire is still a popular modern comedy form, and continues to evolve as new satirical comedians produce their work.

Notable Modern Satirists.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park

An big chunk of SNL

Surrealism and Absurdism: I like to put these both together, because the absurd can often be surreal and the surreal can often be absurd. This genre is an acquired taste, and, now I hate to sound like an elitist, this usually appeals to either intellectuals, non-linear thinkers, and people with open-minds. If a person who doesn't truly "get it" finds it funny, it's usually for a superficial reason. For example, if one watches "The Ministry of Silly Walks Sketch" and doesn't truly understand surrealist comedy, they would laugh because "that man is walking funny." There is not a punch-line, there is no shtick, there is no pattern. It is ambiguous, abstract, but freakin hilarious. It involves normal people or abnormal people in absurd, surreal situations, or a world in which the surrealist twist is the established norm, although since there is no pattern in surrealism, there can be many variations to it. Keep in mind, though, this cannot be confused with OMG RANDOM humor, that people might confuse it with (usually these people are kids, though, but some might have youtube accounts, and upload it, and other kids would find them hilarious and brutally chew out people who don't). Good surrealism has a kernel of truth in it, and is often thickly-veiled satire. One who sees the truth hidden within it truly understands surrealism.

Notable Surrealists/Absurdists:

Monty Python

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim.

People who are NOT surrealist and absurdists, and aren't even funny.

Fred. Fred ain't funny.

Alternative Comedy-That person is doing stand-up, but he's not doing it in a conventional way, he's not making observations, there are no punchlines. Welcome to alternative comedy, that arrived in the during the British punk movement, with an anti-establishment attitude. It crossed to America in the 1990s in response to the often non-progressive attitude in many stand-up acts. It's hard to exactly describe it, but the only way I can is to say what it's not. It's not done in a conventional form. There are no punchlines. It's not observational. It's not neutral. It isn't following rules. It isn't just a guy and a microphone. Alternative comedy can also encompass character company. Sometimes, alt-com can uses stuff no usually used in a stand-up act, such as a piano, pictures, drawings, songs, people acting in the background.

The best example of alternative comedy that has made it to the mainstream, but still hasn't sold it's soul are:

Demitri Martin

Zach Galifianakis

The Mighty Boosh

Anti-Comedy: No, it isn't tragedy. This is a relatively new phrase. It's comedy without being presented in comedy--in a way, it's alternative comedy, but it's not referring to itself as comedy. It will confuse the audience, but it doesn't thrive on messing with their heads. Like regular comedy practitioners, they want people to laugh and enjoy themselves, but they want them audience to think as well. The anti-comics usually play it straight, and never break face. On TV-shows that fall into this genre, one might crack a joke, usually a bad one, to which no one would laugh, or there would be a fake or awkward laugh. TV shows that are anti-comedy, might confuse viewers to the point of thinking its an actual documentary, drama, etc, and are victim to low ratings, but the true anti-comedians are able to pull it off, and causing their audience to laugh. Anti-comedy usually requires character comedy to pull it off. I will be exploring anti-comedy a lot as it is my favorite genre.

Andy Kaufman, the founder of anti-comedy--whether he wanted to or not.

Best examples of anti-comedy:

God's Pottery

Look Around You

Even The Office