"Island of silt and sand, twigs and stumps and tilth and hedgerow, fences, streams (that flow) and nets and carts and pumps (that flow)..."
This is Jinsy is a surreal British Comedy series. Created by and starring Chris Bran and Justin Chubb it is set on the fictional island of Jinsy and focuses on the bizarre lives of its inhabitants, as viewed through the misadventures of their appointed leader Arbiter Jirimy Maven (Chubb) and his assistant Sporall (Bran).
Rounding out the regular cast are Wrench Wench Soosan Noop (Alice Lowe), constantly dripping lawyer Trince (Geoff McGivern) and wallpaper wearing Mrs Goadion (Janine Duvitski). Ruling over them all is the Great He (Jinsy praise him!), a mysterious figure who dwells deep in the caves beneath the island, communicating with the surface world via a series of particularly damp letters sent up a pipe.
Each episode features guest actors, drawn from the ranks of well known British actors, comedians and musicians.
- All There in the Manual: Like any responsible government, Jinsy has an informative website
. - Alternative Calendar: The days of the week are numbered - Onesday, Twosday, Threesday, etc - and months mentioned include Lull, Leafloss, Fugue, Wilter, Bloom and Phew.
- Beleaguered Assistant: Sporall, Trince and Soosan to Maven. Soosan is however too enamoured by Maven to realise.
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Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The narrative of each episode is repeatedly interrupted by various advertisements, public service announcements and musical performances, most of which have no connection to the plot. - Bizarre Instrument: The nightly bye songs feature such instruments as the withered horn, and the band Mool Perpya has, for example, a keyboard with only three keys.
- Blind Mistake: Soosan Noop's eyesight is bad enough that she can mistake a carrot for a screwdriver. This may also have something to do with her devotion to the notably unphotogenic Arbiter Maven.
- British Teeth: Maven has a particularly fine set.
- Butt-Monkey: Despite running the island, Maven always seems to bare the brunt of a lot of humiliation.
- Camp Gay: Mr Slightlyman (David Tennant) is simply fabulous! Also the farewell men who sing the nightly bye song at the end of most episodes.
- Canis Major: Sandy's Choice. A talent contest judged by a (giant) labrador.
- Catchphrase:
- Daily Greet!
- Nightly Bye!
- Jinsy Praise Him!
- You're dripping!
- Cloud Cuckooland: Mail is delivered by pigs trained to find the recipients by scent, marriages are arranged (and re-arranged) by a regular (and corrupt) lottery, justice is administered by a transvestite with a shock device and the entire island is ruled by a mysterious overlord who dwells in a cave.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Most of the population would qualify, but a particularly fine example is 'Weather Monk' Tracee Henge, whose 'Element Repords' consist of streams of vaguely meteorological sounding gibberish delivered with bizarre gestures in a far too short robe.
- Cool Car: Although made of wood and lacking brakes, as the only car on the island the 'Vel' from the episode of the same name probably qualifies.
- Crosscast Role: Multiple characters - many of them female - are played by Bran and Chubb.
- Driving a Desk: Sporall's fantasy drive in Vel uses this to comic effect.
- Even Evil Has Standards: The people of Jinsy tend to be mildly nuts at best and outright crazy at worst. But even they think Maven declaring war on sweaters to be insane.
- Fan Disservice: Jinsy's 'most attractive plumbers' in the 'Pipes' video.
- Fantasy World Map: Welcome to Jinsy.◊
- Gospel Revival Number: Eric Dunt's cupboard song.
- Ignored Enamored Underling: Soosan Noop is completely enamored with Arbiter Maven. Unfortunately, he's completely enamored with himself...
- Lighthouse Point: The Tower - seat of Jinsy's government - resembles nothing less than a misshapen lighthouse.
- My Nayme Is: Half of Jinsy seems to spell their names 'eccentrically'.
- National Anthem: The theme song appears to be Jinsy's national anthem, celebrating such things as hedgerows, stationery, gloves, pumps (that flow) and silt.
- Nausea Fuel: Soup Soap. The latest thing for around the home, scrub your bits then eat the foam!
- No Communities Were Harmed: Jinsy is alleged to be based on the channel island of Guernsey, home to both Bran and Chubb. Inhabitants of Guernsey (and other small islands) have described it as disturbingly accurate.
- Only Sane Man: Sporall often finds himself in this role, although as the drummer of a outlawed folk-thrash-wicker band he can hardly talk...
- It's no wonder that he's the only person on the island (besides the island cartographer) who wonders about the existence of a world beyond Jinsy. Not that he as any desire to leave, but that he can imagine something else.
- Phrase Catcher: "You're dripping!" for Trince. (Give the guy a break, he works in a cave.)
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The national anthem of Jinsy shares its melody with the part of God Save the Tsar, a former Russian anthem, that occurs near the end of the 1812 Overture.
- Punishment Box: The punishment booths of Helleetertrond and Rintel's Point.
- Quirky Town: Jinsy wobbles violently between this and Uncanny Village depending on episode or even scene.
- Scenery Porn: Subverted. A tourism promo for the parish of Brownlap includes wonders such a tree stumps, oddly shaped rocks, expanses of grass, wooden posts and THE MYSTERY POND!!
- Sinister Surveillance: Every chalet on the island is equipped with a 'tesselator' - a combination television, radio, telephone, surveillance camera and electroshock dispenser.
- Small, Secluded World: Jinsy is completely surrounded by protective nets. It's speculated that somewhere out there are other islands similar to Jinsy, inhabited by people similar to the Jinsiites (although probably no one like Arbiter Maven) - similar to our own ponderings about other worlds and universes that may be similar to our own.
- Special Guest: At least one in every episode. Alumni include Catherine Tate, David Tennant, Peter Serafinowicz, KT Tunstall and Jane Horrocks.
- Strange Salute: The Jinsy leg salute (particularly enthusiastic performance can injure bystanders).
- Surreal Humor: The bedrock of Jinsy Island is made of the stuff.
- The Ghost: The Great He (Jinsy Praise Him!) is often mentioned but never seen. He does send a lot of notes though.
- The Wall Around the World: The island is cut off from the outside world by 'protective nets'. Signs at the coasts state 'No Swimming'.
- Wallpaper Camouflage: Mrs. Goadion wears a dress that blends into the background of her hut, leaving her looking much like a floating head. At one point, she's seen from behind - or rather, not seen.
- Wrench Wench: Despite her terrible eyesight Soosan Noop seems to keep Jinsy's infrastructure (such as it is) working quite efficiently.
