History Series / BrassEye

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Several of the celebrities conned into making appearances in support of the fake charities were, upon learning the truth, willing to put their hands up and admit both that the joke was on them and that it was a pretty funny one. A more common reaction, however, was self-righteous humourlessness.

* CriticalResearchFailure: As stated above, the celebrities and politicians were given ample time to actually research what they were actually saying, and many of them chose not to.

* ManipulativeEditing: [[BlatantLies Apparently]], British radio presenter Nicholas Parsons read a poem written in tribute to an animal activism organisation wanting to help [[RefugeInAudacity an elephant that has its trunk stuck up its anus]], that went, "Aren't we a bunch of fuckwits? An elephant could no more get it's trunk up its arse than we could lick our balls".
** This wasn't a real poem at all - it was a letter written by TV Zoologist Desmond Morris saying that the plight of "Carla", the non-existent elephant (named after writer and animal rights activist Carla Lane) was physically impossible.

After a second series of ''Series/TheDayToday'' failed to materialise and the team went their separate ways, ChrisMorris took the faux news format and a handful of characters and put his creative energy into making ''Brass Eye'', a controversial and vicious satire of the PrimeTimeNews format. The series not only deconstructed the way the news media told stories, it also made sharp jabs at topics - such as the British government's failure to improve the lot of the underprivileged, the negative effect that borstals have on young offenders, and the gullibility of celebrities when the promise of some good publicity is waved in their faces.

* StealthParody -- Some viewers don't actually realise that it's a parody. The celebrities involved ''definitely'' don't notice.

After a second series of ''TheDayToday'' failed to materialise and the team went their separate ways, ChrisMorris took the faux news format and a handful of characters and put his creative energy into making ''Brass Eye'', a controversial and vicious satire of the PrimeTimeNews format. The series not only deconstructed the way the news media told stories, it also made sharp jabs at topics - such as the British government's failure to improve the lot of the underprivileged, the negative effect that borstals have on young offenders, and the gullibility of celebrities when the promise of some good publicity is waved in their faces.

* CallBack: Chris mentioning his own heroin use at the end of the "Drugs" episode would be a reference to a {{Couch Gag}} from ''TheDayToday'', in which one of the episodes ended with Chris preparing to shoot up after all the studio lights dim down.

* ManipulativeEditing: [[BlatantLies Apparently]], British radio presenter Nicholas Parsons read a poem written in tribute to an animal activism organisation wanting to help [[RefugeInAudacity an elephant that has it's trunk stuck up its anus]], that went, "Aren't we a bunch of fuckwits? An elephant could no more get it's trunk up its arse than we could lick our balls".

* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: "You're a paedophile. You're a nonce. You're a perv. You're a slot badger. You're a two-pin DIN plug. You're a bush dodger. You're a small bean regarder. You're an unabummer. You're a nut administrator. You're a bent ref. You're The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. You're a fence foal. You're a Free Willy. You're a chimney bottler. You're a bunty man. You're a shrub rocketeer..."

-> 'When I see your picture in the paper, Myra,
-> I want to phone my latest girlfriend and fire her,
-> And find a prostitute that looks like you and hire her,
-> Oh, Myra.'
* BritishBrevity

* BlackComedy -- On occasion... The original series finale "Decline" (parodying [[MoralGuardians the perceived decline of moral standards]]) provides some of the best examples, including the fictional stage show ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sutcliffe Sutcliffe:]] The Musical'' (which was cut from the original broadcast) and a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of [[Music/{{Pulp}} Jarvis Cocker]] singing a [[SillyLoveSongs Silly Love Song]] dedicated to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_murders Moors murderer]] Myra Hindley.

* InherentlyFunnyWords -- Every single acronym and character name on the show.
* InsaneTrollLogic -- Played for laughs.

* KentBrockmanNews -- Pretty much every example from that trope write-up.

** Morris also inserted a subliminal message saying "Grade is a Cunt", in honour of Channel 4 executive Michael Grade, who had demanded [[ExecutiveMeddling edits and cuts]] in the show.

* ExecutiveMeddling -- Michael Grade, [[SubliminalSeduction who is]] [[BitingTheHandHumor a cunt]]

* WriterRevolt -- The aforementioned subliminal message.

* ExecutiveMeddling -- Michael Grade, [[SubliminalSeduction who is, of]] [[BitingTheHandHumor course, a cunt]]

* BlackComedy -- On occasion... The original series finale "Decline" (parodying [[MoralGuardians the perceived decline of moral standards]]) provides some of the best examples, including the fictional stage show ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sutcliffe Sutcliffe:]] The Musical'' (which was cut from the original broadcast) and a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of Jarvis Cocker singing a [[SillyLoveSongs Silly Love Song]] dedicated to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_murders Moors murderer]] Myra Hindley.

Dressing up in a number of disguises, Morris created a series of fake charities and good causes (for example: "Nonce Sense", an anti-paedophile campaign), then asked celebrities and politicians to endorse them while reading out blatantly nonsensical rubbish from an auto-cue, such as, "Genetically, paedophiles have more in common with ''crabs'' than they do with you or me."

Dressing up in a number of disguises, Morris created a series of fake charities and good causes including "Nonce Sense", an anti-paedophile campaign, and asked celebrities and politicians to endorse them while reading out blatantly nonsensical rubbish from an auto-cue. An example: "Genetically, paedophiles have more in common with ''crabs'' than they do with you or me."

** The best one was in the Paedophile Special, in which celebrities introduced "H.O.E.C.S. [video] games".
*** Made even better by Morris and co not even trying to hide the pronunciation - cue celebrities warning parents about paedophiles turning the pixels of a dogs eye into a webcam in these "hoax" games.

** This also involves a StealthPun as the school in question is a comprehensive school, also occasionally known as a high school.

** StealthPun: Was it a high school?
** No. It was a comprehensive.
*** Comprehensives are often named, or referred to, as "High Schools".

* NostalgiaFilter: 'Jill and Sainsburgh McManus; are a rattly pair of old puffins who remember Cowsick in the days when people could still be trusted.'

* ExecutiveMeddling -- Michael Grade, [[SubliminalSeduction who is, of]] [[BitingTheHandHumour course, a cunt]]

* SubliminalSeduction: '''''[[BitingTheHandHumour GRADE IS A CUNT]]'''''

* BitingTheHandHumour: The parodies of CGI diagrams in the news (see the sample quote above) were made by the same people who did the real ones. Apparently, they relished the opportunity to make fun of their stock-in-trade.

* HelloSailor (the entire Royal Navy in the Sex episode)

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: 'The driving statue has also brought pennies from heaven. If you look for a doubt here, you won't find one here!'

* FunWithAcronyms -- Many times, at least OnceAnEpisode. The "cake" campaigns were named F.U.K.D. and B.O.M.B.D.

The result was outrage in some corners of the media and strong approval from the rest, who correctly pointed out that the celebs and [=MPs=] were given plenty of time to check the veracity of the charities and could have dropped out at any time. Morris also got in a spot of hot water when he inserted a subliminal message in a ''BrassEye'' episode attacking the then current Channel 4 boss MichaelGrade over [[ExecutiveMeddling edits he'd mandated in the episode,]] the words ''[[CountryMatters Grade Is A Cunt]]'' were displayed onscreen for [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Grade.gif a single frame]]. The message (and the edits) were removed for later repeats and the DVD release.

!!''BrassEye'' provides examples of:

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brasseye1.jpg
-->''"You haven't got a clue, have you? But you will do if you watch for 30 minutes."''

* KentBrockmanNews -- Pretty much every example from that trope write-up