Stupid! is a Sketch Comedy series created by CBBC. It aired from 2004-2007.
The show focuses on the idea that people's behavior is influenced by immortal beings called Deed Monarchs, who live in a higher plane of existence called the Etherworld. Deed Monarchs are responsible for controlling the behavior of everyone in the world via a complex computer system.
The Deed Monarch we primarily focus on is King Stupid, who (as the name suggests) is responsible for influencing stupidity in people, and enjoys making people do stupid things (from a young boy thinking his finger's been possessed by The Devil, to a young girl overreacting to literally everything). Also with him is his gremlin butler, Goober. While most of the show is about the stupid actions performed by random people in Britain, everything is framed with several sitcom-esque storylines involving King Stupid and Goober.
The show is no longer airing, but all 20 episodes can be found here
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The show provides examples of:
- Ascended Extra: In Series 1, Court Casey only appeared in the first episode. She then appears in multiple episodes of Series 2.
- Bait-and-Switch: In the final sketch featuring Graham and his gran, the former can be seen crying while in front of a grave, before cutting to a sad-looking montage of the previous times we saw the two, giving off the impression that she's dead for real this time. Given the nature of the show, however, it shouldn't be a surprise when Gran shows up alive and well, and reveals that the gravestone is a fake, causing Graham to realize that it was another trick.
- Cliffhanger: The Series Finale ends with Judith successfully uploading the footage she got of King Stupid's system to the Newsround website. Since the show wasn't renewed for a third season, we'll never get an exact confirmation of what happened.
- Crying Wolf: In some of the sketches focusing on Graham and his gran, the former wises up to the latter's tricks, only for something to happen that leaves him convinced that she's actually dead, only for the joke to be revealed to have been real all along.
- The Devil: David thinks the Devil possessed his finger.
- Distaff Counterpart: The fancy man's ex-wife is just like Tom the Scout Leader. She leads a group of Girl Scouts, she hasn't gotten over getting divorced, and she constantly harasses her ex-husband and his new lover, often roping her scouts into helping her. When both troops meet each other in the same house and realize how much in common they have, they bond over trashing the residency of the troop leaders' exes, and are last seen skipping off with each other in a grassy field, and it is heavily implied that the two leaders have fallen for each other over their shared hatred of their exes.
- In two episodes of Series 1, David meets two people like him. First, he picks a fight with a boy who thinks his hand is possessed by the spirit of a demonic cow, and then he meets (and falls in love with) a girl who is unable to control her finger, and frequently bends other fingers with it.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Jas' tendency to insult others without meaning to is similar to Tourettes Syndrome.
- The Faceless: The fancy man's face is never seen. It doesn't make any sense, considering that the actor who plays him has played several different characters on the show, and all of them have their faces shown.
- Faking the Dead: Graham's gran enjoys pranking him by pretending to be dead until he cries.
- Goth: Carrie.
- Goth Girls Know Magic: Subverted. Carrie thinks she has magic powers, and will frequently try to curse people who get on her nerves, but she's just another victim of King Stupid's tricks.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Tom the Scout Leader hasn't gotten over his divorce, and frequently has his scout troop assist him in tormenting his ex-wife and her new lover. The fancy man's ex-wife does the exact same thing with her scout troop.
- Happily Married: Vince's parents are this, but he wants them to get a divorce so he can get twice as many presents as usual on Christmas and his birthday like all of his friends.
- Hero Antagonist: Judith Bibble is the main antagonist of the Series Finale.
- Idiot Ball: Invoked by King Stupid, who uses his computer system to make people do stupid things for no reason.
- Jerkass: King Stupid is the most notable one on the show, and there are a couple of others.
- One episode has a series of sketches about a girl named Jas, who is made to say all sorts of rude things to everyone around her against her will. Understandably, after she comes to her senses and tries to apologize, she isn't Easily Forgiven.
- Lethal Chef: Jeff the Chef is constantly adding inedible things to every dish he prepares, almost always throwing in his shoes at some point.
- Meaningful Name: Deed Monarchs' names reflect the behavior they're known to induce in people (King Stupid, Count Cruel, King Wonderful, Queen Sensible, etc.)
- Title Drop: The word "Stupid" is often said in every episode.
- Villain Protagonist: Downplayed. King Stupid is likely meant to be this for the show, but he doesn't have any malicious intent. He just makes people do stupid things For the Evulz.
