8. Screenwipe/Newswipe
Brooker's first major foray into TV, BBC4's Screenwipe was effectively his Guardian TV column but, like, all done on screen like a proper big boy. Part TV Burp, part man who looks like a white Laurence Fishburne sitting on his sofa and pointing out the genius or (more often) stupidity of TV, Screenwipe was a natural successor to the sort of analysis Clive James used to be very good at. Only with more hair. In the hands of a lesser presenter, let's say, oh, I don't know, actually I do - Paddy McGuinness (seriously, have you see the show he's doing at the moment?), it could have been a mish-mash of obvious jokes, but Brooker's obvious love of good TV that means it's perfectly good "criticism" in both a negative and positive fashion. Brooker brought the creative savagery of his writing to bear on screen, describing TV talent shows as "a bit like watching a programme in which children queue up to be punched in the face by Father Christmas. Absolutely riveting for all the wrong reasons" or "the moment Ross Kemp walks onscreen he enters into a demented staring competition with everyone else in the room, including the viewers at home. He could out-stare a man with two glass eyes." Plus there were genuinely touching moments too, such as
the celebration of the life of Bagpuss creator Oliver Postgate. It also featured a
loving look at Doctor Who which pointed out the game you could play called "Which bit of Billie Piper's face is the biggest?" As the years progressed, he changed his focus to include news, which featured perfectly observed and poignant pieces on the
life and death of Jade Goody or the obsession with
rolling news in cases like that of Madelaine McCann. There was also some quality exposure time for the likes of
Tim Key, whose bumbling topical poetry deserves an entire article itself, and US comedian Doug Stanhope ("My name is Doug Stanhope, and that's why I drink"), who, as guests, added a nice counterpoint to the sofa-based Brooker.
Genius Moment:How to report the news. Perfectly observed and brilliantly written, this piece went viral and millions got to see the most beautifully put together pastiche of news reporting (ITV news in particular) which means you can never ever watch the proper news again. And if you want more, some good soul has uploaded nearly all of the programmes on youtube.