10 Seriously Overlooked British TV Shows
8. Jam
Chris Morris pushed the boundaries of television surrealism and abyss-dark comedy with Jam. Suffice to say, this one has remained cult primarily due to its extreme experimentation and unrelentingly bleak tone, but those of the right temperament will likely hail its discovery as a major success in television comedy.
Jam is difficult to describe. Its six episodes consist of nightmarish audio-visual montage, and disconnected and extremely dark sketches suffused with the utmost absurdity, yet its filmed in almost documentary fashion.
Originally having been developed as Blue Jam for radio, the ambient soundtrack created a nightmarish mood, further emphasised by having the actors lip-sync to their original dialogue tracks from the radio version.
Jam is unsettling and is unlikely to ever lose this quality. For those who like a splash of comedy in their horror (or a generous glug of horror in their comedy), Jam's blend of absurdist humour and horrific subject matters renders it absolutely unforgettable and undoubtably one of television's boldest productions. Whether the experiment was a success is for you to decide.