Television series
Look Around You
Look Around You is a pitch-perfect deadpan parody of the earnest science and current-affairs programmes the BBC once beamed into classrooms and living rooms. It nails the clipped narration, the chalkboard diagrams, the swaggering fake authority, then fills every frame with total nonsense delivered with a straight face. Nineteen minutes of controlled absurdity, best for anyone who finds committed silliness funnier than a joke that explains itself.
If you liked this
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace2004
The same commitment to deadpan pastiche, this time aimed at cheap 80s horror TV, with performances so gloriously overcooked they become their own strange art form.
But The single joke is stretched across a whole series, and if the mockery of bad acting doesn't land for you, it can wear thin.
Brass Eye1997
Chris Morris turns the earnest tone of current-affairs broadcasting into gleeful chaos, famously fooling real celebrities into denouncing an entirely made-up drug.
But Sharper-edged and crueller than Look Around You, more interested in exposing gullibility than pure daftness.
The Day Today1994
The blueprint for British straight-faced parody, skewering news broadcasting's self-importance with the same unblinking devotion to a dead format.
But Some of the news-style references feel dated now, and a bit of 90s broadcasting knowledge helps the jokes land.
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Connections1978
This is the actual thing Look Around You is impersonating — the same clipped narration, chalkboard diagrams and unshakeable scientific swagger, played entirely straight rather than as parody.
James Burke traces how one invention improbably leads to another across centuries, delivered with a hypnotic, swaggering confidence that makes even dry science feel like a thriller.
But It's a genuine documentary with real information to absorb, not a joke, so patience is required if you came purely for laughs.
More like this (8)
Toast of London2012
Matt Berry delivers absurd non-sequiturs with such total conviction that the show becomes hypnotic, built on repeated catchphrases and surreal detours.
But It's more character sitcom than format parody, so the shape of the joke is different even if the tone rhymes.
W1A2014
A dry, precise satire of institutional jargon inside the BBC itself, mocking corporate broadcasting-speak with the same straight-faced control.
But Gentler and more grounded in office politics than absurdist parody, so the laughs are quieter throughout.
The Mighty Boosh2004
Same era, same cult following, a surreal British comedy stuffed with ridiculous visuals and deadpan delivery amid genuine musical set pieces.
But It's narrative and fantastical rather than format parody, so if you loved the schools-TV specificity, this scratches a different itch.
People Just Do Nothing2014
A different kind of mockumentary craftsmanship, following a pirate radio crew with deadpan performances and slow-building character comedy.
But Naturalistic and fly-on-the-wall rather than pastiche of an old broadcast style, so it's gentler and considerably slower.
Big Train1998no page yet
A sketch-show forerunner with deadpan absurdism and an ensemble of future comedy stars, playing ridiculous scenarios dead straight.
But Sketch format means the hits and misses sit side by side, without the unifying concept that holds Look Around You together.
Snuff Box2006no page yet
Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher commit fully to bizarre, fragmented premises in short bursts, dry and deeply strange throughout.
But Even more obscure and disjointed, closer to a string of odd sketches than anything with a real throughline.
Documentary Now!2015
Same engine as Look Around You — a straight-faced impersonation of a broadcasting genre — but aimed at prestige documentary filmmaking instead of 1970s schools TV, with far starrier production values.
Each episode recreates a specific real documentary's style with uncanny precision, anchored by terrific comic performances from Fred Armisen and Bill Hader.
But Half the joke depends on recognising the specific documentaries being spoofed, so unfamiliarity blunts a lot of the humour.
Wonder Showzen2005no page yet
Also a deadpan pastiche of instructional children's programming, but the same target is turned feral, profane and disturbing instead of gently silly.
If the satire of earnest educational TV appealed but you want the idea pushed further, this is the unhinged American cousin with the safety rails removed.
But Deliberately grotesque and shocking, using puppets and children in ways designed to unsettle rather than charm — genuinely not for everyone.
