Paedogeddon

A news special looking at the evil plague of paedophilia that stalks every street and puts every child at risk. They look just like ordinary people but they have the morals of crabs and will use any trick they can to get their hands on kiddies. Fearless reporter Chris Morris puts his subtlety and balance on hold and sets out with the help of many stars to expose the threat this overwhelming evil poses.

My plot summary is an attempt at the humour that this special programme delivered, although I don't think I can ever do justice to Chris Morris who may not be a genius but is certainly a very twisted individual. Before I review it, a little history. When this show came on the air it drew record complaints to Channel 4 and an entire storm of headlines from the Daily Mail (or, as some call it, the Daily Hate). At one point I got so annoyed by people like Mediawatch (Mary Whitehouse's organisation) chasing the moral high ground that I wrote to the top man (forget his name) to defend the show and also point out that in the same paper he had given an interview (Daily Star I think), on the same day but a few pages later was a picture of Charlotte Church with a headline like "Making a Fresh Breast" and a bit of text about how she's growing up nicely (if you know what I mean). Ironically she was 15 at the time.

He wrote back and disagreed with everything of course, said he didn't know about the Church thing (who'd have though the Star would letch after young women?) but was generally polite in the way that upper class English white men will always tend to be in letters. Anyway, my point at the time was that the show was not making light of paedophilia but was rather satirising the hysteria of the media in handling the subject, stirring up mob action and anger against anyone suspected of being a paedophile. Whether you think they all deserve to be shot or all require treatment in very secure facilities, this is still a valid point and the show succeeded in delivering it with Morris' unique sense of humour.

However it was all very, very sharp and dark and I understand why some viewers hated it (although Channel 4 actually got more compliments than complaints – I was one of the former in an attempt to provide balance). It is a very serious subject and, although he was digging at the media, it does still give the impression of trivialising the issue. Morris was also accused of mocking the stars who were giving their time to a good cause but personally I thought they were part of the point – that the outrageous things they were asked to say are only a few steps worse than the "truths" they are sold by the media normally. Perhaps the attacks on the media is part of the reason that the storm in the papers the next few days was so intense? Regardless this was classic Brass Eye and was as absurd and as clever a piece of satire as Morris was known for. Personally some of his stuff is a bit too "out there" for me (Jam and the like was not to my taste) but I love satire and his was generally imaginative, sharp and funny. The special will be remembered for years for the storm it kicked up but I hope that it is remembered as well for hitting a big ugly target bang in the middle. Years later the red top tabloids and the middle-England papers continue to play to the base elements of their readers and simplify and stir up issues and I wish we had someone like this to continue to mock it whenever he sees it. This was a great special that was refreshing at the time due to its topicality but is still worth seeing if you get the chance.

This BRASS EYE special PAEDO-GEDDON was swamped by complaints ( More on that later ) when it was broadcast in 2001 following a national debate around a possible " Sarah`s law " following the abduction and murder of school girl Sarah Payne . In fact it`s scheduling was delayed while Phil Collins took legal advice after he found out he`d been fooled by the show`s maker Chris Morris into a starting a campaign entitled Nonce-sense

If truth be told this show is probably more remembered for the controversy than the content which is in very poor taste but I do confess that I laughed out loud . The edition centres around paedophiles and how society treats both them and their victims . Chris Morris plays the presenter who tells the audience that an infamous paedophile has been launched into space then confesses that an eight year old child has accidentally been placed into the capsule along with the paedophile . Cue the child`s frightened screams . Like I said very poor taste

Other highlights of the show include Dr Fox giving a scientific lecture that paedophiles share an identical nervous system to crabs ( " No one knows this but it`s a scientific fact " ) Labour MP Barbara Follet giving a public warning about equipment paedophiles put on their genitals while surfing the net and Kate Thornton warning viewers that paedophiles can send gas through the internet which makes young children suseptable to sexual predators including one victim " Who was once a shy innocent child and who now has the sexuality of a sixty year old Colonel " . Morris also shows a police officer in the child protection squad a serious of photos wanting to know if they`re classed as obscene . The photos included Barbie surrounded by a marital aids and a composite photo featuring a young boys head , a dog`s body and an erect penis that could only have belonged to John Holmes . Hey I never said this show was tasteful did I ?

It`s impossible to mention PAEDO-GEDDON without the hypocritical fall out that surrounded it where politicians , childrens organizations and policemen rushed to condemn the show for making fun of a very serious subject . The show was poor taste despite me laughing all the way through it but it`s a biting satire . Perhaps the critics should take a long hard look in the mirror where a liberal elite allows convicted paedophile slime to walk around the streets of Britain before they criticise a mere TV show for exacerbating tensions .

Who ever put that review as 'of bad taste' is not all quite there... its so funny, genius and fantastic you could watch it until your eyes are square! not to mention the rest of the work he has done on the rest of the series...all is as good as Morris' standards. if you think that it is 'awful', 'distasteful' or 'sick' then i can only think of one thing to say to you: "go to hell." thanks. it had to be said! i think that the way that so many people complaining was a complete joke...i would like to make a shout out to all the people that actually did that: "haven't you got anything better to do with your time? what are you trying to prove?" thanks for reading my heart-filled review on the matter...cheers

The premise of "paedogeddon" is simple: it is to satirise the hysterical tone of media coverage of the predatory paedophile trope. If I had been writing this my benchmark for success would be outraged pieces in the Daily Mail the following day. Result.

"Genetically, paedophiles have more genes in common with crabs than they do with you and me. Now that is scientific fact. There's no real evidence for it, but it's scientific fact" - one of my favourite lines from any TV comedy ever and a fabulous way of making the point that some people will completely suspend normal critical faculties if they believe they are doing it "for the children". Sorry, Neil Fox, they got you, but console yourself with the fact that you delivered a priceless moment of pure comedy gold - and you did it with such panache.

Morris offers a wonderfully accurate satire on the way the very word paedophile causes the tabloids to abandon all connection with reality. He takes on the taboo - you can't joke about paedophilia? yes you can! - but most of all he delivers a truly brilliant pastiche of media hysteria.

If Chris Morris had never made another programme, this would still secure his place in the comedy hall of fame. The record number of complaints he received - balanced by a record number of supportive letters - is a mark of how accurately he hit the bullseye with this one.

Chris Morris' Brass Eye TV series had always generated a large number of complaints, both from the audience and from the people taking part. But, nothing he has done has managed to stir up more controversy than this. The 2001 Brass Eye Special. Before the hugely overrated Jerry Springer Opera arrived, the Brass Eye Special held the record for the most complaints received about any TV program ever aired.

The sheer volume of complaints that the general public made towards the Brass Eye Special was unbelievable! Many complaints were voiced by people who never even watched the program! The subject that the program handled turned many heads, but the message was widely misinterpreted. The message was even lost on some who enjoyed the program. This was not a show that mocked the subject of paedophilia. The show was purely about the media and it's presentation of the subject. Morris, is and always will be, a media satirist. The notion that the program 'makes fun' of paedophiles and children who have been abused is completely laughable! Morris never attempts to do either such thing. He merely draws our attention to the overwhelming, and very often stupid media hype surrounding the subject.

Using many of his established 'Brass Eye' characters, such as, Ted Maul and others, Morris shows just how much the media over blow every little thing about a subject that they themselves created and built up, and the result is as funny, if not funnier, than anything Morris has done previously. Using his tried and tested formula, Morris manages to trick several gullible celebrities into believing that they are working on a serious documentary. In actuality, they are made to look like exactly what they are. Retards.

All in all, the Brass Eye Special needs to be seen to be believed. And, with one opening line, Morris manages to sum up the entire media situation as it stood in 2001: "Welcome to Paedo-Gedden!"