MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

TV series
Poster for Broken News

Broken News

2005 · 1 season

A rapid-fire, deadpan satire that skewers the absurdities of rolling news with a huge cast and sharp observations.

Created by
John Morton, Tony Roche
Genres
Comedy, News
Starring
Benedict Cumberbatch, Claudia Christian, Duncan Duff
Overview
Broken News is a comedy programme shown on BBC Two in autumn 2005 and in Australia on SBS-TV from the 17 July 2006. The show poked fun at the world of 24-hour rolling news channels. The title of the show is a play on the phrase "breaking news". The show jump cut between its various spoof TV channels, which covered both the central story and other stories that would be of interest to their audience. A large part of the comedy came from observations about the nature of news presentation rather than the stories themselves.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Broken News

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Created by
John Morton, Tony Roche
Genres
Comedy, News
Starring
Benedict Cumberbatch, Claudia Christian, Duncan Duff
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • satiricalstrength 3 of 3
  • absurdstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • lightstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • media
  • politics
  • deception
  • class
  • identity
Places
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • mockumentary
  • ensemble
  • serialised
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence none
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour8
Realism6
Romance0
Tension3
Darkness3
Complexity6
Emotional weight2

More like this

Titles like Broken News

TV series

The Colbert Report

2005–2014

A fast, funny fake-pundit monologue that turns the day's news into a wry, self-satisfied performance you watch with a smirk.

Satirical, absurd, brisk · about media and politics · mockumentary

Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • politics
  • mockumentary
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
11
Details
The Colbert ReportHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Have I Got News for You

1990

A quick-witted, irreverent panel trading jokes and jabs over the week's headlines, more like eavesdropping on a clever, slightly cruel dinner party than watching a quiz.

Satirical, absurd, brisk · about media and politics · ensemble

Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • politics
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
72
Details
Have I Got News for YouHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Daily Show

1996

A quick, sharp nightly riff on the news that makes you laugh and wince at the same time.

Satirical, cynical, brisk · about media and politics · mockumentary

Via
  • satirical
  • cynical
  • media
  • politics
  • mockumentary
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
31
Details
The Daily ShowHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Thick of It

2005–2012

A blisteringly funny, cringe-inducing look at political dysfunction, driven by rapid-fire insults and a constant sense of impending disaster.

Same director: Tony Roche · Satirical, absurd, brisk · about media and politics · ensemble

Also
Same director: Tony Roche
Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • politics
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
4
Details
The Thick of ItHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

W1A

2014–2017

A cringe-inducing, deadpan satire of bureaucratic absurdity, where every meeting is a masterpiece of polite incompetence.

Same director: John Morton · Satirical, absurd · about media and class · mockumentary

Also
Same director: John Morton
Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • class
  • mockumentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
3
Details
W1AHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Mock the Week

2005–2022

A fast, joke-dense parlour game where comics riff on the week's headlines, easy to dip into and often very funny.

Satirical, cynical, brisk · about media and politics · ensemble

Via
  • satirical
  • cynical
  • media
  • politics
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Seasons
21
Details
Mock the WeekHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Have I Got a Bit More News for You

Wry, quick-witted panel banter skewering the week's headlines, best enjoyed with some awareness of British politics.

Satirical, cynical, brisk · about media and politics

Via
  • satirical
  • cynical
  • media
  • politics
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
37
Details
Have I Got a Bit More News for YouHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Twenty Twelve

2011–2012

A dry, cringe-inducing mockumentary that turns bureaucratic incompetence into a slow-burn comedy of awkward silences and hollow jargon.

Same creator: John Morton · Satirical, absurd · about media and politics · mockumentary

Also
Same creator: John Morton
Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • politics
  • mockumentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
2
Details
Twenty TwelveHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

2004

A deadpan spoof that plays its cheap effects and pompous authorial voice completely straight, rewarding close attention with dense, quotable silliness.

Satirical, absurd, brisk · about media and identity · mockumentary

Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • identity
  • mockumentary
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details
Garth Marenghi's DarkplaceHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Day Today

1994

A dizzying, deadpan assault of fake news graphics and escalating nonsense that rewards close attention with escalating absurdity.

Satirical, absurd, brisk · about media and politics · mockumentary

Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • politics
  • mockumentary
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details
The Day TodayHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Twenty Twenty Six

2026

A dry, cringe-inducing workplace satire where well-meaning incompetents bumble through high-stakes logistics, delivering constant low-key laughs.

Same director: John Morton · Satirical, absurd, brisk · about media and politics · mockumentary

Also
Same director: John Morton
Via
  • satirical
  • absurd
  • media
  • politics
  • mockumentary
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details
Twenty Twenty SixHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

This Hour Has 22 Minutes

1993

Watching feels like a brisk, joke-dense newsroom romp where sharp topical sketches keep you alert and amused.

Satirical, cynical, brisk · about media and politics · mockumentary

Via
  • satirical
  • cynical
  • media
  • politics
  • mockumentary
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
34
Details
This Hour Has 22 MinutesHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
comedy, news
Created by
John Morton, Tony Roche
Written by
Tony Roche, John Morton
Starring
Benedict Cumberbatch, Claudia Christian, Duncan Duff, Sharon Horgan, Colin Stinton, Steve Toussaint, Indira Varma, Philip Brodie
Length
1 seasons, 6 episodes, 30 min each
Network
BBC Two
Country
United Kingdom
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.