Rude Britannia (BBC FOUR)

In a very similar format to the Comics Britannia programme (probably made by the same people) is this three part series looking at the history of British satire, and out and out rudeness. Part 1 focuses on early rudeness from Hogarth, James Gilroy, Jonathan Swift, and James Stern. Part 2 focuses on Victorian music hall, pornographic pictures, peep shows, crime comics, penny dreadfuls, radio comedy, and crude seaside postcards. Finally part 3 takes in everything from political cartoonists Gerald Scarfe, Martin Rowsen, and Steve Bell, to Spitting Image and alternative comedy, the obscenity trial of Oz magazine, and the PC backlash of publications such as Viz (in fact this is the only point in the programme that overlaps with the Comics Britannia programme, as I swear they just rehash bits of the interview with Viz's creator). This is up on BBC iplayer now (click here) and is a very interesting and informative programme and is well worth checking out. There is currently taking place an exhibition of the same name at Tate Britain in London which is showing much of the same stuff as has been talked about on the programme, and I will be visiting this exhibition when I go to London on Thursday.