One of the most controversial UK TV events of the 1990s, Brass Eye is still talked about over quarter of a century later.
The current affairs parody, which skewed the media's righteous spin on everything from drug culture to paedophiles in unorthodox (and usually hilarious) manner, paved the way for other outlandish comedies — think Look Around You, The Thick Of it and Veep — while remaining a complete one-off.
Only six episodes — plus the infamous 'Paedogeddon!' special — ever aired, but reels and reels of Brass Eye was left on the cutting room floor — so much of it, in fact, that its director, Michael Cummings, recently reasoned there was enough material to create a film in itself. That film became Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes, which Cummings first screened to audiences in 2022. This winter, Oxide Ghosts will is coming a slew of UK cinemas for special shows, including many in London, with guest hosts such as Ronni Ancona and Stewart Lee.
What can fans expect from this new-but-not-new Brass Eye material? "There’s so many that spark memories for me," Michael Cummings tells Londonist, "Having said that, the sight of Chris Morris wearing a space hopper and a man-sized nappy, asking drug dealers for Yellow Bentines, Clarkey Cat and Triple Sod, is a universally joyous moment."
Chris Morris, of course was the redoubtable figurehead of the show; he wrote on Brass Eye (along with names like Arthur Mathews and Charlie Brooker) while playing a stern news anchor version of himself, with shades of Jeremy Paxman, but bitchier. ("Your comments are in and they've been described as 'tedious, boring and stultifyingly ill-informed.' So thanks for that.")
"Brass Eye absolutely feels edgier now," says Cummings, who has also directed Toast of London and King Rocker, "Times have changed since the mid 90s and whilst there's all kinds of content available online today, broadcast television has become much more restrictive in the intervening years. Getting on TV was a big deal then. That's part of the reason celebrities and politicians would say and do almost anything, just to get their faces on The Box. Nowadays, there is social media specifically designed for the purpose of self-promotion and broadcast television has become incredibly risk averse."
What makes these Oxide Ghosts screenings all the more special is that none of the unseen footage is available online. The only way you'll be able to watch is to show up to the cinema. This communal setting has already led to some interesting encounters. Says Cummings, "After one of the screenings in Liverpool, a couple came up to talk to me. I've often had people tell me they met and bonded over a shared love of Brass Eye and a few that said they married that person. This couple had taken it to the next level. They showed me the traditional wedding photograph of them, holding the knife together, about to make the first cut into a three tier wedding cake made from different sized, bright yellow Cake pills. Wonderful."
Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes, various London cinemas, 28 October-27 November 2024
