08 November 2004

step right up, folks! See the human form decay before your very eyes!

Thanks to channel 4 we may all get the chance to see a human body decompose on television.

Now, channel 4 are wiley buggers. When reality television became oh so trendy they were the first to see it's pertential and jump on it like a starved hyena on a 5 year old. They are the home of the british Big Brother and have also paved the way with fucked up shows like Shattered, which feature contestants going head to head with only sleep deprevation as their weapon.

Channel 4 are also big supporters of the arts. They pretty much single handedly kept the british film industry (barely) alive through the 80s (they does history leasons on my course), had a hand in it's rejuvenation in the 90s through their cable film enterprise Film Four and they show The Turner Prize every year.

Channel 4 are the hip channel. From it's conception to first broadcast it was obvious that the channel was going to have to go for some very niche audiences. They showed anime late night in the early 90s. They do strange ass but compelling comedy (black books/teachers/spaced) and gobbled up friends for the UK market.

But this is some twisted shit. Is this reality television taken to its next level? Is this educational? Is this public service broadcasting for the morbidly curious? I have to admit, I hate reality tv, but I'd watch this. I'd record this for repeated viewing. This is voyeurism from beyond the grave. This is like picking somebody else's scabs because your uncontrolably compelled to. This is... Well, some pretty fucked up shit, to be honest.

  • "Television shows you everything about being human but tells you nothing." - Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie), The Man who Fell to Earth
  •