No Signal!
A satirical look at television channels and programming.
No Signal! is a British sketch comedy show that aired on a weekly basis from 5 February to 9 April 2009 on FX. The show's humour was based almost entirely on satire of television, including channels, adverts and programming. Though general reaction was mixed, the show was considered successful. The show is set up like a regular Sky TV system with similar graphics and numerous channels, which are flicked through until the show ends, meanwhile showing the various spoofs of commercials, documentaries, etc. An odd take on pre-show disclaimers air before each episode, which suggests that at least another series of No Signal! will be produced. The set up is considered strikingly similar to The Kevin Bishop Show, which began the previous year.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 22 min. (per episode)
- Genre
- Sketch comedy; Black comedy
- Company
- You, Me 'n' Him Productions
- Voices
- Peter Dickson
- Music
- Julian Cox
- Country
- United Kingdom
- First aired
- 5 February 2009
- Last aired
- 9 April 2009
Facts from the source article.
Channels
The show parodies a range of real television channels. Channel 101, a parody of BBC One, runs parodies of shows such as Antiques Roadshow and Have I Got News For You. Channel 167, parodying Men & Motors, regularly features Cop Swap, about two paranoid American police officers, one with a very coarse mouth; in the last sketch they kill the show's cameraman, accusing him of perversion due to the constant filming of their daily patrols. Channel 191, parodying BET, usually runs America's Next Serial Killer (a parody of America's Next Top Model).
Channel 220, parodying Sky Real Lives, shows bizarre and often unsettling plots, such as a man trying to live an active lifestyle, despite only being reduced to little more than his head. Channel 333, parodying The Deaf Channel, runs various formats of TV for people with hearing difficulties, e.g. Deaf Rap or Deaf Porn. The No Signal DVD also includes a deaf version of Gallows' In the Belly of a Shark as a deleted scene, which was meant to be included in episode 4 but was left out.
Channel 372, a parody of the Food Network, shows Easy Chef, featuring a traditional TV chef (possibly a parody of Jamie Oliver or Delia Smith) who cooks mostly kiddy favorites like Baked Beans on Toast or TV Dinners, though he presents it in a way that would try to suggest otherwise. He claims to be friends with Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay. Channel 650, parodying CBeebies, runs The Chavvy Wavvys, a spoof of Tweenies about an asbo-riddled and dysfunctional family comprising Chavvy Daddy, Chavvy Mummy, Chavvy Son and Chavvy Daughter.
Most of the episodes revolve around Chavvy Daddie's antics which include (among other things) robbing himself to claim on his home insurance. Channel 969, parodying Babestation, seems to be the home of Granny Porn XXX, which is a parody of models taking up stripping to grannies stripping. The grannies often say stuff like, 'When I catch you with my featherduster, you'll be amazed where I can put it!'. It also shows 'Topless Scrubbers On The Phone'.
More in 2000s British Satirical Television Series
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