Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe

Lore & Background

Weekly Wipe followed a format similar to Brooker's earlier works, featuring him commenting on recent programmes, events, games, and films from both his living-room and a presenter's desk. He narrated news footage and other video tapes with humorous commentary, satirising both prominent events and minor occurrences. The programme included regular contributors such as Al Campbell as 'Barry Shitpeas', Diane Morgan as 'Philomena Cunk', and segments by comedians Doug Stanhope, Tim Key, Limmy, Jake Yapp, Catriona Knox as 'Emily Surname', and Morgana Robinson. In the first series, guest stars like Richard Osman and Susan Calman joined Brooker in a chat show segment.

Reader's Guide

Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe served as a continuation of Brooker's distinctive style of media criticism, blending sharp satire with commentary on public reaction and media influence. The programme received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Brooker's return to the original Wipe format, though the studio-based chat show element of the first episode was criticised for its jarring change of pace. It earned a nomination in the Comedy and Comedy Entertainment Programme category at the 2015 British Academy Television Awards. The show's legacy includes its special editions, such as Election Wipe (broadcast the day before the 2015 UK general election) and Antiviral Wipe (filmed in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020), which adapted its format to current events.

Did You Know?

• A special edition titled Election Wipe aired on 5 May 2015, the day before the UK general election.
• Antiviral Wipe, a one-off episode, was broadcast in May 2020 and filmed in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Weekly Wipe received a nomination at the 2015 British Academy Television Awards in the Comedy and Comedy Entertainment Programme category.