BBC Three seems a lot funnier now that it’s online.
That might be because it’s drawn attention to the lack of good comedy on terrestrial TV, it might be because the move to online has allowed BBC Three to focus its attentions more than before, or it might be because BBC Three has been taking some of the internet’s funniest characters and bringing them to a new audience.
The latest round of the channel’s comedy shorts feature West Midland’s comedian Guzzy Bear, known for his YouTube presence and hilarious Jurassic World saga last year, and Mandem on the Wall, also known for YouTube sketches and founding the Wall of Comedy. Here’s why they’re worth 15 minutes of your time.
1. Man Like Mobeen
What’s it about?
Taking modern stereotypes of the Asian community and satirising them to within an inch of their life, Man Like Mobeen follows a former road man trying to change his ways and follow the Deen.
Creator Ghulam Khan speaks directly to the viewer, opening with some politically charged statements in his familiar Brummy twang before we witness a day of his life. A day that doesn’t end well.
Mobeen’s former squad won’t let him escape his past life so easily, and serious scenes common in communities around the country involving firearms, kidnappings and the like are given a touch of humour.
It'll be the funniest and realist thing you watch today, I promise âð¾
Man like Mobeen!https://t.co/4PKhHsERev pic.twitter.com/sufXB2Cutw— Guz Khan (@GuzKhanOfficial) September 1, 2016
Why should you watch it?
It’s often said that TV fails to offer an authentic image of under-represented communities in the UK, because a lot of the time those communities aren’t the ones creating the characters. That’s not the case with Man Like Mobeen.
The caricatures Khan creates will be familiar to a lot of people, while others are so left field we can’t imagine anyone having a similar direct experience.
And despite this episode running just 11 minutes, Khan still managed to create it with a very good soundtrack.
2. JPD
What’s it about?
The Mandem on the Wall guys bless us with a series of sketches and parodies, starting with a hilarious vision of Britain’s first black swimming relay team that definitely didn’t end how we thought it would, and finishing with an incredible parody of Westlife’s Flying Without Wings.
JPD is filled with original sketches that will remind you of moments in your own life, albeit some you’d hope to forget.
CHECK OUT OUR SHOW ON @bbcthree OUT NOW https://t.co/uRiQPAnD6d pic.twitter.com/DQ5a5kiJ8m
— TheJPDShow (@TheJPDShow) September 1, 2016
Why should you watch it?
The comedy here feels like the type that’s been missing for a while, and a natural successor to Little Miss Jocelyn and The Lenny Henry Show.
Black comedy doesn’t dominate television like it once did. British greats like Desmond’s came before Trouble, the defunct channel that offered content nobody has come close to since.
YouTube has changed things slightly, and Mandem on the Wall are a part of that, but the quality of the sketches Jovielle, Percelle and Dee are able to put out is a benefit of collaborating with the BBC.
3. A Brief History Of Tim
What’s it about?
Tim, a 26-year-old American living with cerebral palsy played by Tim Renkow, is a bit of a dick. He plays cruel pranks on people, is a bit homophobic, and has no qualms about lying about his mother’s death. This episode features Tim royally messing up a job interview, not that he cares, and making able-bodied people feel uncomfortable.
.@TimRenkowcomedy stars in one of our brand new Comedy Feeds ð
It's online now ð https://t.co/jfDPWHAtVx pic.twitter.com/KEI8TmqUQM— BBC Three (@bbcthree) September 2, 2016
Why should you watch it?
Disabled people, like many other minorities, often suffer from a lack of visibility. A Brief History Of Tim shows a lot of the struggles people with cerebral palsy might go through each day, and this episode seems to particularly highlight a feeling of “what’s the point?”.
But more than that it does it in a way that shows disabled people are, guess what, just normal people. They can have personality flaws and ugly tendencies like everybody else, or they can be the opposite, like everybody else. It feels like A Brief History of Tim could reduce some of the stigma around how disabled people are perceived – and what better way to do it than with comedy?
Limbo, Fail, and Pumped, all part of this BBC Three series, are also well worth a watch.
