Blue Jam is amazing, but it was the TV version of it: Jam, that really blew me away. Dark as anything, surreal, challenging, spectacular use of language, amazing use of music, and video editing techniques … incredible.
I remember when it was originally aired, it would be on around 10pm. Then repeated around 4am, but with the visuals just bouncing around inside a small square (like a ‘Pong’ ball). Each episode they would mess with the visuals in a different way. Definitely will never see anything like that on Tv again.
Probably my favourite sketch (which is also on Blue Jam) [1], but there are so many [2][3][4][5]. Even the intros [6] were disturbing, and set you up for what was coming in the next 30 minutes.
Wow some seriously strange/funny/interesting stuff... Laughed my ass off at "Thick People as a Service"
American here. Reminds me heavily of Monty Python. I didn't realize there were other shows in such a similar vein. Will def checkout Jam / Blue Jam. Can you recommend any other shows I might not be aware of?
Look Around You [0] is little known even in the UK, but I think a lot of HN readers might love it. It's a surreal but perfectly observed parody of the 80s/90s educational videos we used to watch in school science classes.
One that I absolutely loved, but which rarely comes up, is Mr Don & Mr George by two Scottish comedians Moray Hunter and Jack Docherty. I think there was only one series, but it has a beautifully gentle, slightly surreal, slightly slapstick humour.
Edit: And for a much more brutal sense of humour, I don't think any political comedy has bettered The Thick Of It.
I recommended Still Game to an American colleague and he found it hilarious even though I thought it would be a bit crude at times for an older gentleman. I guess the fact they're pensioners themselves softens the humour a bit.
They were Edinburgh's answer to Glasgow's Naked Video (Gregor Fisher, Elaine C. Smith, Andy Gray, Helen Lederer, etc.) although the welsh John Sparkes was in both, and had is own spin-off series, Barry Welsh is Coming
Love Big Train, some seriously good sketches. Here's some more of my favourites (outside of the ones you've already mentioned).
Unfortunately my favourite sketch, 'Cake Factory', isn't on Youtube any more. That was where I first realised how brilliant Simon Pegg was as a comedy actor.
I’d recommend anything by Julia Davis, who was in the ‘thick people’ sketch. Her comedies are pitch black and very good, including Nighty Night and Hunderby.
For a sketch show I’d recommend Big Train - it went slightly under the radar, but has an absolutely incredible lineup of talent.
Slightly different, but Charlie Brooker (of Black Mirror fame) had a series called Screenwipe, which lampooned the tropes of television in the mid 2000s. It was pretty funny, and quite dark in places.
Here's a great parody of Jam by Adam and Joe. I enjoyed Jam but when it misfired this was exactly how ridiculous it came across - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0t0Ocau-CUg
My housemates and I used to do Jam nights where we’d binge the whole series in one sitting, usually the Jaaaam version that was even more woozy and disorienting.
Ended up in some very strange headspaces at about 2am.
I remember when it was originally aired, it would be on around 10pm. Then repeated around 4am, but with the visuals just bouncing around inside a small square (like a ‘Pong’ ball). Each episode they would mess with the visuals in a different way. Definitely will never see anything like that on Tv again.
Probably my favourite sketch (which is also on Blue Jam) [1], but there are so many [2][3][4][5]. Even the intros [6] were disturbing, and set you up for what was coming in the next 30 minutes.
[1] https://youtu.be/5SqHtWudI24 - 'Suicide with an escape clause'
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGex0kLgNok - 'Thick People as a Service'
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKxM4ToLLR8 - 'Symptomless Coma'
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhKla4MEstY - 'Living Outside'
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krsj2bcnRlM - 'Lizards'
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-i0XIux9vo - Intro compilation