Chris Morris and the Darkness of Comedy

Dubbed by one newspaper as ‘the most hated man in Britain’, comedian Chris Morris has always walked a fine line between biting satire and controversy. From his earliest days in local radio, allegedly engaging in stunts that led to his dismissal, to mocking radio and television news structures in On The Hour and The Day Today and skewering moral panics in Brass Eye - Morris has both delighted and appalled critics while gathering a dedicated legion of fans.

Comedic experiments such as Nathan Barley and Blue Jam saw him tinker with the very essence of comedy while his first feature film, Four Lions, dealt with the unlikely subject of domestic terrorism. Some see him as a ‘comedy god’ while others view him as a menace. But what drives Chris Morris to make comedy, who is he making it for and what is he trying to change, if anything?

Host: Hayley Campbell. Producer: Dale Shaw.