Review of Nathan Barley

Introduction

Ever since the seminal `Brass Eye: special` in 2001, fans of the renowned satirist and alleged genius Chris Morris have been gleefully awaiting his next move in broadcasting. Despite making his first short film `My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117` (which picked up the BAFTA for best Short), he remained relatively low key since the right-wing tabloid furore following the broadcast of the Paedophile episode of `Brass Eye`, which itself stands in the record books as being the second most complained about programme in British TV History.

Earlier this year, the hiatus was broken with the emergence of `Nathan Barley`, written by Morris with Charlie `Screenburn` Brooker. Anyone who thought that the prospect of an episodic comedy might lead Morris away from his satire based roots and into a more `conventional` sitcom-ish world had their suspicions confounded when `Barley` hit the screens, armed with his Wasp T12 Speechtool and very own website - the aptly registered `Trashbat.co.ck`

Starring Nicholas Burns in the title role, along with `The Mighty Boosh`s Julian Barratt as his opposite number Dan Ashcroft, `… Barley` is arguably the most acutely observed satire on Morris` CV.

Cleverly aping the new media scene so much that, at points, it becomes less of a comedy and more of a theatrical documentary, the show`s main thrust is based around the diametrically opposed viewpoints of Barley and Ashcroft towards the scene in general. The weight of Barley`s insistence to buy into the culture completely is matched only by Dan Ashcroft`s disdain for it; Nathan Barley and his `dot cock` enterprise encapsulates the `idiot` fanshionista culture from which Ashcroft can run, but seemingly never hide.

Adding to the mountain of problems that Ashcroft is facing, filmmaker sister Claire has taken a shine to the über-pretentious Barley, and Editor of `Sugar Ape` magazine - and Ashcroft`s employer - Jonatton Yeah? (complete with superfluous question mark) wants him to write feature after feature on pseudo-Art cobblers, including a scene in which straight men have sex with each other, and a real life p*** artist`s exhibition of people urinating. Ashcroft has no alterative - he must destroy the idiots before they rip his life apart completely.

Video

Anybody with even the most basic knowledge of the creators` previous works will know that they both take what they do seriously; especially Chris Morris. As such, the series` seemingly over-long gestation period becomes self-explanatory on first viewing the DVD - every frame has been planned to perfection.

Some of the funnier visual touches only appear on screen for a matter of seconds (such as a Sugar Ape cover poster picturing Jonny Depp, accompanied by the caption `Am I a Tw*t"?`), yet it all adds to what is undeniably, one of the most original looking TV shows of its generation.

Obviously, style and image is important when making a program centred around those for whom life is one long Web link to an Art-House residency, but in creating `Nathan Barley`, Brooker and his pal have gone `well above` the call of duty.

Audio

With original music composed by Chris Morris and Jonathan Whitehead, standing side by side choice Dub, indie, dance and nonsense cuts, presumably from the purpertrators` record collections, the soundtrack is certainly something worth `hooting your trap off` about on your Bluetooth headset whilst travelling through the streets of London on scooter.

Features

The features are impressive. Let`s not forget, Morris` Jam DVD came with a sticker proclaiming that, inside, the extras included `one crashing airliner`, `eight tons of geese` and, most memorably of all, `a 50ft plutonium bum`! I`m not sure of the (unfortunately) false promises this time round, but the real extras include the 45 minute pilot and host of other nonsense that you`ll only ever watch inebriated.

Using quite a lot of the footage and storylines /ideas from the six shows that comprise the series proper, the pilot episode is unique in that it is the only piece that stands up as a singular episode, without requiring the background or context of another instalment. As such, it is an excellent extra bit o` footage for your money and - although not visually `treated` to look the same as the series proper - equal to, if not better than, the main feature.

Conclusion

At first appearing hallucinatory and unnervingly irritating, as if you are suffering the side effects of CAKE or some other Morris-patented make believe substance, Nathan Barley immediately fills you with `the fear` - have they gone so far into trying to make this a realistic satire that they`ve completely forgotten to throw in a big dollop of `funny`?

Thankfully, the answer is `No`. Whereas the first couple of episodes are concerned almost entirely with the depiction of the New Media Project`s idle pseudo- cutting edge appearance and characteristics, the rest of the six part series uses this to make you feel for Dan Ashcroft and his intellectual alternative to the Trashbat crowd.

Yet for all the imagination and creative power behind `… Barley`, there are some undeniable grains of truth within. A disturbing although slightly unbelievable portrait is painted of the self-centred patois-speaking webcam freaks exemplified by Barley, yet more fact is displayed than fiction. On a more personal level, Ashcroft`s similarity to Morris cannot be anything other than completely intentional; the `cool` obsessed idiots that worship Morris as some sort of silly-word-inventing Deity are shown onscreen praising Ashcroft for articles rubbishing their culture. Barratt`s depiction of the disillusioned writer is, incidentally, spot on.

Funny, but not hilarious, quotable but not infallible, `Nathan Barley` nonetheless manages to pull itself many notches above your average comedy show or satirical work into something that is unlikely to ever be successfully copied. As important a DVD for your collection as it is for its creators` careers.