Disgusting Bliss: The Brass Eye of Chris Morris

 

U.S. fans of British comedy—the fans who knew about The Office or Ali G well before they blew up—may already know Chris Morris from his role on TheIT Crowd; or possibly from one of his disturbing postmodern comedy series, Brass Eye or Jam. And they will definitely be hearing talk of his feature film debut Four Lions—the most provocative movie at Sundance. Referred to as both a comedy genius and the most loathed man on TV, as this look at his work demonstrates, his uncompromising style of comedy means he is rarely far from trouble. Morris first came to prominence at the heart of a group of comedians brought together by Armando Iannucci. This book follows them from their 1991 news satire On the Hour, which was eventually reinvented as the equally successful The Day Today, from which costar Steve Coogan created a lasting anti-hero in Alan Partridge. But Morris himself was always the most compelling character of all. Drawing on exclusive new interviews and original research, this book creates a compelling portrait of Morris from his earliest radio days and of the comedians and writers who frequently took on the industry they worked in, polarizing opinion to such a degree that government officials threatened to ban them entirely.