| Jam | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Jam_(TV_series).jpg) Cover of the British DVD release | |
| Genre | Sketch comedy Black comedy Surreal humour Horror |
| Created by | Chris Morris |
| Based on | Blue Jam by Chris Morris |
| Written by | Chris Morris Peter Baynham |
| Directed by | Chris Morris |
| Starring | Chris Morris Mark Heap Kevin Eldon Amelia Bullmore David Cann Julia Davis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Peter Fincham |
| Producer | Chris Morris |
| Running time | Approx. 25 minutes |
| Production company | Talkback Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 23 March – 27 April 2000 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Jam is a British experimental black comedy sketch show, created, co-written, produced and directed by Chris Morris. It was broadcast on Channel 4 between 23 March and 27 April 2000. It was based on the earlier BBC Radio 1 show, Blue Jam, and consists of an unconnected series of disturbing and surreal sketches, unfolding over an ambient soundtrack. Many of the sketches re-used the original radio soundtracks with the actors lip-synching their lines, an unusual technique which added to the programme's unsettling atmosphere,[1] and featured unorthodox use of visual effects and sound manipulation.
The sketches themselves would often begin with a simple premise, e.g. two parents showing indifference to the whereabouts of their young child, and then escalate it with ever-more disturbing developments (the parents being phoned to come and identify the child's corpse, but asking if it can instead be taxied to their home, as they do not want to interrupt their evening). The cast, composed of actors Morris had worked with in his early satirical shows, such as The Day Today and Brass Eye, included Amelia Bullmore, David Cann, Julia Davis, Kevin Eldon and Mark Heap, as well as occasional appearances from Morris himself.
Morris introduced each episode in the style of a surreal compère, reading free-form poetry over a nightmarish montage, often depicting someone as their life spirals out of control (for instance, one montage sees an unkempt man drinking from a bottle in a bag as he walks down the street, before being kidnapped by "dung-breathed men" and forced to wrestle pigs in the Fens).
Jam was co-written by Peter Baynham, with additional material contributed by Jane Bussmann, David Quantick, Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews and the cast themselves. The show perplexed audiences and critics on its initial broadcast. Some hailed it as breakthrough, daringly original television,[2] while others dismissed it as merely sickening and juvenile.[3]
- ^ "EVEN AFTER 16 YEARS, CHRIS MORRIS' 'JAM' IS STILL THE SICKEST, DARKEST, BLEAKEST TV COMEDY EVER MADE 'Jam' | Dangerous Minds ®". Dangerous Minds. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
Jam often had the actors who'd done the original radio work lip-synch those same bits for the camera, giving the show an organically disturbing element that was difficult to pinpoint.
- ^ "The distorted world of Chris Morris 'Jam' | The Independent ®". The Independent. 19 April 2000. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
in his latest project, Jam, he has created the most radical and original television programme broadcast in years
- ^ "Disgusting Bliss: the Brass Eye of Chris Morris by Lucian Randall: review 'Jam' | The Independent ®". The Independent. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
But Morris is not a crowd-pleaser. He enjoys pushing his audience further and further, willing them to draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not. If there is nothing here you object to, he seems to be saying, you should be very worried.