Peep Show (British TV series)

Peep Show
Genre
Created by
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Opening theme
ComposerDaniel Pemberton
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series9
No. of episodes54 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Andrew O'Connor (s. 1–6)
  • Andrew Newman (s. 7–9)
  • Sam Bain (s. 7–9)
  • Jesse Armstrong (s. 7–9)
Producers
EditorsMark Davies
Mark Everson
Lucien Clayton
Stefan Stuckert
Jonathan Amos
Paul Machliss
Stephen Matthews
Camera setup
Running time23–27 minutes
Production companyObjective Productions
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
Release19 September 2003 (2003-09-19) –
16 December 2015 (2015-12-16)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Peep Show is a British television sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, and created by Andrew O'Connor, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. The series was written by Armstrong and Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb, among others. It was broadcast on Channel 4 from 19 September 2003 to 16 December 2015. In 2010, it became the longest-running comedy in Channel 4 history in terms of years on air.[5]

Peep Show follows the lives of Mark Corrigan (Mitchell) and Jeremy "Jez" Usbourne (Webb), dysfunctional best friends who share a flat in Croydon, South London.[6][7] Mark is a pessimistic, socially awkward loan manager who dreams of being an intellectual, while Jeremy is a perpetually-unemployed slacker who lives in Mark's spare room and who dreams of becoming a famous musician.[8] The show uses point of view shots—giving the programme its title—with the thoughts of main characters Mark and Jeremy audible as voice-overs. The contrast between the characters' stated thoughts and feelings and their actual intentions is a source of much of the show's humor.

The show has been described by Bain as portraying "the stubborn persistence of human suffering", and, through the exploration of existentialism and loneliness, as a realistic portrayal of "why ordinary people are evil",[9][10] while Armstrong said it was "about oddball male friendship, perhaps even 'masculinity'".[11]

Despite never achieving high viewing figures during its original run, Peep Show received consistent critical acclaim and has since become a cult classic. In April 2019, three years after its final episode, the series was named the 13th greatest British sitcom in a poll by Radio Times.[12] It has also been described as one of the best television programmes produced in the 21st century, and one of the best comedy series of all time.[13][14]

  1. ^ Hudson, Laura. "10 British Shows You Need to Stream on Netflix This Thanksgiving". Wired.
  2. ^ Fullerton, Huw. "Peep Show's David Mitchell and Robert Webb say Twitter is making comedy more difficult". Radio Times.
  3. ^ Wade, Chris (24 September 2013). "This Is the Episode of Peep Show That Will Get You Hooked". Slate. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Peep Show: The Balancing Act of Cringe Comedy". The Film Autopsy. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Frankie Boyle heads new Channel 4 season". BBC News. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  6. ^ "Peep Show – Jeremy Usborne". Channel 4. 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Peep Show – Mark Corrigan". Channel 4. 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Peep Show". TV.com. Red Ventures.
  9. ^ Rensin, Emmett (23 December 2015). "The British comedy Peep Show was a very funny show about very sharp and hilarious pain". Vox. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  10. ^ Lakeman, Matt (23 January 2020). "Peep Show – The Most Realistic Portrayal of Evil Ever Made". Matt Lakeman. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  11. ^ Armstrong, Jesse (27 May 2023). "Jesse Armstrong on the roots of Succession: 'Would it have landed the same way without the mad bum-rush of Trump's presidency?'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  12. ^ Fawlty Towers named best British sitcom of all time, beating Blackadder and Only Fools and Horses. The Independent, 9 April 2019.
  13. ^ "The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century". The Guardian. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  14. ^ Bahr, Robyn; Fienberg, Daniel; Han, Angie (4 October 2023). "Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century (So Far)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 October 2023.