Name: The Brain
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2002-12-11
Duration: 9 min
Rating: 8.1
Cast: Nigel Lambert, Peter Serafinowicz, Edgar Wright

I did watch bits of Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper's cult series when it first aired but having seen it mentioned as being on the iPlayer, I decided to give it a proper go. Whilst I think it had its moments, this first season wasn't quite as funny as I was hoping it would be.

A series of ten-minute episodes, affectionately mocking the educational television shows produced for schools in the 1980's. Each episode is themed on a particular subject and contains "facts" about that subject and a series of experiments around it. The episode encourages students to make notes on certain sections and to hand in their workbooks at the end.

So, there's lots about the episode that I did like. It's very authentic to the period it's aping - so much so I wonder exactly how much is stock footage from the time and how much is new. Serefinowicz and Popper appear in the episode as the scientists undertaking the experiments and various disasters befall them, depending on what the experiment is about. Those and the occasionally nonsense fact put forward can be funny - but what I was hoping for was more playing with the form as the series ran on. It doesn't unfortunately, and the standard elements of each episode remain the same throughout. There are occasional cameos from Edgar Wright as another scientist.

I will go on to the second run of the show, when the format changes quite a bit. Hopefully that will turn the show from an influential curio to a genuine comedy.

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

What is the brain? If you don't know that, you've forgotten how to think.

Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz in Look Around You (2002)

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

The Brain

Episodes

Photos

Top Cast12

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed