Monkey Dust

One of the launch programmes when BBC3 launched in 2003, "Monkey Dust" is an animated sketch show, that looks at the everyday goings on in Britain after dark. Unlike other shows such as "2DTV", the material contained in Monkey Dust is dark, twisted, disturbing and sometimes slightly offensive, a "mature" cartoon if you like. But the characters you soon warm to, and you realise this is all just so original! The first time cottager, the chatroom pervert, Colin The Liar, Ivan Dobsky the Meat Safe Murderer (found not guilty after 27 years in prison), David Baddiel, the Yuppies; yet you realise that these are all wittily based on real people in the sick twisted country we call Britain today (apart from David Baddiel, who actually is a real person). The sketches all seamlessly blend into each other, but thankfully don't suffer the problem of being too long, as found in the most recent series. Anyone with a dark, satirical sense of humour will love this, its almost the animated version of Little Britain.

Monkey Dust is absolutely magnificent – As an UK Adult animated sketch show it pushes the boundaries and is extremely thought provoking - IE - First sketch - Advertising Executive comes up with new campaign to re brand Cancer for the masses to improve its name . ( which is typical in this screwed up world of ours ) It is funny ( not funny Ha Ha but funny peculiar / reflective ) but has some had some real thought written into all the sketches – IE ( Father who kills himself because he's divorced and cant do enough for his son (a real emotion of fathers ) It makes fun of TV ( IE New Reality show called Sitting on the Toilet which views someone sitting on the bog ) Everything is fair game – Muslims / Asylum seekers / pedophiles / Swearing /.....It's / cynical / reflective / funny / clever / well written / .... Nothing is spared – Black Humour / Reverse Political Humour / Oh the list is endless - It observes this corrupt / sold out / strange / world we live in. ...... I know the writers will go on to do more well known things but here its raw and magnificent. ( and not watered down by appealing to the masses ) It is a real treat where the writers are allowed to express their views of the world with no limits and ....... its simply superb.

Please watch even a few episodes –

From what i can remember, this is a brilliant, scathing look at Britain in the 21st century. My favourite bits were many but included Ivan the meeksake murderer, Clive the depressive with the huge head, sven euran ericsson, Geoff(?) the cottager, the classically trained actor, the suicidal father, the peadophile on the chatroom......the list is endless. But one thing is true about all of them, the subject matter is usually one which isn't remotely humourous. It is this what gives Monkey Dust the edge over other controversial new comedies(except the utterly dark 'Nighty Night').

I have just watched Steve Coogans 'I am Not An Animal and its animation reminded me of this great series. It must be released on DVD!!

Come on BBC what are you waiting for??

Monkey dust is not a show you should let your kids watch. Or your parents. In fact, Monkey Dust is pretty much unsuitable for everyone. Basically, It makes South Park look like Scooby-Doo.

Its a very fast-paced cartoon sketch show, mostly set in london, its all very grim and bleak. Topics it covers include Pedophilia, suicide, child murder, and the Nazis. The funniest moment so far was "The Diary of Anne Frank" as made by Jerry Bruckenheimer. Its not pure comic genius, its dirty, dark and filthy comic genius.

Its compulsive viewing if you're into stuff like Brass Eye, Big Train or Jam. I cannot recommend it enough.

"Monkey Dust" is a 3 season 18 episode series of a compendium of animated shorts. The animation is cheery with the bright primary colors and jaggy moves of good computer animation, combined with revisited dark and perversely humorous themes which get revisited and played upon. Themes such as badly broken relationships, implied moronic violence, and skewed motivations are rapidly brought up and dispensed with. Characters are often killed a la "They've Killed Kenny!" (reference to Southpark. There are sometimes ideas buried in the mini-plots, there are some disturbing images, but within 60 seconds you'll be off to something else. There is political critique, social observation, but if you want to gaze thoughtlessly at the moving bright images, you'll know shortly whether this is the entertainment for you. Broadcast in the early 2000s, some of the presentations are understandably dated, particularly as regards homosexuality. If you gathered from the above that the show is not for children, you are correct. Elementary school aged, preteens, should not be exposed to this.

Another show which is less in-your-face, wilder in themes, but has less perversity and reference to sex, and ranges deep into philosophical issues if you care to follow, but not totally unlike this show would be "Xavier, the Renegade Angel". If you like Monkey Dust, you might want to check it out.