Backwards: The Series

[Jonsmad]

Rob Newman’s “The History of the World… Backwards” started on BBC Four this week.

Ever since series III of Dwarf we’ve all known that running things Backwards can be a rich comedic area. And this show starts with stock black and white footage of native American indians whopping European ass as Rob’s voice over tells of the great clensing of the USA into a cherokee only style nation.

A familiar take perhaps on “Hitler retreating across Europe, liberating France and Poland, disbanding the Third Reich, and then bogging off back to Austria!”. Something which would also be possible within this shows remit.

However once past the credits the show is quick to establish it’s premise of
“History in reverse” in explaining this is not “Time in reverse” like in seriess III Backwards. This hypathetical universe is instead what happens when history runs backwards while time continues forwards. People are still born small babies and die adults, but they do so now in a world where the numbering system is running backwards and so are the events in the lives of the historical figures and the trends of the history books of the same time periods. You wont be seeing people flying backwards through windows, un eating pies and here Santa Claus isnt a bastard!, but I’m thinking it’s possible he might get less and less linked with commercial gain and dissapear back into folk law should he appear in the show!

So in this first episode we are told of Nelson Mandela entering prison a sweet-natured Spice girls fan but emerging from a long incarceration a terrorist bent on the armed overthrow of the state. From 2007 and through to the 1990’s there is a steady decline in I.T. jobs and through to the 1970?s there is competition to have an even bigger computer than your neighbours. This culminates in a sketch about a somewhat disasterous Matrix IV film being released at a time when the most powerful computer in the world is the Atari.

The “next week” ending to the show promises we will witness Alexander Graham Bell
making the last ever premium rate phone call.

Topic

[Ian Symes]

Yes, it’s an interesting concept, but unfortunately it’s not funny. A shame, as I greatly enjoyed Newman’s last telly thing, about the history of Iraq.

[penny]

I watched it on iplayer and I have to agree with Ian. It is an interesting concept and all that, but it just isn’t very funny. There are part which are quite amusing, but not enough on the funny side.

[mick]

It’s had a few remotely amusing moments, but on the whole it just doesn’t work.

[Author]

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