Title:Mock The Week

Satire

the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize.

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People who appear on the programme

Host: Dara O’Briain

Team Captains: Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard, Andy Parsons (who have been in most of the episodes)

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Task

Looking at the following statements; what do you think best describe panel shows?

Which statements are correct?

Panel shows... Seriously analyse current affairs Are renowned for attacking rich, powerful and

famous people Criticise normal people Focus on comedy rather than winning Have a strong sense of competition. Winning is

very important to the teams Are often controversial Offer unbiased, fair opinions and facts Use the same format every week Change format every week15/11/2013

Feedback

Are renowned for attacking rich, powerful and famous people

Focus on comedy rather than winning

Are often controversial Use the same format every week

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Using the same format

‘Scenes We’d Like to See’

This is the part of the programme where all the comedians go to the performance area and are given a question to answer

They have to IMPROVISE their response

Questions such as:‘things you wouldn’t see in a super

hero movie’ 15/11/2013

With the person sitting next to you, think of a comic answer to the following question...

Be prepared to share with the rest of the class!15/11/2013

Task

Things you wouldn’texpect to hear in a horror movie

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Let’s see how the professionals do it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26VP5SY-dZw

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Title: using the same format

Using the same format every week is a key feature of a panel show. With the reference to the clip we just watched, write down a sentence or two explaining how this feature might offer the audience pleasure?

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Improvisation

The improvised rounds are done ‘one the spot’. The comedians do not know what the questions or topics will be.

What do you think happens when things are improvised?

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Audience expect controversy and risky answers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-9TZB0XLYk

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Controversy

By using the same format every week, the audience knows what to expect and can look forward to the different parts of the show. However, the ‘scenes we’d like to see’ section is unpredictable. The comedians have to improvise an answer to questions. This means that the audience have no idea what the answers could be. The improvisation can often lead to controversial things bring said. For example, Danny Boyle make a joke about 9/11 in his answer to ‘things you wouldn’t expect to hear in a super hero movie’. This type of humour is shocking and some audiences will find this funny.

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How does using the same format offer the audience pleasure?

Satire

‘Headliners’ This is the part of the programme

where the guests have to guess the headline based on what the picture looks like

The guests give comic answers until Dara O’Briain prompts them for the correct answer

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‘Headliners’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOOO0ptjoMM

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The fact that points are irrelevant and comedy is the focus and the humour is satirical are other key features of panel shows.

Write down and answer the following question in a sentence or two:

How does the use of satire offer the audience pleasure? (use ‘headliners’ as an example)

What are they making fun of? Why is this appealing? 15/11/2013

Satire

Mock The Week uses satirical humour. This is where ridicule, sarcasm and exaggeration is used to make fun of politicians and current affairs. In the ‘Headliners’ round, the comedians have to guess what the headline could be. The focus is on comic effect and not winning the round. In s.12 e.3 the guests make fun of Gordon Brown. This offers the audience pleasure because not only do the contestants keep up to date with current affairs, important political people are made fun of and they also get to hear the opinions of their favourite comedians.

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Re-cap

What is satire? What are some of the key features of

panel shows? How do they offer the audience

pleasure?

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Answer the following question:How does Mock The Week offer the audience

pleasure?

Key words: Example from the episodes:Regular comedians Dara O’Briain, Andy ParsonsSatire ‘Headliners’Same format ‘Scenes we’d like to see’- 9/11

joke Frankie BoyleControversy Rebecca Adlington ‘looks like

someone who is looking at themselves in the back of a spoon’- Fannkie Boyle (again)

Use these key words (and other key feature that we have discussed) to analyse how they might bring the audience pleasure.

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Re-cap

What are some key features of panel shows?

How do they offer the audience pleasure?

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Draw the following table

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Format/ feature Audience pleasure Example

Satire

Same format

Controversy

Regular comedians