10 moments that made Brass Eye the funniest show ever

The brainchild of enigmatic satirist Chris Morris, Channel 4's Brass Eye only lasted for six episodes and a special - albeit the most controversial one of all time.

7 clips that prove Chris Morris's also a musical genius

Looking back at Morris's body of work, 20 years after the first episode of Brass Eye was broadcast on January 29, 1997, it's clear that few people have combined music and comedy quite as successfully. Whether he's creating strung-out ambient music for a short film about a talking dog or parodying Eminem to highlight the media hysteria surrounding paedophilia, Morris's use of music strikes the balance between creating black comedy and something that's actually listenable. Below are seven of his finest music moments - just be careful not to find yourself jazzing to the bleep tone of a life support machine.

Is satire dead? Comics on why there are so few laughs

It's hard to poke fun at politicians in an era when they're held in contempt and every joke is policed for offence, say top television writers.

On The Hour: revisiting a brilliant radio comedy

Armando Iannucci & Chris Morris' BBC Radio 4 news spoof not only gave rise to Alan Partridge but also launched countless comedy careers.

How Brass Eye predicted the Brexit debate (Link expired)

The EU referendum campaign has bypassed mere silliness, and veered full-tilt into the bizarre realm of Chris Morris's controversial cult satire Brass Eye.

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehice, series 4 review

With every new series of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, I find myself not wanting to watch for fear of those who may judge but then almost immediately concluding that I do not care. Yes, Lee is a spiteful comic, but he is also incredibly astute. One can't help but admire his craft, even if you don't agree with his viewpoints, which are of course satirically exaggerated anyway, suggesting that those who feel alienated by his comedy may actually be misinterpreting his message. And with his frequent cuts to camera, a television audience cannot help but be drawn in, without suffering the inevitable heart palpitations that would surely follow with such a predicament.

How comedy became a language of democratic politics

Like all forms of resistance, comedy can both shore up and legitimate existing political structures, yet it can also, in certain moments, work to encourage revision. Here, James Brassett looks specifically at the critical nature of radical British comedy by the likes of Russell Brand, Charlie Brooker, and Stewart Lee and writes that it raises questions about the nature of resistance and reveals the deeply political nature of the British public.

Stewart Lee winds up the fourth series of his Comedy Vehicle. Recent weeks have taken in thorny subjects such as patriotism, wealth, Islamophobia and death with - and it's acknowledged with a heavy heart - varying degrees of success, when stood up against his previous, near-perfect series. Bringing things to a close this week in front of his audience of Guardian readers at the Mildmay Club in Stoke Newington, he delves into his own childhood for quarry, with Chris Morris berating him throughout.

TV: Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, BBC2 - Childhood

There was a point during Stewart Lee's final Comedy Vehicle when I thought I could see the cogs moving. I thought I'd cracked it and knew what he was doing. And then he went and pulled the rug and dismantled the comedy process further, going out in excellent style. I'm not sure if we should be analysing this show though. As he persists in saying to speccy interrogator Chris Morris, De-Niro-in-Deer-Hunter style, "this is this".

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, TV review

Lee is the only comedian who thoroughly critiques his act as he is doing it, and then critiques the critique.