Broken News

7.3
200530m

Broken News is a comedy programme shown on BBC Two in autumn 2005 and in Australia on SBS-TV from the 17 July 2006. The show poked fun at the world of 24-hour rolling news channels. The title of the show is a play on the phrase "breaking news". The show jump cut between its various spoof TV channels, which covered both the central story and other stories that would be of interest to their audience. A large part of the comedy came from observations about the nature of news presentation rather than the stories themselves.

Production

Logo for BBC

Seasons

6 Episodes • Premiered 2005

Still image for Broken News season 1 episode 1: Tomato Flu

1. Tomato Flu

An outbreak of tomato flu is in the headlines. This alarming new super-virus (a parody of avian flu) can be traced back to a turkey farm in Turkey. The news networks advise on the best way to avoid tomatoids in food such as tomato ketchup. In other news: a man is injured by a frozen block of urine.

Still image for Broken News season 1 episode 2: Missing Island

2. Missing Island

A report that an island has gone missing in the Barents Sea triggers paranoia about rising sea levels in Lincolnshire and the end of the world as we know it. In other news: teenagers' attention spans are now as low as eleven seconds.

Still image for Broken News season 1 episode 3: Half Way There Day

3. Half Way There Day

Reports on commemorations around the country to mark the day Britain reached the half-way point in the last World War. In other news: The MADI music awards are here again, without last year's controversy.

Still image for Broken News season 1 episode 4: Crime

4. Crime

The publication of a Home Office report which reveals that the majority of teenagers are now criminals leads to a series of news stories from the country's worst-hit areas. A picture of Britain in which the teenage population "now effectively feral, roam Britain's urban landscapes in packs of up to fifteen at a single time." In other news: East Anglia could be gone within a decade.

Still image for Broken News season 1 episode 5: Bolivian Crisis

5. Bolivian Crisis

Reaction comes from around the world to rumours that Bolivia might have acquired nuclear weapons. Including a report from The White House: This is a bad day for the good guys, President Bush. In other news: A cross-eyed man kills a horse while trying to shoot himself.

Still image for Broken News season 1 episode 6: Hijack

6. Hijack

Media frenzy is quick to follow after reports emerge of an apparent hijack of an American passenger flight bound for Amsterdam. This live breaking story dominates the running orders of the world's news networks. In other news: An injunction has been served on Josh Cashman.

Cast

Photo of Claudia Christian

Claudia Christian

Julia Regan - IBS

Photo of Duncan Duff

Duncan Duff

Richard Pritchard - ESN

Photo of Sharon Horgan

Sharon Horgan

Katie Tate - ESN

Photo of Colin Stinton

Colin Stinton

Anthony Markovitz

Photo of Steve Toussaint

Steve Toussaint

Adam Lockwood

Photo of Indira Varma

Indira Varma

Melanie Bellamy

Photo of Philip Brodie

Philip Brodie

Colin Kay - So News

Photo of Tom Goodman-Hill

Tom Goodman-Hill

Guy Batson - Go Sports

Photo of Sarah Hadland

Sarah Hadland

Claire - Traffic Reports

Photo of Pip Torrens

Pip Torrens

Sam French - Bullet Points Presenter

Photo of Darren Boyd

Darren Boyd

Nick Burham

Photo of Nicola Walker

Nicola Walker

Katie Willard

Photo of Clare Wille

Clare Wille

Frances Walsh

Photo of Roger Barclay

Roger Barclay

Mitchell Oatis - Aronovitz

Photo of Preeya Kalidas

Preeya Kalidas

Anita Ratchathani

Photo of Lorelei King

Lorelei King

Loren Peterson

Photo of John Chancer

John Chancer

Tom Mitchell

Photo of Jonathan Aris

Jonathan Aris

Stewart Frewett - ESN Network Reporter

Photo of Andrew Havill

Andrew Havill

Nicholas Michaelmass - ESN Network Reporter

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