Time Trumpet (2006) User Reviews

Iannucci's under-rated gem

[smellthecult-com-1 · 8/10 · 8 December 2009]

Armando Iannucci delves once more into the world of satire, this time delivering a biting polemic on current affairs by means of a fictional look back at events between 2005 and 2030 through the medium of a TV show of the future.

Much use is made of 'talking heads', either real people or fictionalised versions of real people - the futuristic David Beckham is a touch of genius, and June Sarpong has me in stitches every time she appears - and there are some genuine moments of class, Tesco's invasion of Denmark using 'War of the Worlds' style Tripod war machines being the most obvious that springs to mind.

Not as revolutionary as some of his past efforts (The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge), as at times it feels as if he is simply retreading a well furrowed path, this is still anarchic and highly entertaining TV.

Time Trumpet... brilliant chopper!

[georgesmale · 9/10 · 31 March 2007]

i saw ads for TT on the TV and it looked hilarious. i watched and it WAS hilarious. a brilliant original idea for a sketch show, i think they should make another series of TT because of the pure accuracy and comedy of probably what WILL be the future of TV.

i think TT is an enquired taste as only a few people i knew fully loved the whole program but there are elements for everyone in it.

one bad thing though was the show did get repetitive with such conversations about the 2008 show RAPE AN APE being in every bloody episode. this was annoying but other than that was brilliant.

i thought the way the celebs of today were portrayed so funnily in 2032 was comedy genius. i'd like to give this program a through shake of the hand and pray for a SERIES 2 please!!!!!!

A little dated but still very funny in places

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 13 April 2015]

Time Trumpet was the brain child of Armando Iannucci who was one of the creators of the TV show 'I Am Alan Partridge' as well as several other clever comedy shows. It was a satirical take on current affairs from the perspective of looking back from 25 years in the future. The format allowed for a sketch-based show with contributions of various comedians and a variety of actors playing older versions of contemporary celebrities.

This one seems to sort of gone under the radar a bit and never got beyond one season. I guess it was something of an acquired taste in fairness. I do recall, however, finding it absolutely hilarious when I saw it on its initial run, having just seen it again I have to admit to not finding it quite so impressive. But I think the main reason for this is that like other shows that focus on political satire it was very much of its time and much of the humour is focused on immediate events and don't work so well years later which I suppose is quite ironic given the premise of the show. For instance, much of the material is derived from the Tony Blair-Gordon Brown political axis. But of course from today's perspective, Brown is now seen in an entirely different light given his disastrous stint as prime minister. So from the perspective of today much of the satire is unsurprisingly dated.

Nevertheless, there are moments of comedy greatness here that remain very funny. Some highlights for me were the segment about Tescos invading Denmark with incredibly advanced military technology, baying mobs chasing Justin Lee Collins through London and beating him to death on account of one of his pranks for 'The Friday Night Project' and the discovery of the dark secret that underpinned the 'Stars in their Eyes' TV show. The format of the series does allow a lot of scope for comic invention and this is certainly its strength as a whole. So while much of the political humour may be dated, there are several moments of comic class.