Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe: Comedy hailed as a ‘furious time capsule’ and ‘winner of lockdown telly’
One-off show saw Black Mirror creator take aim at the British government’s handling of the pandemic, 5G conspiracy theorists and celebrity hand-washing videos
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Charlie Brooker brought his Screenwipe show back for a coronavirus special on Thursday night (14 May), and it has been hailed by viewers as “the winner of lockdown telly”.
The one-off comedy, titled Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe, saw the Black Mirror creator take aim at the British government’s handling of the pandemic, 5G conspiracy theorists and celebrity hand-washing videos.
It also reunited fans with Diane Morgan and Al Campbell’s comic commentators Philomena Cunk and Barry S**tpeas, respectively.
The Independent’s critic Adam White gave the special four stars, writing: “Brooker seamlessly weaves our current woes with the corruptions and exceptionalist nonsense of the Brexit campaign, balancing poo jokes with a simmering and necessary rage.”
Many viewers took to Twitter to praise the show, with one person saying it made them both “cry with laughter and sob with despair”.
Another added that it was "furious, glorious and bracing".
A third said: "Charlie Booker's antiviral wipe should be part of the history curriculum in years to come."
See the best of the reactions below.
Brooker recently left Newsnight viewers in stitches after talking to Emily Maitlis about the problem with watching too much news.
“It’s like eating fruit, isn’t it?” he said. "It’s good for you up to a point, but then it gives you the s***s. You have to limit it, you have to eat it in small portions.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments