TV sets spewing forth lizards, bizarre perverted doctors, death by pornography, four feet cars, child assassins, the best music on TV, sex, death and comedy? All done in the best possible taste? Umm then welcome..yes...welcome to Blue Jam..

Blue Jam and it's TV versions Jam and Jaaammm (the latter an extended late night version) are the work of infamous comedian and broadcaster Chris Morris (The Day Too Day and Brasseye) are unlike any other nationally broadcast programme ever created before. Even if you have seen or heard any of Morris previous works nothing can prepare you for the shocking world of Blue Jam. Forget the normal formatting of Television programmes, forget what you believed the power of mass media was, Blue Jam breaks all the boundaries. Be it the way in which it is presented (this is no ordinary sketch show) or the taboo issues it deals with; Blue Jam will equally confuse, bemuse, humour, shock and revolt you all in the space of 30 mins.

The first thing you will notice with Jam is that all seems ever so visually wrong. A lot of the sketches are filmed in soft focus, slowed down, cut around with, creating a almost dreamlike state in which everything seems just out of reach. Sketches also seem to bleed into themselves again creating a feeling of unreality and detachment. The other thing you will notice about Jam is that there is no advertising breaks (very strange for a 30 min programme on Channel 4) which helps add a further level of timelessness and isolationism about the programme. I will not ever begin to describe the Bosch like hell that was Jaaammm, only too say for late night post pub viewing it wasn't something to watch on a bloated stomach of spicy curry and gaseous lager.

Once you get your head around the visual kaleidoscope that is Jam, the next thing that hits you is the constant stream of music. It's like your listening to radio broadcasts from outer space clashing with the ghostly cries and laughte
r from the wards of a Victorian asylum. No surprise to find out then the music originates from such leftfield musical pioneers as Labradford, Amon Tobin, Third Eye Foundation, Aphex Twin and Nic Kershaw! The music just adds more to the levels of foreboding and somnambulism creating by Jam's visual aspect.

You may have thought but isn't Jam supposed to be a comedy programme? Oh yes it is as long as like your comedy blacker and darker than the heart of Ol' Nick himself. Morris pulls no punches with the issues he deals with, if you think that there is no humour to be found in issues of sex, death and the seedier aspects of life, then Jam will probably have you turning off within the first 5 minutes. Tales of porno stars dying from the Gush (constant ejaculation).A Doctor more interested in seeing the knob of his patient than resolving his medical problem. Parents completely unconcern about the disappearance of their young son. A couple offering themselves and then their mentally handicapped cousin as sex slaves in order to get a house they want. These are some of the harder topics dealt with by Jam. Disturbing to watch but compelling at the same time.

Even though Morris deals with topics that most people wouldn't touch with a bargepole, there seems to be nothing taboo to receive the Jam treatment. The thing is that Morris succeeds because of the environment he has created around the sketches. The fore mentioned visual and audio context changes the way in which the sketches are presented. Without the detachment that this creates the sketches would be a harsh prospect to deal with. The presentation leads us into a world where the viewer is a remote voyeur floating around the distorted dreams of a madman/genius.

Once the initial confusion and shock have died, that's when you begin to really understand and appreciate Jam. First off you realise that underneath the shock tactics of Morris, there lies the heart of a very clever
social commentator and comedian. Morris may have a twisted perspective but it helps him to view society with an eye for the underlying horror and uncertainties of life. If anything Morris is closest to the work of Monty Phython. As Python dealt with normality with a Surrealist approach, Morris adds a new level of comical genius for a society that views Reservoir Dogs as a masterpiece of post modern critique.

The only shame is that we will probably never see Jam or programmes of it's groundbreaking ilk on television again. Just as Brasseye lead to Michael Grade to asking Morris to edit the programme, Jam has also created much furore amongst the talking classes. Jam..umm..Jam a truly tasty and fulfilling treat.