The pilot of the British comedy series Look Around You, a deadpan parody of 1970s and 80s school science programmes, in which the scientists examine calcium.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN commenters recommend it as a surreal, perfectly observed parody of old educational films, and quote it in jokes.
“a lot of HN readers might love it. It's a surreal but perfectly observed parody”HN comment, 2023
“Original footage of one of the best of these was recently rediscovered and finally made available on the web”
Rediscovered BBC-style educational science series pilot
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Likely because they first encountered it on PBS, some Americans are unaware Connections was a BBC production: link Even less known these days (by Americans, at least) is that Connections was but one of many extraordinary educational science series that the BBC produced in the 1970's. Original footage of one of the best of these was recently rediscovered and finally made available on the web: Look Around You: Season 1 Pilot - Calcium this video Watching it again today, it's hard to understate the positive impact this series had on British science education, and the obvious "leg up" it gave for Britain's technological prowess.
Strongly recommendscal85Jul 2023
“a lot of HN readers might love it. It's a surreal but perfectly observed parody”
Surreal parody of 80s/90s school science videos
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Look Around You [0] is little known even in the UK, but I think a lot of HN readers might love it. It's a surreal but perfectly observed parody of the 80s/90s educational videos we used to watch in school science classes. [0] Episode 1: Calcium this video
RecommendswcarssApr 2021
“you might find them pretty amusing”
Parody series with the famous 'Thanks ants... Thants' line
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I really wondered if this would be related to the mockumentary "Look Around You"[1]'s somewhat famous "Thanks ants... Thants"[2] line. If you're reading my comment and you haven't run across these, you might find them pretty amusing. But... it is (reasonably) not related to those things at all. 1 - this video 2 - link
Cites itleocOct 2021
“The whole first series/season of the early-2000s TV series Look Around You”
Look Around You parodies old UK schools programming
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Children's TV nostalgia, eh? Back in the '80s the earliest UK TV in the morning was often a long countdown clock leading into a couple of hours of very slow-paced and somewhat haunted old schools programming linklink . Now that's the stuff of memories. The whole first series/season of the early-2000s TV series Look Around You link was a parody of this programming: this video .
Cites itmatthewmcgMar 2024
“This strikes me as a darker version of the late 70s early 80s British educational videos aesthetic”
Example of late-70s British educational video aesthetic
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This strikes me as a darker version of the late 70s early 80s British educational videos aesthetic captured in the Look Around You series. Example: this video
JokenudgeeeJul 2018
“10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU "; 20 GOTO 10 RUN”
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10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU "; 20 GOTO 10 RUN As seen in the BBC cult classic Look Around You intro, this video
JokejeffrallenMay 2022
“I believe this was also covered in the British educational programme named "Look Around You”
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I believe this was also covered in the British educational programme named "Look Around You" ( this video ). /s
