Screenwipe is a television programme about television programmes; the cost, the surprising amount of work and bureaucracy involved, how programmes are selected for broadcast, and, usually scathing, analysis of specific programmes and genres. Brooker often pays particular attention to more obscure channels on satellite, freeview and cable, such as those dedicated to gambling, shopping, horoscopes, and pornography. He explores the probable effects of television in society, and how often programmes can create in the viewer feelings of inadequacy, depression, fear, and anxiety. To balance things, usually one segment of each show is dedicated to positive reviews, with analysis on why the style and content is so absorbing.

Much of the programme is filmed in Brooker's living room, with shots of him sitting in front of his TV (and laptop) with Sky Digital remote in hand talking to camera, occasionally bellowing insults or sarcastic comments at whatever happens to be shown at the time, interspersed with shots of TV shows. Occasionally he will make use of props for the sake of humour, including a "seance trumpet" to mock Colin Fry's performance with and an oven glove with a smiley face drawn on it which he claims to channel his unfulfilled emotions into.

When not in the living room, Brooker presents segments on various pieces of television, different genres or peculiarities of production.

Humour

The humour of the show is usually based in sarcasm and cutting remarks, in a similar style to Harry Hill's TV Burp or The Soup. Screenwipe can be characterised as being intellectually harsher, however, with Brooker often making over-the-top — and slightly unbalanced — moral comparisons between the seeming attitude of certain programmes, and the logical conclusions of that attitude if it were turned towards real life.

Brooker often displays archive footage of various shows, but alters the viewer's perception through near stream-of-consciousness narration and/or ironic juxtaposition with contrasting footage or sound, e.g. highlighting what he believes is the organised crime feel of Dragon's Den by running the trumpet solo from The Godfather over the original dialogue. He has also been known to make jokes at the expense of his own show and himself, in particular making light of his supposed resemblance to Laurence Fishburne, and in the third episode of the third series he claimed he had "a face like a paedophile walrus". Also of note was the deliberate mention of Victor Lewis-Smith, described by the 'TV Insider' being interviewed (yet also, we assume, scripted by Brooker) as "kind of like a rich man's you". Lewis-Smith co-wrote and presented a similar show in the late nineties called TV Offal which Brooker sarcastically and knowingly claims to have no knowledge of.

Unsarcastic/Complimentary

Despite his derogatory and insulting remarks aimed at many television shows, people and near enough everything and everyone, Brooker does show his happier side and has spoken of his like for certain US drama series including The Shield; Deadwood; The Wire; and the most recent version of Battlestar Galactica; as well as the current series of Doctor Who; and older British programmes such as Jacob Bronowski's documentary The Ascent of Man. Brooker singles out Bronowski for praise regarding his style of presentation describing it as 'a bit like taking a warm bath in university juice' .

Animations

The show is also notable for using animations produced by internet animator David Firth. To date the show has used eight of Firth's original creations. The 2006 Christmas Special featured a special appearance from Firth's deranged alter-ego, Jerry Jackson, whose cartoon appeared substituting for an animation that Firth had created beforehand. This original animation was rejected by the BBC on the grounds that it was far too offensive to be broadcast on TV. Firth recently announced on his website that the BBC had asked him to produce an animation for each episode of the third series of Screenwipe. Three were shown but the fourth, a Jerry Jackson cartoon, was once again rejected by the BBC. Firth stated in a post on Fat-Pie.com that "Jerry's [cartoon] was about Political Correctness on TV and contained a certain degree of sarcasm, yet sarcasm the TV company didn't see the funny side of, and they refused to use it". The fourth series saw Firth produce three more short animations entitled 'The World Within A Sock' in which a group known as The Establishment buys the year 2008.

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