How TV Ruined Your Life

{{Infobox television

| image = How tv ruined your life.png

| caption = Title card

| alt_name =

| genre = Satire

| creator =

| developer =

| writer = Charlie Brooker

| director =

| creative_director =

| presenter = Charlie Brooker

| narrated =

| theme_music_composer =

| opentheme =

| endtheme =

| composer =

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| num_series = 1

| num_episodes = 6

| list_episodes = #Episode list

| executive_producer = Annabel Jones

| producer =

| editor =

| location =

| cinematography =

| camera =

| runtime = 30 minutes

| company = Zeppotron

| channel = BBC Two

| first_aired = {{Start date|2011|1|25|df=y}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2011|3|8|df=y}}

| related =

}}How TV Ruined Your Life is a British satirical television series written and presented by Charlie Brooker.{{Cite web |url=http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/how_tv_ruined_your_life/ |title=How TV Ruined Your Life |last=Wolf |first=Ian |publisher=British Comedy Guide |accessdate=23 January 2011}} Brooker, whose earlier TV-related programmes include How to Watch Television, Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe and You Have Been Watching, examines how the medium has bent reality to fit its own ends. Produced by Zeppotron, the series aired its first episode in January 2011.

Reception

The series was reviewed mildly positively, with some criticism of the series' topic, some positive remarks about specific segments, and some abuse in jest from Brooker's colleagues at The Guardian: "Ha! I mean, boo! I hate him."{{cite news |title=TV review: How TV Ruined Your Life and Pleasure and Pain With Michael Mosley| first=Sam| last=Wollaston| work=The Guardian (UK) |date=25 January 2011 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/jan/25/how-tv-ruined-your-life-review | location=London}} In the Scotsman, it was noted that "though so far Brooker hasn't been pulling any punches", some of Brooker's topics were deemed too broad, some of his targets were called "too familiar", and Brooker himself "may be heading towards one of those programmes he has so savagely parodied."{{cite news|title=TV review: How TV Ruined Your Life| date=28 January 2011| first=Andrea |last=Mullaney| url=http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment/TV-review-How-TV-Ruined.6703312.jp| location=Edinburgh| work=The Scotsman}} The Metro enjoyed Brooker's making "merrily sardonic hay", and found his skewering of some TV fearmongering "spot on", but found his targets pretty easy, "nicking TV news ('like looking directly in the face of terror') with flesh-wounds when once upon a time he would have gone for the heart", and described the show as "cobbled together."{{cite web| first=Keith |last=Watson|date=25 January 2011|title=How TV Ruined Your Life seemed cobbled together |publisher=The Metro (UK) |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/reviews/853668-how-tv-ruined-your-life-seemed-cobbled-together}}

Episodes

{{Episode table |background=#ffd43f |overall=6 |title=30 |writer=25 |airdate=20 |country=UK |episodes=

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=1

|Title=Fear

|RTitle={{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00y4csg |title=Fear |publisher=BBC Online |accessdate=18 January 2011}}

|WrittenBy=Charlie Brooker

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2011|1|25|df=y}}

|ShortSummary= Brooker discusses early public information films, criticising them for their often patronising and hysterical tones before comparing them to the more dramatic recent equivalents.

|LineColor=ffd43f

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=2

|Title=The Lifecycle

|RTitle={{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ybzjr |title=The Lifecycle |publisher=BBC Online |accessdate=25 January 2011}}

|WrittenBy=Charlie Brooker

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2011|2|1|df=y}}

|ShortSummary= Brooker looks into how television is marketed towards different age groups, paying particular attention to how marketing towards the latter group has changed over the years.

|LineColor=ffd43f

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=3

|Title=Aspiration

|RTitle={{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ylw9d |title=Aspiration |publisher=BBC Online |accessdate=1 February 2011}}

|WrittenBy=Charlie Brooker

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2011|2|8|df=y}}

|ShortSummary= Brooker defines "aspirational television" and credits the origin of this style of idealised TV to advertisers "attaching fantasies to the products they were hawking", comparing adverts between decades. Brooker also comments on the shifting portrayal of wealthy people and the protective idolization of children.

|LineColor=ffd43f

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=4

|Title=Love

|RTitle={{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ysfvh |title=Love |publisher=BBC Online |accessdate=8 February 2011}}

|WrittenBy=Charlie Brooker

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2011|2|15|df=y}}

|ShortSummary= This episode covers the depiction of romantic and sexual love on TV.

|LineColor=ffd43f

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=5

|Title=Progress

|RTitle={{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z7p20/ |title=Progress |publisher=BBC Online |accessdate=16 February 2011}}

|WrittenBy=Charlie Brooker

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2011|3|1|df=y}}

|ShortSummary= Brooker discusses human technological progress and how it and aspirations of it are shown on TV.

|LineColor=ffd43f

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=6

|Title=Knowledge

|RTitle={{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zg1rh |title=Knowledge |publisher=BBC Online |accessdate=1 March 2011}}

|WrittenBy=Charlie Brooker

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2011|3|8|df=y}}

|ShortSummary= This episode is about informative TV. Brooker begins by illustrating clichés of "documentary-type" presenters such as Andrew Marr. He comments on early programmes which introduced TV to the classroom.

|LineColor=ffd43f

}}