Snuff Box (TV series) explained

Genre:	Dark comedy, sitcom
Runtime:	30 minutes
Creator:	Matt Berry Rich Fulcher
Starring:	Matt Berry Rich Fulcher Alan Ford
Director:	Michael Cumming
Theme Music Composer:	Matt Berry
Network:	BBC Three
Country:	United Kingdom
Num Series:	1
Num Episodes:	6
Producer:	Charlie Hanson

Snuff Box (sometimes referred to as Berry & Fulcher's Snuff Box) is a British dark sitcom set in London. Starring and written by Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher with additional material by Nick Gargano, it aired on BBC Three in 2006. The series was directed by Brass Eye director Michael Cumming who later directed Berry's Toast of London.

Starring as fictionalized versions of themselves, Berry plays a hangman ("High Executioner to the King of England"), and Fulcher his assistant. The majority of the programme is set in a "gentlemen's club for hangmen",^[1] although the show is also interspersed with sequences of sketches, often featuring different characters. The show is set in "no particular time" with deliberately anachronistic sets.^[2]

Background

Berry and Fulcher met whilst working together on another BBC Three comedy, The Mighty Boosh.^[3] Snuff Box was originally titled Berry & Fulcher's Comedy Bronze.^[4]

The show was produced by Channel X Productions, who had previously produced the animated series Popetown for BBC Three in 2005. Popetown had been met with international controversy prior to its broadcast, so was never aired by BBC Three. According to Berry, this led to the commissioning of Snuff Box, as BBC Three owed Channel X Productions a favour. In addition, BBC Three was looking for a new sketch show to replace Little Britain, which had been moved to BBC One for its final series.

Reception

The Guardian described the show as "fantastically dark and cynical".^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Interview . 4 November 2006 . . 4 .
2. Web site: BBC - Comedy - Snuff Box Interview . BBC . 6 January 2022.
3. Web site: Interview . 4 November 2006 . . 5.
4. Web site: BBC - Comedy - Snuff Box Berry & Fulcher Matt Berry. 2021-08-27. bbc.co.uk.
5. Web site: Rock! Shock! Pop! - Snuff Box - The Complete Series DVD Review . 11 October 2011 . rockshockpop.com.
6. Web site: Matt Berry on the Music of Snuff Box. 1 June 2007. BBC.
7. Web site: Snuff Dredd . 8 September 2012 . The Velvet Onion.
8. Web site: Whisky... !: Why BBC3 Should Re-Open Its Snuff Box | Media | The Guardian |date=9 August 2007 |website=The Guardian] |accessdate=10 September 2016}}

   DVD release

   The DVD was released on 16 June 2008.

   On 11 October 2011, Severin Films released the series on DVD with a bonus CD of music and other exclusive extra features in the North American market.^[5]

   Episodes

   This list is ordered by the original air dates on BBC Three in the United Kingdom.

   Music

   The Snuff Box theme is used repeatedly throughout the series. Matt Berry composed the music, both themes and incidental. He sang most of the vocal parts and played most of the instruments. He recorded the theme tune in his flat. English composer Tony Hatch advised Berry on the brass sections.^[6]

   The film Dredd featured the Snuff Box theme in a few scenes.^[7]

   External links

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