The camera hides while a squad of disabled comics bait the able-bodied with set-ups that lampoon charity telethons, parking-space vigilantes and the assumption that blindness is an invitation to shout. Tim Baggaley, Tanyalee Davis and Simon Stevens fronted the first series, timed to Channel 4's 2012 Paralympics push, and returned a year later with newcomers Martin Dougan and model Kelly Knox. Each sketch lands its sting by letting the mark’s awkward politeness curdle into visible panic before the reveal.
Channel 4 billed the eight-episode run as “cheeky and irreverent”, but the humour is sharper than the tagline suggests: a blind man asks strangers to describe colour, a wheelchair user races unsuspecting pedestrians, a dwarf demands help reaching the top shelf, all while the planted crew record every squirm. Producer Jamie O'Leary kept the edits tight so the laughter sticks to the pranksters, never the dupes.
The show ended after two short series, leaving a small archive that still circulates on disability-studies reading lists and late-night forums. Its final trick was proving that the joke stops being about impairment the moment the public realise they’re the ones on display.
Production Details
Channel 4 / 2 Seasons / 8 Episodes / 2012
Main Cast
