''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' (''DHMIS'') is a British

comedy-horror Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spo ...

television sitcom Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising ...

created by Joseph "Joe" Pelling, Rebecca "Becky" Sloan and Baker Terry, and produced by Blink Industries. It was released on

All 4 All 4 is a video on demand service from the Channel Four Television Corporation, free of charge for most content and funded by advertising. The service is available in the UK and Ireland; viewers are not required to have a TV licence—requir ...

and is based on the

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...

of the same name. Its six episodes are themed around

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

and

dark humour Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

, and revolve around three characters—Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck. After the release of the original

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

web series from 2011 to 2016 and its resulting popularity, the creators planned a new television series and developed a pilot in 2018 which was eventually scrapped. A new series was announced in 2020 and released on All 4 on 23 September 2022. Episodes 1–2, 3–4 and 5–6 aired on 30 September, 7 October and 14 October respectively on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. The television series explores jobs, death, family, friendship, transport, and electricity. It was met with similar acclaim as the web series.

Premise

The series revolves around the lives of Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck, whose names are not explicitly stated in the series. Each episode starts off with the three getting a lesson from a teacher about topics including

job Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and wants of themselves, others, or a wider community. In the context of economics, work can be viewed as the human activity that contr ...

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept of ...

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipel ...

and

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

. The teachers are usually manipulative and malicious, and as the episode goes on, it becomes more horrific. At the end, the teacher fails and usually dies, with the three shown to have not learned anything.

Development

Previous works

From 2011 to 2016, Joe Pelling and Becky Sloan, later along with Baker Terry, created ''

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' (often abbreviated as ''DHMIS'') is a British web and television series created by Becky Sloan, Joe Pelling, and Baker Terry. The series is notable for its blending of surreal comedy and black comedy with psychologica ...

'', an art project and

. The series consists of six

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction ** Korean horror, Korean horror fiction *Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing on ...

-themed

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

videos. In 2018, a video titled "Wakey Wakey..." was uploaded to the official channel, and teased an upcoming television show, and the pilot premiered at the

2019 Sundance Film Festival The 2019 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 24 to February 3, 2019. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 28, 2018. Films U.S. Dramatic Competition * '' Before You Know It'' by Hannah Pearl Utt * '' ...

. However, the series was later scrapped. In an interview, Terry stated that "we were going to have to actually write jokes that functioned as jokes without a prop in every single instance."

Release

In July 2020, it was announced that the television series was picked up by

. In September 2021, Becky Sloan announced that production had finished. On 19 June 2022, a teaser trailer titled "FLY" was uploaded to the YouTube channel, announcing the release date of September. The video gained over 2 million views within 24 hours of release and reached No. 1 trending on YouTube. The series was released on

on 23 September 2022. It was originally scheduled to be released on 12 September 2022, but was postponed following the

death of Queen Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death w ...

. Episodes 1 and 2 aired on 30 September, episodes 3 and 4 aired on 7 October, and episodes 5 and 6 aired on 14 October, all on Channel 4. As of October 2022, there has been no confirmation of a second series.

Episodes

Pilot (2018)

A long-form TV pilot was produced in 2018 with

Super Deluxe Super Deluxe was an entertainment company owned by Turner Broadcasting. The company's main output was in online video, television series, and documentaries. History Turner Broadcasting System announced the launch of Super Deluxe, a digital com ...

Conaco Conaco, LLC is the television production firm owned by entertainer Conan O'Brien. The name is a portmanteau of the words ''"Conan"'' and ''"Co"'', an abbreviation of company. It has produced programs primarily for NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia, ...

and Blink Industries. The pilot premiered at

, appearing in the "Indie Episodic Program 1" alongside other short films. The idea, which involved "current affairs", was later scrapped, and the trailer was removed from the YouTube channel. The setting, which Sloan attributed some roots to '' South Park'', did not have "the timelessness and claustrophobia of the originals."

Television series (2022)

Cast

Sundance pilot cast

* Baker Terry as Yellow Guy, Duck, Key, Mayor Pigface, Security Thing, Policeman, Big Ian, and Fizzy Milk * Joseph Pelling as Red Guy * Becky Sloan as Mrs. Grenald, Mud Man, and Ladder

Channel 4 series cast

* Baker Terry as Yellow Guy, Duck, Briefcase, Andy, Duncan, Bin, Lucky Mo, Family Tree, Roy Gribbleston, Warren The Eagle, Yumpherdinker, Dr. Bushman, Choo Choo Train, Tony the Talking Clock, Steak, Big Duck and Bigger Duck * Joseph Pelling as Red Guy, Colin the Computer, Brain Friends Theme Singer, Brain Friends Announcer, Big Red Guy and Bigger Red Guy * Becky Sloan as Unemployed Brendon, Stain Edwards, Grolton's Chicken Family Tub Discount Commercial Announcer, Brain Friends Theme Singer, First Tooth, The Lump and Electracey * Vivienne Soan as Lesley * Leila Navabi as Claire * Amy Gledhill as Wet Floor Sign *

Kath Hughes Kath Hughes is a Welsh actress, writer and comedian. She is known for portraying the role of Coleen in the black comedy drama series '' After Life'' and for being one quarter of the comedy sketch group Gein's Family Giftshop. Life and career P ...

as Printer *

Phil Wang Philip Nathaniel Wang Sin Goi (born 22 January 1990) is a British-Malaysian stand-up comedian and comedy writer who is a member of the sketch comedy group Daphne, and co-creator of their BBC Radio 4 series, ''Daphne Sounds Expensive''. He curr ...

as Vending Machine * Jen Ives as Free Vending Machine * Chris Cantrill as Safety Video Announcer *

Lolly Adefope Ololade "Lolly" Adefope (born 14 September 1990) is a British stand-up comedian and actress, specialising in character comedy. She is known for playing the role of Fran in the Hulu comedy series '' Shrill'', and as Kitty, the ghost of a Georgia ...

as Lift and Mrs. Grelch * Charlie Perkins as Jenny *

Kevin Eldon Kevin Eldon (born 2 October 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He featured in British comedy television shows of the 1990s including '' Fist of Fun'', ''This Morning with Richard Not Judy'', '' Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge' ...

as Coffin * Sue Eves as Brain Friends Theme Singer (uncredited) * George Fouracres as Lamp, Grolton and Hovris * Sam Campbell as ID Card and Apple *

Katy Wix Katy Victoria J Wix (born 28 February 1980) is a Welsh actress, writer, author and artist. She is best known for her television roles as Carole in ''Stath Lets Flats,'' Mary in '' Ghosts'' and Jules in '' Big Boys''. She has also appeared as a ...

as Tissue Box * Freya Parker as Grandma and Bread * James Stevenson Bretton as Lily and Todney * Liam Williams as Market Man *

Emma Sidi Emma Francesca Sidi (born February 1991) is an English actress, comedian and writer for radio, stage and screen. Early life Sidi was born to British parents in the United States, where her father, who had previously played professional rugby ...

as Bubble Bath Memory *

Kiell Smith-Bynoe Kiell Smith-Bynoe ( : born 5 March 1989) is a British actor most notable for playing one of the leads in the BBC One sitcom '' Ghosts'', and for his appearances in ''Stath Lets Flats'', '' Man Like Mobeen'', and '' Enterprice''. Career Smith-By ...

as Saturdavid * Johnny White Really-Really as Shy Imaginary Older Brother * Charlie Pelling as Brain Friends Theme Singer * Chris Hayward as Instructional Tape Announcer * Katie Kvinge as GPS * Jimmy Slim as Time Child *

Jamie Demetriou Jamie Demetriou (born November 1987) is an English comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Bus Rodent in ''Fleabag'' and for creating, co-writing, and starring in ''Stath Lets Flats''. For the latter, he won Best Male A ...

as Safe * Michael Stranney as Mirror * Beattie Hartley as Experimented Creature *

Jason Forbes Jason Forbes (born 27 October 1990) is a British actor, writer, comedian, impressionist, and TV presenter. He is best known for the CITV series ''Horrible Science''; '' The Mash Report'' on BBC Two; as PC Peasey in the ''Professor Branestawm'' ...

as Boundary Hand * Natasha Hodgson as Rock *

Nathan Foad Nathan Foad (born December 30, 1992) is an English actor and writer known for ''Newark, Newark'' and ''Our Flag Means Death''. Career Foad graduated from Guildford School of Acting. Afterwards, he built his career as a comedy writer, before ...

as Toilet

Reception

''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' was commended by critics for its use of surreal humour and horror.

Lucy Mangan Lucy Katherine Mangan''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' (born 1974) is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for ''The Guardian''. A major part of her writing is related t ...

from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' stated that the series is "clever, bleak, charming, grotesque and funny." Sean Mullins from ''Webster Journal'' called it a "wonderfully weird puppet show." Toussaint Egan from ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed '' polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two t ...

'' stated that "the series hasn't missed a single beat in its transition from Internet shock humor du jour to a full-fledged animated series". Nicholas Vidal from '' The Montclarion'' stated that "it is one of the most interesting and creative things to release this year". Brittney Bender from

Bleeding Cool Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleedin ...

gave the series a 10/10, saying that it "perfectly encapsulates the absurdity and horror of the modern world through the lens of a multi-colored puppet nightmare of epic proportions". ''The Guardian'' ranked ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' as the No. 31 best television series of 2022.

Awards and nominations

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British Academy Television Craft Awards The British Academy Television Craft Awards is an accolade presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), a charitable organisation established in 1947, which: "supports, promotes and develops the art forms of the moving imag ...

Best Production Design This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

, Joe Pelling, Becky Sloan , , , - , Best Costume Design , Joe Pelling, Becky Sloan , , , - ,

Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

, Best TV Production , ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' (for "Family") , , , - ,

National Comedy Awards The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards ( ...

, Best Scripted Comedy Series , ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' , , , - ,

Broadcast Awards ''Broadcast'' is a monthly magazine for the United Kingdom television and radio industry, owned by Media Business Insight. History ''Broadcast'' was started in 1973 by Rod Allen, who went on to work at LWT, HTV and HarperCollinsInteractive ...

, Best Original Programme , ''Don't Hug Me I'm Scared'' , ,

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten-tomatoes, tv/dont_hug_me_im_scared BAFTA winners (television series) British surreal comedy television series 2022 British television series debuts 2020s British horror television series 2020s British black comedy television series Channel 4 sitcoms British television shows featuring puppetry British television series with live action and animation Television series based on Internet-based works