EP90. The Odyssey Isn't Satire, But Robots Can Be: Ann Droid & Androids

What makes a robot funny? And, more importantly, are they satire? Jo and Adam ask why robots seem to lend themselves so readily to satirical comedy. They look at the BBC sitcom ANN DROID, Apple TV's SUNNY and Channel 4's prank show BAD ROBOTS, alongside various satirical machines including Kryten from RED DWARF, Bender from FUTURAMA and ROBOCOP. There are also honourable mentions for robots who are decidedly less satirical (Vision, Data, the various artificial humans of HUMANS and BLACK MIRROR) as they consider what separates a robot who makes us laugh from one who simply makes us think (or are they perhaps the same, ahhhh....). Along the way, they discuss Isaac Asimov, The Bicentennial Man, and the peculiar relationship between robots, humanity and satire. And, because no episode is complete without getting distracted by something else, Jo and Adam share their thoughts on The Odyssey and the memes it has generated.