Look Around You

The series was commissioned based on a 20-minute pilot episode about calcium, twice the length of a normal Series 1 episode, which is included on the DVD as an 'advanced double-length module'.

The mute scientists in Series 1 were played by creators Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz along with Edgar Wright, among others.

Robert Popper's Series 1 character Jack Morgan, who performed the song 'Little Mouse', returned as a recurring presenter in Series 2.

To emulate early 1980s British television, Series 2 was shot in 4:3 aspect ratio (unlike the 16:9 Series 1) and location footage was filmed on 16mm film stock typical of that era.

Peter Serafinowicz exaggerated the sound of his breathing and mouth movements when narrating the opening continuity announcements to mimic the microphone quality used in early 1980s broadcasts.

Mark Heap improvised Leonard Hatred's distinctive funny walk, as it was not written into the script, and his encounter with Championess in the Series 2 finale was also improvised.

To fake Prince Charles presenting the final invention award, archive footage of the Prince was blended with Look Around You footage, and Peter Serafinowicz dubbed over the real audio with his own lip-synced impression of the Prince's voice.

The recurring blast-door entrance gag in Series 2, inspired by Get Smart, was filmed against bluescreen with an effect the creators later admitted on the DVD commentary they disliked but felt 'stuck with'.

Episode 1 of Series 2 features a Top of the Pops-style introduction using the genuine early-1980s TOTP theme music, 'Yellow Pearl' by Phil Lynott.

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening praised the show, calling it 'one of the funniest shows I've ever seen'.

When BBC America aired the series between 2003 and 2008, episodes were edited to fit a 30-minute advertising slot, cutting Leonard Hatred's introductory segment from the first episode and causing him to appear unexplained in the finale.