TV Show review
Review basis: 7 seasons, 49 episodes · through October 30, 2025
August 22, 2019 · 43 min · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Brassic is a British comedy-drama about a group of working-class friends in a small northern English town who pull scams, steal, and run wild schemes to get by while dealing with friendship, family, and growing up. Vinnie, played by co-creator Joseph Gilgun, struggles with bipolar disorder across all seven seasons. The show includes incidental gay and bisexual characters treated as normal parts of the group and features Farmer Jim repeatedly mocking "woke Wendy and the snowflake brigade" for laughs.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Brassic.
Woke representation / casting
The core group is mostly white working-class men that fit the northern England setting. Supporting characters include JJ and later Meena with natural story reasons. Ash is gay and Tommo is bisexual while a minor lesbian couple appears late. These elements receive no special spotlight or quota-style emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Farmer Jim delivers repeated comedic rants against "woke Wendy and the snowflake brigade" over things like moisturizing and sensitivity. No activist speeches or lectures appear.
Identity-driven story themes
Stories center on friendship, petty crime schemes, personal troubles, and mental health. Incidental same-sex and bisexual elements exist but are handled as everyday community facts without identity messaging or plot focus.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The gang scams rich locals and clashes with police in absurd ways for comedy. These are farce and survival plots with no framing around patriarchy, systemic oppression, or modern activist critiques.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Almost no organized complaints treat the show as pushing woke or DEI ideas. Some early commentary noted it positively for feeling like pre-woke era TV.
Creator track record context
Daniel Brocklehurst has voiced concern for working-class representation and underserved audiences. Joseph Gilgun focuses on personal mental health and class experiences while stating the show does not turn characters into identity statements. Other writers and directors show no strong activist or identity-driven public records.
