I have a strange fascination with medical shows. Some people get into the misery night block of Hoarders, Heavy, and Intervention. I prefer strange medical shows. I just find all these bizarre medical stories interesting. They can be terrifying, hilarious, sad, or aggravating, but they're rarely uninteresting. A few days ago, a video was making the rounds on the Internet. It showed a young man from Britain entering an ER because he super glued a tiny top hat to his head for Halloween. It's just the kind of strange segment I'm drawn to on these medical shows.
You just have to wonder how a doctor can keep a straight face when someone walks in like that. It is a couple inches away from the episode of The Simpsons where Dr. Hibbert reveals the only antidote to crazy glue: human fear sweat.
BBC Three's medical program Bizarre ER seems to be closer in spirit to Airline than, say, Untold Stories of the ER. The music is hip, the editing slick, and the narration rife with puns and jokes where appropriate. Take this case where a college student yawns so hard she dislocates her jaw.
While some of the more graphic complications--like this woman who split her heel open on a boat--would normally leave me squeamish, something about the approach to this series is calming enough to keep me watching. It could be the very British level-headedness displayed by all but the most extreme patients on the show. It could be the bouncy music, crosscuts, and soothing narrator. Whatever it is, Bizarre ER is a keeper. Hopefully, BBC America will pick up the series in the coming months for syndication.
Otherwise, you can easily get your fix online. Here's the first ten minutes of one episode. You might need to sign in to your YouTube account to see it. You also might need to look away when they start draining that foot at the end. Eww.