A while back, I was Head Writer for Comedy Central UK. It was one of the most creatively and professionally fulfilling jobs I’ve ever been lucky enough to call my own.

One idea we ran for several years was scheduling subliminal messages that would flash on screen for a fraction of a second either side of the ad breaks. Blink and you miss them, you had to pause your live TV to read them. They were easter eggs for viewers to discover, read and enjoy.

At the time no one else was doing this – using longform copy on air to play with the medium and speak directly to the audience in a way that was utterly unique, conversational, inclusive, human and totally on brand.

In terms of content, I wrote about anything I saw fit. I had complete free rein and I used it! Rarely did I write about about Comedy Central programming. Mostly it was about whatever was in my brain at any given time.

Sometimes I wrote messages that tapped directly into complaints the viewers were writing to us about the channel. Other times it was satire on current events, or even parodying films and other shows.

From the Pope joining Twitter or a new coffee machine in the canteen, to the decline of linear tv and western civilisation, all messaging was cheeky, funny and original.

For the casual viewer they were most likely overlooked, but those who caught them shared their discovery online. Here you can still see videos of viewers who had uploaded them onto You Tube.

What were they? What did they mean? Were they harmless fun or sinister mind-control techniques to brainwash the viewer?!

These messages causes a bit of a stir, industry attention and were incredibly liberating and fun to create. I’m very proud of them. Below are a few examples (if you’re on your phone, pinch, zoom in and enjoy).