Week 49: Happy Couples, Armstrong and Miller
A nice little thematic compilation of sketches by Armstrong and Miller exploring the age old dynamics (fluid or turbulent?) of couples. Some quite funny punch lines in this set.
We now move onto a slightly different genre of comedy sketches with this recent sketch by the comedian Tom Walker who has created a fictional character Jonathan Pie. Walker created his character by imagining what professional journalists might really think of the stories they are reporting on the TV, especially when they relate to the crazy goings on of our elected officials.
Most of his skits follow a format whereby Jonathan begins as if he is concluding his news report and then as he says the final line of his report "Jonathan Pie reporting from London" or something like this, he then goes into a massive comical rant about what he really thinks of the subject matter he has just reported on.
This sketch is a slight departure from his standard formula as here he imagines his character Jonathan, has been asked by the New York times to give a rundown for an American audience of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's character and behaviour. One of the distinct aspect of Pie's humour is that his rants often have an almost prophetic tone to them whereby the hearer is often left with a strong desire to say Amen as one feels his anger at the corruption that currently plagues the UK ruling class.
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So I'll be frank. The UK is being ruled by the worst government for many generations. With triple digit inflation in the energy sector, which is unique to the UK, a government that is doing nothing to address it but is instead focussed on a right wing beauty pageant between a female clone of Johnson (Liz Truss); who, like Johnson, can't be bothered to do the hard work of her position but unlike Johnson can't wing it in interviews so comes across even more incompetent than he did and her adversary who appears to be a little more grounded in reality although given that both he and Truss must appeal to a tiny minority of ultra right-wing Tory voters, must attempt to outdo Truss in economic insanity.
Until recently Australia also had a very right-wing government who were subject to the Youtube comedy channel Juice media. Juice Media create the concept of "an honest government ad" where they mimic an official government campaign ad but share with the electorate what they their policies are really designed to do to enrich them and their donor mates while impoverishing the average person that votes for them. Being Australian, the ads are full of strong language which for me sort of acts as strong smelling salts designed to shock us out of our political apathy and get us motivated to be more careful about which party we cast our votes for.
In this video, Juice Media turn their attention and ire on the UK Conservative party creating a video with lots of very colourful language. However, they also made a PG version suitable for websites like this one so here is the version with all the swearing bleeped but you will get the idea. If you do not live in the UK and wonder whether our government could really be this bad the simple answer is: "Yes it really is this bad in the UK at the moment".
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I live in a house with 3 women (two daughters and one wife) so Strictly come dancing is a weekly fixture. While I have tried to get into the show, I only find it mildly entertaining so tend to watch the show very occasionally. However, whenever I do watch it, I am always struck by lots of very young pretty woman and hunky blokes spending hours together in close physical contact. It therefore has never surprised me that dancing couples not too infrequently end up in some form of short or long term physical (and or romantic) relationship. I guess it was only a matter of time before a comedy group would also pick up this truth and run with it in a funny sketch. Nice also to see Michael Spicer (the room next door) making a guest appearance in this sketch.
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So here is my crazy take on the British as an Aussie immigrant, hahem, I mean expat living in England. This is my hypothesis that aims to explain everything British. The population is dominated by four phenotypes:
The innovators are incredible. The level of British genius at the top never ceases to amaze me and explains how the Brits were able to change the world through science and technology. A few favourites of mine are Sanger, Newton, Turing and Penrose. The gossips are those who either read the Daily Mail and take it seriously or write rags like the Daily Mail. They are important at making sure the manager phenotypes retain power.
The Bad managers are those that do real damage to Britain and sadly they don't just occupy councils, parliament and the lords, but they occupy pretty much every large business and organisation in Britain from the NHS to the Universities to the middle management of many MSEs and multinationals in the UK. I could write volumes on this lot but if you live in the UK, you only have to experience the omnishambles of the current Tory party to know what I mean. Yet I will point out two subtle symptoms of this group that some may have missed. If you were an innovator trying to write a three year research grant, the compulsory inclusion of a detailed 3 year Gantt chart, along with building some artificially large research consortium, are symptoms that the manager phenotypes have got control of your discipline.
The second characteristic is excessive accounting based on them projecting their own dishonesty onto the rest of the population. Yes we must make them spend hours filling in detailed financial reports on their grant expenditure every few months because, if we had that money, of course we would syphon it off for our own personal use. Braverman is an ugly specimen of this trait when she talks about cracking down on those at the bottom cheating the tax payer by claiming universal credit while she puts over £100k through on MP expenses.
And now we come to most interesting phenotype of all: the comedians. Britain produces by far the best comedians in the world and it is in times of deep political crisis that their work goes into overdrive. What the Managers don't realise is they owe as much to the comedian phenotype as they do to the gossip class because British comedy gives the suffering populous a safety valve to dissipate their anger and rage. Without the comedy phenotype, I think the Brits would be more like the French with much more violent protest to the current shitshow of manager phenotypes that have infested the Tory party. If you have read this far then you deserve a lovely taste of the British humour that is being generated at this bleak time in British politics.
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Time to move onto some stand up comedy. I begin with Peter Kay who has produced some masterful material over his career capturing the many foibles of human existence. In this particularly funny segment, Kay picks up on the common problem we all have (especially as we get older) of completely mishearing lyrics.
I find this sketch particularly interesting as a physiologist because it also demonstrates how our brains can be so easily tricked if we are presented contrary information about the content of what we are hearing. Kay tells the audience what he wants them to hear and then mouths the incorrect lyric over the song and incredibly this is exactly then what you here. The most dramatic demonstration of this is in the song "We are family where he suggests they are singing "just let me staple the vicar". The correct lyrics are "just let me state for the record". If you play this part of the sketch and focus on the correct lyric of "just let me state for the record" you will actually correctly hear the correct words. Quite incredible really.
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Time for another Mash Report sketch. This one is having a dig at Londoners in terms of their unfriendliness. The final line in the sketch however equalises the diss by having a laugh at Northerners who are subject to "Headbutting when cornered".
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So Philomena Cunk aka (Diane Morgan) is a bit of an acquired taste. The concept of the character is that of someone with very little education producing a documentary. The series covers many varied topics including history, science, philosophy, music and politics. In this particular episode, she explores the computer and the history of its development. Part of her USP is to ask experts in the field rather basic questions which sometimes can almost seem profound in their simplicity (or stupidity) although of course, in this context, it is for comedic effect. In some ways, it reminds me of the ancient philosopher Socrates who was said to upset the learned men of his time by constantly asking why. The harsh reality, of course, is that by constantly asking "why" one is led to what is known as the infinite regress where we all are forced to the limits of human knowledge and left with that uncomfortable realisation that none of us really understand at all the strange reality in which we happen to find ourselves.
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Week 1: Several Sketches by Dave Allen
Week 2: Mr Bean Compilation, Rowen Atkinson
Week 3: What's My Job, Armstrong and Miller
Week 4: Boris Johnson is a liar, Jonathan Pie
Week 5: Tim Nice-but-Dim, Harry Enfield
Week 6: The Upper Class Twit of the Year, Monty Python
Week 7: Doctors Scene 4, Harry Enfield
Week 8: 40 - 45 Years, Harry Enfield
Week 9: The Beatles, Morecambe and Wise
Week 10: The Judean's People's Front Life Of Brian, Monty Python
Week 11: Advanced War Tactics, Blackadder
Week 12: Is the Government right about everything?, Harry Enfield
Week 13: Career Skills, Armstrong and Miller
Week 14: Mastermind, Morecambe and Wise
Week 15: Boris Johnson's Resignation Speech, Matt Green
Week 16: Nadine Dorries Conservative Party leadership campaign video, Sooz Kemper
Week 17: Who does one think one is, Harry Enfield
Week 18: Constitutional Peasants Scene, Monty Python
Week 19: Hacker Lies In PMQs, Yes Prime Minister
Week 20: The Scammer Broke his phone after losing $2,000, Kitboger
Week 21: Liv Struss Campaign Video, Nerine Skinner Comedy
Week 22: Honest Government ad PG Version
Week 23: Work outing part I, The IT Crowd
Week 24: Small Talk, The Two Ronnies
Week 25: Dr Death, The Two Ronnies
Week 26 Butler of the Year, Morecambe & Wise
Week 27: Mr Bean goes to the Dentist
Week 28: Why everyone on Strictly sleeps together, The Mash Report
Week 29: The Room Next Door - Liz Truss and the Big Pie, Michael Spicer
Week 30: The Market are Spooked!, Matt Green
Week 31: Liv Truss Final Speech as Prime Minister, Nerine Skinner
Week 32: Braverman Shanty, The Marsh Family
Week 33: Cabinet Ministers Charity Appeal, Larry & Paul
Week 34: Dating a Republican, Garfunkel & Oates
Week 35: Boys are always more popular when they are murdered, Diane Morgan
Week 36: Karaoke, Peter Kay
Week 37: The Guys Who Wrote Frosty The Snowman, Ryan George
Week 38: Going around for a birthday tea, Peter Kay
Week 39: Blackadder The Third's Cunning Compilation, Blackadder
Week 40: The Private Eye The Year In Review 2022
Week 41: Morecambe and Wise Christmas show 1978
Week 42: Information, Armstrong and Millar
Week 43: Striding Man - Fired, Armstrong & Miller
Week 44: The work outing Part 2, The IT Crowd
Week 45: Silly Money - Investment Bankers, Bird & Fortune
Week 46: Enlightenment - The little flowers, Armstrong and Miller
Week 47: Northerner terrifies Londoners by saying "Hello", The Mash Report
Week 48: Flight Announcement, Saturday Night Live
A nice little thematic compilation of sketches by Armstrong and Miller exploring the age old dynamics (fluid or turbulent?) of couples. Some quite funny punch lines in this set.