Mr Bean, Basil Fawlty, Dave Allen

Comedy: an opiate for the masses

Two big things in my life are music and comedy. During the long Covid-19 lockdown, I cited a different song each day that has meant something to me over my lifetime. In 2022/203 I did something similar with comedy sketches; again searching Youtube for videos I have particularly enjoyed over the many years I have watched the output of talented comedians who often critique the dark realities such as government corruption through the medium of laughter.

However, please note that comedy is a tricky thing and what can be funny for one person can be insulting to another. I personally do not find strong language offensive when it is used for comedic effect so I may from time to time cite sketches that contain strong language. When I do this I shall warn the reader so they can skip over these sketches if they are offended by strong language.

At the bottom of this page, you will find a Youtube video which contains the comedy sketches in the order I have cited them on this website that you can play for your enjoyment.

List Sketches by:   Comedians

Sketches categorised by Weeks

A random set of seven sketches from the Comedy collection (Month 1: 1st April 2022 — Week 53: 31st March 2023)

Week 1: Several Sketches by Dave Allen (Month 1)

So let's begin our collection with some old comedy from the late great Dave Allen. This video are a set of short sketches Allen did which used to appear between his comedy monologues. Some of the short sketches in this mashup are funnier than others (some are quite dated now especially the old woman whose dog fouls on the pavement) our Dougal does that all the time and of course any modern dog owner now carries a complete set of poop bags for such eventualities.

However, there are a couple in this mashup that should make you laugh out loud especially the one with pretty woman trying to flag down the car driver.

Week 2: Mr Bean Compilation, Rowen Atkinson (Month 1)

So working through the comedians in the comedy picture spread above, Rowen Atkinson's famous comedy creation Mr Bean always brings a laugh to most people. Apparently Bean is popular even without translation in other languages because his humour is so visual. The set of sketches in this video are well worth watching if your day needs a lift with some light slap stick comedy. I particularly enjoy when Bean goes to the theatre to watch a horror movie with his long-suffering girlfriend.

Week 16: Nadine Dorries Conservative Party leadership campaign video, Sooz Kemper (Month 4)

So last week I shared a comedy video which was a parody of de Feffel's resignation speech. This week we of course now must be subject to the spectacle of those who supported Johnson's car crash vying to replace him. Given that Johnson created a strong evolutionary selection pressure to reward those who were least likely to present any threat to his leadership into cabinet positions, the choice the country has, in relation to the field of possible Tory replacements, is (as the LBC radio presenter James O'Brien stated) a bit like trying to chose a portaloo toilet at the Glastonbury festival.

Thankfully, probably the worst three in Johnson's cabinet of infamy had enough sense not to run and this of course included Nadine Dorries the minister for culture. Sadly over her tenure, Nadine has sadly demonstrated why she would never, in a million years, get a cabinet position under any other Prime Minister who had even a modicum of public duty in his body. Yet for comical effect, the comedian Sooz Kemper imagines what it would be like if Nadine had decided to run to replace Johnson as PM and what her campaign launch speech might have looked and sounded like. Enjoy.

Week 22: Honest Government ad PG Version (Month 5)

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".

Week 24: Small Talk, The Two Ronnies (Month 6)

Time for change of comedy genre. The two Ronnies are the type of comedians that you could safely take you neighbourhood monk to and they would probably not be offended. Ronnie Barker was very gifted at coming up with clever ideas for sketches and this one, while not a play on words, is nonetheless clever in its execution. It also has a nice little punchline to bring the sketch to a fitting conclusion

Week 35: Boys are always more popular when they are murdered, Diane Morgan (Month 8)

Diane Morgan plays a famous character in the UK comedy scene called Philomena Cunk. While searching for funny comedy sketches for this section of my website, I came across this Youtube video of her working her craft as a stand up comedian. One of the interesting things about stand up comedy, is that comedians definitely inject their own unique characters into their routines. It is clear from Cunk and Morgan's routine in this little clip that she would be a person with an incredibly dry wit which completely permeates her whole character.

In fact, to give you a feel of Diane in a real life situation, I have also included this interview of her with her director Charlie Brooker. It is clear from some of the statements that Charlie makes, that he really doesn't have the first idea of what makes Diane tick. Sixteen minutes into this video Brooker says "Philomena is sort of on some unknowable level like or horse or something...It's hard to know what her inner life is or is that just me" To which Diane replies: I wouldn't say it was an absence of character"

Week 48: Flight Announcement, Saturday Night Live (Month 11)

If you're a nervous flyer perhaps best not watch this sketch. Aircraft have definitely been a setting for many comical scenes over the years

Year 2023: Occasional Post

RIP Matthew Perry (1969 - 2023)
RIP Barry Humphreys (1934 - 2023)

Month 12: March 2023

Week 53 - The final Sketch: Head to head discussion of the Beatles, Alas Smith and Jones
Week 52: Aeroplanes, Dave Allen
Week 51: Tunnel Contractor, Alas Smith and Jones
Week 50: Moments of Wonder: Computers, Philomena Cunk
Week 49: Happy Couples, Armstrong and Miller

Month 10: January 2023

Week 44: The work outing Part 2, The IT Crowd
Week 43: Striding Man - Fired, Armstrong & Miller
Week 42: Information, Armstrong and Millar
Week 41: Morecambe and Wise Christmas show 1978

Month 8: November 2022

Week 35: Boys are always more popular when they are murdered, Diane Morgan
Week 34: Dating a Republican, Garfunkel & Oates
Week 33: Cabinet Ministers Charity Appeal, Larry & Paul
Week 32: Braverman Shanty, The Marsh Family

Month 6: September 2022

Week 27: Mr Bean goes to the Dentist
Week 26 Butler of the Year, Morecambe & Wise
Week 25: Dr Death, The Two Ronnies
Week 24: Small Talk, The Two Ronnies
Week 23: Work outing part I, The IT Crowd

Month 4: July 2022

Week 18: Constitutional Peasants Scene, Monty Python
Week 17: Who does one think one is, Harry Enfield
Week 16: Nadine Dorries Conservative Party leadership campaign video, Sooz Kemper
Week 15: Boris Johnson's Resignation Speech, Matt Green
Week 14: Mastermind, Morecambe and Wise

Month 2: May 2022

Week 9: The Beatles, Morecambe and Wise
Week 8: 40 - 45 Years, Harry Enfield
Week 7: Doctors Scene 4, Harry Enfield
Week 6: The Upper Class Twit of the Year, Monty Python

The videos below will play all the Youtube videos in the order they were added. If you click on the button in the top right corner of the video below, it will bring up the full play list of videos and you can scroll down to select whichever one you want to play. Enjoy!

The Youtube Complete Play List (Sketches 1 to Present)

Scroll to Top