Latest news with #sketches
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
From Monty Python to Morecambe and Wise: Telegraph readers' favourite comedy moments:
While no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition, we always anticipated our list of the 20 best TV comedy sketches of all time to prompt some reader reaction. And react you did, piling in with suggestions (over a 1000 of them) for other great comedic moments. Some, we're shocked we missed out from our list (Two Soups with Julie Walters – of course!) others, well, if we're being pedantic, they're not from sketch shows (Del Boy falling through the bar), but we can't deny they're perfect distillations of TV humour. Here then is a brand-new list, taken entirely from Telegraph readers' feedback. From Mitchell and Webb, to Morecambe and Wise via Hale and Pace; wrap your laughing gear around this little lot. The best Monty Python sketches Dead Parrot is well-known but I wouldn't put it in the top 10 even of Python sketches. Here are better ones: The Dirty Fork, Olympic Hide-and-seek, The Spanish Inquisition, Dennis Moore, Four Yorkshiremen, The Argument Clinic. Dav Chaz Substitute Teacher (Key & Peel, 2012) Key and Peele's substitute teacher, far superior. Sid Edmondo The People's Front of Judea (Life of Brian, 1979) How could you possibly leave out the people's Judean Front scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian? Funniest scene of all time. Tim Jeffery Only Fools and Horses and Dad's Army There's more comedy and jokes in one episode of Only Fools and Horses and Dad's Army. G Craven Mark Heap as Dr Alan Statham (Green Wing, 2004–2006) I still think Mark Heap's performance and character, Dr Alan Statham, Consultant Radiologist, in Channel 4's Green Wing is superb. His scene with a coffee enema should be in this list and pretty close to the top. Mark Horsfield Grandma's Wedding (Friday Night Dinner, 2014) Friday Night Dinner, Grandma's wedding. SE Adamson Crossed Lines (The Two Ronnies, 1981) The Two Ronnies were masters at word play and I'd certainly add the 'Crossed Lines' sketch to the others listed below. Duncan Cameron Two Soups (Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, 1986) Two Soups with Julie Walters playing an elderly waitress. Rosemary Wildish 'Waitress' by Victoria Wood, which most people call 'two soups', with Dame Julie Walters in the eponymous role is hilarious. Vicki Lester Guide Cat (Hale and Pace, 1989) I vote for Hale and Pace, The Guide Cat. Denise Henderson-Cleland 10 Pound Note (Dave Allen, 1972) One sketch by Dave Allen always receives uncontrolled laughter by non-English speakers. I can't remember the name, but it's the one where Allen and about 20 other people are waiting in a cafe for a vehicle owner to return to a car which has a 10 pound note trapped under one wheel. Excellent! Brit In Exile Working Class Playwright (Monty Python, 1969) Morecambe and Wise with 'Andrew Preview' should be at number one, but one of my personal favourites is the Monty Python parody of the 'Working Class Playwright with the Coal Miner Son'. A hilarious parody. Coming from near Barnsley, and a child of the 50 and 60s it never ceases to make me laugh. Trish Beech The Evil Voice (That Mitchell and Webb Look, 2009) No Mitchell and Webb? The Evil Voice sketch is a work of observational genius. David Harris The Breakfast Sketch (Morecambe and Wise, 1976) Morecambe and Wise cooking eggs, one of the funniest sketches ever made. Almost anything with Dave Allen. Helen Walshe Del Boy falls through the Bar (Only Fools and Horses, 1989) Where is the Only Fools And Horses sketch where Del Boy falls through the bar counter that isn't there? Ian Breach Dame Shirley Bassey performs Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Morecambe and Wise, 1971) Never tire of Shirley Bassey singing Smoke Gets in Your Eye on Morecambe and Wise. Amazing how she got through it without laughing. Chris Dodson The School Master (1979) Rowan Atkinson's schoolteacher taking the register? Dibble? Ponsonby Minor? David David The Fish Slapping Dance (Monty Python, 1971) Loved the Monty Python fish slapping dance. Love the Harry Enfield football sketch, the Arsenal team of 1936 Vs the current day. What about the RAF pilots on Armstrong and Miller? Heather Dallimore Star Mitzvah (Frasier, 2002) Frasier and Freddie's Bar Mitzvah speech in Klingon. Mary Chismus Dawn French's duet with Darcey Bussell (The Vicar of Dibley, 1998) Dawn French and Darcey Bussell ballet scene from Vicar of Dibley. Darcey Bussell
BreakingNews.ie
19-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Trump says he doesn't draw but auctioned sketches suggest otherwise
US president Donald Trump has publicly denied that he draws, but numerous examples of his sketches have been sold at auction over the years, many dating from his time as a New York real estate developer, The New York Times said on Friday. Drawings attributed to Mr Trump, typically simple cityscapes or landmarks rendered in black marker and signed with his name, were donated to various charities in the early 2000s and have fetched thousands of dollars in later sales, the paper added. Advertisement "I don't draw pictures," Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social this week, disputing a Wall Street Journal report about a 2003 birthday greeting for late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that bore Mr Trump's name and featured a sexually suggestive drawing. On Friday, Mr Trump sued the Journal and its owners, including Rupert Murdoch, seeking at least $10 billion (€8 billion) in damages over the report. In his 2008 book "Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges Into Success", however, Mr Trump acknowledged his artistic contributions. "It takes me a few minutes to draw something, in my case, it's usually a building or a cityscape of skyscrapers, and then sign my name, but it raises thousands of dollars to help the hungry in New York," he wrote. Advertisement On Friday, White House spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed the report and any suggestion that Mr Trump's drawings resembled the one described by the Journal. "As the president has said, the Wall Street Journal printed fake news and he doesn't draw things like the outlet described," Mr Cheung said in a statement. "The New York Times is engaged in false and defamatory claims, and to make this false equivalation proves they are the enemy of the people."
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Trump hits back against ‘bawdy' Epstein birthday message report
Donald Trump has strongly denied that he 'wrote a picture,' specifically refuting a Wall Street Journal report that alleged he drew a "bawdy" sketch for Jeffrey Epstein 's 50th birthday. This denial is contradicted by evidence showing at least five sketches attributed to Trump have been sold at auction over the past decade. These auctioned works include drawings of the Empire State Building, a "Money Tree," and various city skylines, created between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. The sketches have fetched considerable prices, with one minimalist New York City skyline piece selling for as much as $29,000 in 2017. Trump himself previously acknowledged donating "autographed doodles" and said "art may not be my strong point" in his 2010 book, Trump Never Give Up.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 12 Best SNL Sketches in 50 Years of Saturday Night Live
Here are the 12 best SNL sketches in the 50 years of Saturday Night Live. Obviously, these things are subjective. So if you think we missed one, let us know in the comments. And now, the best SNL sketches, in our estimation, ever. Related Headlines The 12 Strangest Movies We've Ever Seen The 12 Most Captivating Prison Movies We've Ever Seen Why We Spent Our Wedding Fund Making Our Horror Movie, Sight Unseen Early Saturday Night Live sketches often felt seat-of-your pants and tended to lag at times as everyone tried to find the same pace. Not this one: A typical morning in the life of a Greek diner that refuses to adapt, it has a simple, recognizable hook and sweet slice-of-life simplicity. The rhythm is as pleasing as a morning routine. SNL is sometimes known for big characters, but almost everyone in this sketch plays it straight and real, which adds to its charm. Gilda Radner is especially good as the one customer who seems to understand the place, and Bill Murray gets the funniest moment with his panicked nodding, using only a single word. The sketch is a little more poignant when you know that star John Belushi's immigrant dad operated a struggling restaurant when Belushi was growing up in Wheaton, Illinois. Key line: "Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, four Pepsi, two chip." The great Margot Kidder, playing a bank vice president on a business trip, receives a visit from a profoundly Midwestern, profoundly decent, assuredly unsexy sex worker: Fred Garvin, male prostitute. Dan Aykroyd brings big dad energy to the role of a kindly, folksy gigolo, and Kidder is a perfect straightwoman. The setup is absurd, but everyone plays it with endearing vulnerability. Like many Aykroyd characters, Fred Garvin would provide the template for many played-straight ridiculous characters to come. This one doesn't always turn up on lists of the best SNL sketches, but it should. It also gets referenced throughout the terrific new movie Saturday Night, in which Aykroyd is played, impressively, by Dylan O'Brien. Key line: "Ma'am, you're dealing here with with a fully qualified male strumpet." A high-flying, edgy satire of breathless coverage of President Reagan's attempted assassination in 1981. This sketch is the clear highlight of the years after the departure of the original Not Ready for Primetime Players. Eddie Murphy is brilliant not only as Buckwheat, but also as the man who shot him, John David Stutts. It also foreshadowed decades of round-the-clock news coverage with just as little self-awareness as Joe Piscopo's take on Ted Koppel. Key line: "It's good to see you all. Hi! I killed Buckwheat." With maybe the simplest concept of any Saturday Night Live sketch, this piece by legendary writer Jim Downey (above) — who also stars as an eager-to-please service representative — masterfully ridicules seemingly sincere corporate ad campaigns. The execution of a very basic idea is perfect. Key line: "We will give you the change, equal to... the amount of money that you want change for." A sketch where everyone else plays it straight so Chris Farley can give it 2,000 percent as Barney, a young man determined to be a Chippendales dancer. Some — including the brilliant former SNL writer Bob Odenkirk — believe that the sketch was cruel to Farley. But listen to his many friends in interviews on Dana Carvey and David Spade's Fly on the Wall podcast and you'll hear that Farley was very much on board with the premise of the sketch — and no one has ever been more committed to a sketch. The sketch works not because of the jokes about Farley's weight, but because of how sweetly and sincerely everyone plays the situation. Watch here. Key line: "I wish I could just flip a coin and be done with it, but we can't. We're Chippendales." Everyone else — from Julia Sweeney to Phil Hartman to David Spade to Christina Applegate — just tries not to hold it together as Matt Foley, played by Chris Farley at his best, absolutely takes over. The original Matt Foley sketch was a carryover from Farley's time working with writer-performer Bob Odenkirk at Chicago's Second City. By the time it came to SNL, it was at its full frenetic brilliance. It's also a sketch with heart — we end up sympathizing with everyone involved. Key line: "He's been down in the basement drinking coffee for about the last four hours so he should be ready to go." Another sketch you probably won't fall on many lists of the best SNL sketches, but this is the perfect mix of stupid and smart. Chris Parnell plays it straight as a father concerned with his financial future. It's also perfectly timed at less than 90 seconds, which makes us love it even more. Watch here. Key line: "A lot of investments companies rushed onto the internet. But Dillon-Edwards took their time." Passions run high in August 1976 as The Blue Oyster Cult records their hit song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" under the watchful eye of rock legend Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken). Also, let's save you a Google: Gene Frenkle, the percussionist played by Will Ferrell, is not a real person. This one turns up on almost every list of the best SNL sketches for a reason. Lots of reasons, actually. Key line: "I got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell." Debbie Downer (Rachel Dratch, always outstanding) proves that she can even ruin breakfast at Disney World. It's a flawlessly written sketch that only gets funnier as everyone involved understandably falls apart with laughter. At one point, host Lindsay Lohan has no choice but to flee the sketch altogether. We're not fans of people breaking on camera, but this one is the gold standard of breaking on camera. Every Debbie Downer sketch on SNL is great, but this is our favorite. It's one of the best SNL sketches and best SNL moments. Key line: "It's official: I can't have children." A brutal jab at men who marry much younger women, "Meet Your Second Wife" is a very dark, very funny sketch with a solid premise and plenty of perfect small jokes packed in throughout. The unstoppable Tina Fey and Amy Poehler anchor a basically perfect, sharp-elbowed sketch. Bobby Moynihan and Aidy Bryant especially stand out with subtle, skillfull turns. Fey and Poehler are responsible for many of the best SNL sketches and performances, but this one's our favorite. Key line: "Actually it's seven." A lovingly detailed, laughs-in-the-specifics sketch that suggests maybe isn't America isn't so racially divided, after all. Exquisitely acted by everyone — Kenan Thompson (pictured), the longest-serving SNL castmember ever, is superb. But Tom Hanks is especially surprising as a MAGA-hat wearing conspiracy theorist who comes off as a pretty good guy. This is one of those best SNL sketches where you catch sharp new insights every time you watch. Watch here. Key line: "What is: I don't think so. That's how they get ya." Saturday Night Live has done multiple sketches in which a local news anchors get caught up in a very curious detail seemingly irrelevant to the major breaking story they're covering. This is the best. Newscasters Beck Bennett and Cecily Strong – as well as reporter on the scene Kenan Thompson — are ostensibly covering a Tampa sinkhole, but also can't understand why a local shopper played by Margot Robbie is married to a regular-guy Matt Schatt (Mikey Day). One of the best SNL sketches of recent times and all time, this one is a perfectly written and acted game of change-the-subject. Key line: "So... you two are married to each other." If you enjoyed this list of the best SNL sketches, you might also like these 12 Wild Stories From Behind the Scenes of Saturday Night Live. Also: We understand these things are subjective. So again, please share your own list of the best SNL sketches in the comments. All images from NBC's Saturday Night Live. Related Headlines The 12 Strangest Movies We've Ever Seen The 12 Most Captivating Prison Movies We've Ever Seen Why We Spent Our Wedding Fund Making Our Horror Movie, Sight Unseen
News.com.au
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
The dark history behind SNL: The US TV show that launched countless careers
A launching pad for Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and Tina Fey, among many others, Saturday Night Live has a long and proud history of turning unknown comics into global superstars. Created by Lorne Michaels in 1975, SNL has also become the place for Hollywood actors and music chart-toppers to showcase their comedy chops, offer political commentary, and – in the case of Scarlett Johansson and Emma Stone – even find love. Stone met her now husband David McCary while he was a director and writer on the show and she was hosting for the third time, while Johansson – who has served seven stints as host – fell for Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost. The Jurassic World: Rebirth star told Access Hollywood that she relishes the SNL gig because the cast has come to feel like family. And Stone gushed: 'I have made so many memories here and so many friends, and I even met my husband here at SNL,' as she was hosting for the fifth time in 2023. Even stars who haven't found true love on set line up to do the show. Melissa McCarthy has been on five times, Tom Hanks 10, Steve Martin has hosted 16 times (plus giving the opening monologue at the recent 50th anniversary special SNL50), while Alec Baldwin is the reigning king of emcees with 17 appearances. And little wonder. With sketches that regularly go viral (think Ariana Grande as an off-key singing bridesmaid, Baldwin's Donald Trump impersonation, and Ryan Gosling as a man with an uncanny resemblance to the cartoon character Beavis, friend of Butt-Head), appearing on SNL is a great way to be part of the zeitgeist. And yet, in addition to being a blessing for those who take part in the weekly silliness, there is also a long-rumoured curse that hangs over the sketch show. Talk of the so-called SNL curse began with John Belushi's overdose in 1982 at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles. He was just 33. An emotional Dan Aykroyd, who worked alongside Belushi on the first seasons of SNL before making their cult movie The Blues Brothers, still thinks about his friend every day, and believes the comic would have gone on to be a successful Broadway director had he not died. 'I learned that when friends reach out to you, you better get back to them quick, because I missed a phone call from John,' he said in an interview with Dan Rather in March. 'He left a message on my answering machine and I was in a period when I didn't really want to speak to him because he was being so uncompliant with what his wife wanted and with what we wanted. So, I let a day go by without responding – and it was too late by the time I heard the message. He was gone. So, when friends reach out to you, get back to them pretty quick. That's the lesson.' Other members of the original line-up have also died in tragic circumstances. Andy Kaufman (who was portrayed by Jim Carrey in the biopic Man On The Moon) and Gilda Radner both died from aggressive forms of cancer. And Jim Henson, who made regular appearances with his puppets in the inaugural season, died in 1990 when a bad cold escalated into toxic shock syndrome. Show regular Phil Hartman, who also voiced many popular Simpsons characters, was murdered by his wife in 1998, while Black Sheep comedian Chris Farley overdosed on drugs in 1997. Sandler remains close to Farley's family. During his 2022 stand-up tour, the Happy Gilmore star performed a musical tribute to his old friend for fans. Although it's not easy, Sandler enjoys talking about his late friend. 'I love hearing the crowd go nuts for Farley. Every show I do, by far the biggest applause of the night is talking about Farley,' he told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Appearing on the SNL50, Sandler became visibly emotional while performing a tribute song about the series that launched his career, pausing to compose himself after mentioning Farley and Hartman. Not all cast members forged firm friendships during their tenure, though. Chevy Chase and Bill Murray famously came to blows just before the show went to air in 1978, as Chase was set to return as a guest host after departing SNL to make movies. He later blamed his old co-star Belushi for the infamous backstage showdown. 'Billy Murray and I came to fisticuffs, but we never really ended up hitting each other,' Chase told Esquire in a 2010 interview. 'We tried, but Belushi got in the middle and we both ended up hitting John. And if anybody deserved to be slapped in the forehead, it was John for instigating it all.' Chase and Murrary put their differences aside to make Caddy Shack together in 1980, and were both in attendance at this year's 50th anniversary celebrations. Murray even gave props to Chase's contributions to the show during his segment with Jost. The anniversary special brought back many of the show's most famous alumni from across the decades to perform sketches, along with a who's who of Hollywood stars. Meryl Streep and Woody Harrelson joined Kate McKinnon for a hilarious sketch about alien abduction; Kristen Wiig resurrected her Dooneese character alongside Kim Kardashian; and Rachel Dratch dusted off Debbie Downer for a stand-off with Robert DeNiro. For Eddie Murphy, who joined the series when he was 19 in 1980, the reunion was a happy reminder of having been part of an 'American Institution'. 'It was a trip,' Murphy told talk-show host Jennifer Hudson. 'Because everybody was real old.' Check out these movies featuring SNL alums: Daddy Day Care (2003): When Charlie (Murphy) and two pals are made redundant, they come up with the unorthodox plan to make some cash and keep their kids happy. Lost In Translation (2003): While spruiking whisky in Tokyo, an ageing Hollywood star (Murray) strikes up an unlikely friendship with a philosophy graduate (Johansson), bonding over their shared feeling of displacement. That's My Boy (2012): Sandler and Andy Samberg lead an all-star cast that includes James Caan and Susan Sarandon in this comedy about a deadbeat dad attempting to reunite with his estranged son.
