Ronnie Barker would write scripts under the pen-name Gerald Wiley and then submit them by post to the show's production team. He'd then be at the team meetings to discuss the scripts and gauge their response. They loved them and were desperate to find Mr G Wiley but never did. He kept this up until he eventually revealed himself at an awards dinner. He was a genius and was perfectly matched with Ronnie Corbett.
Gerald was created to get the scripts in the shows based on the content and not by who had written them to avoid confronatation with the production team who always wanted to put in Ronnies sketches, good or bad. Genius by Barker to do that, because it also meant he got around BBC payment caps by getting two payments :-)
@@SadPeterPan1977 I'd put The Burkiss Way, Whoops Apocalypse, Hot Metal, Jonathan Creek, Love Soup and half of Ronnie Corbett's armchair monologues into the mix too.
Ronnie Barker's writing, play on words and timing are legendary. Remarkable man, along with the lovely Ronnie Corbett. I think Gene Wilder regarded Barker as his favourite comedy writer once too.
"Who comes up with this" British humour is riddled with this level of complexity. The Two Ronnies are one of the greatest examples of British sketch comedy and they also produced some of our greatest sitcoms; but they are not alone in their genius. British humour has always been based upon the clever use of language and extremely dark themes mixed with absurd and almost childlike whimsy.
The late Ronnie Barker who wrote the scripts for ‘The Two Ronnies’ series (and many other TV sketches besides) was a master of word-play and an acknowledged comedy genius. Here he plays the Quiz host.
When you did four candles you said you were worried about going down another rabbit hole. With the Two Ronnies it's more like a Rabbit channel tunnel. There's about 30 years worth of material.
This is a sketch that should be remade every few years with new topical references. Maybe for comic relief in the UK and for some special event in the US. New comics each year and new questions and answers. It would just never get old.
@@BigyetiTechnologies I bet Ian Hislop and Paul Merton would be pretty good at it. Or, it could be a segment of Big Fat Quiz etc. But to get it going as a 'thing' for comic relief or children in need, maybe someone like David Walliams/Stephen Fry ?
I've probably said this before on one of you're reactions guys. But I'm so so glad I grew up in Britain when comedy was still funny and we got to see legends like this every week. Most definitely a golden era 😁. Keep up the great content fellas
This is what we had in the 1970s to early 2000s, and it was funny then. It's funnier watching you guys react with a fresh approach. You used the word genius, and I think that was well-chosen. :-) It's safe to say Ronnie was the driving force ;-)
I have this vivid memory of me being little, sat on the carpet and smiling when I heard "it's good night from me and it's good night from him" and i thought that these guys had the kindest faces. Its weird what you remember sometimes
This sketch was done in one take, it had to be done in one take as a single mistake would have ruined the punchlines for the live Audience. This sketch wasn’t actually written by the Two Ronnies. It was actually written by David Renwick who created the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. Just punch in Two Ronnies into youtube, plenty of their sketches have made it onto youtube
David Renwick also created the mystery show Jonathan Creek, bringing the same cleverness in this sketch to working out impossible locked room mystery plots.
TBH I'm British and I wouldn't get all the references today. Have you guys done the cross over phone conversation at the airport? That's the one I would go for, it's less reference heavy and more contextual. Nice one guys!
There are quite a few reactions to the two ronnies, but you two by far totally understand and respect the artistry and genius of the script and what they were trying to achieve. It’s great watching your reactions 😊
Mastermind is normally a serious quiz show where contestants need to know there chosen subject in ridiculous detail. This is a brilliant parody of the show. Answering the previous question and keeping a straight face is a sign of 2 wonderful comedians.
The Mastermind quiz has been running for 50 years, with a few years’ break at the turn of the century. The original producer got the idea from his experience of being interrogated by the Gestapo in WW2….
RIP Ronnie Barker. GENIUS. the godfather of UK comedy. If it wasn't for him we would have never had such great UK sit coms like porridge and open all hours
Guys, thank ou so much...T2R's were on TV when I was much younger and, although I knew they were funny, I did not appreciate just how good they were. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to enjoy them all over again...
The trick or talent is in this sketch writing is to make the answer to the previous question seem correct but also to the current question & be funny! & to continue that over 12 question is just brilliant!
Just a thank you to both of you, I love watching your reactions, it always makes me smile when I am feeling down, which may not sound a lot but when your in the dark days it’s important to smile so again thank you
Also guys you need to realize the context of this sketch. Mastermind is one of the most intense nerve racking tv quiz shows you can possibly imagine. It was a show everyone in the us knew and watched
"Who comes up with this?"...Simple, Ronnie Barker, if you got more of the British jibes etc with politicians and the like with each subsequent question, it becomes even more genius...RIP Ronnie Barker.
@@lyncohn9505 I stand slightly corrected lol, David Renwick wrote the original skit, but you have to forgive me for giving the credit to Barker given his genius with wordplay in the two ronnies.
The two Ronnies 💙💙 my Grandads favourite! They were absolute genius’s at what they did. Ronnie barker is reading the questions and Ronnie Corbet is answering them x
Ronnie Corbett had a cameo in 'Extras' with Ricky Gervais. He was so funny his comic timing was still superb. The scene when he was paired with Steve Merchant in the toilets ...it was comedy gold!
Oh brilliant - so impressed that you get it as there are a lot of English references. Yes, 2 Ronnies are the best. Two Ronnies singing as women in a choir. Two Ronnies as American Folk Singers.
Love how you love The Two Ronnies! It's nearly Shrove Tuesday! Can we have some more Shrove Football please. Try reacting to Ashbourne this time, smaller ball, longer distance, a river............
I was born in England and am old enough to remember the show Mastermind, and the format was identical in almost every way to what is seen here, that is the next level of brilliance, Ronnie Barker is parodying on a multiplicity of levels and is doing so without actually really making any joke. The entire skit is drawn straight from the very serious quiz show, the question and answer delivery is 100% serious, the humour is in the arrangement of the answer the question before last and the arrangement of the questions and answers, even accounting for the cultural remove (England in the 70's and US in the 2020's) the genius and humour is still evident.
Try Two Ronnie's at the opticians. The sketch is mainly visual and the timing perfect. Anyone who's been to have an eye test will appreciate the humour. Ronnie Barker was a genius and Ronnie Corbett a perfect partner. Mastermind was a regular quiz show that they were making fun of.
Ronnie Barker at his best... again. Still makes me smile, and you two laughing. I saw all of these the FIRST time round. (Ages me a bit...). Glad you enjoy our 'british' comedy so much.
Mastermind was a really intimidating quiz gameshow, and that was exactly the format "your specialist subject is" "I've started so I'll finish" and having to get the most facts right in a minute with an old massive TV camera in your face plus a studio audience. Ronnie Barker got the quiz master Magnus Magnusson's mannerisms exactly right.
That was done live in one take. This was something they were known for doing. Ronnie Barker wrote the sketch (the one asking the questions) Take a look into Ronnie Corbett short stories
It's crazy watching these clips back, I was born in 1970 and had 4 elder siblings so we'd watch all these shows together with our parents, only one tv in the house, I always feel like it was the golden age of family tv, the viewing figures for this show were massive and everyone was watching them at the same time, and the next day for all ages in school or work it was the first topic of conversation of the day, along with the likes of Only Fools and Horses, Rising Damp, Porridge, Fawlty Towers, Butterflies etc. It's comedy which never seems to age. Then in the early 80's what was coined as 'Alternative Comedy' came along and changed the face of UK comedy forever, a little like Punk in music, all of a sudden there were comedy shows which seemed to be just for the younger generation, my parents hated 'The Young Ones' but me and my peers couldn't get enough, would love to see you react to that show actually 'The Young Ones' was like the television equivalent of The Sex Pistols in music in the UK at the time.
And the Chas and Dave one. That was so close to the original. The irony is that the actual Chas and Dave christmas special was being broadcast on Channel 4 about the same time
This is a fantastic comic technique, and it may well have originated with the Brits, but I have seen it done successfully by US comics, too. I recall a Letterman sketch during a particular winter Olympics when the premise was a delay in transmitting the question.
That was such fun. I was about ten (mid 50s now) when this came out but I distinctly remember watching it on Saturday night, so to see you two react was surreal but lovely. Feeling quite emotional now.
I think you need to watch the M&W - (Morecambe & Wise) version next now - they, I'm sure, did the first "original" skit comedy sketch of Mastermind - and got the actual host of it, Magnus Magnussen, to be the same question master in it for them . . . But theirs was a dual contest - with little Ernie being the smart one answering - and big Eric being the stupid but sneaky 2nd contestant in theirs . . . Comedy Gold also . . . along with their sketches of the musical Singing in the Rain - which Gene Kelly himself actually loved! And Greig's Concerto with the World Famous Orchestral Conductor Andre Previn (Or Mr Preview as he then became known here in the UK) . . . Gold-Gold-Gold!!!!!! But, once again - I'll still say for you to react to Victoris Wood's 2 Soups sketch (More Comedy Gold) & maybe also try the first Acorn Antiques episode by her just to see if you do actually get her mickey take on soaps . . . Please be the 1st reactors to do this lads!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes, it's Eric Morecambe's policeman that I think of when I hear the tune :) I see him getting wetter and wetter, until he just gives in! He was a fantastic character actor in those little sketches.
The Two Ronnies was filmed in front of a live audience , they didn't use laugh tracks back in the 1970's, the guy asking the questions was 'Ronnie Barker' with the guy in the chair was 'Ronnie Corbet' his sidekick, another comic double act from that era were 'Morcom and Wise'.
Brilliant reaction as always guys 👍🏻 The Two Ronnies were comedy geniuses. There TV shows were among the best, at a time when British Comedy ruled the world. P other sketches that come to mind were the Royal Society for Word Mispronunciation sketch Sketch involving a Shopkeeper trying to understand an Arab customer. The sketch where Ronnie Barker trying to order drinks for a bunch of Friends The BlackBerry Sketch. There is many more
They recently showed some outtakes of the two Ronnie's. They had started a new series with a new set. Ronnie C jokingly said the new desk for reading the news was too high and his feet didn't touch the floor. Ronnie B instantly came back with that was strange because his belly did! Brilliant comics! They had a great long running gag in their series about the Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town. A spoof of Jack the Ripper. Very funny! Cheers guys. Love you two xx
As a Brit' I absolutely love that you enjoyed this skit, and also mentioned Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first". I figure you've randomly stumbled upon the perfect cultural comedic exchange between the US and the UK: So very similar when it comes right down to it, but we miss each other by a mile (in a wonderful way) when it comes down to delivery, pace, character, setup etc... So great. Some of Carlin's devotion to wordplay are also very similar, but taken in a different direction.
We Brits have a sense of humour which is fuelled by comedy like the Two Ronnies and Monty Python's Flying Circus[ssss]', much of which is quite cerebral. Good to see that this sketch has passed the test of time and has also reached 'across the pond' to a new generation of comedophiles.
Imagine having an Australian accent in Southern California trying to order through a crappy drive-through speaker/phone. Every time is a “Four Candles” moment. Honestly, I have to throw in some Americanisms to get through, to the embarrassment of my US wife.
Other two Ronnies that you should check out - the 'squash sketch' and the 'two people on the phone sketch' the second maybe called crossed lines. Both brilliant.
Ronnie Barker would write scripts under the pen-name Gerald Wiley and then submit them by post to the show's production team. He'd then be at the team meetings to discuss the scripts and gauge their response. They loved them and were desperate to find Mr G Wiley but never did. He kept this up until he eventually revealed himself at an awards dinner. He was a genius and was perfectly matched with Ronnie Corbett.
@@philjones45 Yes, it was David Renwick that wrote this one.
@@philjones45 I'd dispute that writing One Foot in the Grave made him "someone better" but each to their own I suppose.
Gerald was created to get the scripts in the shows based on the content and not by who had written them to avoid confronatation with the production team who always wanted to put in Ronnies sketches, good or bad. Genius by Barker to do that, because it also meant he got around BBC payment caps by getting two payments :-)
@@SadPeterPan1977 I'd put The Burkiss Way, Whoops Apocalypse, Hot Metal, Jonathan Creek, Love Soup and half of Ronnie Corbett's armchair monologues into the mix too.
He also wrote under the name Bob Ferris.
For those of us over 50s over here, we get every joke. It's genius
i'm 45 and get it don't diss us younger ones too lol
I'm 31 and even I understand, The Two Ronnies were comic legends.
Ronnie Barker's writing, play on words and timing are legendary. Remarkable man, along with the lovely Ronnie Corbett. I think Gene Wilder regarded Barker as his favourite comedy writer once too.
Ronnie Barker never wrote this sketch . It was a bloke called David Renwick
@@Jimmy_Cooper Oh, never said he did. But Ronnie was a remarkable writer, and his timing impeccable. The ‘Four Candles’ sketch alone proves it.
@@Jimmy_Cooper ROBBIE Barker ??? LOL !
@@stewedfishproductions7959 oh no typing error . Bolt the door !! Call the police!!!. He clearly doesn’t know his name 😵😵😵😵
@@Jimmy_Cooper LOL! 😃
The two Ronnies are British comedy royalty 👍 I think you'll love Two Ronnies racing duck
Lol racing duck. Not seen that for years. I know what my next youtube search is lol
Not to forget the Phantom Raspberry Blower Of Old London Town
"Who comes up with this"
British humour is riddled with this level of complexity. The Two Ronnies are one of the greatest examples of British sketch comedy and they also produced some of our greatest sitcoms; but they are not alone in their genius. British humour has always been based upon the clever use of language and extremely dark themes mixed with absurd and almost childlike whimsy.
The late Ronnie Barker who wrote the scripts for ‘The Two Ronnies’ series (and many other TV sketches besides) was a master of word-play and an acknowledged comedy genius. Here he plays the Quiz host.
When you did four candles you said you were worried about going down another rabbit hole. With the Two Ronnies it's more like a Rabbit channel tunnel. There's about 30 years worth of material.
This is a sketch that should be remade every few years with new topical references.
Maybe for comic relief in the UK and for some special event in the US.
New comics each year and new questions and answers.
It would just never get old.
Okay, but no one's good enough to write them!
That's quite a good idea, but who would do it?
@@BigyetiTechnologies I bet Ian Hislop and Paul Merton would be pretty good at it. Or, it could be a segment of Big Fat Quiz etc. But to get it going as a 'thing' for comic relief or children in need, maybe someone like David Walliams/Stephen Fry ?
I remember when I loved Have I got News... Such a shame what is going on with the Beeb... I can't even watch it now 😭😭😭.. so divisive
@@Luisaan145 Um, David Renwick, who wrote this, is still alive. He's only 70. He's still writing professionally.
The Two Ronnies were masters of word-play. So funny and so missed.
From the same era was an Irish comedian by the name of Dave Allen. If you find any of his stuff, you'll enjoy it. He also had his own show.
I've probably said this before on one of you're reactions guys. But I'm so so glad I grew up in Britain when comedy was still funny and we got to see legends like this every week. Most definitely a golden era 😁. Keep up the great content fellas
Also check out the "Round of Drinks" sketch.
This is what we had in the 1970s to early 2000s, and it was funny then. It's funnier watching you guys react with a fresh approach. You used the word genius, and I think that was well-chosen. :-) It's safe to say Ronnie was the driving force ;-)
YOU should watch the two Ronnie's the phantom raspberry blower .they have now passed away
I have this vivid memory of me being little, sat on the carpet and smiling when I heard "it's good night from me and it's good night from him" and i thought that these guys had the kindest faces. Its weird what you remember sometimes
I felt the same when I was a kid. I loved the Two Ronnies. Still do.
A great Two Ronnies sketch that always has me laughing is the "Swedish made simple" , would love to see your reaction to that!
F U N E M ?... Another classic.
Just had same thought
FUNEX? Love that sketch!
How about ‘The Worm That Turned’ with Diana Dors as a guest star?
The phantom raspberry blower was class as well!
Two ronnies -swear box and two ronnies - round of drinks are my favourites
This sketch was done in one take, it had to be done in one take as a single mistake would have ruined the punchlines for the live Audience. This sketch wasn’t actually written by the Two Ronnies. It was actually written by David Renwick who created the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. Just punch in Two Ronnies into youtube, plenty of their sketches have made it onto youtube
David Renwick also created the mystery show Jonathan Creek, bringing the same cleverness in this sketch to working out impossible locked room mystery plots.
This was so clever in its day and works still in 2022. Cheers for this.
TBH I'm British and I wouldn't get all the references today. Have you guys done the cross over phone conversation at the airport? That's the one I would go for, it's less reference heavy and more contextual. Nice one guys!
Us old uns get them!
Some of us are old enough to get all the references. I miss them.
There are quite a few reactions to the two ronnies, but you two by far totally understand and respect the artistry and genius of the script and what they were trying to achieve. It’s great watching your reactions 😊
I grew up watching these two brilliant minds, I'm 59 now and still love them to this day.
This right here is my childhood. Thank you so much lads for reminding me about the Two Ronnies. Still utterly brilliant.
The two greatest wordsmiths in comedy history
English comedy is GOLD. There is soo many of them😂
Ronnie Barker absolute genius , you should react to his comedy series "Porridge"
And it started at my local train station, great comedy
It's a trite frase but Ronnie Baker was a COMEDY GENIUS.
Mastermind is normally a serious quiz show where contestants need to know there chosen subject in ridiculous detail. This is a brilliant parody of the show. Answering the previous question and keeping a straight face is a sign of 2 wonderful comedians.
The Two Ronnies were absolute comedy geniuses. Used to love watching the re-runs as a kid, love them even more now as an adult.
Morecambe and Wise did a Mastermind skit. A bit more cheeky in it's delivery, another legendary comedy duo.
Hasn't got a patch on the Two Ronnies one though.
Two Ronnies, comedy gold, masters of play on words, try Swear Box, Round of drinks, cross lines and 4 candles.
Morecambe (Eric) and Wise (Ernie) were an amazing double act too! 💙💙
The Mastermind quiz has been running for 50 years, with a few years’ break at the turn of the century. The original producer got the idea from his experience of being interrogated by the Gestapo in WW2….
Don't you mean the Gazpacho? :D
@@dannyboyy31 I still have red welts from the facepalm I did when that moron said that... 🤣
Ronnie Barker was an absolute comedy genius. Check out "Porridge ", sit com set in prison.
RIP Ronnie Barker. GENIUS. the godfather of UK comedy. If it wasn't for him we would have never had such great UK sit coms like porridge and open all hours
This is probably the 2nd greatest sketch of all time after "Four Candles"
Mastermind is a real quiz show on British TV since 1972
They were brilliant….absolute genius!
Guys, thank ou so much...T2R's were on TV when I was much younger and, although I knew they were funny, I did not appreciate just how good they were. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to enjoy them all over again...
The trick or talent is in this sketch writing is to make the answer to the previous question seem correct but also to the current question & be funny! & to continue that over 12 question is just brilliant!
You appreciated the genius of the sketch without knowing many of the references. Mastermind is a long running quiz here.
Just a thank you to both of you, I love watching your reactions, it always makes me smile when I am feeling down, which may not sound a lot but when your in the dark days it’s important to smile so again thank you
Also guys you need to realize the context of this sketch.
Mastermind is one of the most intense nerve racking tv quiz shows you can possibly imagine. It was a show everyone in the us knew and watched
"Who comes up with this?"...Simple, Ronnie Barker, if you got more of the British jibes etc with politicians and the like with each subsequent question, it becomes even more genius...RIP Ronnie Barker.
Barker never wrote this sketch
@@lyncohn9505 I stand slightly corrected lol, David Renwick wrote the original skit, but you have to forgive me for giving the credit to Barker given his genius with wordplay in the two ronnies.
Comic genius from a past era, never to be repeated. Glad I lived through it.
The Two Ronnies.....Round of drinks sketch. Bloody hilarious! 😊👍
The two Ronnies 💙💙 my Grandads favourite! They were absolute genius’s at what they did. Ronnie barker is reading the questions and Ronnie Corbet is answering them x
Ronnie Corbett had a cameo in 'Extras' with Ricky Gervais. He was so funny his comic timing was still superb. The scene when he was paired with Steve Merchant in the toilets ...it was comedy gold!
I saw Ronnie Corbett in a London street in the 1980s. He was tiny , dapper and carrying a suit from the dry cleaners.
Q14: A _Piss Artist_ is British slang for someone who's often drunk, or lives a kind of pointless existence through messing about their whole life.
This is why I love and have always loved UK comedians. Truly some of the most intelligent, funny, self deprecating, pointed, dry humour ever lol
Oh brilliant - so impressed that you get it as there are a lot of English references. Yes, 2 Ronnies are the best. Two Ronnies singing as women in a choir. Two Ronnies as American Folk Singers.
Love how you love The Two Ronnies! It's nearly Shrove Tuesday! Can we have some more Shrove Football please. Try reacting to Ashbourne this time, smaller ball, longer distance, a river............
I was born in England and am old enough to remember the show Mastermind, and the format was identical in almost every way to what is seen here, that is the next level of brilliance, Ronnie Barker is parodying on a multiplicity of levels and is doing so without actually really making any joke. The entire skit is drawn straight from the very serious quiz show, the question and answer delivery is 100% serious, the humour is in the arrangement of the answer the question before last and the arrangement of the questions and answers, even accounting for the cultural remove (England in the 70's and US in the 2020's) the genius and humour is still evident.
the guy asking the questions is ronnie barker who wrote most of the sketches. an absolute comedy genius.
It’s brings me joy to see more people discover the comic genius of the Ronnie’s Barker and Corbett👍🏻
Try Two Ronnie's at the opticians. The sketch is mainly visual and the timing perfect. Anyone who's been to have an eye test will appreciate the humour. Ronnie Barker was a genius and Ronnie Corbett a perfect partner. Mastermind was a regular quiz show that they were making fun of.
Well done Fellas ! , even with all the predominately english references /answers to the questions I was more confused than you guy's ! YNWA !
Look up Two Ronnies “Tickle Your Botty with a Feather Tonight”. Standard Two Ronnies expert writing.
The whole sketch is genius but you have to be British and over fifty to understand all the jokes but you two tried and I hope you enjoyed it.
British and over forty five I would have said.
Ronnie Barker at his best... again. Still makes me smile, and you two laughing. I saw all of these the FIRST time round. (Ages me a bit...). Glad you enjoy our 'british' comedy so much.
Ronnie Corbett at his best you mean; Ronnie B has it easy in this one. David Renwick wrote it.
My fav comedy duo of all time .
Great reaction guys
There's probably a lot of Britishisms that went over your head otherwise you would have been laughing out loud 🤣
Mastermind was a really intimidating quiz gameshow, and that was exactly the format "your specialist subject is" "I've started so I'll finish" and having to get the most facts right in a minute with an old massive TV camera in your face plus a studio audience. Ronnie Barker got the quiz master Magnus Magnusson's mannerisms exactly right.
Genius
I highly recommend The Sweet Shop, Crossed Wires and Round of Drinks. Those are definitely my next favourite 3.
That was done live in one take. This was something they were known for doing.
Ronnie Barker wrote the sketch (the one asking the questions) Take a look into Ronnie Corbett short stories
No he didn't. It was written by David Renwick.
Ronnie Barker is a unsung hero. His wordplay is second to none.. I doubt there will be another like him...
you get the premise which is great. this was topical 40 years ago though, most british people now would not really get most of the jokes.
Can’t beat The Two Ronnies. Loved them since I was a kid (a very long time ago)!
It's crazy watching these clips back, I was born in 1970 and had 4 elder siblings so we'd watch all these shows together with our parents, only one tv in the house, I always feel like it was the golden age of family tv, the viewing figures for this show were massive and everyone was watching them at the same time, and the next day for all ages in school or work it was the first topic of conversation of the day, along with the likes of Only Fools and Horses, Rising Damp, Porridge, Fawlty Towers, Butterflies etc. It's comedy which never seems to age. Then in the early 80's what was coined as 'Alternative Comedy' came along and changed the face of UK comedy forever, a little like Punk in music, all of a sudden there were comedy shows which seemed to be just for the younger generation, my parents hated 'The Young Ones' but me and my peers couldn't get enough, would love to see you react to that show actually 'The Young Ones' was like the television equivalent of The Sex Pistols in music in the UK at the time.
Ronnie Barker was extraordinary clever and brilliant. The Two Ronnie's does stand up. The pastiche of Dolly Parton is fantastic
And the Chas and Dave one. That was so close to the original. The irony is that the actual Chas and Dave christmas special was being broadcast on Channel 4 about the same time
It was written by Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie barker. They were both comical and linguistic geniuses. So talented it’s a shame they are no longer.
Well said guys, perfectly summed up 🎯
Absolute gold. My favourite childhood program.
This is a belter! Love it :D
This is a fantastic comic technique, and it may well have originated with the Brits, but I have seen it done successfully by US comics, too. I recall a Letterman sketch during a particular winter Olympics when the premise was a delay in transmitting the question.
This was early 1980’s possibly before letterman’s
That was such fun. I was about ten (mid 50s now) when this came out but I distinctly remember watching it on Saturday night, so to see you two react was surreal but lovely. Feeling quite emotional now.
I think you need to watch the M&W - (Morecambe & Wise) version next now - they, I'm sure, did the first "original" skit comedy sketch of Mastermind - and got the actual host of it, Magnus Magnussen, to be the same question master in it for them . . . But theirs was a dual contest - with little Ernie being the smart one answering - and big Eric being the stupid but sneaky 2nd contestant in theirs . . . Comedy Gold also . . . along with their sketches of the musical Singing in the Rain - which Gene Kelly himself actually loved! And Greig's Concerto with the World Famous Orchestral Conductor Andre Previn (Or Mr Preview as he then became known here in the UK) . . . Gold-Gold-Gold!!!!!!
But, once again - I'll still say for you to react to Victoris Wood's 2 Soups sketch (More Comedy Gold) & maybe also try the first Acorn Antiques episode by her just to see if you do actually get her mickey take on soaps . . . Please be the 1st reactors to do this lads!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes, it's Eric Morecambe's policeman that I think of when I hear the tune :) I see him getting wetter and wetter, until he just gives in! He was a fantastic character actor in those little sketches.
The Two Ronnies was filmed in front of a live audience , they didn't use laugh tracks back in the 1970's, the guy asking the questions was 'Ronnie Barker' with the guy in the chair was 'Ronnie Corbet' his sidekick, another comic double act from that era were 'Morcom and Wise'.
Morecambe
another wonderful reaction to another couple of our British born geniuses. Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett were in a league of very few.
I love this clip. One of the greatest comedy sketches I've ever seen. It never grows old.
It's life affirming.
You guys need to do a few of Ronnie Corbett's stories from the big chair. They were both brilliant in their own ways, such a good double act.
Ronnie Barker was a superb wordsmith, absolute genius.
He was, no doubt. But this was written by David Renwick, who wrote One Foot in the Grave for example.
Comedy genius. Love the Two Ronnie's
One of the items on the show was usually a musical number and they were all hilarious. The two Ronnies were masters of their craft. for sure.
This is my favourite episode. Saw it growing up, but funnier as an adult. English humour, love it. One reason I'm glad I'm English.
They did a great sketch where Ronnie B ordered drinks for a large group of people at a bar and as he became drunker his order got more muddled.
So glad you done this, its my favourite.
love the channel guys. keep it up
Ronnie barker was a genius with word play and corbert was a brilliant foil .
They were genius for sure, two brilliant comic minds
Brilliant reaction as always guys 👍🏻
The Two Ronnies were comedy geniuses. There TV shows were among the best, at a time when British Comedy ruled the world.
P other sketches that come to mind were
the Royal Society for Word Mispronunciation sketch
Sketch involving a Shopkeeper trying to understand an Arab customer.
The sketch where Ronnie Barker trying to order drinks for a bunch of Friends
The BlackBerry Sketch.
There is many more
Oh yes the blackberry and the apple! Didn't they also do Charley Farley?
3:25 Correct, this is more than just funny, it's genius. Whoever thought this out, I tip my hat to you.
They recently showed some outtakes of the two Ronnie's. They had started a new series with a new set. Ronnie C jokingly said the new desk for reading the news was too high and his feet didn't touch the floor. Ronnie B instantly came back with that was strange because his belly did! Brilliant comics! They had a great long running gag in their series about the Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town. A spoof of Jack the Ripper. Very funny! Cheers guys. Love you two xx
As a Brit' I absolutely love that you enjoyed this skit, and also mentioned Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first". I figure you've randomly stumbled upon the perfect cultural comedic exchange between the US and the UK: So very similar when it comes right down to it, but we miss each other by a mile (in a wonderful way) when it comes down to delivery, pace, character, setup etc... So great. Some of Carlin's devotion to wordplay are also very similar, but taken in a different direction.
Still remember this episode first time round as a kid 😊
i can't wait for you guys to watch "little Britain"
We Brits have a sense of humour which is fuelled by comedy like the Two Ronnies and Monty Python's Flying Circus[ssss]', much of which is quite cerebral.
Good to see that this sketch has passed the test of time and has also reached 'across the pond' to a new generation of comedophiles.
This sketch once held the World Record for the most punchlines in one minute. It was genius.
Imagine having an Australian accent in Southern California trying to order through a crappy drive-through speaker/phone. Every time is a “Four Candles” moment. Honestly, I have to throw in some Americanisms to get through, to the embarrassment of my US wife.
Other two Ronnies that you should check out - the 'squash sketch' and the 'two people on the phone sketch' the second maybe called crossed lines. Both brilliant.