# Probably the saddest comedy sketch I've ever seen. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2013, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455 "2013-12-16T11:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/1 "2013-12-16T11:44:48Z")
[Here is the final sketch from the Mitchell and Webb look,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU) Do not watch if you don’t want to burst into tears. A Chinaman costume is worn, but it is tastefully done. :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(☹ ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/2 "2013-12-16T13:39:24Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > A Chinaman costume is worn, but it is tastefully done. Perhaps you meant “tastily” done? That was touching. Two others: -[the final moments of the last episode of Black Adder,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH3-Gt7mgyM) in which a WW1 suicidal charge into no-man’s land is finally understood to be unavoidable. -Rowley Birkin, QC, featured on [the fast show](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowley_Birkin#Major_characters): (relevant sketch is [url=]here) > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Rowley Birkin QC, a retired barrister, tells mostly unintelligible stories at the fireside. Occasionally, his speech becomes coherent for a short while, containing strange phrases such as “The whole thing was made completely out of matchsticks” or “Snake! Snake!” Almost always ends his stories with a sly “I’m afraid I was very, very drunk”. In the final episode of series 2, his rambling anecdote appeared to involve a woman for whom he had great affection and ended with a close-up of faint tears on his cheeks, while the usual “very drunk” line was delivered in an unexpectedly moving, sorrowful voice. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/3 "2013-12-16T15:41:35Z")
Just to add to the catalogue, a few other comedies I’ve found almost unbearably sad: _After Hours_ _Idiocracy_ _Barton Fink_ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/4 "2013-12-16T18:31:07Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Perhaps you meant "tastily " What’s wrong with “tastefully”? That’s how I usually hear it as an adverb. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/5 "2013-12-16T19:12:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > What’s wrong with “tastefully”? That’s how I usually hear it as an adverb. It was a joke referring to the video, not an actual correction of grammar. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/6 "2013-12-16T19:14:13Z")
If Onion videos count as sketches, there’s the one about the gay nine year-old cherishing his lunch breaks because he can spend 30 minutes alone eating lunch in stairwell and get a respite from the constant bullying of the rest of his day. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/7 "2013-12-16T19:15:52Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Perhaps you meant “tastily” done? > > That was touching. > > Two others: > > -[the final moments of the last episode of Black Adder,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH3-Gt7mgyM) in which a WW1 suicidal charge into no-man’s land is finally understood to be unavoidable. If you watch the whole _Mitchell & Webb_ episode, the final sketch is a piss-take of the _Black Adder_ finale, which they ripped to shreds earlier as maudlin nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/8 "2013-12-16T19:53:18Z")
Ah, damn. It got me. Incidentally, you might be interested to know that Ian McKellen will be playing “Old Holmes” in _[A Slight Trick of the Mind](http://www.buzzfeed.com/jordanzakarin/ian-mckellen-sherlock-holmes-in-a-new-movie-is-the)_. I expect there will be a bit of this in that. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/9 "2013-12-16T19:57:15Z")
The “I Remember You” episode of _Adventure Time_. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/10 "2013-12-16T20:00:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > What’s wrong with “tastefully”? That’s how I usually hear it as an adverb. **pancakes3** has it: the costume involved the application of food. Sorry, I should have put a smiley in there. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/11 "2013-12-16T20:01:14Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > **pancakes3** has it: the costume involved the application of food. Sorry, I should have put a smiley in there. Ah ha. Missed that. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/12 "2013-12-16T20:22:16Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > (relevant sketch is [url=]here) Malformed link. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/13 "2013-12-17T10:23:40Z")
I think this one qualifies. Victoria Wood [swims the channel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2poRHmFvLI). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/14 "2013-12-17T14:40:52Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Malformed link. what, you mean “here” doesn’t take you where I wanted you to go? 😃 [this should work better.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlQ9KLrC4Us) ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/15 "2013-12-17T15:08:18Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Just to add to the catalogue, a few other comedies I’ve found almost unbearably sad: > > _After Hours_ > _Idiocracy_ > _Barton Fink_ Barton Fink is a comedy? Can’t see it myself… ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/16 "2013-12-17T16:52:53Z")
I can’t find the classic Steve Martin and Gilda Radner fantasy dance number, but that, and the film of John Belushi as an old man looking at the graves of his SNL cast mates are my two additions to the list. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/17 "2013-12-17T17:54:28Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The “I Remember You” episode of _Adventure Time_. While it wasn’t quite as deep, the “Simon and Marcy” episode was a bit of a tear-jerker too. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/18 "2013-12-17T19:18:02Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I can’t find the classic Steve Martin and Gilda Radner fantasy dance number, but that, and the film of John Belushi as an old man looking at the graves of his SNL cast mates are my two additions to the list. When Rodney Dangerfield died, they had a nice skit where Horatio Sands played Rodney approaching the Pearly Gates. St. Peter tells him to get in he’ll have to answer a few questions, and proceeds to feed him a bunch of set-ups for his jokes. > [@](#): > > St. Peter: Were you married? > > Rodney Dangerfield: Yeah, but I haven’t spoken to my wife in years - I didn’t want to interrupt her! That kind of thing. At the end > [@](#): > > So, whattaya say, St. Peter, do I get in or what? > > St. Peter: Of course, you do. > > Rodney Dangerfield: Then, what’s with all the questions? > > St. Peter: [solemnly] I just wanted to hear those jokes one more time. > > Rodney Dangerfield: Finally! A little respect! > > St. Peter: Come on in. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/19 "2013-12-17T21:48:53Z")
Benny Hill once did a silent skit about a bum sleeping on a park bench. He dances with a young lady who is really part of a wine ad on a poster; she holds a long-stemmed rose. Then the bum wakes up and is rudely hustled away by a cop. Closeup of a real rose on the bench. This always made me cry bitterly because I never succeeded socially. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/20 "2013-12-17T23:46:02Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Just to add to the catalogue, a few other comedies I’ve found almost unbearably sad: > > _After Hours_ > _Idiocracy_ > _Barton Fink_ Why did you find _Idiocracy_’s ending sad? And did you watch the movie all the way to the end? (There’s a very cool bonus scene after the credits…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455.md?page=2)