# 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:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Neverending\_Elbow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e274bd/32.png) [@Neverending\_Elbow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverending_Elbow)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/41 "2013-12-22T20:23:38Z")
Ooh, are we posting favourite sketches now? So difficult to choose, but this one made me laugh so hard the first time I watched it: [Inviting the Scooby Gang](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6RnbhUMa8A) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/42 "2013-12-23T02:26:28Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [Here is the final sketch from the Mitchell and Webb look,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp02ubGuTIU) Started watching it but **dropmom** ’s starting to…well…I didn’t finish it. ☹ Brilliantly done, though, what I saw. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/43 "2013-12-23T03:45:01Z")
[Homeopathic ER](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0) But the radio version of the show was funnier. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/44 "2013-12-23T05:07:07Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > [Homeopathic ER](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0) > > But the radio version of the show was funnier. Ummm that’s not sad. Wrong thread? ---
**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 23, 2013, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/45 "2013-12-23T10:03:36Z")
[QUOTE=Smeghead] But the radio version of the show was funnier. [/QUOTE] You do know that they still do their [radio show](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007lqrh)? And yes, it is funnier. Angel Summoner & BMX Bandit not withstanding. ---
**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 23, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/46 "2013-12-23T13:10:23Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > So after having spent a whole episode mocking other shows who did it, and did it in facile fashion to boot (like _Black Adder_) they did it themselves partly to show them how it’s done _right_ ; and partly out of ironic, self-aware self-deprecation which is a big part of Mitchell & Webb’s repertoire. > IOW, the piss taking of the “serious” bit takes place at a more meta- level rather than within the sketch itself. > > And in that way, the ending becomes funny \*because \*it’s tragic and gut wrenching and no laughing matter at all - the people who’ve seen the previous bits expect them to drop a punchline or blow a raspberry that never comes. Instead you get punched straight in the gut. Ha ha ! I still haven’t seen the part where they rip on Blackadder, but the more I think about it, the more I think that the tragic dementia scene would actually be funny when seen in context with that whole Blackadder critique prefacing it. Kind of a “OMG, now THEY’RE doing the same damn thing!” feeling, and realizing they’re doing it to be funny. I get it. Re: the “sudden genre shift” phenomenon, it occurred to me that the entire Scrubs series was built around it; every episode had at least one unflinchingly dramatic scene, usually after 15-20 minutes of unrelenting surreallist comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455/47 "2013-12-23T14:32:51Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Ummm that’s not sad. Wrong thread? See post 41 > [@Small\_Clanger](#): > > You do know that they still do their [radio show](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007lqrh)? And yes, it is funnier. Angel Summoner & BMX Bandit not withstanding. Yeah, I haven’t gotten to the latest series yet, but I’m excited to listen to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-the-saddest-comedy-sketch-ive-ever-seen/676455.md?page=2)