A woman goes into the Ladies, she opens the door to one of the cubicles and sees a woman on her knees with her head over the toilet.
As the woman on the floor looks up we see it is Gillian mcKeith.
WOMAN: are you ok?
GILLIAN: I'm fine thank you.
WOMAN: are you ill? Have you been sick?
GILLIAN: No. I'm fine. I'm just going through the motions.
I think billy connolly did a "going through the motions" joke in 1978.
I'm not sure how you'd make it obvious it was McKeith unless you actually convinced her to play the part. I think this might be part of a bigger sketch. One where you make it obvious that she is eating poo.
Nice gag, bet NR would like it.
It's appears to be a recurring theme on the Critique board, that if a sketch reminds you of something very, very, similar, then the current sketch under review is deemed somehow lacking, and the 'it's already been done' label is applied to it.
But pause for a moment and consider: There is NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.
I don't need to read the brand new James Bond novel to know I've come across the plot countless times before. In fact Polti asserts there are only 36 'dramatic situations' anyway. Others contend there are only 7 plots. While yet other 'experts' insist everything can be boiled down to 3 plots.
And to be honest,(and why not?) how often have you swallowed the hype and paid to see the latest 'must-see' film, only to realise it's a standard, boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-wins-back-girl film? If it's told in an engaging way, you'll suspend disbelief and buy into it.
'They' said film musicals were dead because it had all been done - yet Grease came out to massive box-office success.
'They' said the western was dead because it had been done - yet Dances with Wolves swept the board at the Oscars.
Need I go on?
I found the sketch okay, just a quiet little smiley from me in response to the irony implicit in the sketch.
You can't come up with a brand new plot - they've all been done - you have no option but to use plots everyone's seen before - but it's the surprises along the way, and the way you tell it that matters. Being original is just about the hardest thing in the world to do I should imagine.
Yes, you may have seen the sketch structure before but IT'S HOW YOU TELL 'EM today that matters. That's the tough part, originality pah! It's all in how you tell 'em! And the above sketch nicely comments on the hectoring do-gooder Gillian McKeith which the same sketch from yesteryear can't. (In the past she used to prefix her name with the title 'Doctor', to which she was not entitled).
And as it seems to be an issue with some, all the woman in the first line has to say is: "Gillian McKeith is that you? Are you alright?"
The audience, now knows who it's supposed to be with their head down and is quite prepared to suspend disbelief if wig etc., are applied - otherwise there'd be no Bush/Blair/Brown sketches would there?
It's good to know if a skit has been done before, certainly i'm grateful. As more often than not said skit can be easily saved, by a chnage in direction, or an additional surprise twist punchline.
Sometimes a skit is just so distinctive, that it's case of bad luck some one beat you to the punch. As with my corgi shop skit. Often a good skit can offer up a lovely test bed for future variants (just writing this makes think of a new angle on the Class skit).
The critique section I'm afriad is like sticking your hand in a darkened kennel. Some times your hand is licked, sometimes it's bitten, and some times it's covered in shit.
The question is what you do with said experience. Personally I've sold skits, and laughed all the way to the bank, after the forum slated them.
But certainly a degree of courage is needed to stick stuff up, or alternately pretty thick skin.
I have not heard it before. Twas a good gag either way.
Quote: Charley @ May 30 2008, 6:37 PM BSTI have not heard it before. Twas a good gag either way.
Charley makes my point, but more succinctly. You 'professionals' may have heard it before, but there's plenty in the audience who may not have. It's hard to be original.
One thing this forum can do is make one write for fellow comedy geeks, that is a bad thing.
Not every one gets skits about Sartre meets Monty Python.
Good thing most of mine are about GWB, poo, and Micheal Elphick.
Quote: sootyj @ May 30 2008, 6:42 PM BSTOne thing this forum can do is make one write for fellow comedy geeks, that is a bad thing.
That is so true.
Quote: Griff @ May 30 2008, 7:36 PM BSTI have now returned from my walk. Walks are marvellous.
Sorry Danny. My post was un-necessarily grumpy, it's been a hard day.
I have removed it.
Nooo - you've deleted your whole post. There was a fair point being made within it. I was only referring to the self-deprecating sign-off. I was still editing my post and was deleting a sentence that could be taken as a bit too 'cutting'. When I came out of editing - too late, you were already posting in response.
Anyway, my turn to go walkabouts to the corner shop.