British Comedy Guide

The 4 Northerners

4 Little old Northern ladies sitting in a Tesco café

Lady 1
Women today they think they have it hard as wives. (Tuts)
In my day it was "Thou must obey" If my husband said jump I would knock myself out on the ceiling.
I used to have too scrub the floors with a wooden brush, look after the 12 kids & have his home cooked dinner on the table at the correct temperature, the minute he walked in the door or he would scream the house down.

Lady 2
You call that hard. You lucky bitch. I had to clean my house whilst in labour, which by the way took 45 days, Cook a 3 course dinner every night & if the sheets weren't ironed to his high standard he would punch my face clean in, with that very iron whilst kicking me repeatedly in the fanny with his shiny work boots.

Lady 3
Luxury marriage that.
I used to have to look after all my kids before they were even born & knit clothes for the whole family. We didn't have knitting needles, oh no, My husband was to tight to purchase them. I had to use my fingers & barb wire for wool. I worked a 68 hour day toiling in that house & if I dared be too tired for sex my husband would flip me about like a rag doll & force himself on me repeatedly. Sometimes up to 3 times a minute whilst wrapping my head in that very barb wire & screaming at me to "take it slut"

Lady 4
Pfffffff Doddle that was.
I used to slave away 104 hours a day using my tongue as a duster & my toenails as a scrubbing brush. I had to look after my kids all by myself before they were even conceived. I had to make all our clothes out of my very own sweat.
My husband was so tight we used to have to set fire to ourselves to keep warm. I had to cook a 10 course ala carte menu 6 times a day & if I dared give him the same meal twice in a century he would murder me to death whilst doing me up the wrong un & shouting "You love it you whore" until my ear drum burst & I died from a bleed in the brain.

It's good stuff but no punchline, where's the punchline?

Loved it. Better than, ahem, the original.

PUNCH:

Still, could have been worse. Could have married Gazza.

Not for me me I'm affraid. Some of the dialogue was very similar, i.e. raping them and calling them names, working long hours, etc. Also try cutting it down to just 3 women instead of 4.

A fun parody of the Python original. Which is evidently not as universally known as might have been thought.

Does need a punchline though. You could possibly just use the original, suitably modified.

Was it Python or the At Last the 1848 Show that did it originally?

Quote: Ladma @ September 6 2008, 1:39 PM BST

Was it Python or the At Last the 1848 Show that did it originally?

You're right, it was At Last The 1948 show did the original.

I would have thought the Four Yorkshiremen Sketch was probably up there with the ministry of silly walks and the parrot sketch as the most famous python sketch.

The People's Republic of Yorkshire is Coming soon!

Quote: Electric Cornflakes @ September 6 2008, 2:36 PM BST

The People's Republic of Yorkshire is Coming soon!

Annexed by the Chinese Communist Party, was it? Errr

Quite fun, but a parody like this might need a bigger twist at the end; otherwise it just smacks of a feminist re-write. :P

I'd hardly call Charley a feminist. And was there a punchline in the original?

"And you tell the kids today and they won't believe you!"
Can still be added.

Quote: David Chapman @ September 6 2008, 4:07 PM BST

I'd hardly call Charley a feminist.

Only tugging the toga. :D

Very well written, good dialogue.

For those who may not be familiar with it, here's a transcript of the Monty Python 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch:

http://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/jokes/monty-python-four-yorkshiremen.html

Thanks Morrace, you're always useful for finding a reference (before you think I'm calling you a harbinger again, this is meant as a compliment, as I wasn't familiar with this sketch).

I like the way you've written your conversation, to escalate the violence to far-fetched levels.

Possibly could do with a finishing line where they all agree about something Maybe a twist e.g. someone really bad walks in and they say "well we didn't have it THAT bad I guess"

Quote: Rob0 @ September 6 2008, 11:09 PM BST

Thanks Morrace, you're always useful for finding a reference (before you think I'm calling you a harbinger again, this is meant as a compliment, as I wasn't familiar with this sketch).

I assure you, Rob, I did it for reference only. As Timbo said, the Python sketch is 'evidently not as universally known as might have been thought.' That's why I posted it.

I think Charley has a great talent for dialogue and the sketch is extremely funny.

I didn't read it - but I think it is f**king brilliant.

Share this page