British Comedy Guide

Isaac Newton Sketch Page 2

Loved the ending, very good sketch.

Excellent Ben - I haven't seen any of your sketches yet. Cracking

Issac Newton is also my hero - so is the lady who fell on Issac's head - Granny Smith.

At one stage or another, everyone is faced with the issue of Isaac Newton and Granny Smith. Given that their influences pervade our society, there are just not enough comedy sketches or sitcoms written about them. It is unfortunate that Isaac and Granny are rarely given rational consideration by comedy writers on this site.

Thank you Ben for a very entertaining sketch. In order to understand ourselves, we must first understand Ben. There are many factors which influence Ben's writing. While it has been acknowledged that he has an important part to play in the development of comedy, his influence on BCG has not been given proper recognition.

Thanks Rick and Joseff.

I've marked it 10 out of 10.

A kind of Ben 10, if you will.

Word, Don!

Quote: don rushmore @ July 17 2009, 9:36 PM BST

I've marked it 10 out of 10.

A kind of Ben 10, if you will.

Oh no! But this would mean I'm also Bens dead wood comedy partner . . . :( ;)

Like I told you before Ben, it's a great sketch, good stuff.

Yep. As everyone else has already said, great.

Quote: Joseff @ July 17 2009, 8:58 PM BST

Issac Newton is also my hero

Mine too.

I love the mental image of him chasing people with a giant apple. Brilliant.

I can easily imagine Robert Webb as Newton and David Mitchell as an evil monk.

I liked this one too. Nice edit and all the better for it.

Dan

It's a shame the original wasn't factually correct because it was really well written and had a pro feel to it (from my pitifully small amount of knowledge of such things), but I wasn't as keen on the re-write. I might have changed the original a bit towards the end but it definitely 'worked'. Nice sketch.

Apologies for hijacking your thread Ben, but thought I'd paste up my own Isaac Newton sketch, written a few years back...

EXT. PARK. DAY

17TH CENTURY ENGLAND. A SUNNY DAY. SIR ISAAC NEWTON, CARRYING A BOOK, WALKS TOWARDS A LONE APPLE TREE. (BAROQUE MUSIC ACCOMPANIES THE PIECE.)

CAPTION: "WOOLSTHORPE, LINCOLNSHIRE - 1666"

(REPLACED BY) CAPTION: "MONDAY"

SIR ISAAC ENCOUNTERS ANOTHER SCHOLAR AS HE WALKS.

SCHOLAR: Good morning, Sir Isaac.

SIR ISAAC NEWTON: And a very fine morning it is too, Mister Strempe.

CUT TO SIR ISAAC SETTLING HIMSELF DOWN UNDER THE TREE. HE OPENS HIS BOOK AND BEGINS TO READ. SUDDENLY, AN APPLE FALLS ON HIS HEAD. SIR ISAAC INITIALLY REACTS WITH PAIN, BUT THEN LOOKS AT THE APPLE QUIZZICALLY. AFTER A MOMENT'S DELIBERATION, HE SHAKES HIS HEAD AND CONTINUES READING.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN.

THE SAME SCENE, THE FOLLOWING DAY, CAPTION: "TUESDAY".

SIR ISAAC AGAIN WALKS OVER AND SITS DOWN UNDER THE TREE. HE BEGINS TO READ. AGAIN, AN APPLE SUDDENLY FALLS ON HIS HEAD. HE IS AGAIN INITIALLY INJURED. THIS TIME THE APPLE HITS HIM ON THE FOREHEAD.

AFTER RECOVERING, HE AGAIN STARES WITH CURIOSITY AT THE APPLE. THEN HE SUDDENLY LOOKS AS THOUGH HE HAS HAD AN IDEA, OPENING HIS MOUTH AND RAISING HIS FINGER. THE THOUGHT, HOWEVER, ELUDES HIM. HE SHAKES HIS HEAD DISMISSIVELY.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN.

AGAIN THE SAME SET-UP. CAPTION: "WEDNESDAY".

SIR ISAAC SITS DOWN UNDER THE TREE. HE HAS A SMALL DRESSING ON HIS FOREHEAD AS A RESULT OF THE PREVIOUS DAY. HE LOOKS UP AT THE TREE, WARILY, BEFORE OPENING HIS BOOK AND RELAXING.

AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, A (LARGER THAN BEFORE) APPLE FALLS ON HIS HEAD, KNOCKING HIM OVER. HE SITS UP AGAIN, RUBBING HIS HEAD, BEFORE A TORRENT OF APPLES RAINS DOWN ON HIM, KNOCKING HIM UNCONSCIOUS.

AS HE COMES ROUND HE SITS UP, SHAKING HIS HEAD TO RECOVER HIS SENSES.

WE SEE THAT HE SUDDENLY HAS AN IDEA! HE THROWS HIS BOOK AWAY, PICKS UP AN APPLE, KISSES IT AND RUNS OFF EXCITEDLY.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN.

THE SAME SCENE. CAPTION: "THURSDAY".

SIR ISAAC STRIDES UP TO THE TREE. (THIS TIME WE SEE ONLY A HEAD AND SHOULDERS SHOT OF HIM.)

FADE TO BLACK.

WE HEAR THE SOUND OF A COUPLE OF SWINGS OF AN AXE, THEN THE CREAKING SOUND OF A TREE FALLING OVER.

FADE UP.

WE SEE THE TREE HAS BEEN CHOPPED DOWN. SIR ISAAC CONTENTEDLY OPENS HIS BOOK WHILST MUNCHING ON AN APPLE.

WE SEE THE BOOK HE IS STUDYING IS A COLLECTION OF PORNOGRAPHIC LINE DRAWINGS. HE MAKES SOME APPROPRIATELY DIRTY SOUNDS OF APPRECIATION.

THE END

(Mine is also historically inaccurate, because Newton was not knighted until well after he had discovered gravity...)

Perhaps he didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

Quote: Tim Walker @ March 20 2010, 10:18 AM GMT

Apologies for hijacking your thread Ben, but thought I'd paste up my own Isaac Newton sketch, written a few years back...

Funnily enough, Tim, back in June 09 you mentioned that you'd written an Isaac Newton sketch which inspired me to write this.

I liked your sketch, Tim.

Quote: The Giggle-o @ March 20 2010, 12:42 AM GMT

It's a shame the original wasn't factually correct because it was really well written and had a pro feel to it (from my pitifully small amount of knowledge of such things), but I wasn't as keen on the re-write. I might have changed the original a bit towards the end but it definitely 'worked'. Nice sketch.

I liked the original too, Mr Giggle. I also liked the rewrite as I don't think it lost too much - perhaps even made it snappier. Saying that, someone from the BBC saw it and didn't like it at all.

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