British Comedy Guide

Office problems.

A BOSS IS HAVING A MEETING WITH TWO OF HIS STAFF.

BOSS:
Ok Alan, Geoff, I'd rather avoid going to HR If possible, so I thought I'd get you two guys together & see if we can't thrash this thing out. Now Alan, you seem to have a bit of a problem with Geoff.

ALAN:
Well as a matter of fact I do to be quite honest.

BOSS:
So what is it this time? Encroaching on your desk space again? Not answering his phone?

ALAN:
Both those things, but the main problem I have, and have always had is that Geoff is a Zombie.

BOSS:
Zombie?

GEOFF:
Uuuurgh

BOSS:
Don't worry Geoff you can have your say in a minute. Alan What do you mean Zombie?

ALAN:
I mean that he is one of the undead, what do you think I mean?

BOSS:
It's the funny ties he wears Isn't it?

ALAN:
There is that, but it's mainly the way he looks all green & bit's of him keep dropping off on the keyboard

BOSS:
Oh come on that happens to us all. Geoffs just a plodder that's all, he merely lacks every single social skill.

GEOFF:
Uuuurgh!

ALAN:
He ate Maureen's Brain for crying out loud!

BOSS:
Well she shouldn't have cried out loud should she.
That is a surefire way to startle a Zombie.

ALAN:
Ah Hah!

BOSS:
What?

ALAN:
So you admit that he's a Zombie?

BOSS:
Shhh! You can't call them that anymore. But I'll admit that he is
what we like to call Humanly challenged.

ALAN:
Look I'm not trying to rock the boat or anything. I know you've got guidelines about who you need to employ. I'm not asking you to get rid of Geoff or anything.

GEOFF:
Uuuurgh.

BOSS:
Come on Geoff you scamp, that's my arm behave, eat your own.

ALAN:
I just wanted to be moved to another desk.

BOSS:
Ok I'll move you next to Barry.

ALAN:
But he's a Werewolf.

BOSS:
Not all the time! Jeez! There's no pleasing you is there.

ALAN:
Can you move me to Desk next to a Human if it's not too much to ask.

BOSS:
That might be a bit of a problem, most of the more Human members of staff, well the ones that haven't resigned, seem to have either been savaged or drained of life in some way.

ALAN:
Yes I've noticed that. You don't think that we should maybe think of running away?

BOSS:
Extremely quickly and never look back? I would do but it's year end & you know what it's like.

ALAN:
Bloody year end.

BOSS:
Your missus works in HR doesn't she? Maybe we could see if there's a spare desk in her office, that would be perfect wouldn't it?

GEOFF:
Uuuuurgh

ALAN:
Tell you what, I think Geoff's right. Why don't we move Barry to my desk and I'll go & sit opposite that Vampire who killed Kevin.

BOSS:
Oh the new chap, yes he seems quite nice.

Laughing out loud

Brilliant idea. Brilliant sketch and really well executed. I thought the subtle ending was perfect too - no big punchline.

I particularly lolled at the "Humanly Challenged", "Werewolf only sometimes" and "Can't call them that anymore"

Great idea, and well suited to your deadpan style. Perhaps it could be a bit tighter towards the end.

I agree this is nice. I hear it in a Big Train style, which is good (for me anyway).

On the Werewolf bit; could you use the whole 'office hours' / 'night shift' angle? In my mind a Werewolf would only transform at night etc, so during office hours he should be fine. Just a thought, so, you know... :)

I quite like it, Steve, but it seems over familiar. Matt Stott did a sketch once about a giant mantis working in an office and I'm sure I've seen other similar things. It does seem very Big Train and maybe they did something similar - I can't be 100% sure though, so please don't slay me.

The "that vampire who killed Kevin" is a bit too expositional for me. I think you can keep the vampire bit, but maybe execute it differently.

Quote: Ben @ March 17 2010, 2:16 PM GMT

I quite like it, Steve, but it seems over familiar. Matt Stott did a sketch once about a giant mantis working in an office and I'm sure I've seen other similar things. It does seem very Big Train and maybe they did something similar - I can't be 100% sure though, so please don't slay me.

The "that vampire who killed Kevin" is a bit too expositional for me. I think you can keep the vampire bit, but maybe execute it differently.

Ben himself wrote a 'werewolf goes to the job centre' thing that worked on a similar theme and we tossed it out of Odd Box for the simple fact that we felt like we'd seen it all before. The 'man out of place in an office' trope just feels like a stale idea no matter how well you write it - and this was well written, Steve!

I thought when he said he wanted to sit next to a human it was going to turn out that was because he was a vampire. It's a nice idea, and I did laugh at the reveal that Geoff was a zombie, but it seemed to go on a bit too long after that, just my two pennies worth.

Quote: Craig H @ March 16 2010, 10:41 PM GMT

Laughing out loud
Brilliant idea. Brilliant sketch and really well executed. I thought the subtle ending was perfect too - no big punchline.

Cheers Craig :D

Quote: Timbo @ March 17 2010, 1:17 PM GMT

Great idea, and well suited to your deadpan style. Perhaps it could be a bit tighter towards the end.

Yes I lost my way a bit I think.

Quote: scratchyr @ March 17 2010, 1:49 PM GMT

On the Werewolf bit; could you use the whole 'office hours' / 'night shift' angle? In my mind a Werewolf would only transform at night etc, so during office hours he should be fine. Just a thought, so, you know... :)

Good idea, although I was more thinking of him only being a Werewolf around the Full moon

Quote: Ben @ March 17 2010, 2:16 PM GMT

I quite like it, Steve, but it seems over familiar. Matt Stott did a sketch once about a giant mantis working in an office and I'm sure I've seen other similar things. It does seem very Big Train and maybe they did something similar - I can't be 100% sure though, so please don't slay me.
The "that vampire who killed Kevin" is a bit too expositional for me. I think you can keep the vampire bit, but maybe execute it differently.

Good points Ben. I was a bit reluctant to bother with this one as I thought it would be easy to draw some comparisons with various things that have gone before.

Quote: David Bussell @ March 17 2010, 2:24 PM GMT

Ben himself wrote a 'werewolf goes to the job centre' thing that worked on a similar theme and we tossed it out of Odd Box for the simple fact that we felt like we'd seen it all before. The 'man out of place in an office' trope just feels like a stale idea no matter how well you write it - and this was well written, Steve!

Alright! Alright! I get it!
Lay off the Zombie Sketches or I may find myself in some kind of Oddbox sooner than I think.

Quote: Mickeza @ March 17 2010, 7:12 PM GMT

I thought when he said he wanted to sit next to a human it was going to turn out that was because he was a vampire. It's a nice idea, and I did laugh at the reveal that Geoff was a zombie, but it seemed to go on a bit too long after that, just my two pennies worth.

Cheers Mickeza, I agree that it probably rambled on a bit.
I was just having a bit of fun with the idea & went all over the place in the end.

Cheers all
:D

It's good stuff and well written for sure.

For this particular idea maybe a different angle would be to go into the worlds of the zombies, vampires, werewolves, etc; and see how they would react to a token human (from a comedy point of view that is, not horror which would result in predictable bloodshed).

Quote: Ben @ March 17 2010, 2:16 PM GMT

Matt Stott did a sketch once about a giant mantis working in an office

That's it! When I read the sketch I felt it was funny but a familiar theme, and it was Matthew Stott's sketch I recall. I also seem to remember a (slightly) similar M&W office sketch where Webb has special powers and for some reason I can see Kevin Eldon (or someone) as the devil in another office-based sketch. So although I like it I agree with those who say the theme is well-worn.

Quote: Nigel Kelly @ March 17 2010, 8:44 PM GMT

For this particular idea maybe a different angle would be to go into the worlds of the zombies, vampires, werewolves, etc; and see how they would react to a token human.

Maybe they have Inhuman Resources?

Quote: Badge @ March 18 2010, 12:06 AM GMT

...and for some reason I can see Kevin Eldon (or someone) as the devil in another office-based sketch.

This \/ one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtUM3IF6rvk

Quote: The Giggle-o @ March 18 2010, 12:09 AM GMT

This \/ one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtUM3IF6rvk

That's it! I'm not going mad! Yes! :)

Quote: Badge @ March 18 2010, 12:06 AM GMT

I felt Matthew Stott

!!!

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