British Comedy Guide

Newmans Sketch Changing Baby

Probably next one that's going to be animated.

Credits to Mr. Putters.

Thoughts are very welcome.

EXT. PUB
Tracking shot appears from inside a bush. Mike runs past holding a baby upside down by it's feet. The shot follows him through a picnic area beside the pub.

Mike barrels though a door into the pub.

INT. PUB
Mike sits down at the bar and puts the baby down. His nappy is full and visibly stinking.

Mike
Usual Greg, I'm gasping.

Greg Looks at the baby the holds his nose in revulsion

Greg
No way, you need to get that little poop machine cleaned up it's putting off the punters.

We look round the room there is only one other person here and he is sleeping with his face in the peanuts.

Greg
God take him to the changing room out back. Before he gives me hepatitis.

Mike
We have a changing room?

Greg
I put them in to attract single mothers.

INT. Changing room (Mike's dreamworld)

The Baby is inside a large plastic box they kind they store radioactive materials in. Dressed in a Haz Mat suit Mike begins to delicate operation of removing the nappy.

Beads of sweat trickles down Mike's forehead, biting his lip in concentration.

MIKE
That's got it!
The nappy comes alive in his gloved hand, 'snaps'.

Fighting with the aggressive nappy Mike tries to put it in the bin. But there is no room.

Mike runs out of the Bathroom with the nappy.

Greg
(o.o.v)
Oh my god! What is that! What is that smell? It's burning my eyes throw it out the window.

EXT. PUB
Outside a large anteater sits on a picnic blanket. He reaches in his picnic basket and produces a jar full of ants which he tips ontop the bread making an ant sandwich.

He closes his eyes and goes to take a large bite. The nappy flies from the window and lands on the sandwich.

His large nose recoils and he looks at it in disgust as his eyes water.

The toxic fumes transform one of the ants into a hulking creature. It grabs the anteater around the neck and starts pummelling him.

INT. changing room (Normal)

Mike's struggling to put the new nappy straight back on.

MIKE
Right, so I undo these tabs & stick them to the sides. [Long pause] But they don't stick!

Mike waves the nappy packet in the air in frustration.

MIKE
What does this even mean!? I'm sure I must be missing some bits here, I don't have *that* on *this* model.

Mike holds the baby up at arms length, the nappy slides slowly off and falls to the floor revealing the babies bum.

MIKE
Hmmmm.

In the window we can see the ant eater fighting with the monster ant. The anteater claws his way onto the window frame before being pulled away.
Mike routes around in the nappy bag.

MIKE
This is ridiculous! You're only going to soil yourself in another twenty minutes anyway. Where's that tape?

Looking out of the window, the baby smiles and gurgles. He points.
The ant eater does some funky karate moves and transforms into a large mechanised version of himself.

He attacks but slips on the discarded nappy, hurtles into the monster ant, which lands of top of him.

Mike pats himself down. He finds some black electrical tape.

The large toxic ant is jumping up and down on the mecha-anteater. It gets tired and sits down. An ice cream truck passes. The monster ant chases it.

We see Mike's back, and hear lots of tape being pulled off the reel
Mike steps back, revealing baby. It looks like it's wearing a tyre. Mike picks the baby up gives it a shake to make sure the nappy is secure.

MIKE
Ta-da!

He puts the baby back onto the baby changing mat, where it weebles around in its tyre like nappy.

The mecha-anteater eject seat finally goes off firing him into a tree.
Mike picks up the baby, and looks into it's big blue eyes and a big chubby face, calm nursery rhyme-type music begins to play and Mike starts to relax as he looks at the baby.

Suddenly the music starts to twist into a hellish song. Mike looks at the baby and sees flashes of it growing up, the noise, the mess, and the arguments.

He tries to look away but he's trapped in the evil gaze, the music climaxes and Mike's face melts from its skull.

End

I quite like the concept, Gav/Nil, but not sure if it goes a bit too insane!

Plus, I was bit confused by this:

INT. Changing room (Mike's dreamworld)

Is the whole thing a dream then? And if so, why?

The anteater bit as a distraction is inspired, and the ant sandwich is excelent.

Top visual gags.

The bit with the smelly nappy and the hazmat suit feels a bit meh seen it all before.

A really radical twist would be a dad who likes baby shite.

There are several versions of this, this is my favourite.

EXT. PUB

Tracking shot appears from inside a bush. The sound of a Fair Ground can be heard in the distance. Mike walks past pushing a baby buggy. The shot follows him through a picnic area beside the pub. An anteater bends to pick up the edges of his blanket. With a whoosh the blanket is flicked out, Mike passes him and the fumes coming from the buggy freeze him, he face contorted in disgust, before he falls backwards rigid, his blanket covering him as if in bed. Mike enters a door into the pub.

INT. PUB
Mike sits down at the bar, the buggy next to him. He removes the baby from the buggy and pops him on the bar with a squish from the visibly full nappy. Stink lines are visible.

Mike
The usual please Greg, I'm gasping.

Greg looks at the baby the holds his nose in revulsion

Greg
No way, you need to get that little poop machine cleaned up, it's putting off the punters.

We look round the room, there is only one other person here and he is sleeping with his face in the paper.

Greg
Take him to the changing room out back for crying out loud. Before I revisit my lunch.

Mike
We have a changing room?

Greg (rubbing his hands together)
I put it in to attract MILFs.

MIKE
Riiight...

INT. BATHROOM (Mike's dreamworld)

Dressed in a protective suit Mike's head goes from side to side examining what lies before him, he squints in concentration. The music builds.
Mike (in his head)
Remove the tabs....

Beads of sweat trickle down Mike's forehead, he bites his lip in as he moves in, the music is unbearable now. His hands tremble.

MIKE
Come on Mike, you can do this!

There's the sound of tearing of velcro and relief spreads across Mike's face.

MIKE
That's got it!

A baby gurgles and laughs.

Mike holds up the nappy, alive in his outstretched gloved hand, 'snaps' at Mike spraying his visor slightly.

MIKE
Aaaaaaghhh!!

He loses it and throws it out of the opened window. Flustered he dances on tiptoes, his hands near but not touching the visor, like a little girl.

EXT. PUB

Outside a large anteater sits on a picnic blanket. [The wall to the pub and part of the window should be visible behind at some point in the opening shot.] He reaches into his picnic basket and produces a jar full of ants which he tips ontop the bread making an ant sandwich. He closes his eyes and goes to take a large bite. The nappy flies from the window and lands on the sandwich. His large nose recoils and he looks at it in disgust as his eyes water . The toxic fumes transform one of the ants into a hulking creature. It grabs the anteater around the neck and starts pummeling him.

INT. BATHROOM. (Normal)

Mike's struggling to put the new nappy straight back on.

MIKE
Right, so I undo these tabs & stick them to the sides. [Long pause] But they don't stick! Mike waves the nappy packet in the air in frustration.

MIKE
What does this even mean!? I'm sure I must be missing some bits here.

Mike holds the baby up at arms length, the nappy slides slowly off and falls to the floor revealing the babies bum.

MIKE
Hmmmm.

In the window behind Mike we can see the ant eater fighting with the monster ant. The anteater claws his way onto the window frame before being pulled away.

Mike routes around in the nappy bag. There are empty and half full bottles of milk in the compartments around the side, nappies spilling out from flaps etc.

MIKE
This is ridiculous! You're only going to soil yourself in another twenty minutes anyway. Where's that tape?

Looking out of the window, the baby smiles and gurgles. He points.

The ant eater does some funky karate moves and transforms into a
large mechanised version of himself. He attacks but slips on the discarded nappy, hurtles into the monster ant, which lands of top of him.

Mike pats himself down. He finds some black electrical tape.

MIKE
Your daddy has some issues.

The large toxic ant is jumping up and down on the mecha-anteater. It gets tired and sits down. An ice cream truck passes. The monster ant chases it.

Mike wraps some unseen tape around the nappy, again & again. [We just see Mike's back, and hear lots of tape being pulled off the reel]

Mike steps aside/back, revealing baby. It looks like it's wearing a tyre. Mike picks the baby up gives it a shake to make sure the nappy is secure.

MIKE
Ta-da!

He puts the baby back onto the baby changing mat, where it weebles around in its tyre like nappy.

The mecha-anteater eject seat finally goes off firing him into a tree.

Mike picks up the baby, and looks at the baby it has big blue eyes and a big chubby face, calm nursery rhyme-type music begins to play and Mike starts to relax as he looks at the baby. Suddenly the music starts to twist into a hellish song. Mike looks at the baby and sees flashes of it growing up, the noise, the mess, and the arguments. He tries to look away but he's trapped in the evil gaze, the music climaxes and Mike's face melts from its skull.

BABY
Dad-da...

Mike snaps back to reality and smiles. Another man rushes into the room, a baby in his outstretched arms. The man is sweating furiously and looks rather green. Mike smiles at him knowingly.

EXT. PUB

Mum and the kids are entering the pub.

MUM
We'll just pick up your dad & [Baby name], and then we'll go along to the fun fair.

INT. PUB

Mum and the kids stop dead at the door, mouth's open. Mike and several other men are sat drinking whilst, at their feet, numerous babies in 'tyre nappies' bounce off one another like dodgems. [Maybe add a sound effect of the funfair]

MIKE (happily holding up a pint)
Ready for the Fair?

End

Quote: Ben @ August 22 2010, 12:03 PM BST

Plus, I was bit confused by this:

INT. Changing room (Mike's dreamworld)

Is the whole thing a dream then? And if so, why?

The baby isn't really in a box, Mike's 'playing' at being a bomb disposal expert.

Quote: Ben @ August 22 2010, 12:03 PM BST

I quite like the concept, Gav/Nil, but not sure if it goes a bit too insane!

Plus, I was bit confused by this:

INT. Changing room (Mike's dreamworld)

Is the whole thing a dream then? And if so, why?

It's not all a dream just the bit in the changing room. Not described to well that bit granted.

Which bit goes to insane mate the last bit?

Quote: sootyj @ August 22 2010, 12:17 PM BST

The anteater bit as a distraction is inspired, and the ant sandwich is excelent.

Top visual gags.

The bit with the smelly nappy and the hazmat suit feels a bit meh seen it all before.

A really radical twist would be a dad who likes baby shite.

Yeh fair point about the nappy changing. The main gag element I thought of the piece was the back ground stuff. Might be worth addressing the foreground stuff further.

For the nappy change bit, he could wear a haz mat suit but stand back from the baby and use a remote control robot to change it (something like they use in Afghanistan for removing IED 's). Also have the baby changing room cordened off with tape, etc.... Or he could have those blue block smelly things that you see in pub urinals stuck to his nose.

Liked the anteater stuff too.

Quote: Nigel Kelly @ August 22 2010, 2:00 PM BST

For the nappy change bit, he could wear a haz mat suit but stand back from the baby and use a remote control robot to change it (something like they use in Afghanistan for removing IED 's). Also have the baby changing room cordened off with tape, etc....

I like that idea. That's definitely something I'll look at implementing.

Quote: Gavin @ August 22 2010, 12:55 PM BST

Which bit goes to insane mate the last bit?

The whole mecha-anteater section seemed as though you were getting a bit carried away. Might work though. Would have to see how it all unfolded.

Quote: Ben @ August 22 2010, 4:15 PM BST

The whole mecha-anteater section seemed as though you were getting a bit carried away. Might work though. Would have to see how it all unfolded.

I can understand where you're coming from. But I believe it will work, it'll obviously need to be tested to see if that is the case :)

I got a bit confused reading this. Took a couple of goes before I worked it out.

Definitely some very funny background imagery, I think the main plot needs some work though. Especially if this is a show piece for a series called the Newmans. Mike's character/actions really needs to shine in this, not the Mecha-Godzilla-Anteater.

Oh and MILFs is funnier than single mums ;)

Mr Pie

Quote: ShoePie @ August 22 2010, 6:53 PM BST

I got a bit confused reading this. Took a couple of goes before I worked it out.

Definitely some very funny background imagery, I think the main plot needs some work though. Especially if this is a show piece for a series called the Newmans. Mike's character/actions really needs to shine in this, not the Mecha-Godzilla-Anteater.

Oh and MILFs is funnier than single mums ;)

Mr Pie

I tend to agree Mr. Pie. I see this as more or a 'Space' type sketch not part of the Newman story canon just a flippant 1 off sketch. I am in the middle of 2 show case pieces.

Haha MILF amended ta dude.

Which one do people prefer?

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