Dead Dad

INT. HOME.

FX PHONE RINGING.

A MAN (APPROX. 40) ANSWERS IT.

MAN:
Hello.

VOICE:
James, it's your mum, I've some terrible news... your dad's dead.

MAN:
Oh... that's, that's terrible news mum.

VOICE:
He would have been 75 in two days.

MAN:
Shit! I'd completely forgot about his birthday... well, that's worked out ok actually.

VOICE:
Sorry?

MAN:
No mum, look I'll buy him a wreath and that will cover his birthday and funeral as they'll fall on the same day.

FADE.

CUT TO MAN IN SUIT AT HIS MUM'S HOUSE. THERE IS A COFFIN IN THE ROOM WITH AN OLDER MAN LYING IN IT.

MAN: (thinking aloud)
Mum's asleep, everyone's left. Think I'll have a bit of fun with the old git before the funeral.

MAN LIFTS HIS DEAD DAD OUT OF THE COFFIN AND STANDS HIM UP. HE THEN PROCEEDS TO HURL WREATHS AT HIS HEAD, HOOPLA STYLE.

MAN:
Ha, ha... yessss, that's two wreaths round his Gregory Peck now.

SUDDENLY HIS MUM WALKS INTO THE ROOM, SHE SHRIEKS THEN FAINTS.

MAN:
Sure he's dead mum, it'll do him no harm.

These are great ideas from a sitcom you should write

They're not rezlly a sketch though

When it comes to distasteful joking about the deceased, Monty Python's Undertaker sketch seems unlikely to be surpassed. Also, chucking wreaths around a "standing" (leaning, surely?) corpse's head seems rather difficult unless just the head (or head and torso) are poking out of the coffin. And I don't understand "I'll buy him a wreath and that will cover his birthday". Who on earth buys birthday presents for the dead?

Do they not buy birthday pressies for the dead in Oz? Must be an Irish thing. I recently bought my deceased great, great grandfather a dartboard on what would have been his 180th birthday.

I think the wreath thing is excellent easy enough to turn it into a stand alone sketch.

Cheers all for feedback.

I couldn't see this working as a sketch or in a sitcom, sadly. Only because the reaction to his Dad's death just isn't real, and neither would anyone get someone out of a coffin and throw wreaths around their necks.

Sorry mate, just didn't work for me at all.

I think the idea has got potential for a sketch, almost every idea has if you look closely; but it has to be written well.

I'm not saying I can but I do have a suggestion with regards to the direction of the script.

I like the start. However, when the son hears of the news he should break down in an explosion of emotions

Son
'Shit, why did he have to die!!!'

Mother
I know son, he was gonna be 80 on sunday, that's a milestone.

Son
I know, that's what I'm f**king sad about!

Mother
I know son, we're all feeling the pain too!

Son
No you idiot, you don't get it...I've already bought him his f**king present, cost me 200 f**king quid, and I didn't even keep the receipts, WHY, GOD, WHY, YOU KNOW WH SMITH DOESN'T GIVE CASH REFUNDS!!!!

Or something like that?...

I was loving it to start with.
I think you've got two sketches there.
Follow through with the selfish fella who is pleased he's avoided buying a birthday present and push that further

The end bit is a funny quickie on it's own