The Bin Laden / Steve Coppell Sketch

BIN LADEN CAUGHT AT LAST

Based on the Radovan Karadzic story

Cast: Two newsreaders next to one another. John and Claire

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Claire: "Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted man, was arrested yesterday 10 years after he was first indicted by the United States for conspiracy to commit Acts of Terrorism"

Claire: "The 51-year-old was wanted in connection with the August 7th 1998 bombing of the United States embassies in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania and in Nairobi, Kenya. These attacks killed over 200 people. In addition Bin Laden was a suspect in many other terrorist atrocities most notably the 9/11 attack on the World trade centre, New York".

John: "It was revealed yesterday that Bin Laden had been living within the United Kingdom assuming the identity of Steve Coppell, the well respected manager of Reading Football Club, since around November 2002. Further he had managed to avoid detection by clever use of make up and by perfecting a monotone Lancastrian accent".

John: "MI6 are attempting to unravel the shadowy support network that enabled the head of Al Qaeda to assume a false name and evade capture for more than five years".

Claire: "The news has sparked outrage within the footballing world with many Reading fans refusing to renew their season tickets. Ron Pritchard, a spokesman for the supporters club said last night that when the club appointed Mr Coppell back in October 2003 security checks should have been done".

John: "Reading is now officially a club in crisis. First of all they got relegated from the premiership. Then they had to sell their top striker Dave Kitson to Stoke and now they find out their manager for the past four seasons is number one on the FBI most wanted list".

Claire: "The arrest took place yesterday as armed police surrounded the Reading Arborfield Training Ground. An insider told our reporter earlier today that Mr Coppell had just finished what he used to call the ‘infidel 4-2 drill' and all of a sudden 10 armed gun men had him face down on the penalty spot. This kind of thing hasn't happened in football since Brian Clough was sacked as manager of Leeds in the mid 1970's".

Title Edited to lower case by Paul Watson

Good pacey, nice punchline.

First intro bits could be a bit faster.

I know its difficult. You want to build up a scene and 'normalise' the moment to enhance the comic effect later but at the same time ,as you say, you want to keep it punchy.

I could possibly lose this section ????

.....Claire: "The 51-year-old was wanted in connection with the August 7th 1998 bombing of the United States embassies in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania and in Nairobi, Kenya. These attacks killed over 200 people. In addition Bin Laden was a suspect in many other terrorist atrocities most notably the 9/11 attack on the World trade centre, New York".......

Yup, or even just.

Wanted in connection with the 9/11 terrorist attack, and numerous other events.

You say that Bin Laden has assumed the identity of Steve Coppell. Looking at this piece logically, that causes some problems.

I assume you're referring to identity theft when you say "assuming the identity". Therefore the real Steve Coppell would still be around and surely wouldn't have let him get away with it. Unless Reading were actually doing well, but they've just been relegated, so they're not!

Leaving room for questions from the audience isn't a good idea, as Graham Linehan mentioned on Chortle this week. I think it would be better if Bin Laden had kidnapped the real Steve Coppell and then assumed his identity. Could lead to funny Steve Coppell quotes after he's discovered locked under Bin Laden's bed etc.

I think that's a big difference between sketch, and sitcom/dramedy.

Over explanation kills sketches stone dead, anything that slows them down reduces impact.

A shop selling one dead animal, or a cheese shop without cheese are both utterly ridiculous. But in a compact 2-3 page setting they are hilarious.

Still finding your cat hypnotic has it a name?

Quote: sootyj @ August 24 2008, 9:29 PM BST

Over explanation kills sketches stone dead, anything that slows them down reduces impact.

View original

It doesn't need over explanation and over explanation isn't a desirable quality in sitcoms. And repeated viewings would eventually result in a "But hang on..." sentiment.

Re: the cat, it has no name! It's not my cat unfortunately. I wish it was.

Alot of sketches work on the basis of abusrdity.

In a sketch a page long, it's over and done before anyone questions what happened.

Good stuff Norman!