British Comedy Guide

Howard Brown Goes To The Job Centre.

Can't believe no one has done a sketch about the annoying Howard Brown.
So here's one:

INT. JOB CENTRE. DAY.

A JOB CENTRE ADVISER (FEMALE) IS SITTING AT A DESK. SHE PRESSES THE INTERCOM.

ADVISOR:
Send in Howard Brown please.

HOWARD BROWN (BESPECTACLED BLACK GUY FROM HALIFAX ADVERTS) ENTERS, SMILING ANNOYINGLY, WIDENED EYES, WALKING IN WITH A BOUNCE IN HIS STRUT, WITH JAZZ HANDS WAVING AS HE DOES SO. HE THEN SITS DOWN.

ADVISOR JUST SHRUGS IT OFF.

ADVISOR:
Hello, Mr Brown. Welcome to the Job Centre. How can I be of assistance?

HOWARD BROWN NOW TALKS IN ANNOYING RHYMES, ALMOST SINGING HIS LINES, WHICH ARE IN DA-DE-DA COUPLET STYLE, WHILST SMILING CHEESILY AND DOING JAZZ HANDS.

HOWARD:
For years I've been in ads for Halifax,
But now they've gone and given me the axe,
I told my wife and she has gone beserk,
That's why I've come here looking for some work.

ADVISOR:
Mr Brown. Could you please refrain from talking in those annoying rhymes? It was bad enough watching you in those awful TV adverts.

HOWARD:
I'm sorry, but they made me talk in rhyme,
And now I find I do it all the time,
I tried to stop, I couldn't help myself,
That's why I need a little extra help.

ADVISOR:
Oh, for God's sake! Real life is not a song, Howard.

HOWARD PREPARES TO SPEAK, BUT THE ADVISOR STOPS HIM.

ADVISOR:
No! Don't even think about it! Sorry, but I can't help you. You're just too annoying. No one will ever be prepared to employ you. You're going to have to leave.

HOWARD GIVES A SIGH AND STANDS UP.

THE ADVISOR PRESSES HER INTERCOM.

ADVISOR:
Okay. Send in the other person looking for a new job.

HOWARD STARTS WALKING OUT, BUT STOPS IN HIS TRACKS, SHOCKED, WHEN GORDON BROWN ENTERS.

HOWARD:
Oh, my God, it's Mr Gordon Brown,
The Labour Party must have let him down.

GORDON BROWN INTERRUPTS HIM IN A BOOMING AND HEAVY BREATHING DARTH VADER VOICE.

GORDON:
Silence! Howard Brown. I am… your father.

END.

The rhyming is very clever but not particularly funny.

We know it's a Job Centre and so does the advisor, so why the advisor say, 'Okay. Send in the other person looking for a new job.'?

Shouldn't it just be, 'Okay - next!'?

Also, the lines:

'Could you please refrain from talking in those annoying rhymes?'
'You're just too annoying.'

Yes, we get the message - he's annoying.

The punchline seems irrelevant to me, apart from the Brown connection.

I like this in the way a sheep likes a TV screen - it is entertaining, but I don't understand it 100%.

Morrace, how can you be one of the funniest people in critique without posting any material? :)

Quote: Tommy Power @ September 23 2008, 5:40 PM BST

Morrace, how can you be one of the funniest people in critique without posting any material? :)

There's this one but it didn't really get off the ground.

https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/8787#P241698

Brilliant.

It's a good sketch but not so good a punchline.

I'd have him take Gordon's name, they won't have to chnage the name people won't vote for.

I had a passing comment on GWB hanging Howard in another topical sketch.

Well, I thought it was great.

Love the idea of Howard stuck in rhyme being annoying. A song and dance wouldn't go amiss. Or him holding up his flash cards saying "I need a job". Or "Subway -->".

Guess punchline was a bit random (yeah, I do get the Brown link).

Quote: Tommy Power @ September 23 2008, 5:40 PM BST

I like this in the way a sheep likes a TV screen - it is entertaining, but I don't understand it 100%.

Morrace, how can you be one of the funniest people in critique without posting any material? :)

It's the (less talked about) story that, because of the HBOS palaver, Halifax are ditching Howard Brown as the star of their ads.

I thought I was reading one of Sooty's when Gordon Brown wandered in at the end. Anyway, the good news is I like the idea, and the Gordon Brown pay-off.

The bad news is it would only make sense (to me at least) if Howard was singing recognisable versions of songs, reworded appropriately, a la the Halifax ads. I know that means you coming up with a few Halifax-style song verses in parody style, but I think that would be worth it and make it a killer sketch, whereas at the moment it's a bit of a half-baked idea. The basis of Howard is that he sings recognisable songs with naff Halifax ad words; your version just has him doing helpless rhymes.

The basis of Howard is that he sings recognisable songs with naff Halifax ad words; your version just has him doing helpless rhymes.

Yeah, you're right. I shall go back to one's drawing board. :)

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