"You're a moron, Undermanager, what are you? A carbuncle on the backside of humanity." Almost 18 years as a public high school teacher, and since discovering this I've watched it at least once a year. Brilliant!
@@Zerobob26 You overvalue him. That heckler never posed a threat to a pro like Atkinson in the first place. If anything unbeknownst to him, he made it funnier. That line was perfection.
I think this was Rowan's first performance before he was famous but grabbed the attention of Richard Curtis who was in the audience. Stephen Fry was also in the audience and was laughing so hard he let out some wee.
I wrote this sketch one morning in the summer of 1978 for Rowan's first London revue, "Rowan Atkinson and Friends", at the Hampstead Theatre (Director: Michael Rudman. Cast: Rowan, Peter Wilson, Elspeth Walker). I gave it to Rowan at rehearsal an hour or two later. Richard Curtis was another writer on the show. John Cleese saw it, and invited Rowan to do this sketch in "The Secret Policeman's Ball" later that year. I sadly misjudged the director of that film, Roger Graef, because no writers got named credit on the film. I later learned that all the Powers That Be wanted to cut Rowan from the film because he was a complete unknown, and the show was over-long and packed with big name stars. But Graef fought tooth and nail to keep him in it, for which I am eternally grateful. Rowan did, indeed, steal the show. This sketch launched Rowan's career, and became his party piece -- the encore number at the end of his stage shows. It was always a joy to see him perform it. Later, Richard Curtis and Rowan wrote the "rude" version, and very generously shared the royalties with me (copyright resides with the original writer, not the performer). They indeed met at Oxford -- Rowan was a graduate student, Richard an undergraduate. I had graduated from Oxford a year or two before they went there . We all met in Edinburgh in the summer of 1976, when they were in the Oxford Revue with (from memory, but I wouldn't swear to it) Angus Deayton and Helen Atkinson-Wood among others. Rowan was, obviously, a prodigious talent even as a student. He could, as can be seen here, make even the telephone directory funny.
@Richard Sparks - Well then, my hat off to you sir. You've made the world a happier place. I come back to this every once in a while and it never fails to lift up the spirits. Cheers!
" Discuss the contention that Cleopatra had the body of a roll-top desk and the mind of a duck. Oxford and Cambridge board 'O Level' paper" .... priceless
Excellent! What makes this even funnier for me is that he looks and sounds like my 1st form master at grammar school; especially the way he looks down his nose at the class and talks in that sneering tone. Ah such fond memories...
The English school system (or at least that in "privileged" schools) produces a strange kind of sadistic/sarcastic schoolmaster who delights in public humiliation and ridicule of the pupils. Apart from being funny, Rowan's portrayal is very accurate. I personally experienced teachers like this. Very hard to convey to anyone who hasn't been through the system. The names are just for comic effect.
The sadism of public humiliation as a means of school "discipline" is still very much alive in the old British colonies. I went to Catholic missionary school in my hometown, Calcutta. Pretty much the same. 😶
This is the direct reflection of the British "castes" system : if you're in upper society, you must be part of the gang. And to be part of the gang you must understand domination. It must be taught to you at a very young age. You must reproduce the system when you grow up. Empathy is considered weakness. All that matters is your class, your family, your "dynasty". Do not question. Keep the top of the social pyramid at the top, even if it costs you your personal happiness.
I love how the humour in this skit borders on being malicious, yet always so subtle about it, making it even more hilarious. Those lions about Cleopatra and Enobarbus (in fact a character in Anthony & Cleopatra) are gems!
Atkinson at his absolute funniest. The delivery, timing, everything - perfection. I loved him in Blackadder 2 as he had a similar dark edge and dry wit. Not keen on the later "rude" version - it tries too hard and is too obvious (presumably a different writer?) and Rowan himself doesn't seem overly enthusiastic about it.
Absolutely hilarious ! Seems to have captured the spirit of independent schools of a bygone era ! Roman Atkinson , a comedy genius ! Deadpan delivery is unsurpassed!
I had similar teachers at my very ordinary secondary modern, but this was the late 60's and early 70's. Fortunately this was mixed with an influx with young liberal types from 'Breeze Block' universities or polytechnics.
I had a history teacher like that in high school. He was not hesitant to use profanities when describing historical figures. Though he only hated the students who didn't come to every lesson. In fact, towards the end of the term, he told some late-arrivers "you might as well not bother showing up anymore, I'm flunking you." He was hysterical. History class was really fun there.
i like how he added in the 'i have a detension book' when that audience member said 'HERE' or whatever he said. LEAVE ORIFICE ALONEEE and i like the 'nancy boy potter' one too
He is a genius.... how can he memorize those long scripts?...... not just he delivered it well and give it the right expressions.,,, he also really had a natural gift in making people laugh............
No kidding, when I was a Grammar School teacher of Advanced Mathematics, the Advanced level of the Northern Ireland Senior Certificate of Education contained a question that quoted Longfellow on the fleetness of Hiawatha's foot, and the strength of his arm, and required the candidate, with certain simplifying assumptions, to show how far and how fast Hiawatha could run to satisfy the claims made. It wasn't all that difficult, but quite hilarious.
I remember watching this with my sister in our grandparents house and we were pissing ourselves. My grandparents were looking at each other in disbelief. I guess it's a generation thing. Comedy genius from Rowan! Great memories 😂
I was there on the first night. Tickets in the stalls only £5- each! I bought 4. Took my brother, he was 14 back then (myself 19) and my girlfriend. I sold the spare at face value to a long haired biker who had found out Pete Townshend was appearing. Rowan Atkinson stole the whole show. He did the miming on the piano bit (before this classic routine) in the first half of the event. Amazing memories. Hard to imagine that was 44 years ago.
The best part of this whole number really is the masterful delivery. Anyone can stand on a stage and list off names, and anyone can be funny with a great script. To be able to be this hilarious with just a list of names (such as they are), takes some genuine talent, but also and more importantly, it takes skill and lots of practice.
He's a teacher calling attendence, and the students have weird ass names, I lost it at "Ellsworth-Beast Major". It takes a master to pull something like this off in comedy XD
Some people don't understand that this man is famous here in the UK because of his expressions and the way he says particular words. The Blackadder series is an example
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His writer says that RA doesn't find anything funny. So that's why. He sees himself as a comedy actor so just executes the lines in a very precise way.
It's all about the constrast between the scholarly seriousness of Atkinson's demeanour and the absurdity of the dialogue he's speaking, coupled with the exxagerated way he recites parts of it. Hopefully I've not ruined the joke by explaining it
"Yes, isn't life tragic, Plectrum... Do you have a solicitor, Plectrum...? You're lying, Plectrum...see me afterwards to be tweaked anyway.." Oh my god, I LIVED this....
Sage Mcelister A lawyer. One that works from an office but does not appear in court. The solicitor briefs a barrister who then presents the case in court. I believe the system has changed somewhat, but I’m a bit vague about the changes.
I too have been been unjustly 'tweaked,' but I never got paddled in front of the class like one of my classmades did on a regular basis. True, he had a behavioral problem, but he was also mentally disabled. Today, he would have been placed and taught in a way based on the desire to help rather than punish.
Rowan's portrayal of the old-fashioned English schoolteacher is uncanny. Unfortunately, I have many memories of teachers exactly like this, whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to destroy the pupils they were responsible for educating. And they succeeded with remarkable regularity. Conversely, in modern schools it seems that the sole purpose of pupils is to destroy the teachers responsible for educating them. Also achieved with remarkable regularity. I have no comment on which state of affairs is worse.
This sketch must have been ticking away in my subconscious until last week’s English Supply Cover lesson. I thought the boy’s name was Sproat - great amusement in class! Now if Rowan had had a ‘Scroat’ on his register...
It's all in the delivery. In the hands of a lesser mortal it would be meaningless. However, I was wondering what had happened to Masters Inkstain and Jailbait. Perhaps they had already been tweaked
They aren't in my sketch. They appeared in a later sequel which I did not write. I think Rowan had grown tired of doing this as his party piece / encore to end his stage shows, and wanted to refresh the franchise. So the later, rude, version came into being.
Richard Sparks This is so much funnier than the rude version. It’s left up to the audience’s imagination to fill in the blanks, as it were. I’ve only just seen the newer version and I had to find your original to remind me how much better it is. I can never forget Orifice.
@@margueritejohnson6407 Well thank you Marguerite! We did a third version, in a charity show called Fundamental Frolics (for Mencap, in the year of the Disabled, 1981). Which I wrote. The Schoolmaster in that one was appalled to discover that the school was now co-ed, and some of his class were... (shock, horror) girls! Including Undermanager, who'd had the op during the summer vacation. And was now Francesca. It's on the record, probably only ever made in vinyl. And was broadcast on the BBC. And yes, in the words of Humphrey Bogart to Ingrid Bergman, "We'll always have Orifice."
"Undermanager's answer...upside-down. D'you do it deliberately, Undermanager? You're a moron, Undermanager, WHAT ARE YOU? ...A carbuncle on the backside of humanity." Replace the names with Harry Potter surnames, and I reckon you'd get Severus Snape! xD
I could not adore this man morel What a genius. Hi, Fellow Capricorn Rowan! Saw him live in West End in Chekhov's "The Bear" and "The Proposal" in 1988 - Right after graduating from 3-year Brit. drama school. (Honor and love to Central School.) - Bloody BRILLIANT. THANKS so much for the wonderfulness, Mr A.! VCH & Midlantic Theatre Co. Theatre in Renaissance Newark (NJ, USA) + Schools & Prisons A NJ 501(c)3 nonprofit corp.
