This article is within the scope of WikiProject Television, a collaborative effort to develop and improve Wikipedia articles about television programs. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page where you can join the discussion.
To improve this article, please refer to the style guidelines for the type of work.TelevisionWikipedia:WikiProject TelevisionTemplate:WikiProject Televisiontelevision articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Death, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Death on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.DeathWikipedia:WikiProject DeathTemplate:WikiProject DeathDeath articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Comedy, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of comedy on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ComedyWikipedia:WikiProject ComedyTemplate:WikiProject ComedyComedy articles
Latest comment: 17 years ago3 comments3 people in discussion
Hello! Sometimes, I wish I could turn back time and alter the course of certain things. This is one of them. Chapman and Cleese wrote the sketch and the BBC would let the sketch happen if the audience compained during it and booed and complained to the performing Pythons (Cleese, Chapman, and Idle) when the punchline was written. Unlike the poorly executed version, the Pythons would somehow practice when the audience would boo and attack. The audience would be quiet in embarrassment and finally start booing on the line "Fred, I think we've got an eater!" (said by Chapman), and I should note that the audience shouldn't boo very loudly so that we can still hear everyone that needs to be heard. Then, when Chapman says the punchline (after Cleese questions whether he wants to eat his mother or not, Chapman replies, "Look, tell ya what, we'll eat 'er; if you feel a bit guilty afterwards, we can dig a grave and you can throw up in it."), a limited number of the audience, due to fire regulations, attacks Chapman, Idle, and Cleese while those sitting (and even the crew!) encourage them protesting as well. However, alas, I can't change the events of time. That's that.
The skit almost didn't survive the censors; a compromise was offered to keep the skit in the shooting script - members of the audience was to storm the stage at a predestined point, and the "riot" would end at the playing of "God Save the Queen". 147.70.242.4019:12, 26 January 2007 (UTC)Reply
It's pretty cool how after a section of the audience goes to attack the set, you can see how they really made the show in Studio 6 of the BBC's Television Center. You can see the camera operators, the soundman standing on a wheeled pedestal platform holding the large boom pole microphone, and you can see Ian MacNaughton, who was a plant for the "audience revolt." You can also see the caption machine operator. That's the part of the sketch that I really thought was cool was when they broke the fourth wall. Heck, Monty Python breaks the fourth wall all the time! (Curvebill22:14, 28 February 2007 (UTC))Reply
