Big Train is 20

[Custard]

Big Train. 20 years old next week. 20!

Which is mad, as in my mind it's still somewhat of a "new" show. Where do the time go?

Anyway, easily one of my favourite sketch shows, with a stellar team of writers and performers. Lovely, lovely stuff

Favourite sketches? Any bits that didn't quite work for you? Was the second series not quite as good as the first?

Do you think George Martin found this funny? https://youtu.be/yIA_NVFnXZ8

Chaka Khan: 1890 - 1920

Time for a rewatch!

[Malcy]

The tin man sketches, the 'i shall say this only once' speech, Benderson what a wanker, wanking in the office, Postman's revenge, so many good sketches bit I think my all time favourite is...

The Working Class - https://youtube.com/watch?v=XGFknyGKtao

Watched them all again recently and there's loads of memorable sketches. The telegram another favourite.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4_3oU-Z4Vxo

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Chairman Mao not dying and turning into 70s era Bryan Ferry, replete with band ( including Arthur Matthews on drums ! ) and contemporary Top Of The Pops set. No contest.

[thraxx]

Has there been a better sketch show since Big Train? Has there been a better UK sketch show full stop? The second series has its moments but it wasn't a patch on the first. Hard to believe that it doesn't get more love.

[Norton Canes]

Cake Factory.

Hang on, no. It's Police Sketch Artist, obviously.

Wait, wait, wait. The Showjumpers. Definitively The Showjumpers.

[biggytitbo]

In terms of hit rate and memorable sketches I think it's the best since probably None the Nine O'Clock News. The actual big train sketch is a favourite, the erotic puppet, the 'biggest titz in the world', and definetly the virginia plain sketch. Interesting looking back how many fly on the wall office sketches they do, wonder if Gervais saw those?

[Blumf]

Tom Henderson will be the new office manager
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtllWIiOTuA

[up_the_hampipe]

Cat and mouse punch up https://youtu.be/hOun2I5I_co

[gilbertharding]

Do you speak English? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxUm-2x-2dM

The second series wasn't as good as the first. < /controversial opinion>> but 'Fat Handed Twat' is a phrase which has definitely stuck with me.

And the time they noticed Ken Morse, and his rostrum camera.

[Delete Delete Delete]

My faves are

Bad Puns www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxIS_snYrLA
Learning How to Ride a Bike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaqxIXs_mn4
Keith Emerson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwsflF5Fyho
Fluffy Puppet sketch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfQWm2Hq2xM

[Fabian Thomsett]

Streets of London https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1YNEtaHbzA

[famethrowa]

The movie sound editor... Down The Dustpipe

"you've gone on fire"

THE TITZ

[Delete Delete Delete]

The thing that brings the first series down is the reptative staring comptition segments. Kinda spoils the flow of the series.

[LORD BAD VIBE]

Prison Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcq3VAKjTp0

[Noonling]

The second series wasn't as good as the first. < /controversial opinion>> but 'Fat Handed Twat' is a phrase which has definitely stuck with me.

The thing that brings the first series down is the reptative staring comptition segments. Kinda spoils the flow of the series.

While I don't like the staring sketches it almost felt better to have a sketch that you knew was going to be crap then to have the general drop in quality of sketches in series two. Is it a controversial opinion?

[Twed]

20 years since the popular, guitar-bringing supply teacher who liked to give most of his attention to the girls talked about it with me and my friend William and suggested that the Prince/jockey sketch was not incongruous randomness because "Prince is rumoured to be gay, so he's hunting down jockeys, like in knob-jockeys".

Should have asked him if he watched Fist of Fun.

[kalowski]

"Coke cans. Not Tango cans. Coke cans."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUEV4rnu5V8

[kalowski]

Cake Factory.

You were right the first time.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Has there been a better sketch show since Big Train? Has there been a better UK sketch show full stop? The second series has its moments but it wasn't a patch on the first. Hard to believe that it doesn't get more love.

I'm very fond of Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer, and The Smell Of..., but Big Train's up there with them.

Edit: And I think I prefer Limmy's Show to Big Train, but again it's a close run thing.

[alan nagsworth]

One that always sticks out in my head as an example of a really simple, silly joke that absolutely slays me is Simon Pegg playing the new boss who has a phobia of spoons.

I love Big Train, as I'm sure most of us do, and one of my favourite things about it is that it had such a greatly poetic use of language that really elevated the sketches and helped flesh out the absurdist concepts. In less capable hands, these ideas wouldn't have worked so well, but they're so wonderfully realised that each one exists in its own little world. It's similar to golden years Simpsons in this regard: The Simpsons could create throwaway gags like this one which is a mere 20 seconds long, but is completely perfect because the humour of the factory manager and his OTT elephant training regime is immediately apparent, and in such a short space of time, the joke lands perfectly.

It's also chock full of tiny little bits than on repeat viewing are fantastic, like the way Arthur Matthews furrows his brow at the dinner table at 32 seconds into this sketch. That bit really makes me laugh, as well as Heap delivering the savage "do you FLY?" line at Eldon.

Ah fuck it I'm gonna whack some on right now.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

I'M COMING CHAKAAAAAAAAAAA! *mutters under breath in high pitched Bee Gee voice while loading gun*

[Absorb the anus burn]

"I hate you Butler" during Eldon's Mr. Hyde transformation.

The cat and mouse fight.

[Bhazor]

I think the first series of Big Train might be the most consistently funny british sketch show I've ever seen. Brilliant.

Ahhhhh the pre twitter Linehan.

[Pranet]

Do you think George Martin found this funny? https://youtu.be/yIA_NVFnXZ8

I didn't really find that sketch funny until years later when I was watching a documentary about the Beatles and suddenly I got it. It's perfect.

[Custard]

I now do a George Martin impression every time I talk about The Beatles

I can almost forgive modern day Glinner for his brilliantly angry delivery of "WHAT DO THEY DO?!" during the Hall & Oates sketch

[Brundle-Fly]

Do you think George Martin found this funny? https://youtu.be/yIA_NVFnXZ8

He was initially baffled by it asking his son if he really was that boring and banging on about The Beatles all the time. Giles reliably informed him it was very affectionate and that they were fans. Kevin Eldon was even invited to attend his father's memorial.

[shh]

I can almost forgive modern day Glinner for his brilliantly angry delivery of "WHAT DO THEY DO?!" during the Hall & Oates sketch

Ah, I thought they were Simon & Garfunkel.

Pegg's 'wanker' line in the Tom Henderson sketch reminded me of Linehan's delivery of Fucking hell in Father Ted. Blunt swear word preceded by general rhubarbing seems to achieve a similar effect.

I will mention purely in passing that the second series has Rebecca Front.

[Thursday]

Kevin Eldon's laugh in this sketch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOAPUcxpBOk

[ProvanFan]

What time is rugger today, sir?

[Cold Meat Platter]

I like this sketch from the series 1 DVD extras about polar explorers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfu2a_Wup5U