Topic: Comedies that you can only remember one line/moment from.

[AnOrdinaryBoy]

Apropos of nothing, the line "I've just been called a best-head", spoken by John Gordon-Sinclair from the mid 90s sitcom "Nelson's Column" (because he was a columnist called Nelson, DO YOU SEE?!?) popped in my head. I haven't seen the show since it was initially broadcast (has anybody?) and can remember absolutely nothing about it other than that single line. I can even recall the look on Gordon-Sinclair's face as he said it.

Another one is "The Real McCoy". Other than a snippet of the theme tune the only thing I remember about this show is a line where a female character calls a male character a "bastard" via. voiceover.  This all leads me to believe that, for 9-year old me, the word "bastard" (or variations thereof) was the most memorable comedy moment around.

Any other verbwhores have any similar one-off comedy moments?

[icehaven]

Early 90s Channel 4 stand-up/sketch thing "Packet Of Three" (which at the time I was too young and naive to know was a reference to condom packets) which starred a trio of comedians (one of which was Jenny Eclaire.) I just remember one of the three comedians starting a routine saying "I fell in love on the tube the other day." I even think I remember he was wearing a hideous mustard coloured blazer but time might have added that detail. Don't remember a single thing about the rest of the show including anything Eclaire did in it, which is a blessed relief.

Edit: Just looked it up and the other one of the three was Frank Skinner! Literally no memory of it being him at all.

[paruses]

Early 90s (maybe) sitcom with Matthew Kelly and John Simm (maybe) as reunited father and son running a hardware shop (maybe).

I remember one scene where one of them was injured and various people came to help. The injured party was sitting on the settee and each of the groups of people got distracted by what was on the TV saying "sorry, I was just watching that". For some reason it was incredibly funny. I never want to watch it again because it won't be.

I think Daniel Peacock might have been one of the paramedics who came to help.

[Tony Tony Tony]

Come Back Mrs Noah, a 1978 atrocity that seemed to be a vehicle for Mollie Sugden.

I dimly recall seeing this as a young whippersnapper and wondering where Mollie's pussy had gone. The show was dropped off after one series as a mercy killing, with the vehicle turning out to be a spaceship that took Ms Sugden to the far reaches of space.

According to Wikipedia..

Come Back Mrs Noah was not a success, with some regarding it as one of the worst British sitcoms ever made.

A proud boast?

[daf]

They're always saying that!

Arthur Mullard's Wikipedia entry points out that critics called both 'Romany Jones' and the spinoff 'Yus My Dear' as 'one of the worst British sitcoms ever made'.

Come Back Mrs Noah isn't even the worst David Croft series - 'Birds in the Bush' from 1972 was such a stinker that the BBC pulled it off air halfway though the series of 13 episodes - like the family suicide, it never gets mentioned in Croft & Perry documentaries.

The series was set on a remote Australian property run by seven beautiful but naive young women. When the property is inherited by an English water diviner (Hugh Lloyd) he and his Australian half-brother begin living on the property and attempt to teach the nubile young women the ways of the world.



Cast member Kate Sheil, who played one of the naive girls, later said of her participation in the series that "I'm still trying to live that down because a lot of people hated it. We just run around saying these amazing things. I used to watch it for the scenery".

[Absorb the anus burn]

Keep It In The Family.

The daughters forming a punk band and performing on TOTP with their hit Anarchy ("Anna Key").

[icehaven]

Early 90s (maybe) sitcom with Matthew Kelly and John Simm (maybe) as reunited father and son running a hardware shop (maybe).

I remember one scene where one of them was injured and various people came to help. The injured party was sitting on the settee and each of the groups of people got distracted by what was on the TV saying "sorry, I was just watching that". For some reason it was incredibly funny. I never want to watch it again because it won't be.

I think Daniel Peacock might have been one of the paramedics who came to help.

I read that and thought "Matthew Kelly can't be old enough to play John Simms' Dad" so I looked it up and he is, he's 70! And Simms is 50. (I've spoilered the next bit in case you don't even want to remember it properly because then you'll look it up and watch it and you said you didn't want to) Although it wasn't actually Simms in the show, which was called Relative Strangers, it was someone called Mark Farmer..

[non capisco]

Talking of Matthew Kelly I can only remember one line from something he was in. Either he was at a bar or was the bartender.

The dialogue went "Crushed nuts?" "Don't tempt me!" No idea of context, name of show, other actor or even if it actually was Matthew Kelly, to be honest. If it was him it would have been somewhere in his career hinterland between Game For A Laugh and Stars In Their Eyes. How's that for vague?

The best Matthew Kelly moment is when Les Dawson introduced him on 'Blankety Blank' as "He's sort of like an enthusiastic mop."

[dissolute ocelot]

When I was a small child I'm sure my favourite sitcom, or at least the one that was on every week, was William Gaunt vehicle No Place Like Home which I'm sure ran for several years, but all I can remember is the bit in the titles where there was a sign saying "No Place Like Home" that fell off the wall (accompanied by terrible tinkly piano music that I'm not sure if it was a well-known tune of the day). No idea about any of the characters or plots or situations.

[non capisco]

When I was a small child I'm sure my favourite sitcom, or at least the one that was on every week, was William Gaunt vehicle No Place Like Home which I'm sure ran for several years, but all I can remember is the bit in the titles where there was a sign saying "No Place Like Home" that fell off the wall. No idea about any of the characters or plots or situations.

Also the BBC continuity announcer saying over the end credits "..and William Gaunt can currently be seen in 'When Did You Last See Your Trousers?'", a play that seemed to be on for the entirety of the show's run.

[Glebe]

Early 90s Channel 4 stand-up/sketch thing "Packet Of Three" (which at the time I was too young and naive to know was a reference to condom packets) which starred a trio of comedians (one of which was Jenny Eclaire.) I just remember one of the three comedians starting a routine saying "I fell in love on the tube the other day." I even think I remember he was wearing a hideous mustard coloured blazer but time might have added that detail. Don't remember a single thing about the rest of the show including anything Eclaire did in it, which is a blessed relief.

Edit: Just looked it up and the other one of the three was Frank Skinner! Literally no memory of it being him at all.

I remember this being on. I think it was kind of set around an old theatre and Frank Skinner was a kind of concierge or summit. Could be completely wrong, not arsed doing a YouTube for it at the moment.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I remember this being on. I think it was kind of set around an old theatre and Frank Skinner was a kind of concierge or summit. Could be completely wrong, not arsed doing a YouTube for it at the moment.

He was the janitor, worked behind the scenes. Bit of a teddy boy.

[Brundle-Fly]

Come Back Mrs Noah isn't even the worst David Croft series - 'Birds in the Bush' from 1972 was such a stinker that the BBC pulled it off air halfway though the series of 13 episodes - like the family suicide, it never gets mentioned in Croft & Perry documentaries.

Christ! That is eerie. I immediately thought of this sitcom. The only thing I remember was the ritual the girls would perform when they all sat down for dinner. They'd each grab their cutlery with both hands, bang them several times on the table, then tossed the knives and forks over their shoulders and ate feverishly with their hands. This was very appealing to a six-year-old me and I only once recreated it.

[Brundle-Fly]

Mr. Merlin.   1 Season (1981)

I only remember one line when a disbelieving neigbour said, "Merlin? Merlin schmerlin!". I'd never heard that Jewish schm- reduplication before and thought it was brilliant. I started using it frequently so eventually me and mates at school sounded like characters from Broadway Danny Rose

All these old U.S TV shows always had to have a ditzy blond, didn't they?.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZiUM7jknaw

[Glebe]

He was the janitor, worked behind the scenes. Bit of a teddy boy.

Ah right... think Eclaire might have been in the concession box or that.

Mr. Merlin.   1 Season (1981)

I only remember one line when a disbelieving neigbour said, "Merlin? Merlin schmerlin!". I'd never heard that Jewish schm- reduplication before and thought it was brilliant. I started using tit frequently so eventually me and mates at school sounded like characters from Broadway Danny Rose

All these old U.S TV shows always had to have a ditzy blond, didn't they?.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZiUM7jknaw

Ah yes! The wonderful Barnard Hughes as Mr. Merlin... think there was a tie-in comic strip in Look-In.

[icehaven]

Come Back Mrs Noah isn't even the worst David Croft series - 'Birds in the Bush' from 1972 was such a stinker that the BBC pulled it off air halfway though the series of 13 episodes - like the family suicide, it never gets mentioned in Croft & Perry documentaries.

The series was set on a remote Australian property run by seven beautiful but naive young women. When the property is inherited by an English water diviner (Hugh Lloyd) he and his Australian half-brother begin living on the property and attempt to teach the nubile young women the ways of the world.

There's 8 women in the photo so presumably one of them isn't beautiful and/or naïve.

[Brundle-Fly]

Ah right... think Eclaire might have been in the concession box or that.

Ah yes! The wonderful Barnard Hughes as Mr. Merlin... think there was a tie-in comic strip in Look-In.

Had a Back To The Future vibe about it.

[I.D. Smith]

I think this might've been more a CITV comedy rather than a grown-ups comedy, but a sort of Mr Bean-esque sitcom from around late 80s/early 90s called Bradley, starring Paul Bradley. There's barely anything I can find out about it online - certainly no clips - and the only memory I have of it is from a scene of its recurring gimmick where the main character, Bradley, talks to himself in a full length dress mirror, with his reflection talking back to him in a two-way conversation.

I can't even remember what's said. All I can remember is the setting, which from memory was an almost completely dark set, with the only things being lit were the main character and the mirror which talks back to him.

[Billy]

Seeing the end of some obscure ITV sitcom consisting of two women singing the song “Winter Wonderland”, only for a third to show up and - ho ho! - sing the last “land” in a comedy deep voice. Then they all beam “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” into the camera and I never saw the show on again.

It was years later when I found out it was Babes in the Wood and it did get another series after all.

[daf]

There's 8 women in the photo so presumably one of them isn't beautiful and/or naïve.

Arf!

The one in the trousers must be the assistant -

When the property is inherited by an English water diviner (Hugh Lloyd) he and his Australian half-brother (Ron Frazer) and an assistant (Kate Fitzpatrick)

(In my mania for tinkering, I edited that bit out from the original wikpedia article)

[Glebe]

Had a Back To The Future vibe about it.

RE: the ditzy blonde assistant, brings to mind Ms. Teschmacher in Superman... among other things Barnard Hughes played Grampa in The Lost Boys and the psychiatrist in 1975 TV movie The UFO Incident which also features James Earl Jones and is based on the famous Barney and Betty Hill case... oh and I've not seen it, but he also plays the titular Da in this 1988 adaptation of Hugh Leonard's play of the same name, alongside Martin Sheen. Filmed just up the road from me!

[Hand Solo]

Talking of Matthew Kelly I can only remember one line from something he was in. Either he was at a bar or was the bartender.

Probably his 80s sketch show Kelly's Eye?

Mine was a bit of pathos in 1987 sitcom The Ritz, I only had a vague childhood memory of this one scene until someone recognised what  it was from last week: https://youtu.be/IB5LcA3SnqU?t=2099

[Brundle-Fly]

RE: the ditzy blonde assistant, brings to mind Ms. Teschmacher in Superman... among other things Barnard Hughes played Grampa in The Lost Boys and the psychiatrist in 1975 TV movie The UFO Incident which also features James Earl Jones and is based on the famous Barney and Betty Hill case... oh and I've not seen it, but he also plays the titular Da in this 1988 adaptation of Hugh Leonard's play of the same name, alongside Martin Sheen. Filmed just up the road from me!

Barnard Hughes was very likable. The American Wilfred Hyde-White.

[dead-ced-dead]

There was a sitcom made around 2004 or 5 where Martin Freeman and (I think) Peter Serafinowicz worked in a hardware shop. For some reason Martin broke a chair or some other wooden implement over someone's back. I can't remember why or the dialogue around it.

[Brundle-Fly]

Literally, the only thing I remember about 1979 sit-com, Struck By Lightning was Jack Elam's wonky eyes and every time we watched it, my father remarked that Elam was mainly known for doing Westerns. Every. Time.

Sorry, I'm straying off-topic and making this into a "do you remember this obscure show' thread.

Opening credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzDuy4ACEdE

[Brundle-Fly]

There was a sitcom made around 2004 or 5 where Martin Freeman and (I think) Peter Serafinowicz worked in a hardware shop. For some reason Martin broke a chair or some other wooden implement over someone's back. I can't remember why or the dialogue around it.

That could be Hardware. Or Killing Ken Morley.

[Annie Labuntur]

Also the BBC continuity announcer saying over the end credits "..and William Gaunt can currently be seen in 'When Did You Last See Your Trousers?'", a play that seemed to be on for the entirety of the show's run.

Based on a Galton & Simpson story. Features a comedy punk rocker with rainbow-coloured hair - again. For some reason comedies never featured punks with short hair full of flob.

[dead-ced-dead]

That could be Hardware. Or Killing Ken Morley.

It was Hardware. I sometimes think about it, because it was around the time that Freeman and Serafinowicz were known enough to be given middle of the road shit like this, but not yet famous enough to not have to do middle of the road shit like this. It's the very definition of a stepping stone career move.

[poodlefaker]

Keep It In The Family.

The daughters forming a punk band and performing on TOTP with their hit Anarchy ("Anna Key").

Been thinking about this off-and-on for about 20 years, and it was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title

[Jockice]

Keep It In The Family.

The daughters forming a punk band and performing on TOTP with their hit Anarchy ("Anna Key").

This is one I've definitely mentioned on here before but I can remember a sitcom scene where the main character (a middle-aged middle class Richard Briers type, although I don't think it's him) meets two punk girls. One of them asks where the nearest bog is and of course he starts giving them directions to some local swampland. The girls also mention a band called Fag Packet, which would have been a great name for a real punk band.

Last time I mentioned it nobody else on here could place it though, so tt seems to be something that only I can remember. Probably because at the time I was shown I found punk girls really sexy.