Upper Class Twit of the Year
Encyclopedia
The Upper Class Twit of the Year is a classic comedy sketch
that was seen on the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus
, and also in a modified format as the finale of the movie And Now For Something Completely Different
. It is notable for its savage satire on dim-witted members of the English upper class
.
, it is about an obstacle-course race among five stereotypical, upper-class twits
(imbeciles), to determine the 127th Annual Upper-Class Twit of the Year.
The competitors are:
At the start, the twits face the wrong way, so the starter turns them round. Then they don't run because they don't know they have to move when the gun goes off. The starter explains the idea to the twits, who respond by laughing and pointing at him.
The obstacles are:
The sketch ends with Gervaise Brook-Hamster coming in first, followed by Smith-Smythe-Smith (shot by Nigel) and Nigel Incubator-Jones in a medal ceremony, while Simon Zinc-Trumpet-Harris manages to club himself unconscious with the butt of his gun. The three coffins of the winning Twits are placed on the medal rostrum and medals are draped around them. Cleese ends his commentary by remarking that "there'll certainly be some car door slamming in the streets of Kensington
tonight". However in ANFSCD the standings are different with Simon accidentally shooting Vivian into second place then shooting himself into third place and Nigel knocking himself unconscious.
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
that was seen on the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
, and also in a modified format as the finale of the movie And Now For Something Completely Different
And Now For Something Completely Different
And Now for Something Completely Different is a film spin-off from the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring favorite sketches from the first two seasons. The title was used as a catchphrase in the television show....
. It is notable for its savage satire on dim-witted members of the English upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
.
Scenario
To a horse race style commentary by John CleeseJohn Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
, it is about an obstacle-course race among five stereotypical, upper-class twits
Idiot
An idiot, dolt, or dullard is a mentally deficient person, or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way. Archaically the word mome has also been used. The similar terms moron, imbecile, and cretin have all gained specialized meanings in modern times. An idiot is...
(imbeciles), to determine the 127th Annual Upper-Class Twit of the Year.
The competitors are:
- Vivian Smith-Smythe-Smith (portrayed by Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
in MPFC and John CleeseJohn CleeseJohn Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
in ANFSCD)- Has an O-levelOrdinary LevelThe O-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education . It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous Advanced Level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland A-level...
in kennelKennelA kennel is the name given to any structure or shelter for dogs. A kennel is a doghouse, run, or other small structure in which a dog is kept...
hygiene - Can count up to 4
- Has an O-level
- Simon Zinc-Trumpet-Harris (portrayed by Terry JonesTerry JonesTerence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
in MPFC and Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
in ANFSCD)- Married to a very attractive table lamp
- Nigel Incubator-Jones (portrayed by John CleeseJohn CleeseJohn Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
in MPFC and Terry JonesTerry JonesTerence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
in ANFSCD)- Best friend is a treeTreeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
- Stockbroker in his spare time
- Best friend is a tree
- Gervaise Brook-Hamster (portrayed by Michael PalinMichael PalinMichael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
in both versions)- Used as a waste-paper basket by his father
- Also in the Guards
- Oliver St. John-Mollusc (portrayed by Graham ChapmanGraham ChapmanGraham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...
in both versions)- Said to be this year's outstanding twit.
- His father was a CabinetCabinet of the United KingdomThe Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
MinisterMinister (government)A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
, and his mother won the DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
.
At the start, the twits face the wrong way, so the starter turns them round. Then they don't run because they don't know they have to move when the gun goes off. The starter explains the idea to the twits, who respond by laughing and pointing at him.
The obstacles are:
- Walking Along The Straight Line
- The Twits must walk along one of several narrow straight lines.
- The Matchbox Jump
- The Twits must jump over a fence three matchboxes high. In And Now For Something Completely Different, this is changed to two matchboxes. Nigel (Vivian in the film) refuses the fence.
- Kicking The Beggar
- The Twits must approach a beggar with a tray and kick him until he falls over.
- The Hunt Ball Photograph (MPFC only)
- The Twits must have their photographs taken and make small talk with a pair of attractive females, Lady Arabella Plunkett and Lady Sarah Pencil Farthing Vivian Streamroller Adams Pie Biscuit Aftershave Gore Stringbottom Smith.
- Reversing Into The Old Lady
- The Twits must get into their sports cars and reverse them into a cardboard cut-out of an old lady, then speed off. Oliver St. John-Mollusc proves his outstanding twitness by managing to run himself over (the announcer judges him "dead, but not necessarily out of the competition"). This leads straight into...
- Waking The Neighbour
- The Twits must drive their cars forward and then try to wake up a neighbour (who is attempting to get some sleep) by slamming their doors, tooting their horns, etc.
- Insulting The Waiter (MPFC only)
- The Twits must be thoroughly rude to a waiter with a tray.
- The Bar (MPFC only)
- The Twits must make their way underneath a wooden bar suspended five feet off the ground.
- Shooting The Rabbits
- Each Twit is given a shotgun; and he must shoot a rabbit that has been tied quite firmly to stakes so it can't move around very much (as the Upper-Class Twit of the Year is only a one-day event). Several of the Twits are forced to bludgeon the rabbit to death with the butt of their gun or a fist. Their failure to hit the rabbits with their shotguns is attributed to the misty conditions (caused by the gunsmoke) and the shooting distance of nearly one foot.
- Taking The Bras Off The Debutantes
- The Twits must remove a bra from a mannequin representing a debutanteDebutanteA débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
while standing in front of it. It is claimed to be the most difficult obstacle by the commentator: many of the Twits even dismember the mannequins in their attempts to remove the bras, and a few still have bras (often with torsos still dangling from them) stuck to their hands as they go on to the final event:
- The Twits must remove a bra from a mannequin representing a debutante
- Shooting Themselves
- Finally, the Twits approach a table with five revolvers on it. The winner is the first Twit to shoot himself.
The sketch ends with Gervaise Brook-Hamster coming in first, followed by Smith-Smythe-Smith (shot by Nigel) and Nigel Incubator-Jones in a medal ceremony, while Simon Zinc-Trumpet-Harris manages to club himself unconscious with the butt of his gun. The three coffins of the winning Twits are placed on the medal rostrum and medals are draped around them. Cleese ends his commentary by remarking that "there'll certainly be some car door slamming in the streets of Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
tonight". However in ANFSCD the standings are different with Simon accidentally shooting Vivian into second place then shooting himself into third place and Nigel knocking himself unconscious.
Production
- In MPFC there is a very small crowd, which is mainly made up of cardboard cut-outs of donkeys, whereas in ANFSCD stock footage of large crowds in stadiums is used.
- The sketch was filmed at Hurlingham ParkHurlingham ParkHurlingham Park is a multi-use stadium in Fulham, London, England . It is currently used mostly for rugby matches, football matches and athletics events and is the home of Hammersmith and Fulham Rugby Football Club....
in FulhamFulhamFulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, a location presumably chosen for its proximity to Television Centre.
Inspiration
- John Cleese has stated that the idea for the "wake the neighbour" part was inspired by an apartment he once rented that was near a bar whose patrons kept him awake at night when they slammed the doors to their cars.
External links
- The sketch in full on Monty Python's official YouTube channel