That Mitchell and Webb Look: Difference between revisions

* [[Anyone Can Die]]: Parodied in the backstage show:

{{quote| "If this show's going to mean anything at all, somebody has got to die!"}}

{{quote| '''[[The Bible|Revelation 6:13-15]] reads:''' "and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.<br />

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains." <br />

* [[Brick Joke]]: In series 4 episode 5, the 'backstage' sketches talk about the idea of [[Drama Bomb Finale|ending the show]] [[Downer Ending|in an emotionally affecting way]], but ultimately determine that the announcer would just talk over the credits and ruin the mood. In the next episode, the last of the series, the final sketch is a genuine [[Tear Jerker]] featuring an elderly [[Sherlock Holmes]]... ''and the announcer doesn't talk over the credits''.

* [[Brown Note]]: "I've got a Red Tuba that makes you shit yourself!" And from the same sketch, the eponymous green clarinet which makes you sing embarrassing truths to the tune of "I Saw Three Ships".

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Julie would always lose Numberwang. The only time she won was when there was a sudden death round, and the [[Exact Words|first person to die won]]. That's Numberwang! for you. In fact, in their live show, the host started verbally abusing Julie in the last round and showing blatant favouritism towards Simon.

* [[Calling Card]]: The Identity Killer, who leaves photo identification of himself, his driver's license, his passport and, on one occasion himself, at his crime scenes. The police have no leads for this [[Magnificent Bastard]].

* [[Counterfeit Cash]]: A forger proudly displays his work: "ten punds" scrawled in marker pen on an oversized piece of orange paper displaying the image of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

* [[Cruel and Unusual Death]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4zANH21ck4 The sketch] where the Host refuses to accept the correct answers from his contestants... before the reveal that he's got 6 months left to live and he's imprisoned the contestants on a spaceship heading into the Sun. And he's going to drag it out for as long as he can...

* [[Dead Line News]]

* [[Deadly Euphemism]]: "'Have him removed'? 'Take him out of the picture'? I thought we agreed that these terms were needlessly ambiguous? We all agreed that when we want someone ''murdered'', as in deliberately killed to death, that's what we were going to say!"

** Given the nature of the Numberwang board, we could have been looking at frilve hundred and neeb, or even Nova Scotia, for all we know.

* [[Embarrassing Slide]]

* [[Everybody's Dead, Dave]]: Twice in the [[After the End|Quiz Broadcast]] statements - first when everyone but the main three has simply succumbed to the harsh conditions of the collapsing society, then, after being found again, when [[Zombie Apocalypse|They]] kill everyone but Peter and the host before inexplicably disintegrating, leaving the two of them alone and extremely disturbed.

* [[Evil Is Sexy]]: A woman gets progressively better hair & make-up, and more cleavage, as she confesses to murder. This is, [[Deconstructor Fleet|of course,]] lampshaded and invoked.

{{quote| Because I'm trying to help you! I'm trying to help you have standards! I'm trying to make you know that the world ''isn't'' pleased to see you, you ''aren't'' needed or included or loved! You're ugly! And superfluous! And ignorant! And you should be frightened. And meek. And grateful. That's better. Now, first things first; [[Nice Hat|let's get you a hat]].}}

** Also, the "Little Date" man, who gives these to women, reducing them to tears so they'll go out with him to feel better.

* [[Reed Richards Is Useless]]: Monsieur Garnier (who is inexplicably a [[Oop North|North-of-England]] mill owner rather than a French guy) suppresses the invention of a cure for Alzheimer's and a perpetual motion machine because he doesn't want his scientists to get distracted from hair products.

** Also, whoever built a ''sentient supercomputer'' and used it to determine what is, or is not, Numberwang.

** Cheezoid itself, a robot built for the purpose of determining what something smells like, was inexplicably given sentience that eventually led it to attempt suicide as a result of its incompetence at its intended function.

* [[Scandalgate]]: Rob refers to the original scandal as "Watergategate" on the grounds that, otherwise, what would you call a scandal about water?

* [[Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids]]: Colosson, the robot with the job of determining whether or not something is Numberwang, was given mobility and laser cannons. This was apparently the result of the scientists who were creating him wondering late in development whether he could be used for the war effort. Because this didn't change what they used him for, it achieved nothing but creating a problem when he decides to [[Robot War|take over the world.]]

** [[Epileptic Trees|Maybe]] he was designed by [[Mad Scientist|Doctor Death]]? He does have trouble spotting the [[Potential Applications]] of laser cannon...

* [[Surreal Humour]]: Numberwang's hilarity derives from the complete lack of sense, not just in the rules, but in ''everything''.

'''Julie''': No.<br />

'''Host''': Simon?<br />

* [[They Fight Crime]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbzUfV3_JIA BMX Bandit and Angel Summoner].

* [[They Look Like Us Now]]: Parodied - they ''really'' don't.

{{quote| "Brain surgery? Huh. Not exactly rocket science, is it?".}}

* [[Tuxedo and Martini]]: Parodied with 'Agent Suave'.

* [[Villain Ball]]: Parodied in the Conspiracy sketches; when a member of the conspiracy asks ''why'' exactly they're doing this conspiracy in such a convoluted way -- or why they're even bothering at all -- the answer's usually along the lines of "it's just what we government types ''do''."

* [[Visual Pun]]: Numberwang is like [[McDonald's]], [[U 2]] and the Catholic Church all rolled into 1.

** "Yes... they used to be... us."

* [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]] - Get Me Hennimore!

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]] - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF_uOgyBK1c&feature=related So That's The Football Coming Up Watch It Watch The Football Watch It IT'S GONNA MOVE!]

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: In a 'behind the scenes' conversation discussing [[Drama Bomb Finale|Drama Bomb Finales]], [[Mood Whiplash]] and [[Tonight Someone Dies]], Mitchell and Webb reserve their greatest venom for [[Commercial Pop-Up|announcers who talk over the credits.]]

** Don't forget the [[Badass Normal|BMX Bandit!]]

* [[You Bastard]]: The "Holmes with dementia" sketch goes from funny if very dark humor to the sudden realization that the audience has been laughing at the heartbreaking wreck of a brilliant mind.

* [[Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo]]: The revolving table. A murderer's worst enemy.

* [[Seinfeldian Conversation]]: About religions, fairytales and the human reproductive system.

** The poisoning sketch is a parody of ''Suspicion'', a movie directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]] in the 40s.

** In the German version of Numberwang, the host wishes one contestant "Good luck!" only to furiously disqualify her when she responds in English with "Thanks very much!", a reference to how one of the escapees blows his cover in ''[[The Great Escape]]''.

*** In another ''Great Escape'' reference, a chef who loses his keen sense of smell tries to prove he still has it by putting a piece of cheese on the floor, only to end up getting caught out. This is identical to one POW putting a pin at a certain place on the floor to show he's not going blind. Even the dialogue ("You can't smell your hand in front of your face!") is taken from the film ("You can't see your hand ''etc.''")

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]]: Parodied in the farmer sketch.

* [[Zeerust]]: The iMac G3 and Clamshell iBook used in the abovementioned [[Seinfeldian Conversation]], looking back on the show from the present day.

 

[[Category:Sketch Comedy]]

[[Category:That Mitchell And Webb Look]]