Election Night Special
Encyclopedia
"Election Night Special" is a Monty Python
sketch
parodying the coverage of United Kingdom general elections
, specifically the 1970 general election
, on the BBC
by including hectic (and downright silly) actions by the media and a range of ridiculous candidates.
This sketch was featured in Episode 19 of the Monty Python's Flying Circus
TV series, which aired November 3, 1970. A somewhat different version of the sketch (leading into The Lumberjack Song
) was also featured on the Monty Python Live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
album.
Throughout the sketch, the linkman (John Cleese
) and other commentators appear in a fixed sequence, either giving variations
on their original statement or simply repeating it, as results are coming in from various constituencies. The election is mainly contested by two major parties
, the Sensible Party and the Silly Party, though third-party
candidates (Slightly Silly, Very Silly) make their appearance.
At the end of the sketch, further results are given in short:
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
sketch
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...
parodying the coverage of United Kingdom general elections
United Kingdom general elections
This is a list of United Kingdom general elections since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland, before being co-opted to serve in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom, so that Parliament...
, specifically the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
by including hectic (and downright silly) actions by the media and a range of ridiculous candidates.
This sketch was featured in Episode 19 of the 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...
TV series, which aired November 3, 1970. A somewhat different version of the sketch (leading into The Lumberjack Song
The Lumberjack Song
"The Lumberjack Song" is a song by the Monty Python comedy troupe. The song was written by Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Fred Tomlinson.It first appeared on the ninth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, "The Ant: An Introduction" on BBC1 on 14 December 1969...
) was also featured on the Monty Python Live at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Monty Python Live at Drury Lane
Monty Python Live at Drury Lane is an album released by Monty Python in 1974, which was recorded at the Drury Lane Theatre in London earlier that year. It was also released in Canada in 1975...
album.
Throughout the sketch, the linkman (John Cleese
John 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...
) and other commentators appear in a fixed sequence, either giving variations
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
on their original statement or simply repeating it, as results are coming in from various constituencies. The election is mainly contested by two major parties
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
, the Sensible Party and the Silly Party, though third-party
Third party (politics)
In a two-party system of politics, the term third party is sometimes applied to a party other than the two dominant ones. While technically the term is limited to the third largest party or third oldest party, it is common, though innumerate, shorthand for any smaller party.For instance, in the...
candidates (Slightly Silly, Very Silly) make their appearance.
The candidates and their vote totals
The sketch focuses on election results from the following three constituencies:| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Swing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester |
Sensible Party | Arthur J. Smith | 30,612 | 48.8% | Defeat |
Silly Party | Jethro Q. Walrustitty | 32,108 | 51.2% | Hold | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total valid votes | 62,720 | 100.0% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sensible Party | Alan Jones | 9,112 | 42.2% | Loss |
Silly Party | Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel | 12,441 | 57.7% | Gain |
Slightly Silly Party | Kevin Phillips-Bong | 0 | 0.0% | Pathetic Defeat | ||||||||||||||
| Total valid votes | 21,553 | 100.0% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harpenden |
Sensible Party | James Walker | 26,318 | 50.0% | Gain |
Silly Party | Mr Elsie Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz | 26,317 | 50.0% | Loss |
Very Silly (Independent) | Malcolm Peter Brian Telescope Adrian Umbrella Stand Jasper Wednesday (pops mouth twice) Stoatgobbler John Raw Vegetable (whinnying) Arthur Norman Michael (blows squeaker) Featherstone Smith (whistle) Northgot Edwards Harris (fires pistol, then 'whoop') Mason (chuff-chuff-chuff-chuff) Frampton Jones Fruitbat (laughs) (squeaker) Gilbert (sings) 'We'll keep a welcome in the' (three shots) Williams If I Could Walk That Way Jenkin (squeaker) Tiger-drawers Pratt Thompson (sings) 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' Darcy Carter (horn) Pussycat (sings) 'Don't Sleep In The Subway Don't Sleep in the Subway "Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by Petula Clark. Released in April 1967, it peaked at #5 on the US charts that June. It was Clark's final US top-ten single and the second of two #1 hits on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, following "I... ' Barton Mainwaring (hoot, 'whoop') Smith |
2 | 0.0% | Spoiler | |||||||||||||
| Total valid votes | 52,637 | 100.0% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At the end of the sketch, further results are given in short:
- Engelbert HumperdinckEngelbert Humperdinck (singer)Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
gains Barrow in FurnessBarrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)Barrow and Furness is a parliamentary constituency in Cumbria, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from Ann Haydon-JonesAnn Haydon-JonesAnn Haydon-Jones Ann Haydon-Jones Ann Haydon-Jones (born Adrianne Shirley Haydon on 7 October 1938 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, is a former table tennis and lawn tennis champion...
and her husband Pip. - Arthur NegusArthur NegusArthur George Negus OBE was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He was a broadcaster and antiques expert.Negus's family has a long history in the antiques business, and Negus himself began running the family business when he was 17, following the death of his father. During World War II he was an...
has held Bristols. "That's not a result, that's a bit of gossip". (Bristols is rhyming slang for 'breasts': Bristol CityBristol City F.C.Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
= titty.) - Mary WhitehouseMary WhitehouseMary Whitehouse, CBE was a British campaigner against the permissive society particularly as the media portrayed and reflected it...
taking Umbrage (in reaction to the previous "held Bristols"). - WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
isn't swingingSwing (politics)An electoral swing analysis shows the extent of change in voter support from one election to another. It is an indicator of voter support for individual candidates or political parties, or voter preference between two or more candidates or parties...
at all, which "no surprise" - Monty PythonMonty PythonMonty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
holds the Credits.
Cultural references
- Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel, here a candidate for Luton, made another appearance in the third season of Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying CircusMonty 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...
, appearing in the "Spot the Looney" sketch. - In the 1981 Crosby by-electionCrosby by-election, 1981The Crosby by-election, 1981 was a by-election held in England on 26 November 1981 to elect a new Member of Parliament for the House of Commons constituency of Crosby on Merseyside...
, candidate John Desmond Dougrez-Lewis, a 22-year-old student from HayesHayes, HillingdonHayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. It is a suburban development situated west of Charing Cross. Hayes was developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries as an industrial locality to which residential districts were later added in order to house factory workers...
in Greater LondonGreater LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, changed his name by deed pollDeed of Change of NameA deed of change of name is a legal document in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, which enables a single person or a family to officially change his or her name...
to Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel. He received 223 votes and finished in fifth out of nine candidates, although the Returning Officer simply referred to him as "Tarquin Barrel". He later participated the Official Monster Raving Loony PartyOfficial Monster Raving Loony PartyThe Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
, which has some conceptual similarities with the Silly Party mentioned in the sketch.