Americans React to The Two Ronnies - Four Candles

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In this video we react to the Two Ronnies - Four Candles! Join us as check out this classic British comedy duo for the first time!
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👉 Original Video:
• The Two Ronnies Four...

[@roseanneneville4349]

Four candles sketch is etched into the hearts of everyone in the British Isles. So much so, when Ronnie Barker died, at the funeral service, four alterboys carried four candles during the service!😀

[@nicksykes4575]

Bullocks are young bulls, bill hooks are bladed tools, a bit like machetes, for clearing scrub. Bollocks is an expletive, and a slang word for testicles.

[@matthewryan4844]

Barker said in an interview he wasn't happy with that as an ending and had considered instead a lady assistant saying what kind of knockers would you like?

[@kathnunan641]

Bullocks are castrated bull not young bulls as bulls have not been castrated

[@nicksykes4575]

@@kathnunan641 So bullocks haven't got their bollocks.👍

[@Marshmish]

read it again, It clearly says Bill Hooks, nothing to do with bulls???

[@nicksykes4575]

@@Marshmish You read it again, I described what a bill hook is, the only reason I referenced bullocks was Lyndsey thought that was the word she heard, seems you don't listen to the reactors, as well as misreading the comments.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Ronnie Barker was probably Britain's best wordsmith of the 20th century. His Mispronunciation sketch is an absolute masterpiece, as is this. You can buy his scripts in book form. Endless fun.

[@johnbowman7389]

The only other comparable was Benny Hill😁😁

[@johnbowman7389]

The only one who was comparable was Benny Hill. Both fantastic

[@larryjimbob]

I think that you might have some smelling mistakes with your worms Pedro 😉😁 Forgot about that sketch, thank you for reminding me. Ronnie Barker was extremely talented with words.

[@Aengus42]

Our family still has trouble with our worms.

[@Aengus42]

​@@johnbowman7389Nah, Benny Hill was just tawdry sex jokes. Dirty Old men chasing 70s dolly birds. Sexist cliché after sexist cliché. Not funny, not clever. The Two Ronnie's were in a different league all together.

[@markfour2841]

One of the best Two Ronnies sketches is the Mastermind sketch. Well worth a watch.

[@larryjimbob]

Yes! So clever and funny

[@catgladwell5684]

@@larryjimbob I don't know whether Americans would get it though. They may not know who Margaret Thatcher was, let alone Bernard manning. I am not knocking Americans, merely commenting on the UK biased nature of the sketch (which is the best, and cleverest, ever imo). When I watch American films or TV shows there are always things I don't understand.

[@larryjimbob]

@@catgladwell5684 What you're saying is true. The comedy was obviously very relative to that time period, it's values, sensibilities and the politics in this country then. Have a great day 😊🙏

[@wullieg7269]

swear jar for church roof

[@martinarscott3524]

It's good, but I think Crossword tops it

[@garethbrown9191]

The department store show was "Are You Being Served?" Bill hooks, would have sounded like bollocks

[@sarapitt289]

Yes indeed, “Are you being served”.

[@Salfordian]

I think part of the joke would have been hand writing

[@BenBallard13]

​@@sarapitt289a bill hook is also a long handled, bladed tool with a curved tip to it. Used for cutting wood and clearing undergrowth.

[@xanadodebz2866]

Pillocks, not bolloocks

[@williambailey344]

​@@xanadodebz2866it could mean both.😊

[@gillgill6095]

Morecambe and Wise, another comedy duo.The Breakfast and The Singing in the Rain sketch are brilliant. Only Fools and Horses, The Chandelier, Batman and Robin and The Bar scenes are very funny.

[@traceyKnorn]

Andre preview

[@weedle30]

⁠@@traceyKnornI was eating a choc biscuit when I clicked on the link and just read “Andrew Preview” and nearly choked on my caramel digestive as I laughed at it!! I can just picture the whole thing as I know the dialogue almost off by heart! Thank you for making me lol even though my screen is a bit spattered….! 😳😂😂

[@beyond_hope]

Morecambe and Wise, came from a vaudeville background, were great at visual and reactionary humour and involving the audience. And although their rehearsals were meticulously planned, Morecambe tended to adlib most of his lines. Police car goes past their window, siren blaring. Eric: "He'll never sell many ice cream cones at that speed" And the Two Ronnies, masters of word work. Two completely different styles of humour. And both kept their humour clean and great for family viewing.

[@shonamoore5949]

I loved the Two Ronnies, Morecambe and Wise, Hale and Pace, comedy from the 1970's and '80's. . Absolute gold!

[@Blossom_Chops]

Morecambe & Wise with Andre Previn is hysterical, also the show they did with Angela Rippon 😊

[@The_Butler_Did_It]

I run a hardware shop not dissimilar to the one shown here, (my Grandad started it in 1966) and even now, more than forty years after this was first shown on TV, you can guarantee that at least once a week, someone will come into the shop with a silly grin on their face and ask for "four candles" as if they think I have never heard it before.

[@geoffpoole483]

Long may your business continue. I'd sooner go to a family-run local hardware shop like yours than one of the national diy chain stores.

[@vijay-c]

I'll be honest, there's a small hardware shop near where I live and it's takes all my willpower not to ask for fork handles when I occasionally go in.

[@neilclark2245]

but do you have fork handles just to head them off?

[@stevepalmer3817]

Where are you, I'll come and buy them'

[@redf7209]

you need a sign on the counter to say if you ask for fork handles you have to buy them

[@UncleFeedle]

This sketch was inspired from real events. Ronnie Barker used to get fan mail in which people would suggest ideas for the show. Most were unusable, but one which caught his interest was from a guy who owned a hardware shop and described the many verbal slips that would occur. They saw the potential for a great skit, which ended up becoming their most famous.

[@danielgdrever]

In 2013 when I was 14 I wrote a letter to Ronnie Corbett asking if I could have a signed photo as I had been a big fan since I was really young. A couple of months after I sent it I received something in the post and inside was not only a personalised signed photo from him to me but a letter from him responding to mine. Which included an anecdote about his aunt taking him to where I'm from on holiday when he was a "wee boy, living in Edinburgh" and how much he enjoyed his visit and what they got up to. He said he wanted to come back and visit but unfortunately his health would have started to deteriorate not long after. But I've always admired his clear appreciation for his fans and the time he took to write back to me. His photo is framed and on display and his letter is safely tucked away but I do from time to time take it out and read it. Even though I was only 6 almost 7 when Ronnie Barker died I remember exactly where I was when the news broke. I remember watching the news with my mum and it was the first thing said. Just after the news ended my Granny came in and broke the news again. 😅 British comedy is my specialist subject there's not much I haven't seen.

[@normandavidtidiman9918]

Great story and memory to have 👍🏻

[@CelticSaint]

That's lovely. A similar thing happened to me when I wrote to Spike Milligan. He wrote back with a lovely long letter and I cherish it.

[@eddievision]

Barker later rewrote the ending of the sketch, citing the reason as dissatisfaction with the obscurity and coarseness of the billhooks reference. He revealed in the last episode of The Two Ronnies Sketchbook in 2005 that, instead of another male shop assistant taking over, a "big slovenly girl" would come out and say "Right then sir, what kind of knockers are you looking for?"

[@danowen79]

I think they once admitted they didn’t know how to end this sketch, so it has a bad ending. But the fork handles / four candles misunderstanding is classic

[@christineharding4190]

Ronnie Barker said that after the show was in production he thought of a better ending.

[@whitedrguy6503]

There are other clips that continue a bit longer int the show with them talking about an alternative ending.

[@leohickey4953]

@@christineharding4190 Yes, this was one of the sketches Barker wrote himself, and he said that years later a fan of the show had come up with a stronger ending, which was that Corbett's colleague should be a well-endowed young woman in a tight top who looked at the list, held up some brass door furniture, and asked him "What sort of knockers did you want?".

[@alfiekelly5914]

@@christineharding4190 There was another ending filmed. Instead of Skyhooks, he asked for knockers!

[@JamesPaterson316]

Yes he said that whenever they did the show in theatres and they did that sketch, he has a busty female coworker come out and she says "what size knockers are looking for"

[@beldarin]

This brings me back to being a kid and watching my dad _falling apart_ laughing, at every show. The two Ronnies are LEGENDS!

[@richallenxbox1976]

Were, past tense, sadly they're both dead now.

[@stephenrobins4756]

Sadly, neither of them are still with us. This sketch is so well known in the UK that at both their funerals, the coffin was preceded by 4 altar boys carrying candles rather than the usual 2, everyone understood the reference.

[@kellykilfeather]

Shame they weren’t carrying fork handles

[@russellfrancis6294]

Cor-bit is the pronunciation. So glad you're watching this at last.

[@tomarmstrong5244]

Cor-but.

[@wolverine9787]

@@tomarmstrong5244 As someone who's last name was Corbett, I agree with you.

[@ASavageEye]

@@wolverine9787 That is probably the correct way but it has always been pronounced Cor-bit, even by Tv hosts

[@chelliebellie4443]

ESL teacher - usually Brit Eng words (or Anglicised GAR-ridge) the stress is on the first syllable and second is weak. Other stress patterns indicate borrowed word 😊

[@mark-nm4tc]

Ronnie Barker (guy in the hat) used to submit sketches to his own show under the pen name 'Gerald Wiley' as he wanted them judged on merit rather than get commissioned because he was in it. He starred in Porridge, a sitcom set in a male prison. I think it might have had a US 'remake'.

[@garyballared2077]

porridge - goota be in top 5 british sitcoms ever

[@britbazza3568]

@@garyballared2077 again written by Ronnie Barker along with Open all Hours both were written under pseudonyms

[@andrewroberts299]

Ronnie Barker did not write either Porridge or Open All Hours - he just starred in both of them.

[@tonywalton1464]

The 1970s US sitcom "On the Rocks" was based on "Porridge". It only lasted a single season.

[@white-dragon4424]

"Ronnie Barker (guy in the hat)" They're both wearing hats...You mean the the big fat guy wearing the woolly hat.

[@MazzaEliLi7406]

The lady got it in one! Good listening skills to follow the set up for the punch line. Bollocks.

[@claytonmarkmccarthy2593]

Billhooks. A garden tool. Likely intended to be a play on 'bollocks'.

[@andyjdhurley]

or possibly pillocks

[@jemmajames6719]

@@andyjdhurleyNo definitely bollocks😂

[@RobG001]

A billhook had a curved bit on the end for hooking branches presumably I used one on the farm when I was young, a very long time ago, looked like the bill or beak of a bird,. For amusement sake you might want to Google a medieval dagger called a bollock dagger, and you will see why it's called that. Guess they had a sense of humour several hundred years ago. 😂😂😂

[@markdale4538]

😂😂😂😂

[@markdale4538]

The billhocks is rude

[@mej6519]

the two ronnies, the masters of word play.

[@nikibee237]

You should watch some Victoria Wood , whether she's Hayley Bailey doing her step aerobics or singing Let's do it - the ballad of Barry and Freda, always cracks me up 😂

[@jaystevens1965]

or the Political Correctness song which is genius.

[@cornwallcrafter8410]

Hit me on the bottom with a woman's weekly 🤪

[@johnboy2562]

I recommend the Morecambe and Wise sketch with Andre Previn, a highly respected composer and orchestra conductor and certainly not renowned for being a funny man, but he acquits himself well here. Be sure to watch the full version, some start when they meet the orchestra after the curtains pull back, but there is a whole preamble with just the three of them beforehand.😂

[@simonmaguire5250]

Previn - "You're playing 'all the wrong notes'" ,Morecambe [grabbed him by the lapel] -: '"'m playing all the right notes,' he growls, 'but not necessarily in the right order'"

[@HelenRawlings-k3c]

Yes - funniest thing ever. And Andre Previn did a couple of ad-libs like going to fetch his baton - wasn't scripted.

[@missep1830]

you should watch the sketch where it's a the quiz show mastermind and the contestant answers the question before last every time it is genius

[@wyndblayde6103]

Yeah, that one is amazing.

[@leeosborne3793]

Easily one of their best!

[@claregale9011]

Hi Guys , The two Ronnie's Cannon and Ball , Morecombe and wise are also comedy duos , look into the sketch of Morecombe and wise cooking an English breakfast it's genius 😊.

[@davidmckie7128]

Morecombe and Wise and Andre Previn is a great sketch.

[@PLuMUK54]

The Jungle Book sketch with Morecombe and Wise is also worth watching.

[@carolineskipper6976]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3fKlZuQfLF9qLs

[@jasoneldridge4738]

​@@davidmckie7128 Andrew Preview.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Thanks for the suggestion, Clare!

[@mgytitanic1912]

One of the things I always like about this sketch is Ronnie Corbett's mutterings as he goes off to get stuff.

[@ASavageEye]

He definitely sells it. Barker was the mastermind of the two but Corbett was the better actor for sure.

[@richallenxbox1976]

The irony is, having worked in retail, I know that does actually happen.

[@robertlonsdale5326]

Dads army with the captured U boat crew-a classic.

[@Dr_KAP]

This is not meant to sound weird (I’m a straight female lol) but the lady reactor in this team is such a beautiful happy soul, I always love watching her, I just think you’re a really lovely person! Love from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤

[@dufflepod]

This 'Four Candles' sketch is regularly voted as the best British comedy sketch ever. I think the American equivalent is Abbott & Costello's sketch "Who's On First".

[@c_n_b]

Really?? I mean yeh it's pretty funny, but there are probably 15-20 funnier Mitchell and Webb sketches.

[@ASavageEye]

@@c_n_b Sketches are not just voted on how funny they are, other factors come into play and are just as important. Mitchell and Webb were fantastic at the longer conversational jokes but what sets the Ronnies apart is the interactions between the two of them and how they use words. Anyone can tell a funny story but it takes a master to make an entire joke out of one word.

[@ASavageEye]

Abbot and Costello were on another level, just like the Two Ronnies. However, even though they were popular I dont think they quite got the cult status in America that the Two Ronnies achieved in the UK. Both duo's are extremely outdated today of course and most of their jokes fly over the heads of modern audiences but if you have even the slightest idea of what they are talking about then you will find them hilarious. Both of my sons tried their best to understand the Two Ronnies but at their age ( teenagers ) they were just left confused. Some jokes worked but mostly they were just confused but I was just happy they at least gave it a try. I think once my generation passes the Two Ronnies will fade into memory along with shows such as Only Fools and Horses and Last of the Summer Wine.

[@Steve-ys1ig]

The Two Ronnies sketches were fantastic for word play. Bill hooks was meant to sound like "Bollocks" (a British slang word for testicles). The Two Ronnies were a staple of Saturday night television as were another comedy duo "Morecambe and Wise". Both were absolutely loved by the British public with regular viewing figures in the milions

[@Smudge5632]

Don’t forget the Dogs Bollocks

[@claredouglas6067]

You should try The Morecambe and Wise take on Singing in the Rain. An absolute classic.

[@shonamoore5949]

Or The Stripper at breakfast. Comedy gold!

[@marygarnham764]

OMG!!! They were hilarious. As a family, we watched every week. Mary G.

[@karasaunty9823]

The show you want to watch is 'Are You Being Served' with Molly Sugden and John Inman. Loved that series!

[@rocketrabble6737]

Anachronistic rubbish in my opinion

[@karasaunty9823]

@@rocketrabble6737 I think you mean 'in' my opinion.

[@thepickledpixie9052]

​@@rocketrabble6737it's so dated. I'm 52 and it's the kind of thing my parents found funny.

[@rocketrabble6737]

@@karasaunty9823 Typo

[@rocketrabble6737]

@@thepickledpixie9052 Agreed

[@BrooklynJane97]

I love that so many people outside of the UK might not fully understand the British language/accents and humour but find them funny anyway just because of their acting, comedic timing and chemistry. True geniuses. Same with the Mr Bean sketches, where he doesn't even need to say anything at all to be entertaining

[@geoffpoole483]

Great script but I think it's Ronnie Corbett's reactions that make the sketch so funny.

[@marygarnham764]

It’s so funny that Steve & Lindsay didn’t get the last joke. They had no idea what that written word was suggesting 😂. Mary G.

[@BrooklynJane97]

@@marygarnham764 Bullocks 😂

[@pedanticlady9126]

B-llocks!!! 😉😂

[@spacechannelfiver]

Mr Bean was crap

[@mattdow9039]

I have to say that in the old days when we had more small independent hardware stores like this one, the shop assistant would often be rather grumpy, just like Ronnie Corbett's character in this clip.

[@chrissmith8773]

A bill hook is a gardening tool used for clearing brush, cutting small trees and laying hedges. Here meant to sound a bit rude, but Ronnie Barker later admitted he never like the ending and the joke was a bit weak.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

The department store was "Are You Being Served" Try "Dad's Army" the originals. Try " It ain't half hot mum" And if you can get your head around it try " Blott on the landscape" Then there's "To the Manor Born" and "The Good Life". If you want a comedy time travel show "Goodnight Sweetheart"

[@katiperry8533]

Open All Hours too

[@daveofyorkshire301]

​@@katiperry8533 How could I have forgotten "Open All Hours"

[@katiperry8533]

@@daveofyorkshire301 I know ... shocking 😂

[@TimeyWimeyLimey]

'Are You Being Served' with that famous '70s catchphrase, "I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEE !!" It was a very progressive comedy for it's time.

[@sarahclapp505]

I'm free❤❤❤❤

[@gtaylor331]

One of my favourite comedy duos, amazing, respected, brilliant, genius.....and The Two Ronnies were great as well.

[@reactingtomyroots]

😂

[@vinnyganzano1930]

Those of us of a certain age remember this from when it was originally aired, I know I do. They were brilliant without having to resort to anything too rude although a lot of their jokes depended on double entendres and picking up things from two simultaneous conversations. The Bill hooks joke you're missing is bollocks 😉. There really were shops like that by the way, they literally seemed to have everything you could possibly want for any job. The show you're trying remember set in the department store was "Are You Being Served."

[@ASavageEye]

There still are shops like that today, even here in Ireland. They are few and far between but they do exist. I have told my partner a thousand times that if I ever win the lottery I am going to open my own shop, just like this and on the counter I am going to put a small box with candles in it. As someone who has worked in retail for 30yrs I have always wanted my own shop but an old fashioned one, not a modern one because they are just so impersonal.

[@susansmiles2242]

There is also a similar sketch with Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield called My Blackberry isn’t working that is also worth watching Bollocks not bullocks 😂😂😂

[@iangt1171]

As a double act, The Two Ronnies were almost without comparison. As individuals, stars of many brilliant sitcoms, especially Ronnie Barker, the larger of the two gentlemen. My particular favourite of Mr. Barkers was Open All Hours. 🤣🤣

[@martinwebb1681]

They played in so many comedies over the years, Open all hours, Six dates with Barker, Clarence, Porridge, Going straight, Hark and Barker, His Lordship entertains, Seven of one, The Magnificent Evans, were just some of the shows Ronnie Barker was in, as for Ronnie Corbett there was, No-That's Me Over Here!, Now Look Here, Sorry, and he also played in a lot of movies. Together they starred in The Two Ronnies, By The Sea, Frost on Sunday, The Frost Report, The Picnic.

[@wolfeflambe]

Open all hours is classic comedy. Gr gr Granville.

[@ASavageEye]

@@wolfeflambe I hope you are watching Still Open All Hours. Barker may be gone but Granville is as funny as ever, especially now that he is just as penny pinching and scheming as Arkwright ever was.

[@nualapatriciaodowd211]

You really need to watch the 2 Ronnie's ladies choir 😂

[@akula9713]

The phantom raspberry blower of old London Town 😂

[@larryjimbob]

And 'The Worm That Turned' 🤣

[@octaviussludberry9016]

THHHRRPPP!!

[@larryjimbob]

I've just remembered that sketch with them as two country bumpkins too 😂

[@wolfeflambe]

Peek Ronnies.

[@hardywatkins7737]

Yes!

[@jacquie2004]

How the hell they recorded this without falling apart I still don't know! 🤣🤣🤣

[@martinmillar7137]

TV isn't half as comforting now 😞 for winter nights or blue mondays watching these classic nostalgic shows was as good as sippin warm soup.

[@audreybagshaw5231]

All these years later the two Ronnies show has stood the test of time ..laugh out loud funny…and still much loved 🙂

[@michellegerrard6623]

How can you not laugh at this??

[@KissMyFatAxe]

Like most Americans the comedy just seems to go way over their heads. They didn't have a clue what was going on that whole time.

[@iambenmitchell]

because the fake laugh track makes it unbearably cringe

[@ukdnbmarsh]

i know every word of this script and its still utterly brilliant

[@richbutler718]

Must be quite hard , for Americans to understand some British comedy , but these two where so good at observing, and great comments , well done 👍 The show he couldn’t remember was “Are you being served”

[@geoffbeattie3160]

UK comedy classic now maybe 50 yrs old but still great! Try rising damp or porridge. Both from the same time period but Ronnie barker also started in porridge one of my favourites!! Richard beckinsale was in both )Kate's dad died young in 79-80)

[@elemar5]

*starred, not started.

[@helenagreenwood2305]

Morecambe and Wise - the breakfast skit 😆 I love Are You Being Served 😆

[@R3ED3R]

This is a rabbit hole you should defiantly dive down. The mastermind one is one of my favourites

[@alisonrandall3039]

The two Ronnie sketches which included them singing were very good.

[@Loulizabeth]

Morcombe and Wise were my favourite comedy duo from back in the day. They had special celebrity guests each week from Movies, TV and the music world. Plus they did parodies of famous movie scenes and TV Shows. Their parody of the "Singing in the Rain" scene is legendary. And they have a great sketch of them preparing breakfast to the music "The Stripper" that is really great. The sketch that many will remember though is the famous film music Composer André Previn which is just hilarious.

[@TheNickoslicK]

Absolute Classic 🤣 doesn’t get any more classic!

[@billyhills9933]

I was a kid when their ongoing comedy skit was The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town. That was a favourite on the playground.

[@thepickledpixie9052]

Aye it was hilarious as a kid in the 70s. I can't imagine that a young couple in the US in 2024 would find it funny. I don't get why folk are recommending these dated shows to them as peak British comedy. Must be a nostalgia thing.

[@kennethdodemaide8678]

Two of the most brilliant comedians the English-speaking world has seen.

[@garyballared2077]

fork handles - best pun ever

[@garyballared2077]

four candles

[@ASavageEye]

@@garyballared2077 Even though it is known as the Four Candles sketch the truth is it was written as Fork Handles because that is what Barker is looking for. The trick is in the farmers accent he uses when asking for it. Barkers word-smithery was just legendary.

[@DreadDeadFate]

Definitely check out Morecombe and Wise. Another classic comedy duo.

[@richt71]

This sketch has often been voted the best comedy sketch of all time even though it's decades old. The Two Ronnie's were a stable of prime time Saturday night TV. There sketches were family friendly but could have a lot of innuendos in them for the adults.

[@ASavageEye]

They were in a long time feud with 'Morecambe and Wise' for who was the favourite and it was a rivalry that often caused arguments within families. If you ask me The Two Ronnies were definitely the better of them and their legacy will last much longer.

[@StephenWorth.]

Two Ronnie Crosswords is one of my favourites

[@Parknest]

The four candles/fork handles sketch was from 1976. Bill hooks was a reference to "bollocks", a slang word for testicles. This sketch is testament to the late great Ronnie Barker's comedy writing talent. The department store sitcom is "Are you Being Served?". Another Two Ronnies sketch you should check out is the Mastermind sketch from 1980 if you already haven't done so. It contains several references from that time.

[@ronilayne1758]

Check out Still Game - a favourite Scottish comedy. It can be moving at times, then 2 mins later you'll be howling laughing. Genius. I think Lindsey will really love this. 'Wummin' is one of my favourites. Once you get to know all the characters and their traits it gets even funnier. Enjoy.

[@thepickledpixie9052]

"Cauld" and "Hot Seat" are my favourites.

[@djs98blue]

Nice to hear your memories of your grandmother. You’ve mentioned visiting her quite a bit over your time on YT - you must have be close. That’s nice. I remember visiting mine too with a lot of fondness. You might like watching old Top Gear, particularly their trip to the American Deep South.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Thanks Dan! We were--nothing like a grandma's love that's for sure. :) I'm thankful for the memories. I'll see if I can find that one.

[@markdevonshire6052]

kzbin.info/aero/PLWpVvJ8o7wzwBGp24A2V6gcXTaKS_Ypmo&si=MXFyCzOXDlY0ifXi is in bits but covers most of it I think

[@garyballared2077]

watch their mastermind sketch - so clever

[@garethjones2210]

Watched this 100's of times and still cracks me up!

[@harag9]

Same, I miss shows like that, loved it back in the day.

[@garethjones2210]

Don't make em like this anymore!

[@ameliaord4887]

Best sketch! Thanks for reacting to it.

[@Badgersj]

I love those old shops. We had one in our town but it closed when the last owner died and it's now an estate agents (realtor).

[@geoffpoole483]

There are still some around. There are several in Norwich including Thorns DIY in the city centre. It's been there for well over 100 years and sells just about everything except food and clothes.

[@MOOEYSMITH]

Bollocks :)

[@BrightonandHoveActually]

Probably Gerald Wiley's best known sketch. A lot of sketches are credited as written by Gerald Wiley both for the Two Ronnies and for other shows over a number of years. Eventually, Wiley was invited to a dinner to honour him but he apparently did not turn up. It was at that point that Ronnie Barker stood up and admitted that Gerald Wiley was his nom de plume. There is a little bit of licence in the sketch over the plug. The UK law about electricity in bathrooms or shower rooms is very strict. You can have a supply for a shaver or an electric toothbrush but a 13 amp supply is very illegal! After Barker died, there was a memorial service which included a procession carrying four candles.

[@joannetyndall3625]

Classic!xx

[@IGSkaarj]

If you end up liking the Two Ronnies, you'll like Morecambe and Wise too. The sitcom you are trying to remember was likely Are You Being Served

[@betagombar9022]

Morecambe and Wise were another fab duo. Also Only fools and horses, the best British comedy show ever! 😂

[@terrywright7470]

The guy watching this sketch looks absolutely bewildered, it may as well been in a foreign language judging his reactions.

[@garyballared2077]

bollocks - swear word

[@warrenfontana1325]

The Ronnie's & Harry Enfield doing the eggs box one too, is absolute class. They were excellent comedians for their era.

[@DarkuntilDusk]

Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses!!

[@MargaretTindale]

This IS simply one of the greatest sketches EVER!!!❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@chucky2316]

Two ronnies are excellent you need to look at bernard manning.jethro, jim davidson and roy chubby brown. Proper british comedians

[@geordieboy8945]

Can't see them enjoying them at all.

[@chucky2316]

​@geordieboy8945 who wouldn't enjoy them and I've seen everyone of them live. Bernard manning in particular was a class act no one around these days to even come close.

[@MargaretTindale]

The Two Ronnie's were simply genius!!!!

[@sarahjaneheckscher6737]

The genius of Four Candles was the wordplay. But the Two Ronnies were totally genius like that. Another great comedy duo from the same era were Morecombe and Wise.

[@Brian-om2hh]

Four Candles by the two Ronnies is an enduring British comedy classic.... These two came up with some of the finest and funniest comedy we saw in Britain for a long time. Ronnie Barker - the big guy - used to co-write many of the sketches... you need to fully "get" British humour to follow some of it.... Are You Being Served?" Another well loved comedy classic, based in the fictional Grace Bros department store....

[@daveloboda1769]

The Two Ronnies were brilliant comdeians and their show was one of the best ever and this is one of their best sketches. So glad you enjoyed it. . A lot of the material was written by Ronnie Barker who also starred in one of the best ever sitcoms "Porridge", which is well worth a look.

[@markgrygielewicz8047]

Ronnie Corbett;s reaction makes the skit what it is, his escalating frustration is amazing throughout.

[@tonym480]

Ronnie Barker was a comedy genius. My first memory of him is from the very early 1960's in a BBC Radio comedy show, 'The Navy Lark', in which he played the much put upon Able Seaman Johnson. His nemesis was Chief Petty Officer Pertwee, played by Jon Pertwee, who later played Doctor Who on TV. The verbal sparring between Barker and Pertwee was brilliant. Ronnie later had his own radio sketch show 'Lines from my Grandfathers Forehead for which he wrote much of the script. He was in several TV shows apart from The Two Ronnies, most notably 'Open All Hours' and 'Porridge', the latter set in a prison and co staring Richard Beckinsale, father of Kate. I doubt we will ever see his like again.

[@martinsear5470]

Back in the 70's and early 80's we only had 3 TV channels. BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. The Two Ronnies where on the BBC taking on ITV who had Morecombe and Wise, another legendary comedy duo. You should check out some Morecombe and Wise too guys, personally I would recommend the Andre Previn scetch. These two duo's regularly pulled in 10 million viewers per show.

[@mandykesby9284]

Every Two Ronnie's show had a musical number, they were hilarious and dk well performed!

[@LordEriolTolkien]

As an English boy growing up in the 70's this was the TV that our parents shared with us, back in the days when the family sat round a tv and watched together

[@guybrennan5801]

Lindsey, you are right in your thinking at the end bill hooks = Bollocks! It was first aired in the Uk in 1976! The Department show was 'Are you being served'.

[@zollykod2541]

My husband played the organ for Ronnie Corbett's funeral (they lived near us and Ronnie's daughters went to the same school as my sister).

[@roypeterwoodcock4982]

Two comedy giants....both sadly passed away.....comedy geniuses

[@DirkGently1972]

I work for the incumbent telecommunications company in the U.K and this very same clip was used as a tongue-in-cheek example of the importance of good communication skills when I was an apprentice (more years ago now than I care to remember!). It had such a lasting impact on me that I continue to use that clip when mentoring new apprentices/students to this day. Love this sketch 😂😂

[@tonygreenfield7820]

Couple of things. That is one hell of a shop. Sells pretty much everything. And there are people just like Ronnie Barker's character in that sketch...

[@jennywillow9850]

At Ronnie Barker's funeral. his coffin was carried into the church surrounded by yep, 4 candles. A quite deliberate reference to this sketch.

[@vladd6787]

I've seen a couple of pubs called The four candles, the sign is of four garden forks whose handles are candles at the end.

[@michaelsullivan1631]

YOU NEED TO WATCH THE CROSSED LINES SKETCH BY THESE TWO.

[@spaaaced-t5s]

One of my favourite comedy sketches. Those two were big favourites when I was little, along with Morecombe an Wise, and Dick Emery. "Ooh you are awful, but I like you" Stuff kids can laugh at with their parents.

[@Shoomer1988]

The Two Ronnies were masters of comedy using wordplay.

[@dembonez955]

the show set in a department store was called "are you being served" recommend a show called "goodness gracious me" - the going for an English sketch - a classic part of 90's British comedy

[@janicefinn1745]

All these years later and it still makes me roar with laughter 😂😂😂

[@jettser17UK]

You both should watch any episodes of Keeping Up Appearances! It's series are comedy gold too!

[@Peterraymond67]

Hello both. This was a well-known sketch in the UK. I used to work for British Telecomm as an engineer. We had monthly team meetings and one month the theme was “Communication”. We were shown this sketch to show what could happen if we fail in our communications. It was a great sketch, the Two Ronnies produced a great show. They also had individual careers, Ronnie Barker had some real good shows. He starred in Porridge. Porridge is the slang for a prisoner’s breakfast, it’s a milky meal made from oatmeal in the US. Another great Ronnie Barker show was Open All Hours. Barker stars as Arkwright, a tight-fisted small shop owner. His assistant, his nephew, is played by David Jason another great comedy person who starred in Only Fools & Horses. Years ago my village had an ironmongers exactly like the shop in this programme. They sold everything from paraffin to paint and wallpaper, every village had one like this. Big box stores have put an end to shops like this. They had experience tied with an expertise about all that they sold.

[@BlueTexel]

Seen this so many times but it still cracks me up 🤣. Not many shops around like that anymore sadly, where you could buy ANYTHING.

[@Elaineshaw-d6m]

We have a similar shop in town, no counter service though. We have nicknamed it Arkwrights.

[@robinford4037]

Ronnie Corbett telling jokes/stories are a must

[@pencilpauli9442]

I remember shops like this. The guy behind the counter would wear a brown coat and not be dressed like Ronnie Barker in this sketch. Couldn't write a sketch like this any more, and hardware stores have been supplanted by large stores.