Thank you for watching our reaction to The Two Ronnies' classic sketch "Four Candles"! This iconic British comedy sketch is a brilliant display of wordplay and humor. Did it make you laugh as much as it made us? If you enjoyed our reaction to this timeless piece of comedy, please give this video a thumbs up, subscribe to our channel, and let us know your favorite moments from the sketch in the comments below. Let’s keep the laughs and great memories coming, friends!
Have you reacted to Only Fools and Horses? Many Brits top favourite comedy show. You seem to relate well to British humour, so would probably 'get' all the laughs we loved.
I would recommend a sketch titled "The One Ronnie, My Blackberry Is Not Working". Ronnie Corbett with Harry Enfield. Harry Enfield himself is a legend of British Comedy and Ronnie Corbett has him struggling not to laugh.
If you do read old comments check out Ronnie Barker's "Open all Hours", it's with David Jason as well (another comic actor from Only Fools and Horses). You would probably be able to do all 4 seasons of that show in a livestream quite easily. (I would however, maybe edit ep 1 or 2 a bit as words then are not "acceptable" now).
He wrote a lot for That Was The Week That Was, which featured some of the Monty Python team before they floor together. Barker’s influence is apparent in many Python sketches.
Hey guys👍the ' four candles sketch was from 1976,the clip at the end was much later and not too long after Ronnie Barker passed away(2005) with Ronnie Corbett passing in 2016. Two legends of safe family comedy that were massive in the UK with Ronnie Barker starring in hit sitcoms open all hours and Porridge and Ronnie C in sorry.
As a boy I would be sent to a shop exactly like that they were called Ironmongers and sold everything. I was sent for Paraffin to fill the heater always the Pink brand never the Esso Blue .Orders from Mum .That sketch took me right back there ..
I have so many happy memories going to the ironmongers as a kid back in the day and can see the things you mentioned and then some, can still remember the smell from the shop.
I used to go to the depot to collect paraffin: it was clear, and all three makes -- pink, green and blue -- would add their particular dye! That was half a century ago.
@@johncollins8304 As if I wasn't (at 71 now) already feeling old and now you're talking about things I can also easily recall - "half a century ago!" Ye gods...!! 🤔😮😮😮😮🤭🖖
Four Candles was recorded in 1976, and The Two Ronnies show ended in 1987 (having started in 1971). The part at the end was from a show done in the 2000s call "The 2 Ronnies Sketchbook" where they introduced many of their classic sketches. This was the last of those shows, and what you saw at the end was the very last moment of them on stage together.
It was a show where the two Ronnies introduced some of their most memorable sketches. They were absolute genius’s. I lived less than a mile from Ronnie Corbett and saw him often. He was a lovely lovely down to earth guy. God bless them.
I remember stores like that. The ironmongers. Had pretty much everything. NB. In the army we used to send ‘sprogs’ (soldiers straight out of depot) down to the Quartermaster to ask for sky hooks, the keys to the square, 2 inch holes, … 😊
The Two Ronnies were the masters of the language, wordplay and wonderful comedy. Ronnie Barker wrote many of the sketches in this classic show that had families on Saturday nights.
He wrote many of the sketches under a nom do plume (Gerald Wiley) and submitted them to the shows anonymously. This was so he could be sure they were being accepted on their own merit rather than because they were written by a star of the show.
We had a hardware shop in my home town in the 1950s that had everything. It only had a small frontage, but it went way back with more cupboards and shelves than you could count.
Classic two Ronnie’s grew up with them ❤. You mention him having everything but back in the 60,70s when I was a kid we did have shops like that. You could ask for anything and an old boy would go to a box and have it 😂😂😂
@@RNTV Thanks for this Karen. There are endless, clever sketches from " The Two Ronnies " :) Ronnie Barker (The Customer and The Presenter, who described the alternative ending) wrote their sketches under the pseudonym "Gerald Wiley" so his work would be judged on merit and not approved, simply, because he wrote it.
Their TV series in the 70s and 80s drew huge audiences, and the Christmas Day specials were a staple. I remember hearing our next-door neighbour roaring with laughter every time the Two Ronnies were on TV, even through our common wall. Ronnie Barker was also in a couple of very highly regarded sitcoms, Porridge and Open all Hours. RIP the Two Ronnies.
Thanks. I didn’t get it. I’m 63, spent 12 years in the army and young soldiers (‘sprogs’) used to be sent on wild goose chases: to the guardroom (keys to the square! A long ‘weight’). Or to the armours for some copper holes.
I went to the theatre to see these tow on stage and in between sketches! One would come on and then have to rush off stage as if he urgently needed to go to the toilet! It was just fantastic seeing that sketch on stage! Then to see it on TV! htey were the best the UK could ever make! R.I.P The Two Ronnie's!
According to Ronnie Barker, the sketch was inspired by a letter he received from a fan who'd seen the "four candles" bit actually happen. Ronnie B thought it was a great idea and ran with it.
Hi to you both from Sheffield Yorkshire england yes the 2 ronies are a national institution they are national treasures sadly they have both past now but gave us over. 20 years of laughs 😂😂😂❤❤❤
This was so good for you to give the artists the stage. And to be able to see tou both enjoying a classic sketch. All the best from Scotland. Rab Subscribed
When this sketch was recorded electrical appliances in the UK were sold without plugs and we had to fit our own - hence buying 'plugs' was a regular necessity (also had to make sure you got the correct fuse rating, most commonly 13 amp but could be anything from 1 amp upwards to suit the appliance). The law changed in 1992 now requiring plugs to be pre-fitted. Shops just like this used to really exist in the UK.
Ronnie Barker looked really ill. RIP. Definitely check out his 70’s comedy series “Porridge” all about convicts in a prison and the hilarious situations they get themselves into,brilliantly written,perfect timing and funny as all hell. Thoroughly recommended.
Ronnie Barker (the big one) wrote the sketch. His great friend (and fellow comedy writer) Spike Milligan told him it was one of the best pieces of comedy writing he had ever seen but the punch line could have been funnier- Spike said he wanted the little Ronnie to take the note, say I'm not dealing with this, call in the very busty Miss Jones from back shop and the big Ronnie says "No, door knockers."
The ending there was their traditional signing off line. And they were well into their retirement but had some compilation shows they presented when retired on the BBC. A look back at the best bits from their shows. Given the quality of their work there was plenty to choose from.
Firstly, congratulations on being 2 of those rare reactors who, actually, kept watching to the very ens and heard the explanation.:) There are endless, clever sketches from " The Two Ronnies " :) Ronnie Barker (The Customer and The Presenter, who described the alternative ending) wrote their sketches under the pseudonym "Gerald Wiley" so his work would be judged on merit and not approved, simply, because he wrote it.
They said this at the end of every show. They were legends. You would like the crossword one on the train. Also watch (if you have not done so) the Michael McIntyren 'dentist' sketch as it is hilarious.
Ronnie Baker was a genius of word play. Ronnie Corrbett was a great stand up comedian and doing monologues. I hope you will check out Porridge and Open all hours. BOTH have the great David Jason from Only Fools and horses, can you recognise? Much harder in in Porridge!
Sorry for not liking your reactions. I keep forgetting!!!! . You both are fantastic. Jess's laugh, kills me. Brilliant. Loved both of you, watching "Mike and the Michanics " " living years." .I completely understand your sentiments. I missed my father, by 10 minutes, in the hospital. I had so much to apologise for, a😊and to praise him for, that I never ever said. Too late!!!!
Try to watch some of their musical numbers they ended their shows with every week. “The Aldershot Brass Band Ensemble“ being one of the best. Done in one take with words and complicated marching choreography. Love your reactions, by the way, chaps.
They were the masters of wordplay, Ronnie Barker (the big one) wrote most of their clever word sketches and wrote them anonymously so they wouldn't treat him differently from other writers. He was also a10/10 comedy actor in sit-com's, some amazing character parts and each almost unrecognisable from the others.
The very best Scene of the Two Ronnies end of ..Us English still Laugh about it now many years later .Clever writing god bless them both ❤Im watching this now ,But when he climbs that bloody ladder ,Honestly ,i'm p***ing myself Laughing 🤣Thankyou to you both xx 😁👍
Hiya. Most people, however, don't know the full quote is "the customer is always right, in matters of taste." Only meaning, if they want to buy something that doesn't suit them, let them. Great, too, that Jess knows a whisky and soda means a whisky and soda water. I don't know about now, across the pond, but years ago, in the UK, there used to be a soda syphon on the bar so drinkers could add their own to their taste, at no charge. Today, it's in little mixer bottles and charged for. Stay safe. All the best to you.
Oh wow. Thanks for the additional info! Here we have soda machines behind the counter. The soda water is usually free, but you do need someone to get it for you.
My husband and I were in a hardware store lately and he was looking for a spade handle....of course, this sketch immediately cam e to mind , and left us both in a fit of giggles in the aisle of the shop.
As you can see, I'm a month behind from when you aired this video folks . . . however, it seems as if you're heading down the 2 Ronnies road for earlier comedy at present . . . The 2 Ron's became firm favourites in the UK for their wit and humour with wordplay in sketches. They were both actors who eased into TV until they became a duo together on screen . . . An earlier duo for you would be Morecombe and Wise (M&W), another top pairing in comedy gold who usually had over 15 million people staying in on Christmas Day Evening to watch their Christmas Shows, and to see what stars they would have appearing in them . . . Singers, Actors, Musicians, etc, were all happy to be made fun of by them in any show they created - because if they were on an M&W show, then they'd made it! To check out their best known sketches (for now) - I will give you just 3 to look for on YT, (the colour versions not any B&W ones) and you can react/watch them to see what you think about them . . . 1) Singing in The Rain . . . 2) Mastermind . . . 3) Greig's Piano Concerto . . . Eric M and Ernie W slightly predated the 2 Ron's and started out differently, so they had a different brand of comedy. Eric and Ernie were two teenage theatre performers (I guess you might say vaudeville acts in a way?) - so they learnt their comedy ropes there before any TV comedy like theirs was even a thing really. Eric, the tallest one with the glasses, was the main comedian - and Ernie was his straight man more often than not . . . When still teenagers, Eric's mother who was his manager, saw Ernie at the same theatre venue that Eric was appearing at. She got them together as a duo and the rest was history with a duo legend being born . . . In their sketches with various well known stars from all walks of life, their shows just kept getting better and better and more watched. The singers got to sing - just not in the way they may have thought they would with those 2. The actors and actresses ended up being in little Ern's, "Plays What I wrote" - basically cut-outs of major films, etc, performed by them and these stars. Glenda Jackson, Francis Matthews, Peter Cushing, etc . . . One Christmas Special even had a musical rendition of "South Pacific's" There Ain't Nothing Like A Dame . . . featuring most of the well known newsmen and commentators working for the BBC at the time . . . Another funny comedian for you not to miss out on is the late great, Dave Allen, an Irish comedian whose anecdotes, stories, sketches, and skits about religion and other comedic jokes brought him to mass appeal in the UK - even among the Catholics who maybe should not have actually found them funny either, but did . . . Just never ask how he lost half of one of his fingers though - as none of us still actually know, as his story of it just kept changing about it . . . Good sketches to start with, "Sperm" . . . "Religion" . . . "Learning To Tell the Time" . . . "Teenagers" . . . and his ghost story - and of course the many more that he did for us all including those . . . Enjoy is all I can tell you about M&W and Dave . . . as you will love them just as much, too . . . Cheers.
One of the best things about this video is seeing the reaction of people watching this classic piece of UK TV for the first time 2020's, so similar to the original 1970's reaction! I guess great comedy IS ageless
Ronnie Barker starred in two of the greatest sitcoms. Porridge and Open All Hours. Numbers 6 & 7 on the Greatest British Sitcoms of all time. They're both on Britbox, I believe. ❤
With being American you are going to struggle with the 2 Ronnies accents but back in the day they were 2 of the funniest guys on TV, the 4 candles sketch is very famous in the comedy world it was years before its time, look up the mobile phone sketch I think you will like it or the guy trying to purchase a round of drinks enjoy
You guys are great, such fun to watch. This whole sketch revolves around the fact that a lot of Londoners don't pronounce the letter H when it is at the start of words. Hence 'handles' becomes 'andles as in four c(andles) and so on. The customer ( Ronnie Barker ) is putting on a 'cockney' accent, but as he is not a Londoner, some might call it a mockney accent.
This sketch was based on a real life story submitted to Ronnie Barker (the large one!) and he wrote it under his pseudonym Gerald Wiley. It's wonderful wordplay. Barker, incidentally, wrote many sketches using that name, sending them in via a third party, and it was some years before he revealed the truth to the other writers of the show. He admitted that he wanted his sketches to be chosen on their own merit and not just because they were written by Ronnie Barker.
My favourite sketch ever if we don’t include python. I was i Sydney with a friend of mine and we were both hungover bad. We went to this store so he could buy some outdoor candles for his barbecue area. At the checkout we did this sketch because he’d bought 4 stand up candles to enhance his bbq space. It was so funny. Not sure anyone else understood what was going on but we enjoyed it.
Ronnie Barker was the best British actor comedian since Chaplin as you will find out as you see more of their classic sketches often written by Barker but unknown by the other writers
The origonal phrase was '“The customer is always right, in matters of taste” is a quote by Harry Gordon I don't know why it got shorterned, Coustomers are usually wrong.
@@shkeen57 i think the reference was to the very end where the two Ronnies explained the ending of the sketch, you can see that Ronnie Barker looked quite ill.
Every time I see someone reacting to The Two Ronnies I have the same request..."By the seaside" by them it's about 50 minutes long but fabulous. Please do a reaction to it😊I reckon you’ll both love it and their creativity. Cheers Adam from Tasmania (Island state of Australia)
it was in fact their very last show as Ronnie Barkers (the bigger one) health had not tbeen 100% although they had retired as a comedy duo in 1987 I believe. Both also did comedy series Ronnie Corbett in Sorry and Ronnie B. in Porridge, set in a prison. Their shows were watched by millions and their Christmas show would have an audience of 18 million nearly half the population at the time. At both of their funerals alter boys came in with the coffins carrying 4 candles.
May Favourite is the mastermind sketch answering the question before- but anything by these legends is OK with me - both very sadly missed- they were a British institution.
As someone who has worked retail for over 20 years, there has been so many times I've felt like Ronnie Corbett. You just look at the customer like 'seriously!' 😂
Just in case you were wondering, the sketches were always recorded in front of a live audience, it’s not a laugh track. Yet another ‘wordplay’ skit was: ‘Name Droppers’.
@patriciaburke6639 I've had to look into this topic now that it's brought up so much. Please don't take me the wrong way, but I suggest looking into it as well. With live audiences, they found that people would laugh at the wrong times. They would use prompters and even plants in the audience to help mitigate these issues. Something else I didn't know about was the invention of The Laff Box. "The Laff Box, also known as the Audience Response Duplicator, is a machine invented by Charles Douglass that plays pre-recorded laughter on demand. The Laff Box is a typewriter-like device that allows sound engineers to press buttons to produce specific types and sequences of laughter." It was invented in 1953 and was commonly used going forward for live audience recordings.
One of the greatest UK double acts that weren't mainstream television was Ricky Fulton and Jack Milroy, otherwise known as Francie and Josie in their theatre act. There's a performance of their act at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow on UA-cam, however it is specifically Scottish humour, but their performances are a comedy masterclass.
The eternal joy of this is that writer Ronnie Barker (our annoying customer - and a delightful man by all accounts) lends absolute precedence to comedian partner Ronnie Corbett in this sketch. It's still considered one of the greatest British comedy moments.
The 2 Ronnies sweet shop sketch. Ronnie B plays the greedy shopkeeper. Ronnie C plays rich shiek with the shopping list. I like this one more than 4 candles. Another genius routine that plays on words.
Both were comedians in their own right as well as a great duo. Ronnie Barker was great in the sitcoms Porridge and Open all Hours. Ronnie Corbet was the shortest commissioned officer 5Ft 1 in the British armed forces being a Pilot Officer in the RAF.
The shot of the Two Ronnies at the end was indeed their last appearance together. Sadly Ronnie Barker (on the right) passed away sunddenly not long after. The two had split up several years earlier when Ronnie B announced his retirement and they would not appear again together until this final show which was a retrospective compilation of their most famous comedy sketches together. Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett (both now deceased) were comedy gold together, and their legend lives on and will live on ;long after anyone who loved their shows will also have passed on.
It's a general store - which used to be an English high street store which sold basically anything. But not like your "walmart" today, it be a family run business. Basically what we would call traders back in the day as they used to buy and sell anything.
Really sorry to put in a comment that isn't Ronnie Barker related but I sent you a message about a TERRIFIC SINGER, JOHN FARNHAM - Youre The Voice, Help (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra LIVE is the best) & When The War Is Over. Please watch him...Jess will love him and cry over his voice & song messages
Ronnie B was also brilliant in a comedy series called Porridge - the only person I know that could make a sit-com based in a mens prison and make it hilarious
Thank you for watching our reaction to The Two Ronnies' classic sketch "Four Candles"!
This iconic British comedy sketch is a brilliant display of wordplay and humor. Did it make you laugh as much as it made us? If you enjoyed our reaction to this timeless piece of comedy, please give this video a thumbs up, subscribe to our channel, and let us know your favorite moments from the sketch in the comments below.
Let’s keep the laughs and great memories coming, friends!
@RNTV Got any O's?
Have you reacted to Only Fools and Horses? Many Brits top favourite comedy show. You seem to relate well to British humour, so would probably 'get' all the laughs we loved.
So brilliant scetches. Unfortunately they have both sadly died
I would recommend a sketch titled "The One Ronnie, My Blackberry Is Not Working". Ronnie Corbett with Harry Enfield. Harry Enfield himself is a legend of British Comedy and Ronnie Corbett has him struggling not to laugh.
If you do read old comments check out Ronnie Barker's "Open all Hours", it's with David Jason as well (another comic actor from Only Fools and Horses).
You would probably be able to do all 4 seasons of that show in a livestream quite easily. (I would however, maybe edit ep 1 or 2 a bit as words then are not "acceptable" now).
According to BBC TV at Ronnie Corbett's funeral service eight years ago, there were four lit candles behind the altar in tribute.
Brilliant 👏
If true, that act is pure love for the actor and for comedy. 🙏
You were right
R.I.P Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the true Kings of wordplay.
Mr Barker was the best comedy writer around. Genius. And Mr Corbett was the best straight man around. It doesn't get any better.
@@markfletton5901 No arguing. Just a view. And sure you are right. Many to choose from.
He wrote a lot for That Was The Week That Was, which featured some of the Monty Python team before they floor together. Barker’s influence is apparent in many Python sketches.
Hey guys👍the ' four candles sketch was from 1976,the clip at the end was much later and not too long after Ronnie Barker passed away(2005) with Ronnie Corbett passing in 2016. Two legends of safe family comedy that were massive in the UK with Ronnie Barker starring in hit sitcoms open all hours and Porridge and Ronnie C in sorry.
I loved these comics when I was younger. if open all hours is on tv old or new I will watch it was always my favourite.
As a boy I would be sent to a shop exactly like that they were called Ironmongers and sold everything. I was sent for Paraffin to fill the heater always the Pink brand never the Esso Blue .Orders from Mum .That sketch took me right back there ..
@@markfletton5901yes indeed!
I have so many happy memories going to the ironmongers as a kid back in the day and can see the things you mentioned and then some, can still remember the smell from the shop.
I used to go to the depot to collect paraffin: it was clear, and all three makes -- pink, green and blue -- would add their particular dye! That was half a century ago.
They asked me how I knew it was Essp Blue, I of course replied with other brands one buys, smoke gets in your eyes.
@@johncollins8304
As if I wasn't (at 71 now) already feeling old and now you're talking about things I can also easily recall - "half a century ago!" Ye gods...!! 🤔😮😮😮😮🤭🖖
Four Candles was recorded in 1976, and The Two Ronnies show ended in 1987 (having started in 1971). The part at the end was from a show done in the 2000s call "The 2 Ronnies Sketchbook" where they introduced many of their classic sketches. This was the last of those shows, and what you saw at the end was the very last moment of them on stage together.
The sad thing was Barker died soon after that show last aired.
That sketch is so famous you can get greetings cards with just 4candles on the front and it ALWAYS gets a laugh.
It was a show where the two Ronnies introduced some of their most memorable sketches. They were absolute genius’s. I lived less than a mile from Ronnie Corbett and saw him often. He was a lovely lovely down to earth guy. God bless them.
To be fair; at his height.......🤣🤣
@@martinsmith3354 That’s what he’d probably said 🤣
In the late 80s I saw Ronnie Corbett in the street near Piccadilly Circus . He was a legend.
As a child in the 70s watching pure silliness of the phantom raspberry blower
brilliant
I remember stores like that. The ironmongers. Had pretty much everything.
NB. In the army we used to send ‘sprogs’ (soldiers straight out of depot) down to the Quartermaster to ask for sky hooks, the keys to the square, 2 inch holes, … 😊
The Two Ronnies were the masters of the language, wordplay and wonderful comedy. Ronnie Barker wrote many of the sketches in this classic show that had families on Saturday nights.
He wrote many of the sketches under a nom do plume (Gerald Wiley) and submitted them to the shows anonymously. This was so he could be sure they were being accepted on their own merit rather than because they were written by a star of the show.
We had a hardware shop in my home town in the 1950s that had everything. It only had a small frontage, but it went way back with more cupboards and shelves than you could count.
What a superb job the BBC did to create this brilliant set- just for this one sketch
These two were absolute comic geniuses. Ronnie barker was so brilliant with the English language it was unreal.
Classic two Ronnie’s grew up with them ❤. You mention him having everything but back in the 60,70s when I was a kid we did have shops like that. You could ask for anything and an old boy would go to a box and have it 😂😂😂
The Two Ronnies was the best.RIP🪦
Love this humor…it’s brilliant! These guys are masters of facial expressions and timing! I really enjoyed this and your reactions to it!❤️
Glad you enjoyed it with us Karen 💚💜
@@RNTV Thanks for this Karen. There are endless, clever sketches from " The Two Ronnies " :)
Ronnie Barker (The Customer and The Presenter, who described the alternative ending) wrote their sketches under the pseudonym "Gerald Wiley" so his work would be judged on merit and not approved, simply, because he wrote it.
Their TV series in the 70s and 80s drew huge audiences, and the Christmas Day specials were a staple. I remember hearing our next-door neighbour roaring with laughter every time the Two Ronnies were on TV, even through our common wall. Ronnie Barker was also in a couple of very highly regarded sitcoms, Porridge and Open all Hours. RIP the Two Ronnies.
I miss going into those traditional hardware shops, had everything, fishing tackle etc, they had that distinctive smell,, All gone😢
For anyone wondering about the last item: Billhooks == Bollocks
Thanks. I didn’t get it. I’m 63, spent 12 years in the army and young soldiers (‘sprogs’) used to be sent on wild goose chases: to the guardroom (keys to the square! A long ‘weight’). Or to the armours for some copper holes.
One of the entertaining aspects of your reaction videos is actually Jess's reaction. Priceless 😂
I went to the theatre to see these tow on stage and in between sketches! One would come on and then have to rush off stage as if he urgently needed to go to the toilet! It was just fantastic seeing that sketch on stage! Then to see it on TV! htey were the best the UK could ever make! R.I.P The Two Ronnie's!
According to Ronnie Barker, the sketch was inspired by a letter he received from a fan who'd seen the "four candles" bit actually happen. Ronnie B thought it was a great idea and ran with it.
This has got to be one of my favourite 2 Ronnie's ever absolutely out of this world 🌎 class.😅 no no no handles for forks, 😅
He said 'O's, Mon Repose', a name given to a home, meaning my rest (my resting place)
Beautiful comedy, no swearing, no cursing just absolute genius. So lovely to see it all over again shared by you lovely people.... ❤
Hi to you both from Sheffield Yorkshire england yes the 2 ronies are a national institution they are national treasures sadly they have both past now but gave us over. 20 years of laughs 😂😂😂❤❤❤
Have a look at the Two Ronnies Swedish lesson, in the Restaurant, Telephone conversation, the racing duck and crossword. There are many more.
Crossword is my favourite of those
All added to our list! Thank you
The Swedish one is so clever, and one of my favourites!
At ronnie corbetts funeral they had four candles on the alter as a tribute to him.
This was so good for you to give the artists the stage. And to be able to see tou both enjoying a classic sketch. All the best from Scotland. Rab Subscribed
Look at the two ronnies crossed line or something it’s called where they’re both on a public phone next to each other! Thats a classic
ua-cam.com/video/N6jWCVO38iA/v-deo.html
Both on our list!
@@RNTV im so glad its on your list its a great sketch cant wait to see your reaction
Ronnie was later the proprietor of a similar emporium in a series called Open All Hours (one of my favourites)
When this sketch was recorded electrical appliances in the UK were sold without plugs and we had to fit our own - hence buying 'plugs' was a regular necessity (also had to make sure you got the correct fuse rating, most commonly 13 amp but could be anything from 1 amp upwards to suit the appliance). The law changed in 1992 now requiring plugs to be pre-fitted. Shops just like this used to really exist in the UK.
They do, there’s one down the road from me. Many a happy hour spent browsing !
Ronnie Barker looked really ill.
RIP.
Definitely check out his 70’s comedy series “Porridge” all about convicts in a prison and the hilarious situations they get themselves into,brilliantly written,perfect timing and funny as all hell.
Thoroughly recommended.
See if you can see the older caracter played by young David Jason who has his own legend status.
Ronnie Barker (the big one) wrote the sketch. His great friend (and fellow comedy writer) Spike Milligan told him it was one of the best pieces of comedy writing he had ever seen but the punch line could have been funnier- Spike said he wanted the little Ronnie to take the note, say I'm not dealing with this, call in the very busty Miss Jones from back shop and the big Ronnie says "No, door knockers."
That was seriously awesome sketch absolutely brilliant. Those two were fantastic.
The ending there was their traditional signing off line. And they were well into their retirement but had some compilation shows they presented when retired on the BBC. A look back at the best bits from their shows. Given the quality of their work there was plenty to choose from.
Firstly, congratulations on being 2 of those rare reactors who, actually, kept watching to the very ens and heard the explanation.:)
There are endless, clever sketches from " The Two Ronnies " :)
Ronnie Barker (The Customer and The Presenter, who described the alternative ending) wrote their sketches under the pseudonym "Gerald Wiley" so his work would be judged on merit and not approved, simply, because he wrote it.
They said this at the end of every show. They were legends. You would like the crossword one on the train. Also watch (if you have not done so) the Michael McIntyren 'dentist' sketch as it is hilarious.
All added to our list!
Ronnie Baker was a genius of word play. Ronnie Corrbett was a great stand up comedian and doing monologues.
I hope you will check out Porridge and Open all hours. BOTH have the great David Jason from Only Fools and horses, can you recognise? Much harder in in Porridge!
Billy Connolly is a true legend of a true scot and brilliant comedian
Sorry for not liking your reactions. I keep forgetting!!!! . You both are fantastic. Jess's laugh, kills me. Brilliant. Loved both of you, watching "Mike and the Michanics " " living years." .I completely understand your sentiments. I missed my father, by 10 minutes, in the hospital. I had so much to apologise for, a😊and to praise him for, that I never ever said. Too late!!!!
Try to watch some of their musical numbers they ended their shows with every week. “The Aldershot Brass Band Ensemble“ being one of the best. Done in one take with words and complicated marching choreography. Love your reactions, by the way, chaps.
They were the masters of wordplay, Ronnie Barker (the big one) wrote most of their clever word sketches and wrote them anonymously so they wouldn't treat him differently from other writers. He was also a10/10 comedy actor in sit-com's, some amazing character parts and each almost unrecognisable from the others.
There’s a bronze statue of Ronnie Barker in the town i have spent most of my life 👍your reactions take me back to my childhood thanks ❤
Aylesbury right, go past it all the time 😊
The very best Scene of the Two Ronnies end of ..Us English still Laugh about it now many years later .Clever writing god bless them both ❤Im watching this now ,But when he climbs that bloody ladder ,Honestly ,i'm p***ing myself Laughing 🤣Thankyou to you both xx 😁👍
Ronnie Barker was my childhood favourite. I absolutely loved him.
Hiya. Most people, however, don't know the full quote is "the customer is always right, in matters of taste." Only meaning, if they want to buy something that doesn't suit them, let them. Great, too, that Jess knows a whisky and soda means a whisky and soda water. I don't know about now, across the pond, but years ago, in the UK, there used to be a soda syphon on the bar so drinkers could add their own to their taste, at no charge. Today, it's in little mixer bottles and charged for. Stay safe. All the best to you.
Oh wow. Thanks for the additional info! Here we have soda machines behind the counter. The soda water is usually free, but you do need someone to get it for you.
Both of them are so sorely missed. Ronnie Barker was a master of the straight face.
My husband and I were in a hardware store lately and he was looking for a spade handle....of course, this sketch immediately cam e to mind , and left us both in a fit of giggles in the aisle of the shop.
As you can see, I'm a month behind from when you aired this video folks . . . however, it seems as if you're heading down the 2 Ronnies road for earlier comedy at present . . . The 2 Ron's became firm favourites in the UK for their wit and humour with wordplay in sketches. They were both actors who eased into TV until they became a duo together on screen . . . An earlier duo for you would be Morecombe and Wise (M&W), another top pairing in comedy gold who usually had over 15 million people staying in on Christmas Day Evening to watch their Christmas Shows, and to see what stars they would have appearing in them . . . Singers, Actors, Musicians, etc, were all happy to be made fun of by them in any show they created - because if they were on an M&W show, then they'd made it!
To check out their best known sketches (for now) - I will give you just 3 to look for on YT, (the colour versions not any B&W ones) and you can react/watch them to see what you think about them . . . 1) Singing in The Rain . . . 2) Mastermind . . . 3) Greig's Piano Concerto . . . Eric M and Ernie W slightly predated the 2 Ron's and started out differently, so they had a different brand of comedy. Eric and Ernie were two teenage theatre performers (I guess you might say vaudeville acts in a way?) - so they learnt their comedy ropes there before any TV comedy like theirs was even a thing really. Eric, the tallest one with the glasses, was the main comedian - and Ernie was his straight man more often than not . . . When still teenagers, Eric's mother who was his manager, saw Ernie at the same theatre venue that Eric was appearing at. She got them together as a duo and the rest was history with a duo legend being born . . . In their sketches with various well known stars from all walks of life, their shows just kept getting better and better and more watched. The singers got to sing - just not in the way they may have thought they would with those 2. The actors and actresses ended up being in little Ern's, "Plays What I wrote" - basically cut-outs of major films, etc, performed by them and these stars. Glenda Jackson, Francis Matthews, Peter Cushing, etc . . . One Christmas Special even had a musical rendition of "South Pacific's" There Ain't Nothing Like A Dame . . . featuring most of the well known newsmen and commentators working for the BBC at the time . . .
Another funny comedian for you not to miss out on is the late great, Dave Allen, an Irish comedian whose anecdotes, stories, sketches, and skits about religion and other comedic jokes brought him to mass appeal in the UK - even among the Catholics who maybe should not have actually found them funny either, but did . . . Just never ask how he lost half of one of his fingers though - as none of us still actually know, as his story of it just kept changing about it . . . Good sketches to start with, "Sperm" . . . "Religion" . . . "Learning To Tell the Time" . . . "Teenagers" . . . and his ghost story - and of course the many more that he did for us all including those . . . Enjoy is all I can tell you about M&W and Dave . . . as you will love them just as much, too . . . Cheers.
hardware stores were like that in the 70s, they had everything.
Still do where I live!😮
The best thing about this sketch is seeing Ronnie C getting increasingly angry as the sketch goes on 😂
One of the best things about this video is seeing the reaction of people watching this classic piece of UK TV for the first time 2020's, so similar to the original 1970's reaction! I guess great comedy IS ageless
Ronnie Barker starred in two of the greatest sitcoms. Porridge and Open All Hours. Numbers 6 & 7 on the Greatest British Sitcoms of all time. They're both on Britbox, I believe. ❤
With being American you are going to struggle with the 2 Ronnies accents but back in the day they were 2 of the funniest guys on TV, the 4 candles sketch is very famous in the comedy world it was years before its time, look up the mobile phone sketch I think you will like it or the guy trying to purchase a round of drinks enjoy
You guys are great, such fun to watch. This whole sketch revolves around the fact that a lot of Londoners don't pronounce the letter H when it is at the start of words. Hence 'handles' becomes 'andles as in four c(andles) and so on. The customer ( Ronnie Barker ) is putting on a 'cockney' accent, but as he is not a Londoner, some might call it a mockney accent.
The great Two Ronnies.... much loved and missed
This sketch was based on a real life story submitted to Ronnie Barker (the large one!) and he wrote it under his pseudonym Gerald Wiley. It's wonderful wordplay. Barker, incidentally, wrote many sketches using that name, sending them in via a third party, and it was some years before he revealed the truth to the other writers of the show. He admitted that he wanted his sketches to be chosen on their own merit and not just because they were written by Ronnie Barker.
My favourite sketch ever if we don’t include python.
I was i Sydney with a friend of mine and we were both hungover bad. We went to this store so he could buy some outdoor candles for his barbecue area.
At the checkout we did this sketch because he’d bought 4 stand up candles to enhance his bbq space.
It was so funny. Not sure anyone else understood what was going on but we enjoyed it.
Ronnie Barker was the best British actor comedian since Chaplin as you will find out as you see more of their classic sketches often written by Barker but unknown by the other writers
The origonal phrase was '“The customer is always right, in matters of taste” is a quote by Harry Gordon
I don't know why it got shorterned, Coustomers are usually wrong.
This sketch is based on a hardware shop he saw in Broadstairs, Kent and it is still exactly the same as this today! It's pretty much identical.
I do believe that this was the last time together, as, sadly, Ronnie Barker did not live long after this particular show.
The sketch was released on 18 September 1976, Barker died 2005..29 years later
@@shkeen57 i think the reference was to the very end where the two Ronnies explained the ending of the sketch, you can see that Ronnie Barker looked quite ill.
Ronnie Corbett, the shop keeper, was brilliant in this sketch but Ronnie Barker was an absolute comedy genius. Keep on enjoying the British humour.
Corbett is priceless as the diminuative shopkeeper about to explode
The billhooks are a play on words for ‘ bollocks’ ❤️🇬🇧
Or Pillocks
@@Steve_P_Bnah Steve mate definitely bollocks
It doe not really work.
This has to be the best British comedy sketch ever the Wordplay the timing
Every time I see someone reacting to The Two Ronnies I have the same request..."By the seaside" by them it's about 50 minutes long but fabulous. Please do a reaction to it😊I reckon you’ll both love it and their creativity. Cheers Adam from Tasmania (Island state of Australia)
Everyone in America and the UK watch Ronnie Corbett's delivery reactions he sells the sketch- ABSOLUTELY WORLD CLASS.
Back in the day there were such stores.
My local village where I grew up had a hardware store like this, it was an Alladins cave, they had everything. 😂
Ronnie Corbett is magnificent as the narky shopkeeper……inspired brilliance.
it was in fact their very last show as Ronnie Barkers (the bigger one) health had not tbeen 100% although they had retired as a comedy duo in 1987 I believe. Both also did comedy series Ronnie Corbett in Sorry and Ronnie B. in Porridge, set in a prison. Their shows were watched by millions and their Christmas show would have an audience of 18 million nearly half the population at the time. At both of their funerals alter boys came in with the coffins carrying 4 candles.
They were great when I was growing up. Legends of British comedy
There used to be shops like this in Britain
I would hunt out Morecambe and wise sketches , "he'll never sell any ice creams going that fast"😊
Ronnie B was a comedy genius. A wonderful actor as well.
I don't think I've ever been to a hardware shop that sells pantyhose and tins of peas but hey 🤷♂️ 😂 love the videos 😌
May Favourite is the mastermind sketch answering the question before- but anything by these legends is OK with me - both very sadly missed- they were a British institution.
As someone who has worked retail for over 20 years, there has been so many times I've felt like Ronnie Corbett. You just look at the customer like 'seriously!' 😂
Just in case you were wondering, the sketches were always recorded in front of a live audience, it’s not a laugh track. Yet another ‘wordplay’ skit was: ‘Name Droppers’.
@patriciaburke6639 I've had to look into this topic now that it's brought up so much. Please don't take me the wrong way, but I suggest looking into it as well.
With live audiences, they found that people would laugh at the wrong times. They would use prompters and even plants in the audience to help mitigate these issues. Something else I didn't know about was the invention of The Laff Box.
"The Laff Box, also known as the Audience Response Duplicator, is a machine invented by Charles Douglass that plays pre-recorded laughter on demand. The Laff Box is a typewriter-like device that allows sound engineers to press buttons to produce specific types and sequences of laughter."
It was invented in 1953 and was commonly used going forward for live audience recordings.
you should react to, the tow ronnies racing pigeon, that is super funny, short sketch like you watched, these two guys were legends
You wouldn't say Super funny, you it so funny or very funny, or hilarious.
You wouldn't say that Super funny, you it's so funny, or it's very funny or it's hilarious.
Written by John Sullivan, better known for Only Fools and Horses.
The only sketch that comes close to this level of humour from them is Mastermind although it helps to be from the UK to understand all the references.
One of the greatest UK double acts that weren't mainstream television was Ricky Fulton and Jack Milroy, otherwise known as Francie and Josie in their theatre act. There's a performance of their act at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow on UA-cam, however it is specifically Scottish humour, but their performances are a comedy masterclass.
The eternal joy of this is that writer Ronnie Barker (our annoying customer - and a delightful man by all accounts) lends absolute precedence to comedian partner Ronnie Corbett in this sketch. It's still considered one of the greatest British comedy moments.
Have you seen their sketch master mind its brilliant absolutely brilliant.
The 2 Ronnies sweet shop sketch. Ronnie B plays the greedy shopkeeper. Ronnie C plays rich shiek with the shopping list. I like this one more than 4 candles. Another genius routine that plays on words.
Both were comedians in their own right as well as a great duo. Ronnie Barker was great in the sitcoms Porridge and Open all Hours. Ronnie Corbet was the shortest commissioned officer 5Ft 1 in the British armed forces being a Pilot Officer in the RAF.
The shot of the Two Ronnies at the end was indeed their last appearance together. Sadly Ronnie Barker (on the right) passed away sunddenly not long after. The two had split up several years earlier when Ronnie B announced his retirement and they would not appear again together until this final show which was a retrospective compilation of their most famous comedy sketches together. Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett (both now deceased) were comedy gold together, and their legend lives on and will live on ;long after anyone who loved their shows will also have passed on.
It's the timing that so makes this.
you guys are great i love your theme tune
It's a general store - which used to be an English high street store which sold basically anything. But not like your "walmart" today, it be a family run business. Basically what we would call traders back in the day as they used to buy and sell anything.
Ronnie Barker is great in a tv series called "Open All Hours" if you can get it in the U.S
Really sorry to put in a comment that isn't Ronnie Barker related but I sent you a message about a TERRIFIC SINGER, JOHN FARNHAM - Youre The Voice, Help (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra LIVE is the best) & When The War Is Over. Please watch him...Jess will love him and cry over his voice & song messages
Ronnie B was also brilliant in a comedy series called Porridge - the only person I know that could make a sit-com based in a mens prison and make it hilarious
brilliant wordplay and accent play and the classic English stare of disappointment :D
3:29 Hoes (for gardening) vs Hose (for water)...
Gardening fork, not pitchfork.
Ronnie Barker was a master wordsmith and comic timing par excellence