
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing
scenes or
vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
in Britain and
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
in North America, today it is used widely in
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...
s, as well as in late night
talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
s and even some
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
s. While sketch comedy is now associated mostly with adult entertainment, certain
children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...
such have used it, too. The sketches may be
improvised
Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...
live by the performers, developed through improvisation before public performance, or scripted and rehearsed in advance like a play.
History
Sketch comedy has its origins in
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
and
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
, where many brief humorous acts were strung together to form a larger programme. In the 1890s, music hall impresario
Fred Karno
Frederick John Westcott (26 March 1865 – 17 September 1941), best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was an English theatre impresario of the British music hall. As a comedian of slapstick he is credited with popularising the custard-pie-in ...
developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue, and in 1904 he produced a sketch called ''Mumming Birds'' for the
Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "the most beautiful theat ...
in London, which included the
pie in the face gag among other innovations.
His troupe, advertised as "Fred Karno's London Comedians", included
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
and
Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel ( ; born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, director and writer who was in the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 sh ...
.

In Britain, it moved to stage performances by
Cambridge Footlights
The Cambridge Footlights, commonly referred to simply as Footlights, is a student sketch comedy troupe located in Cambridge, England. Footlights was founded in 1883, and is one of Britain's oldest student sketch comedy troupes. The comedy so ...
, such as ''
Beyond the Fringe
''Beyond the Fringe'' was a British comedy Play (theatre), stage revue written and performed by Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore. It debuted at the 1960 Edinburgh Festival and went on to play in London's West End the ...
'' and ''A Clump of Plinths'' (which evolved into ''
Cambridge Circus''), to radio, with such shows as ''
It's That Man Again
''It's That Man Again'' (commonly contracted to ''ITMA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran for twelve series from 1939 to 1949. The shows featured Tommy Handley in the central role, a fast-talking figure, around whom the other ch ...
'' and ''
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
''I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again'' (often abbreviated as ''ISIRTA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme that was developed from the 1964 University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Footlights revue, ''Cambridge Circus (comedy), Cambridge Circus ...
'', then to television, with such shows as ''
The Benny Hill Show
''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketch comedy, sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and ...
'', ''
Not Only... But Also'', ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus
''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal humour, surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, w ...
,'' ''
The Two Ronnies
''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987.
The usual format included sketches, solo se ...
'', ''
Not the Nine O'Clock News
''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' is a British television sketch comedy show that was broadcast on BBC2 from 16 October 1979 to 8 March 1982. Originally shown as a comedy alternative to the '' Nine O'Clock News'' on BBC1, the show features satirical ...
'' (and its successor ''
Alas Smith and Jones
''Alas Smith and Jones'' is a British comedy sketch television series starring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones that originally ran for four series and two Christmas specials on BBC2 from 1984 to 1988, and later as ''Smith and Jones'' for six ...
''), and ''
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
''A Bit of Fry & Laurie'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series with ...
''. Making his television debut in 1949,
Benny Hill
Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 18 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor and scriptwriter. He is best remembered for his television programme, ''The Benny Hill Show'', a comedy-variety show whose amalgam of slapstick, bu ...
, who developed his parodic sketches on BBC variety shows before having his own show in 1955, was described as "a comic genius steeped in the British music hall tradition".
Charles Isherwood
Charles Splaine Isherwood Jr. (born October 1964) is an American theater critic.
Career
A graduate of Stanford University, Isherwood wrote for '' Backstage West'' in Los Angeles. In 1993, he joined the staff of '' Variety'', where he was promote ...
writes that Monty Python, like Benny Hill, "derived their sketch formats in part from the rowdy tradition of the music hall."
An early, perhaps the first, televised example of a sketch comedy show is ''
Texaco Star Theater
''Texaco Star Theater'' is an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave M ...
'' aka ''The Milton Berle Show'' 1948–1967, hosted by
Milton Berle
Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...
.
In Mexico, the series ''
Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada'', created by Mexican comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños under the stage name
Chespirito, was broadcast between 1968 and 1973, creating such famous characters as
El Chavo del Ocho
''El Chavo'' ("The Kid/The Boy", Spanish also meaning " cent"), also known as ''El Chavo del Ocho'' ("The Kid/Boy from Number Eight") during its earliest episodes, is a Mexican television sitcom series created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños (Che ...
and
El Chapulín Colorado
() is a Mexican television comedy series that aired from 1973 to 1979 and parodied superhero shows. It was created by actor and comedian Chespirito, who also played the main character. It was first aired by Televisa in 1973 in Mexico, a ...
.
While separate sketches historically have tended to be unrelated, more recent groups have introduced overarching themes that connect the sketches within a particular show with recurring characters that return for more than one appearance. Examples of recurring characters include
Mr. Gumby from ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''; Ted and Ralph from ''
The Fast Show
''The Fast Show'', also known as ''Brilliant'' in the United States, is a BBC comedy sketch show that ran on BBC Two, BBC 2 from 1994 to 1997, with specials in 2000 and 2014. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Si ...
'';
The Family from ''
The Carol Burnett Show
''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harv ...
''; the
Head Crusher from ''
The Kids in the Hall'';
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television ...
's
Ed Grimley
Edward Mayhoff 'Ed' Grimley is a fictional character created and portrayed by Martin Short. Developed amongst The Second City improv comedy troupe, Grimley made his television debut on the sketch comedy show '' SCTV'' in 1982, leading to popular ...
, a recurring character from both ''
SCTV'' and ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''; The Nerd from ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animation, adult stop motion, stop-motion animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The twelve-minute ...
''; and Kevin and Perry from ''
Harry Enfield and Chums
''Harry Enfield & Chums'' (originally titled ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'') is a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse and Kathy Burke. It first broadcast on BBC2 in 1990 in the 9 p.m. slot on Thursday ni ...
''. Recurring characters from ''Saturday Night Live'' have notably been featured in a number of spinoff films, including ''
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul music, soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast ...
'' (1980), ''
Wayne's World
"Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. The first "Wayne's World" sketch appeared in the 13th ''Saturday Night Live'' episode of the Saturday Night Live season 14, 1988–1989 seas ...
'' (1992) and ''
Superstar
A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...
'' (1999).
The idea of running characters was taken a step further with shows like ''
The Red Green Show
''The Red Green Show'' was a half-hour Canadian television television comedy, comedy series. It aired on various channels in Canada from April 4, 1991 until April 7, 2006. The show was created and entirely co-written by Canadian comedian Steve S ...
'' and ''
The League of Gentlemen
''The League of Gentlemen'' is a British surreal comedy horror series that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the lives ...
'', where sketches centered on the various inhabitants of the fictional towns of
Possum Lake and
Royston Vasey, respectively. In ''
Little Britain Little Britain may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little Britain'' (TV series), a British radio and then television series
** '' Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off
* "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second ...
'', sketches focused on a cast of recurring characters.
In North America, contemporary sketch comedy is largely an outgrowth of the
improvisational comedy
Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv or impro in British English, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its ...
scene that flourished during the 1970s, largely growing out of ''
The Second City
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...
'' in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, which was built upon the success in Minneapolis of
The Brave New Workshop and
Dudley Riggs.
Notable contemporary American stage sketch comedy groups include The Second City, the
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...
, and
The Groundlings
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improv techniques we ...
. In
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...
, area high school students produced a sketch comedy series called ''
Beyond Our Control'' that aired on the local NBC affiliate
WNDU-TV
WNDU-TV (channel 16) is a television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Gray Media, it maintains studios on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, the station's founding owner, along State Road 933 ...
from 1967 to 1986.
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...
made two sketch comedy shows, ''
Mad'' and ''
Right Now Kapow''.
Australian television of the 1980s and 1990s featured several successful sketch comedy shows, notably ''
The Comedy Company
''The Comedy Company'' is an Australian sketch comedy television series that aired from 16 February 1988 until 11 November 1990 on Network Ten. It was created and directed by cast member Ian McFadyen, and co-directed and produced by Jo Lane.
Th ...
'', whose recurring characters included
Col'n Carpenter,
Kylie Mole and
Con the Fruiterer.
Films
An early British example is the influential ''
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
''The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film'' is a 1959 British experimental sketch comedy short film directed by Richard Lester and Peter Sellers, in collaboration with Bruce Lacey.
It was filmed over two Sundays in 1959, at a cost of around ...
'' (1959).
Sketch films made during the 1970s and 1980s include ''
If You Don't Stop It... You'll Go Blind'' and the sequel ''
Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses?'', ''
The Groove Tube
''The Groove Tube'' is a 1974 American independent comedy film written and produced by Ken Shapiro and starring Shapiro, Richard Belzer and Chevy Chase. It features the song " Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield in its opening scene.
The low-bu ...
'', ''
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)'', ''
The Kentucky Fried Movie'' and its sequel ''
Amazon Women on the Moon'', and
Monty Python
Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...
's ''
And Now for Something Completely Different'' and ''
The Meaning of Life''.
More recent sketch films include ''
The Underground Comedy Movie
''The Underground Comedy Movie'' is a 1999 film directed by and starring Vince Offer. Alongside short comedy sketches it features music by NOFX and Guttermouth, among others. It is considered by some as one of the List of films considered the w ...
'', ''
InAPPropriate Comedy'', ''
Movie 43
''Movie 43'' is a 2013 American anthology comedy film conceived by producer Charles B. Wessler. Featuring fourteen different storylines, each by a different director, including Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, James ...
'' and ''
Livrés chez vous sans contact''.
Festivals
Many of the sketch comedy
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
s in Britain included seasons at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
.
Since 1999, the growing sketch comedy scene has precipitated the development of sketch comedy festivals in cities all around North America. Noted festivals include:
*
Chicago Sketch Fest
*
SF Sketchfest
SF Sketchfest, or The San Francisco Comedy Festival, is an American comedy festival founded in 2002 by Bay Area actor-comedians David Owen, Janet Varney and Cole Stratton. It takes place every January and February in a variety of Bay Area venues ...
*
Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival
See also
*
Brave New Workshop
The Brave New Workshop (BNW), based in Minneapolis, Minnesota was founded by Dudley Riggs in 1958 and is the longest running sketch and improvisational comedy theater in the US. BNW continues the tradition, of writing, producing, and performing a ...
*
British Comedy Awards
The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.
The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
*
List of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches
A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...
*
List of sketch comedy groups
The following is a list of notable sketch comedy groups, sorted by country.
Australia
* Aunty Donna
* The Chaser
* The Janoskians
Belgium
* Neveneffecten
Brazil
* Casseta & Planeta
* Hermes & Renato
* Os Trapalhões
* Porta dos Fun ...
*
List of sketch comedy television series
*
Nininbaori
*
Saturday Night Live TV show sketches
References
Further reading
*
{{Authority control
Television genres