Dirty Fork
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The Dirty Fork, also known simply as Restaurant Sketch, is a
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 ...
sketch that appeared in episode 3 of the first series of the
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
series ''
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 ...
'', and later in the film, '' And Now For Something Completely Different''. It is notable for being the first
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 ...
sketch wherein the characters react to the audience "booing" them. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' has ranked ''The Restaurant Sketch'' as one of Monty Python's top 20 sketches. In England, it is used in approved course materials for
Key Stage 2 Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when the pupils are aged between 7 and 11 years. England and Wales Legal definition The ...
of the state school curriculum.


Synopsis

A man (
Graham Chapman Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the Surreal humour, surrealist comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel (Monty Py ...
) and his wife (
Carol Cleveland Carol Cleveland (born Carol Gillian Frances on 13 January 1942) is an American-English actor, comedian, dancer, and model. She is particularly known for her work with Monty Python. Early life Born in East Sheen, London, she moved to the United ...
) are enjoying a night out at an expensive French restaurant. The man discovers that he has been given a dirty fork and politely asks Gaston the waiter to replace it. Gaston (
Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones a ...
) apologizes profusely and runs to get the head waiter, Gilberto (
Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knig ...
). Gilberto arrives, demands that the entire washing-up staff be fired, tells Gaston to report this news to the manager immediately, and recoils in disgust at the fork. The manager (
Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke Co ...
) arrives, tells Gilberto to relax, then sits down at the table and apologizes "humbly, deeply, and sincerely" for the dirty fork. He becomes emotional when explaining the problems the restaurant staff has been suffering, and bursts into tears. Mungo the cook (
John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Television presenter, presenter. Emerging from the Footlights, Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinbur ...
) enters, berating the couple for criticizing such a vulnerable man, and swings his cleaver onto their table. Gilberto clutches his head, complaining about his "war wound". The manager stabs himself in the stomach with the dirty fork, screaming "It's the end! The end!" and collapses to the ground dead. Mungo lifts his knife over Chapman and cries, "Revenge!" Gilberto rounds the corner and grabs the angry cook just in time. "Mungo!" he gasps, "Mungo, never kill a customer!" Gilberto dies from his war wound. Mungo raises his knife again, but Gaston tackles him before he can kill Chapman. A caption reads, "And Now… The Punchline!" "Lucky we didn't say anything about the dirty knife," Chapman says into the camera. The audience then boos as Chapman objects to it. There are several changes to the sketch in the '' And Now For Something Completely Different'' version. The waiter is named "Giuseppe" instead of "Gaston". There's no audience and the actors do not boo when Chapman delivers the "punchline" which was changed slightly to "Lucky I didn't tell them about the dirty knife".


Writing style

This sketch reflects Python's thoughts about punch lines. The Monty Python troupe had decided from the start that they were going to throw away punchlines, and this was a play on the shows that would use corny lines like the dirty knife. Most Python sketches just end abruptly, and sometimes even characters say "What a stupid sketch" and walk out. In ''Monty Python Live in Aspen'',
Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...
explains: Ironically, the episode the sketch appeared in concludes with the sketch "Candid Photography" (better known as "
Nudge Nudge "Candid Photography", better known as "Nudge Nudge", is a sketch from the third ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' episode, "How to Recognise Different Types of Trees From Quite a Long Way Away" (series 1, ep. 3) featuring Eric Idle (author of the ...
"), which concludes with a punch line.


References


External links


The script of the sketch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dirty Fork, The Monty Python sketches Works set in restaurants