Four Yorkshiremen

I would think the funniest comedy sketch I have ever seen is the "Four Yorkshiremen". Originally appearing in the "At Last the 1948 Show" in 1967, it is a comedy sketch that parodies the nostalgic conversation that we have all had about how times were always better when we were young.

The four Yorkshiremen sit around smoking cigars and drinking wine, trying to outdo one another on how deprived their childhood was, and becoming more absurd with each story told.

The sketch became commonly associated with Monty Python, and they delivered it as a regular sketch on their live shows for almost fifty years.

I have heard or watched this sketch many times, and I can recite it word for word. It is both the writing and the delivery that makes it so memorable. It starts as a simple conversation that we can all recognise, with each childhood story building on the absurdity of the previous story, before the delivery of the best punchline of any comedy sketch I have heard.

After the last Yorkshireman delivers his absurd childhood story, the punchline is delivered:
"But you try and tell the young people today that... and they won't believe you.'"

After all these years, I still laugh out loud every time I hear it. So if you haven't heard it before, do yourself a favour and seek it out on YouTube. You won't be disappointed.