Sketch Comedy Quiz

Sketch Comedy: A Summary

• Sketch comedy is a form of comedy that involves a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes called "sketches," performed by a group of comic actors or comedians.
• The form developed and became popular in vaudeville and is used widely in variety shows, comedy talk shows, and some sitcoms and children's television series.
• Sketch comedians differentiate their work from a "skit," maintaining that a skit is a single dramatized joke or "bit" while a sketch is a comedic exploration of a concept, character, or situation.
• Sketch comedy has its origins in vaudeville and music hall, where many brief humorous acts were strung together to form a larger program.
• Sketch comedy moved to stage performances by Cambridge Footlights, then to radio and television, with notable examples including Monty Python's Flying Circus, Not the Nine O'Clock News, and A Bit of Fry and Laurie.
• Recurring characters have been introduced in recent years to connect sketches within a particular show, such as Mr. Gumby from Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Family from The Carol Burnett Show.
• Contemporary sketch comedy is largely an outgrowth of the improvisational comedy scene that flourished during the 1970s, with notable groups including The Second City, the Upright Citizens Brigade, and The Groundlings.
• Sketch comedy has been featured in films, including The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film, The Groove Tube, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), and Monty Python's And Now for Something Completely Different.
• Sketch comedy festivals have been developed in cities all around North America since 1999, including notable festivals such as the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival and the San Francisco Sketchfest.
• Sketch comedy often features jokes, which may display bias and inappropriate meanings.
• Sketch comedy may be improvised live by performers, developed through improvisation before public performance, or scripted and rehearsed in advance like a play.
• Sketch comedy has been popular in Australia, where notable shows include The Comedy Company, whose recurring characters included Col'n Carpenter, Kylie Mole, and Con the Fruiterer.