Greetings.

Mike Swanson's the name and history is my game. Needless to say, I have a great fondness or British Comedy. Needless to say, I have the occasional gap in my memory. Why am I saying all this needless to say stuff?

I'm wracking my brain for the name of an English group which did a wonderful comedy sketch which I had on vinyl perhaps 40 years ago. I gave my vinyl comedy albums to my college library, and, yes, they disposed of them when they switched to compact discs. I would have appreciated being told, but Oh well.

The sketch takes place in a bomb shelter during the Blitz. It takes place over several days,during which supplies grow more and more scant. Each segment ends with a line something like "let's have ham ,eggs, toast, and tea for breakfast" to which the other person replies, "we have no more ham". First character says something like "never you mind, let's have eggs, toast and tea for breakfast". Each segment begins where the last left off, and the reply is always the absence of another part of the meal. Finally, "let's have a cup of tea", "there's no more tea", "never you mind, let's have a cup of hot water". Meanwhile through all of this the chaos of war is in the background and our heroes are totally unperturbed.

I was reminded of this by hearing someone say the way to defeat terrorism is just refuse to terrorised. I'd love to recover this bit of my past laughter and laugh at it again. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'll be delighted. If there's a sound track or video on line I'll be doubly delighted.

Thanks so much.

Mike

Hello Mike And Welcome to the forum enjoy ur time here

Hi Mike!

At the hottest point of that very hot Thursday, I was completely naked. There were two other people in the room, both women who were fully dressed. Let us just say that the situation had nothing to do with sex or art, either in the past or present. One of the women, though, expressed considerable surprise at the number of tea bags in my possession and made a right meal of it.

To cut a long story short, what occurred next was a series of telephone calls about hot water as a drink. I described my intention to switch over to it. At the other end, people were saying "that is just weird" so, yesterday, I Googled frantically. Apparently, the Chinese consider it is cold water drinking that is unusual. Obviously, I rang everyone back last night to tell them.

Then, one hour after posting a rock n roll record by Australian actor George Assang, your message from the US was added. In the circumstances, that is mighty peculiar. I assume you are the historian who students have commented on quite kindly rather than the ex-employee of Microsoft of the same name. Unless, that is, there's now even a problem with Skippy and Barrier Reef.

Hi Mike, Welcome to BCG

Thanks for all the kind wishes and welcomes. I have to do a lot of prowling around to see if I can fill my brain gap. Anyone have any suggestions. <3

Quote: Mike401 @ August 3 2013, 3:31 PM BST

Thanks for all the kind wishes and welcomes. I have to do a lot of prowling around to see if I can fill my brain gap. Anyone have any suggestions. <3

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Oh yes welcome of course.

To clarify, I was with doctors on Thursday. Nothing serious but I've been advised to stop chain drinking tea. Have been here before. In my 20s, had a mysterious persistent irregular heartbeat for months. Was told by a consultant to stop drinking coffee and it disappeared in 48 hours. Clearly it's some caffeine thing with me. That was why I was speaking to people about drinking hot water. Immediately afterwards your post arrived. How often is that subject discussed? Almost never - so what very odd timing! Anyhow, I've been through Dad's Army, Blackadder, Python, The Goons and loads of other things and, alas, haven't found your sketch.

At one point, I looked at the Incredible String Band. I doubt it's them either but if you lived through the late 60s etc...at best they were hazy! It almost sounds like a cross between Dear Old Battlefield and The Water Song. Still, there's no eggs, ham or toast in those so it's a true case of Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air. I'm sure in any case that as a historian you'll appreciate the significance of interpretation as time passes.

My own definition of the brain gap is not about degrees of individual knowledge. Those are merely units of directional attention. The true gap is what all humans haven't found a language for yet. That internal and universal vacuum is why they explore what appear to be unknown external galaxies, albeit as mirage. To put it another way, and with reference to another programme featuring that fine Australian actor from Thursday Island, Dot is lost in the woods. When the kangaroos feed her berries so that she can comprehend their language, it's really her imagination which gives her the belief that she has added to her human knowledge.

There! Crystal clear! Hope it helps you to settle in nicely. Looking forward to your further contributions.

Slippy, Slappy, Samsonite - I was miles off.

Welcome Mike.

Quote: Horseradish @ August 4 2013, 6:17 AM BST

Oh yes welcome of course.

To clarify, I was with doctors on Thursday. Nothing serious but I've been advised to stop chain drinking tea. Have been here before. In my 20s, had a mysterious persistent irregular heartbeat for months. Was told by a consultant to stop drinking coffee and it disappeared in 48 hours. Clearly it's some caffeine thing with me.

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Is this true? I drink far too much coffee and I swear I have an irregular heartbeat.

Welcome, Mike

Try snorting Pringles and your heart will go like a Bob Marley track.

Quote: Jennie @ August 7 2013, 5:35 PM BST

Is this true? I drink far too much coffee and I swear I have an irregular heartbeat.

Welcome, Mike

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Yes Jennie, absolutely true.

When I was in my 20s and 60% of the day. Each time I went to the GPs it wasn't there. They thought it was imagination. Then I was going past there one day and it was happening. Went in and said could you check this now. They sent me immediately to a consultant. I worked long hours then and drank beer etc. He wasn't bothered but was concerned about the coffee and told me to stop. So I did stop and the irregularity stopped. This latest thing with tea is different and trickier. But you might like to think seriously about the coffee. It was such a simple solution and also to see a GP if it is really concerning you. Hope this helps.

I found it! Hooray for me. It was from Beyond The Fringe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZaBbH4bCjY

The whole whole thing is available on YouTube as well. Here's part 2 of the war sketch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R_l9KbYpag and here's the entire Beyond The Fringe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUd1OxPbKk4

The part I remembered was in part two of the war sketch.

Mike

Quote: Mike401 @ August 8 2013, 9:37 PM BST

I found it! Hooray for me. It was from Beyond The Fringe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZaBbH4bCjY

The whole whole thing is available on YouTube as well. Here's part 2 of the war sketch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R_l9KbYpag and here's the entire Beyond The Fringe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUd1OxPbKk4

The part I remembered was in part two of the war sketch.

Mike

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Greetings again Mike. A high percentage of comedy greats there per capita.

I've now searched the film from Rhode Island to Ontario and can find tea but not any water. Oh well!

Welcome, Mike, and congratulations on having hunted down that little sketch. Rather good stuff, Beyond The Fringe.

Sorry for Horseradish. He is rather odd.

I like Odd--and I like Horseradish--corned beef would be lost without it.