History Series / TheSketchShow

* LiteralMetaphor: Several sketches rely on this type of gag, including one where a famous "sex symbol" is interviewed (♂), and one of a "extremist sports club" (members include muslim terrorists, nazis, and klansmen).

-->'''Tim as Oedipus''' (''as Ronni as Oepidus' mother walks away''): "''Cor''."[[labelnote:explanation]]British English exclamation of arousal[[/labelnote]]

-->{''long {{beat}}'')

** Another sketch has two burglars preparing for a break-in, one of which is inexperienced, LiteralMinded and prone to ComicallyMissingThePoint. He does however have an implied DumbassHasAPoint moment when he points out a potential short cut that his partner seems to have missed, perhaps due to ComplexityAddiction.

* UndisclosedFunds: A sketch played with this, which a woman discusses with a repairman his prices using onomatopoeia (whistles for high prices, "eh" for low prices, etc.) At the end of the sketch, the woman asks how much it would be if she pays cash, and he replies, "£50".

* GratuitousLatin: Inverted in a sketch set in an ancient Roman flower shop. A customer asks for a spider plant, to the florists's confusion. When he then asks for Chlorophytum comosum, Lee replies, "Well, why didn't you just say that you pretentious prat?"

-->'''Karen''': Say if I were to point you in the right direction with my ''hand'', that would be 30, if I were to give you ''oral'' directions, that would be 60 pounds, and if I were to take you ''all the way'' to your destination, that would be 80.

-->'''Karen''': Get lost.
* NoSympathy: One of the recurring sketches in the first episode has Karen as a support hotline to one of the men. When they ask for help she taunts them by repeating what they said in a whiny voice and ignoring their actual problem.
--> '''Karen''': "I hear your problem and it sounds to me like this..."

--> ''Karen'': "I hear your problem and it sounds to me like this..."

* RunningGag: Some episodes will have a single recurring gag, such as the one where Jim plays a boxer who punches out anyone ringing any kind of bell, or the weird pool table sketches.

* RunningGag: Some episodes will have a single recurring gag, such as the one where Jim plays a boxer who punches out anyone ringing any kind of bell.

* AltumVidetur: Inverted in a sketch set in an ancient Roman flower shop. A customer asks for a spider plant, to the florists's confusion. When he then asks for Chlorophytum comosum, Lee replies, "Well, why didn't you just say that you pretentious prat?"

-->'''Tim as Oedipus''' (''as Ronni as Oepidus' mother walks away'') "''Cor''."[[labelnote:explanation]]British English exclamation of arousal[[/labelnote]]

* HarassingPhoneCall: In one sketch, a harassing caller tries to do this to a woman by claiming to know where she lives and that he is calling from upstairs. He's saying this to [[EpicFail someone who's standing in a phone box]].

* BrainlessBeauty: In one sketch Karen and Tim are husband and wife at a bar. Karen is completely inept at reading trivia cards with the excuse that she's a little drunk and can't read her own handwriting. It probably shouldn't explain how she gets a drink order wrong, though.

* TheCastShowoff: Tim Vine's regular comedy shtick is the IncrediblyLamePun. He uses this in some of his sketches. For example, his version of a 'blood sample' is to press on a musical keyboard as it recites, "Blood, blood, blood, blood-blo-blo-blood".

* ReactiveContinuousScream: Done repeatedly in one sketch with a support group for people with phobias. Lee had a fear of screaming, Jim had a fear of apologies, Karen had a fear of repetition and Ronni a fear of awkward silences, while Tim shows up due to a compulsion of barking at people's phobias. Shortly after Jim explains that he developed his phobia after he first tried on his grandmother's stockings:

* ForInconveniencePressOne: Variant. "Hello and welcome to the plaza film line general information. Please say the name of the cinema you are calling for, for example, say 'Bromley.'" Lee's speech impediment doesn't help matters ("Blomley." "I think you are calling for the plaza cinema in 'Burnley', is this correct?"), but the voice still makes him jump through hoops to get back to that first menu, and seems to be deliberately messing with him when it asks "Is this wrong?" instead of "Is this correct?", or offers him the film title "The Brunette Bride that Brainwashed the Bigadier".

** In another sketch, Tim, Jim and Lee are all standing next to each other in front of the urinals. One of them is smoking a cigarette, so he asks the guy on his right to him to give him a hand so he can finish. Then that guy asks the guy on his right to give him a hand too since he's one short as well.

* ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin: Possible {{Trope Namer|s}}. The show had a brief sketch where a woman going through customs is assured that her tub of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" is okay to go through. The customs officer them pulls out a bag labelled "I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin." {{Beat}}. "I think that's all in order."

** In one sketch, Jim and Lee are in the restroom and awkwardly making idle conversation when Lee finishes but then Jim finds himself unable to finish his own business, so he asks Lee to stay so he can "perform", who grudgingly obliges.

* HowDidThatGetInThere: Parodied. A college professor is presenting a slideshow about bikinis, with pictures of women wearing them. He then advances to a picture of a building and, well, you know.