Title: Scott of the Antarctic
Original Airdate: 1/12/1970
Guest starring: Carol Cleveland, Lyn Ashley
Following a preview of Jean Kenneth Longueur's latest film Le Fromage Grand we are treated to a look into the production of 20th Century Vole's latest film Scott of the Antarctic. We get to meet the producer, director, and stars, and watch the pitfalls of the Troubled Production until the whole thing is renamed Scott of the Sahara and they show a preview.
And now for something completely different, it's: Conrad Poohs and his Dancing Teeth, a man applying for a license for his pet fish, a rugby match between the council of Derby and the All Blacks, and another rugby match between Long John Silver impersonators and Bournemouth gynecologists.
Tropes:
- Battle Strip: In "Scott of the Sahara", Ensign Oates stripped all his clothes off as he fights the giant electric penguin.
- Carpet of Virility: Scott of the Antarctic. Ye gods.
- Chairman of the Brawl: The lion in "Scott of the Sahara".
- Character Catchphrase: Jimmy McRettin, director of Scott of the Antarctic/Sahara, says "Great!" rather often. Including when asked questions that require nouns for answers.
- Clothing Damage: The "Scott in the Sahara" sketch includes a scene where Carol Cleveland's character is running away and keeps getting her clothing caught on and pulled off by cacti. The cacti are separated so far away from each other that it quickly becomes obvious that she's deliberately running from one cactus to the next so that this can happen.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The Bournemouth gynecologists literally run circles around the Long John Silver impersonators during their rugby match... because the Long John Silver impersonators don't so much as move a muscle.
- David Versus Goliath: Ensign Oates vs. the 20-foot-tall Electric Penguin in "Scott of the Antarctic". Including an improvised sling.
- Dull Surprise: "I am a revolutionary." "Oh."
- Fanservice: Carol Cleveland strikes again.
- Fan Disservice: Any excuse to get Terry Jones nekkid...
- Ink-Suit Actor: Terry Gilliam used his own face for the animation of Conrad Poohs and His Dancing Teeth.
- Laugh of Love: The couple in Le Fromage Grand do this less than convincingly for several seconds.
- Le Film Artistique: "Le Fromage Grand" (which is French for "the big cheese").
- Gender Flip: In "Scott of the Antarctic/Sahara", Petty Officer Edgar Evans is changed to Miss Evans, for the blatant Fanservice.
- In Name Only: Parodied in the "Scott of the Antarctic" sketch.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: Scott to the lion in "Scott of the Antarctic".
- Misplaced Wildlife: Became a problem for "Scott of the Antarctic" as the film was going to have Scott fight a lion, until it is pointed out there are no lions in the Antarctic. Instead of losing the lion, which was in the contract, they switch locations to the Sahara desert, where they have lions and giant electric penguins with green tentacles that sting people.
- One-Steve Limit: Defied by Mr. Praline and his various pets, all named Eric. Mr. Praline is also named Eric. As is the postal clerk.
- Precision F-Strike: "You can hire a goddamn stuntman!"
- The Prima Donna: The actress in Scott Of The Antarctic/Sahara flat-out refuses to act if she's not standing in a trench, due to fear she may fall over. After all, she's not a goddamn stuntman.
- Prolonged Prologue: The title sequence doesn't appear until more than halfway through the episode.
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: After a lengthy Argument of Contradictions over whether cat licenses exist, Praline slaps a document onto the counter and asks "What's that then?" Eric the clerk replies that it is a dog license with "dog" crossed out and "cat" written in in crayon.
- Scully Box: Parodied; during Scott Of The Antarctic/Sahara, we see that the actor playing Scott has a pair of crates strapped to his feet, while his leading lady is standing in a trench. Then, when it's suggested that she exit the trench to reduce the height discrepancy, she throws a tantrum and storms off set, in the process revealing that she, too, has crates strapped to her feet. While standing in a trench. Next to a man with crates strapped to his feet who is NOT in a trench.
- Stripping Snag: The classic scene where resident Smurfette Carol Cleveland is playing the heroine of a very bad film, pursued by a monster and running into cacti which persist in snagging into her clothing and stripping her to her panties.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The ending of Le Fromage Grand.
- Suddenly Shouting: IS!!!!!
- Suffer the Slings: An impromptu one is made from underwear to fight a giant electric penguin.
- Title Sequence: The episode "Scott of the Antarctic" featured its namesake sketch at the beginning — 18 minutes long — before ever showing the show's Title Sequence. This is probably the first ever example of a show delaying its title sequence to anywhere near or (in this case) beyond its halfway mark. It's only possible thanks to the BBC having no commercial breaks, and thus not having to identify the show upon returning from such a break.
- Unusual Pets for Unusual People: The "Fish License" sketch has John Cleese asking a license for his pet halibut. The man behind the counter (Michael Palin) finds this strange and unnecessary. Cleese then defends himself by referring to other historical people who had unusual pets, such as Marcel Proust. In the end it turns out Cleese's character also wants a license for his pet bee, who is called "Eric the Half-A-Bee", because he was bisected accidentally.
- When Props Attack: The deliberately awful fight with the lion during the "Scott of the Sahara" sketch, which randomly switches between stock footage of a real lion, a man in a cheap lion costume, and "Scott" holding a small cuddly toy lion to his neck.
