Title: Royal Episode 13 (or: The Queen Will Be Watching)
Original Airdate: 22/12/1970
John Cleese will not be saying "And now for something completely different" tonight because they have been informed the Queen of the United Kingdom, (at that time), will be watching and they do not feel it is appropriate. Instead Mr. Cleese asks that when the Queen does watch everyone stand up. In the meantime the show will continue as normal.
The first spoof is: a satire of the coal mining industry, followed by: a talk show with people who speak oddly, several commercials both animated and live-action, how to feed a goldfish, a man stealing bird watcher's eggs, a man applying for life insur— OH SHIT IT'S THE QUEEN EVERYONE STAND UP — oh she changed the channel, everyone sit down; a hospital where the patients are treated with extreme physical exercise and forced labor ("RSM Hospital"), an exploding version of "The Blue Danube", a secret meeting in a girl's dormitory, Pepperpots running a submarine, a man with a stoat through his head, five shipwreck survivors arguing about who to eat, and undertakers who are so disgusting they cause the audience to storm the set.
Tropes:
- Abnormal Ammo: Mrs. Nesbitt is fired from a torpedo tube in order to help her with her headache.
- Audience Participation: The storming of the Undertaker Sketch set at the end of the episode.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- John Cleese's Announcer appears at the start to announce that Her Majesty The Queen will be tuning in and that he will not be dropping his Catchphrase this time around as it would spoil the mood. Then the main titles start — a new, more dignified animation set to the music of "Land of Hope and Glory" (aka Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance")... which is punctuated by the Giant Foot of Stomping.
- The doctor of "St. Michael's Hospital for Linkmen" says "and now, the mountaineering sketch", but Graham Chapman, as a mountaineer, says he didn't write a sketch about mountaineering, so instead introduces the exploding version of the "Blue Danube".
- Black Comedy Animal Cruelty: "How to Feed a Goldfish" has Michael Palin's character feed a goldfish gazpacho, sausages, spring greens, sautéed potatoes, bread and gravy, until a man from the RSPCA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) stops him. Then an announcement from the RSPCA informs us that the man was not an animal lover and that goldfish don't eat sausages. ("Treacle tart!" / "Shut up!") And furthermore, they are quite happy being fed breadcrumbs, ant's eggs ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶c̶c̶a̶s̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶p̶h̶e̶a̶s̶a̶n̶t̶. ("Who wrote that?!")
- Black Comedy Cannibalism/I Am a Humanitarian: The "Lifeboat" sketch and the "Undertaker/Cannibalism" sketch.
- Call-Back: Spiny Norman (the giant hedgehog from episode 14) reappears in between "The Man Who Collects Birdwatchers' Eggs" and the "Insurance Sketch".
- Casting Gag: John Cleese plays the spokesman doctor for "St. Michael's Hospital for Linkmen" because he's the Python to play the Linkman.
- The Collector: Herbert Mental has taken collecting to a truly meta level. Instead of collecting bird's eggs, he collects bird watcher's eggs; i.e. the hard-boiled eggs from the lunches of people who watch birds. The point where he crosses into this trope is when he talks about his other hobbies. Instead of collecting butterflies, he collects butterfly hunters, and then shows a couple of people pinned to the wall with giant push pins like they were butterflies. He also races pigeon fanciers, and a clip shows pigeon fancier racing in action.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: The first doctor from the "RSM Hospital" sketch.
- Either/Or Title: "Royal Episode 13 (or: The Queen Will Be Watching)".
- False Start: The "Lifeboat/Cannibalism" sketch starts four times because the first two times, Graham Chapman's character has a philosophical debate about how long it's been before it starts properly, and the third time, Terry Jones' character asks, "Have we started again?", earning him a Death Glare from the others.
- Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Exaggerated with the interview sketch, featuring a man who only speaks the ends of words, a man who speaks only the beginnings of words, and a man who speaks only the middle of words. It literally takes all three of them to say "Good evening."
- Hair-Trigger Temper: The miners in the first sketch will start a hearty row at the slightest provocation.
- Hypocritical Humor: The Strongly Worded Letter following the "Lifeboat/Cannibalism" sketch is signed "Yours Etc., Captain B.J. Smethwick in a white wine sauce with shallots, mushrooms and garlic."
- Newscaster Cameo: Reginald Bosanquet is hosting News at Ten on ITV when the Queen switches the channel to watch.
- Nothing Is Funnier: The "specimens" in "The Insurance Sketch". We never find out what they're talking about.
- The Queen Will Be Watching: This episode is the Trope Namer. This trope was also used as an excuse to use the most disturbing sketches ever written, especially with all the sketches involving cannibalism.
- Screaming at Squick: The audience is heard shouting as they watch the animation between the "Cannibals" and "Undertaker" sketch.
- Self-Deprecation: The Queen tunes in to watch the show about halfway through. Not one minute later, she has turned over to the news on ITV.
- Serious Business: The miners in the "Coal Miner" sketch get into arguments and fights about, among other things, when the Treaty of Utrecht was ratified.
- Strongly Worded Letter: As reaction to both the "Pepperpots in a Submarine" sketch and the "Lifeboat" sketch.
- Studio Audience: In the "Undertakers' Sketch", they rush the stage in mock indignation. Apparently, letting the audience react this way was a condition of the BBC letting them use the skit. The BBC agreed to let them do the sketch only if they made it clear that the studio audience disapproved of it. The Pythons responded by taking it up to eleven, having the audience loudly boo practically every joke and then rush the stage at the end. It was All Part of the Show, of course. Notably, when they do storm the stage, only half actually get up. The others are laughing heartily. In fact, even many of those who do rush the stage are visibly laughing.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The Blue Danube (explosive edition).
- Too Much Information: In the beginning of the "Lifeboat" sketch:First Sailor: Still no sign of land. How long is it?
Second Sailor: That's rather a personal question, sir. - Vocal Dissonance: The girls, excluding Charlie, in the girl's dormitory all have gruff voices.
