"I'm not going to pretend to understand the creative process, because I don't understand the creative process, and because I don't know how to pretend." I love this line!
I've seen this clip countless times but I've somehow only just noticed the irony in his inability to read, yet supposedly having "numberwang" written on the piece of card.. for him to read
This is such a great sketch, and what makes it even more impressive is that David Mitchell managed to do the whole thing in one take! (I found out on the commentary for the dvd, Mitchell said so himself) Epic! :D
1 man behind his desk. 2 people being interviewed and 3 people there to tick race, disability and gender boxes. Add those numbers together and what do you get...?
@@markstevenson1646 Who said anything about a university education? Is that because you automatically assume someone taking the piss out of you must have an academic background?
@@tomgl6684 well I wouldn't consider what you said taking the piss as you so eloquently put it, it was a bit pathetic if truth be told, here let me have a go, if I took the piss out of you there'd be nothing left.... BOOM there you go, have a nice day 😄
"..because I don't know what it MEANS!.." LOL!! Cracks me up EVERY single time!! ..and that LAST line, boy...lol!!! We'd NEVER get away with that here!!! Love it!
David Mitchell is perfect. In 2 minutes 28 he has managed to personify everything wrong with British culture and media. I say this as one of the homosexually young people the culture and media think is their target audience
This comment is WAY ahead of its time. Things are even worse now with the virtue signalling in shows & movies. Like having a g@y character in a show counts as a personality
@@Stuart267 Your comment is even more prescient. Things are even far worser NOW than when you wrote your comment pointing out that things were relatively worse at the time of your writing in comparison to the general state of things in the ancient past of the original post.
As a member of the Pedants Society of Great Britain, I feel I have to point out that he states that he doesn't know how to read, but continuously reads the word "NumberWang" throughout the sketch
This is like the BBC equivalent of the scene in The Simpsons where the makers of Itchy & Scratchy brainstorm a new character to appeal to young people and come up with Poochie.
I remember around the time this came out, Frankie Boyle said that in every tv development meeting the main phrase used was 'crossed with Skins! Let's make Cash in the Attic, crossed with Skins! We'll call it 'Gash in the Attic!' I laughed so much - and then I watched Misfits. Oh lord.
I think this is basically completely true Including ethnics, disableds, gays and women for no purpose apart from bragging about having diversity.. Also aiming every new program aggressively at teenagers and copying any popular theme.. fckin fed up
Well, if that's what it takes to have tv shows that aren't just about straight white able-bodied men then i'm all for it. why shouldn't they want to have diversity, it's a good thing that people like
Sophovot If I'm marched in front of a screen not because I'm particularly suited for the part but because the producers are pandering to people who love to see my kind doing things, I would feel cheapened and insulted beyond measure. What is the difference between this and a freak show, or a circus where bears ride bicycles and dogs jump through burning rings? Compare that to this[1], do you see what I mean? If you are going to achieve genuine equality by highlighting how other and alien certain people are, pointing out and worshiping their alienness at every chance, and shoving them into public eyes frequently for no other reason than the fact that they are alien------are you not going about it the entirely wrong way? [1]: www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/rfa0u/youre_doing_a_great_job_guys/
Sophovot I think that's a bit short sighted. The end goal can't be to have box tickers. Whatever your view on how TV should be nobody thinks that box tickers serve a purpose other than statistical. Integrating people in a process is an important step to take.
I love how this is now inversely true. Its basically the same thing, except for everything is for old people. Between aging demographics in the developed world and new media pushing adaptive young minds away from television, all TV has left is appeal to retirees
2:08 That sounds like Spamton. [[YOUTHOSOME TEENAGY YOUNGNESS]] AND ABOVE ALL [[NUMBERWANG]]! DO IT MAKE IT NOW! MAKE ME THE NEW [[NUMBERWANG]]! THAT'S RIGHT!! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A [[BIG SHOT]]!!
![[MIRRORED] LISA - ROCKSTAR 🎸 MV version #LISA #BLACKPINK #ROCKSTAR](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-U58DuCCtZk/mqdefault.jpg)
"Ethnically youthful and homosexually young."
Doctor Who?
@@aelolulThis is spot on now that the Doctor is a literal Black Scot
Pretty sure this is how top gear picked it's new presenters
metal2886 this comment is still relevant.
it's true; i was the youthful homosexual
To be fair, the original trio were irreplaceable.
It's odd that the inventors of a gameshow as bizarre as Numberwang are playing the straight man role in this sketch.
Bizarre? It's an extremely simple game. Anyone who bought the home edition and read the rule book will attest!
That's Numberwang!
@@holgerkanisch4210 Or more accurately Wordwang!
"I'm not going to pretend to understand the creative process, because I don't understand the creative process, and because I don't know how to pretend."
I love this line!
I've seen this clip countless times but I've somehow only just noticed the irony in his inability to read, yet supposedly having "numberwang" written on the piece of card.. for him to read
Oh man. You can tell this one came from the soul. They must've had a particularly interesting meeting that planted the seed
"None of them went to Oxford. I love diversity!"
"I CAN'T READ!!!" *picks up paper* "NUMBERWANG!!!*
This is such a great sketch, and what makes it even more impressive is that David Mitchell managed to do the whole thing in one take!
(I found out on the commentary for the dvd, Mitchell said so himself)
Epic! :D
That's takewang
Pff, it's easy to do it in one take when you have the name of the show on a card. 😉
This is brilliant. Great satire on what makes the industry tick and what makes it vacuous at the same time.
"He'll be head of news one day if we let him, which we won't"
Fucking brilliant
It's not brilliant, he deserves that job!
What a performance! He nailed it!
Fascinating glimpse behind the scenes at how real television producers operate.
"NUMBERWANG has been off our screens for far too long" IT'S FUNNY 'CAUSE IT'S TRUE!
Think of the meeting they must have sat through to make them write this sketch.
that would have been a great followup sketch
Ranks in the top 5 of my favorite skits of all time.
Probably the hardest I've ever laughed in my life! Dave's energy in this is absolutely brilliant and that last line almost killed me 🤣🤣🤣
and a little bit of Oxford bashing from the Cantabrian. Love it XD
I love the bit where he goes, "Here's some money!" and throws money at them. It kills me for some reason.
My favourite show (looks at card) That Mitchell and Webb look!
I'd like to imagine they probably had a meeting like this.
I've been in a thousand pitch meetings like this.
That's Youngerwang!
1 man behind his desk. 2 people being interviewed and 3 people there to tick race, disability and gender boxes. Add those numbers together and what do you get...?
+Michael Johns A numberwang!
Exactly.
Numberwang?
Six.
20 Capstan Full Strength Navy Cut?
Still come back to this sketch cos of the great writing
Hahaha! This is one of my favorite sketches of TMWL! How can he speak so fast?
Very much reminds me of Denholm Reynholm lol
This is the comment I planned to write!
Easily one of David's best performances. XD
what makes this sketch even more impressive is that David Mitchel managed to say all that in one take. :D
Emma Sedgwick wow is that what you get from a university education? , the ability to speak continually for 2mins 28secs, impressive
@@markstevenson1646 Beats making bitter comments on a TH-cam video mate.
@@tomgl6684 wow is that what you get from a university education, the ability to post a shit quip three years after the event, impressive
@@markstevenson1646 Who said anything about a university education?
Is that because you automatically assume someone taking the piss out of you must have an academic background?
@@tomgl6684 well I wouldn't consider what you said taking the piss as you so eloquently put it, it was a bit pathetic if truth be told, here let me have a go, if I took the piss out of you there'd be nothing left.... BOOM there you go, have a nice day 😄
"..because I don't know what it MEANS!.." LOL!! Cracks me up EVERY single time!! ..and that LAST line, boy...lol!!! We'd NEVER get away with that here!!! Love it!
David Mitchell is perfect. In 2 minutes 28 he has managed to personify everything wrong with British culture and media. I say this as one of the homosexually young people the culture and media think is their target audience
This comment is WAY ahead of its time. Things are even worse now with the virtue signalling in shows & movies. Like having a g@y character in a show counts as a personality
@@Stuart267 Your comment is even more prescient. Things are even far worser NOW than when you wrote your comment pointing out that things were relatively worse at the time of your writing in comparison to the general state of things in the ancient past of the original post.
@@kevincarbone6831 Jesus is gay.
Fast forward to 2024, and no, nothing's improved yet. You're welcome
This isn't a sketch, it's documentary of how basically all media is runs nowadays
outstanding david
So funny the first time i watches it i almost cryed i love this kind of obseane humour
I feel a strong emotional connection to the teenage p**fter.
me too
Is poofter a censor-needed word in Merry Old Englandland?
Don't look at the box-tickers.
wow i love david mitchell
this show was ten years ahead of its time... it's terrifying x'D
This aged perfectly.
AMANDA! Get these guys some drugs!
The HBO revolution in all its glory.
this joke was ahead of its time
As a member of the Pedants Society of Great Britain, I feel I have to point out that he states that he doesn't know how to read, but continuously reads the word "NumberWang" throughout the sketch
I love this character david plays
In a fit of snarkiness, I feel like claiming that he's just being himself :P.
I now try to use "It's brilliant in a way that is awful" in everyday conversation as much as possible.
This is like the BBC equivalent of the scene in The Simpsons where the makers of Itchy & Scratchy brainstorm a new character to appeal to young people and come up with Poochie.
This is exactly how they develop shows in America.
This is how Wordwang was created
I remember around the time this came out, Frankie Boyle said that in every tv development meeting the main phrase used was 'crossed with Skins! Let's make Cash in the Attic, crossed with Skins! We'll call it 'Gash in the Attic!' I laughed so much - and then I watched Misfits. Oh lord.
Misfits was good for one season, then they dropped any overarching plot and it had no point in existing
Take the money before you go.
does anyone else rekon this might have been bases on mitchell and webb's real experience of tv executives?
I went to Oxford, what I meant to say is that I didn't go to Oxford.
...I did.
So this is how they saw the BBC bosses.
That's Numberwang!
When I took I job they did a thing hot wire also.
Numberwang is why.
STEVIE!
This is basically how TV really works.
Yes, that is a number.
I wish they had done a skit of the new numberwang.
Me too. I'm struggling to imagine what a Numberwang that "retains all of its original features but is basically like Skins" would look like.
The sort of people that watched Numberwang were old, weird, had a hat, smelled and were Belgian.
Well, thanks a lot.
I refer you towards Charlie Brooker's 'a career in telly' piece.
Best impression of a coke head I've ever seen.
Hilarioussss!
He could read though, he kept reading the notecard.
Nope it was a picture of the word NUMBERWANG.
i numberwanged once..now my algebra book is all sticky!
Best part: "numberwang numberwang numberwang numberwang "
i see my old boss in this.
good times.
Maybe it's a logo the show has, and he's heard the name of it in association. Like people immediately thinking of Batman when they see his symbol.
it's like Lord Flashheart ran Numberwang...
Lol "My Team: Disabled Ethnic, Teenage Pooftah and Woman!"
If he can't read because they burned out his brain, what the crap was on that card?
numbers
He probably just said that because he didn't give enough of a shit to read anything.
They really know how to make unpleasant personalities even more unpleasant.
What does a °checks card° NUMBER WANG look like?
How can Alison and Peter have created Numberwang? This contradicts The History of Numberwang.
Doctor Who creative process in a nutshell
Naho Saenoki basically how the meeting for Class went down
Judy, quit being egotistical
Oh god yes! Media people ARE actuallu exactly like that O_O
and to this day... no new epsidoes of Numberwang ):
HE'S PRETENDING no wait he said he can't pretend.
It's Series 3, Episode 6
This is how popular American "reality" shows are created.
0:10 NHS in a nutshell
Yeah. I'm pretty sure they went to Cambridge. Let's just say they went to Oxbridge. ;P
He looks like Robert California
Ah yes, the men at the top.
Why do I get the feeling that if I ever worked in TV...
This guy reminds me of denom relnom from it crowd
MItchell and Webb both went to oxford.
Robert California!
I was just about to say that...
Beautiful username and profile picture. I love the white Anglo dragon. England lives and marches on.
HEY GINGER MO FO
NumberWANK!
Maybe it was a picture.
I think this is basically completely true
Including ethnics, disableds, gays and women for no purpose apart from bragging about having diversity..
Also aiming every new program aggressively at teenagers and copying any popular theme..
fckin
fed up
It's called trying to get ratings.
Young people are attractive to advertisers.
Well, if that's what it takes to have tv shows that aren't just about straight white able-bodied men then i'm all for it. why shouldn't they want to have diversity, it's a good thing that people like
Sophovot If I'm marched in front of a screen not because I'm particularly suited for the part but because the producers are pandering to people who love to see my kind doing things, I would feel cheapened and insulted beyond measure. What is the difference between this and a freak show, or a circus where bears ride bicycles and dogs jump through burning rings?
Compare that to this[1], do you see what I mean? If you are going to achieve genuine equality by highlighting how other and alien certain people are, pointing out and worshiping their alienness at every chance, and shoving them into public eyes frequently for no other reason than the fact that they are alien------are you not going about it the entirely wrong way?
[1]: www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/rfa0u/youre_doing_a_great_job_guys/
Was that link for real?
Sophovot I think that's a bit short sighted. The end goal can't be to have box tickers. Whatever your view on how TV should be nobody thinks that box tickers serve a purpose other than statistical. Integrating people in a process is an important step to take.
I love how this is now inversely true. Its basically the same thing, except for everything is for old people. Between aging demographics in the developed world and new media pushing adaptive young minds away from television, all TV has left is appeal to retirees
David Zaslav on a normal day
2:08 That sounds like Spamton.
[[YOUTHOSOME TEENAGY YOUNGNESS]] AND ABOVE ALL [[NUMBERWANG]]! DO IT MAKE IT NOW! MAKE ME THE NEW [[NUMBERWANG]]! THAT'S RIGHT!! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A [[BIG SHOT]]!!
Aren't these two characters also the quiz broadcast contestants?
Seen it, also had that career and left very quickly.
Is this basically how Channel 4 works?
Lol you're right!
Lord Sugar :)
@AlexThomson1000 I like to think it's in rebus. ;)