And to think had it not been for this incident, How Many Hats would not have been cancelled and it's eventual successor Numberwang may never have seen the light of day.
The problem with programming of this era was that people weren't wearing enough hats. By addressing this, HMH opened the floodgates for a variety of shows, including a "gameshow segment" for broadcast in times of national emergency. Truly groundbreaking
Lovely send-up of the rather quaint panel quiz shows that those of us, of a certain age, remember watching as children on our parents' 14" black and white television sets.
@@taylorbernard54512 inch telly?? You must’ve been REALLY a wealthy. We were lucky if we ever saw anything on t’telly larger than 10 inches and for that we had to walk 6 miles through open farmland, in the middle of a blizzard with no shoes on and nought but a string singlet on our backs. We then had t’climb t’top of a 35 storey building, climb ont’ladder t’peer through a partially shuttered window and even then we were only able to do that on every second Thursday during a blue moon. 🌚 😂
BBC Four recently started to broadcast remastered episodes of Call My Bluff with Robert Robinson and Angela Rippon. Found one the other day and it immediately reminded me of this 😂
I think it is sending up the show "What's My Line?" which originated in the US. Other countries including the UK had their own versions. The panel had to guess the occupation of the various guests, i.e. their line of employment. One of the British show hosts was Gilbert Harding, who may be sent up in this sketch as panellist "Sir Geoffrey Whiting". This sketch is also parodying the general dreariness of the BBC in the 1950s and 60s.
And if it weren't for the internets I, a casual television trivia buff from the United States, probably would never have seen this important piece of television history.
For those who want to know what this is parodying, it is the show "what's my line" where 4 recurring panellists try to guess someone's job (line of work).
I used to watch it in the sixties. John Daly was the moderator. Bennett Cerf was on the panel. He was the man who created the publisher Random House. Arlene Francis was on it. And Dorothy Kilgallen. It was a great show
Another Goodson-Todman classic. I remember Dorothy Kilgallen punching Bennett Cerf during an argument about whether a fascinator was a hat or not. I mean, of course it isn’t! Is a tiara a hat? No!
It reminds me of a lot of panel shows these days - everyone knows the answer but they keep talking around the issue so that David Mitchell and Alan Davies etc have time to do their comedic bits.
Armstrong and Miller, Mitchell and Webb, Little Britain, seems there's really no limit to how many times you can re-watch these and they'll still be as funny.
If you like this then search for "big train cakes". Its a shame they appear to deleted the original video of the cake sketch, but there is still a "reaction" video of it.
Yes! That hadn't occurred to me, but you're right. Would fit easily into a Python episode. Maybe Michael Palin as the quiz-master and John Cleese as the new-to-the-show rebel team-member who won't 'play the game'!
It's clearly not because Through the Keyhole was never in black and white and was nothing like this. Saying that, it WAS the most recent episode of Through the Keyhole, where it was obviously Fatima Whitbread's house and the panel had to string it out a bit before guessing, that reminded me of this sketch and made me find it on TH-cam. Of course, that episode of Through the Keyhole was in 2019 so it was done in a much more knowing way with Mr Lemon even mentioning Fatima Whitbread several times while asking the panel to guess.
First time I've seen this. Found it via a link in the comments section of an UnHerd article by Kat Rosenfeld regarding Steven King's views on covid protocols. A fitting comparison.
When she asks if it's a 2 digit number and it's wrong, he says that's a point to him. But doesn't score himself the point, so it ends up 0-1. It may be too late to investigate, but surely this should be looked into, lest the BBC lose it's reputation for integrity! (Ahh wait, it lost any trace of that about 10 years ago :)).
And to think had it not been for this incident, How Many Hats would not have been cancelled and it's eventual successor Numberwang may never have seen the light of day.
The problem with programming of this era was that people weren't wearing enough hats. By addressing this, HMH opened the floodgates for a variety of shows, including a "gameshow segment" for broadcast in times of national emergency. Truly groundbreaking
Interestingly, Channel 4’s “Man or Woman?” never made it past the pilot episode.
@@ffinybryn Now that's really funny! 🙂
Including my reply, it's four replies. That's numberwang!
One of their best sketches. That english middle-class sense of embarassment at somebody who won't join with all the others.
[ of course ]
Lovely send-up of the rather quaint panel quiz shows that those of us, of a certain age, remember watching as children on our parents' 14" black and white television sets.
14” tele? Luxury! Ours was only 12”
@@taylorbernard54512 inch telly?? You must’ve been REALLY a wealthy. We were lucky if we ever saw anything on t’telly larger than 10 inches and for that we had to walk 6 miles through open farmland, in the middle of a blizzard with no shoes on and nought but a string singlet on our backs. We then had t’climb t’top of a 35 storey building, climb ont’ladder t’peer through a partially shuttered window and even then we were only able to do that on every second Thursday during a blue moon. 🌚 😂
It was better as a radio show
BBC Four recently started to broadcast remastered episodes of Call My Bluff with Robert Robinson and Angela Rippon. Found one the other day and it immediately reminded me of this 😂
You still watch live broadcast television? How odd in these times.
This is one of their best sketches. It's beautifully done.
'i will not be silenced !'
Is the number of hats that you are wearing by any chance Numberwang?
+littlegelland If it were anything between and inclusive of 3.2 and 3.8 it would be Numberwang. Except on Thursdays, of course.
+Throatwobbler Mangrove Naturally.
littlegelland Yes! That is a number!
@@sirpercivalsmallcock-jones9585 hang on a second! That’s not Numberwang!
It was cold on the golf course today and when I put on a second woolen hat, I reminded myself of this. This is brilliant.
"I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!!"
What a pity that the programme was interrupted.
Does anyone have any idea how many hats Mr. Jacobs was wearing?
I can tell you it was both a square number and a triangle number.
@@jeremypnet Is the number smaller than another number?
It was one hat! Look at him! One hat!!! I'm Benjamin Graham, by the way.
God knows...too difficult to work out
"The inimitable Sir Geoffrey Whiting:"
"Noo."
Any idea who played him as he looks familiar?
I cant take this, I just breakdown everytime I watch it, pure genius
But what if you had a big hat, like a ten-gallon, and you were wearing a smaller hat underneath, like a fez, and under that you had a yarmulke?
I saw this years ago but have just found it on youtube. Absolute genius!
It took me until past the one-minute mark, plus reading the comments, to realize this is a sketch 😂
Certainly better than The Masked Singer 😂
One of the best sketches on the show
SHE'S WEARING ONE HAT
As a fan of 'whats my line' I loved this even more :D
I think it is sending up the show "What's My Line?" which originated in the US. Other countries including the UK had their own versions. The panel had to guess the occupation of the various guests, i.e. their line of employment. One of the British show hosts was Gilbert Harding, who may be sent up in this sketch as panellist "Sir Geoffrey Whiting".
This sketch is also parodying the general dreariness of the BBC in the 1950s and 60s.
He looks just like the original Master from Doctor Who
One of their best
are you related to Gary?
"Our regards to your husband." Classic.
Is that a reference to something?
@@tobybartels8426 Society.
And if it weren't for the internets I, a casual television trivia buff from the United States, probably would never have seen this important piece of television history.
Excruciatingly funny. They get the early 1960s tone to perfectly, right down to the image of the young Queen towards the end.
For those who want to know what this is parodying, it is the show "what's my line" where 4 recurring panellists try to guess someone's job (line of work).
I used to watch it in the sixties. John Daly was the moderator. Bennett Cerf was on the panel. He was the man who created the publisher Random House. Arlene Francis was on it. And Dorothy Kilgallen. It was a great show
A saggar makers bottom-knocker
Another Goodson-Todman classic. I remember Dorothy Kilgallen punching Bennett Cerf during an argument about whether a fascinator was a hat or not. I mean, of course it isn’t! Is a tiara a hat? No!
@batmanofni No I think it's a comic actress called Lucy Montgomery, probably best known now as April 'Used to be a Man' Shepard from The IT Crowd.
Yes it is!
Is the number of hats you're wearing a Heegner number?
TF2: the game show.
@tiarnan76 To be fair, fewer and fewer televisions use cathode tubes.
This beats Numberwang. "I will not be silenced!"
Love this sketch cheers for ulpoading it !
She's wearing 3 hats!!
This is brilliantly observed.
It's back to you Ricky
I've finally seen a few episodes of What's My Line, so I understand the parody better now 😂
"...and making his _How Many Hats?_ debut, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." 0:24
What is a "hat"?
That's numberwang!
It reminds me of a lot of panel shows these days - everyone knows the answer but they keep talking around the issue so that David Mitchell and Alan Davies etc have time to do their comedic bits.
I usually giggle like a little girl at "i will not be silenced".
It's such a tremendous line.
@@gabbleratchet1890 Indeed. He nails it imho :)
I'd love to see Zander shoot an edition of Pointless like this.
Armstrong and Miller, Mitchell and Webb, Little Britain, seems there's really no limit to how many times you can re-watch these and they'll still be as funny.
Big Train?
@@krashd Hmm, had to look that one up. That was one I had never heard of. Would give it a go, if I could find it somewhere.
Fry and Laurie
Is the dentist at the end playing 'How Many Teeth'?
How many caps.
Pretty sure she was from Barking not St Albans.
Is the woman with the hats on Tasmin Greig (from Green Wing/Black Books).
No.
No, I think it's Tamsin Greig off The Archers and Neverwhere
0:18 was that David Baddiel?
No it's Jim Howick, it does look a bit like Baddiel though in this sketch.
Was the last guy wearing 1 hat or not?
Jeremiah Johnson ONE HAT!
We don't know. he might have been wearing a small hat under the trilby, that could not easily be seen.
I think the jury's out on that one!
Hahaha Jeffrey Whiting saying "nooooo!"
'Nooooo!'
If you like this then search for "big train cakes". Its a shame they appear to deleted the original video of the cake sketch, but there is still a "reaction" video of it.
Is the number of hats Princess Margaret is wearing an odd number but not a prime number ?
The irony is that the British make the best radio quiz shows. Their TV quiz shows, by way of contrast, aren't as good as this.
I will not be silenced. That's 1 hat. I know it's one hat!
She was actually expecting him to wear more than 10 hats???
I want to see more of this show...
Like that one guy in West Bank on ZX Spectrum.
That is exactly what will happen if they invite Derren Brown to "Would I Like To You?".
Ch3ckm4t3 do you mean "Would I Lie to You?"
Pure Python!
Yes! That hadn't occurred to me, but you're right. Would fit easily into a Python episode. Maybe Michael Palin as the quiz-master and John Cleese as the new-to-the-show rebel team-member who won't 'play the game'!
@@martm216 And Eric Idle as the hat wearer.
Nod to What’s My Line .
It’s not just the comedy content, it’s the mise-en-scène, the costumes, the black and white effect and the really awful focus.
The typography is spot on too
xD I love this.
Sir Geoffrey Whiting
Noooo!
I know, i know i know!!!
The answer is 3 quarters!
This is a direct dig at Through the Keyhole, where the audience claps after each observation.
Not really. It's more of a pastiche of 'What's My Line?'.
It's clearly not because Through the Keyhole was never in black and white and was nothing like this.
Saying that, it WAS the most recent episode of Through the Keyhole, where it was obviously Fatima Whitbread's house and the panel had to string it out a bit before guessing, that reminded me of this sketch and made me find it on TH-cam. Of course, that episode of Through the Keyhole was in 2019 so it was done in a much more knowing way with Mr Lemon even mentioning Fatima Whitbread several times while asking the panel to guess.
Better game than Pointless
Never mind the hats! How many otters?!?
Wait, I wanted to watch more of Princess Margaret.
I feel like there's a flaw here
valve would be proud
First time I've seen this. Found it via a link in the comments section of an UnHerd article by Kat Rosenfeld regarding Steven King's views on covid protocols. A fitting comparison.
Steven King's views on covid protocols
The Internet as seen by Goolag
ha ha funny. Are u watching Gayan!?!?!
Is the number of teeth you've recently broken... 9001?
OMG I nearly wet myself watching this!!!
When she asks if it's a 2 digit number and it's wrong, he says that's a point to him. But doesn't score himself the point, so it ends up 0-1. It may be too late to investigate, but surely this should be looked into, lest the BBC lose it's reputation for integrity! (Ahh wait, it lost any trace of that about 10 years ago :)).
Nooooo!
None the wiser :-)
"It's back with you Ricky" :L
A great parody of those awful 60s US celebrity shows like What's My Line.
The most unfunny clip since any of the myriad of python clips to be found on you-toob
CovidImages need to be invested more than half19
It's still better than pointless 😲
A what-now number?...Methinks Wiki calls...:-)