description Four Candles Overview
"Four Candles" is a 1976 sketch from the BBC's The Two Ronnies, written by Ronnie Barker. In the sketch, a hardware shopkeeper (Ronnie Corbett) repeatedly misinterprets a customer's (Barker) requests due to phonetic ambiguity, most famously confusing "four candles" with "fork handles." The sketch builds through a series of escalating misunderstandings involving items like plugs, drawers, and peas. It is frequently cited as a defining example of British sketch comedy wordplay.
insights Ranking position
Four Candles ranks #7 of 548 in the Sketch ranking, behind The Ministry of Silly Walks, ahead of Matt Foley: Van Down by the River.
help Four Candles FAQ
What are the four candles Ronnie Barker asks for in the sketch?
In the famous 1976 sketch, the customer asks for "four candles," which the shopkeeper mishears. He actually wants "fork 'andles," meaning "fork handles" for his motorbike.
Who wrote the Four Candles sketch for The Two Ronnies?
The sketch was written by Ronnie Barker, one half of the British comedy duo The Two Ronnies. It first aired on the BBC in 1976 and was inspired by a real-life hardware shop encounter experienced by a BBC technician.
What other items are asked for in the Four Candles sketch?
The customer asks for a variety of items that sound like other things, such as "plugs" (which turns out to be "Easter eggs") and "pumps" (which turns out to be "cat food"). The brilliant humor relies entirely on British regional accents and deliberate misheard words.
Where can I watch the Four Candles sketch by The Two Ronnies?
The sketch originally aired on the BBC sketch comedy show "The Two Ronnies" in 1976. It can easily be found on official BBC YouTube channels and is widely considered one of the greatest British comedy sketches of all time.
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