description The Undertaker Sketch Overview
"The Undertaker Sketch" is a comedy scene from the 1970 second series of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese. It features Cleese as a bereaved customer who enters an undertaker's shop carrying his dead mother in a sack. Chapman plays the undertaker, offering increasingly absurd and grotesque suggestions for disposing of the body, which culminates in a direct address to the audience regarding the boundaries of television comedy.
help The Undertaker Sketch FAQ
What Monty Python sketch features a man trying to bury his mother?
"The Undertaker Sketch" is a famous 1972 Monty Python scene featuring a bereaved customer, played by Graham Chapman, visiting an undertaker. He is seeking advice on how to dispose of his deceased mother.
What happens in Monty Python's 'The Undertaker Sketch'?
The undertaker, played by John Cleese, offers the customer increasingly grotesque and absurd suggestions for disposing of the corpse. The sketch culminates in a controversial suggestion to eat the mother.
Why was Monty Python's 'The Undertaker Sketch' controversial?
The sketch was highly controversial due to its incredibly dark themes of cannibalism and disrespect for the dead. When performed, it often concluded with the audience booing or the actors being pelted with garbage.
Where did Monty Python's 'The Undertaker Sketch' originally debut?
While it appeared in various Monty Python media, it famously debuted in the team's live stage show, "Monty Python's Flying Circus," in the early 1970s. The sketch was eventually filmed for the third series of their television show in 1972.
explore Explore More
Similar to The Undertaker Sketch
See all arrow_forward
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
