'Everything they do is a masterclass'

Mr Thing share their comedy favourites

Tom Clarkson and Owen Visser, collectively known as Mr Thing, are bringing their anarchic spoof talk show to the at Seven Dials Playhouse in London from December 2 to 20 for a festive edition. Here their share their Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites.

Morecambe and Wise: Side by Side

We grew up watching Morecambe and Wise, and they’ve always been our biggest inspiration. Everything they do is a masterclass, but this sketch perfectly sums up what we love about them and what we’re always trying to steal a bit of for ourselves: their brilliant timing, the music, the way they use a special guest, and most of all, how they bring a simple gag to life with an unnecessarily complicated prop.

The Shaggy DA

It’s the relatability we love about this movie. We all know what it’s like to balance running for District Attorney whilst transforming into an old English sheepdog at inopportune moments. A 1976 Disney gem and what gave Owen his crippling fear of being punched by a dog.

Gamarjobat

We first met Hiropon and Ketch back in 2004 when we were wide-eyed festival newbies. We got hooked on their street performances, so funny, clever and chaotic in the best possible way with just the right amount of audience participation. They have since gone on to do solo projects (which are both superb) but we always come back to this clip of this act at this time. It’s a masterclass in expertly choreographed, silent slapstick… which is lucky, because our Japanese is 良くない.

Peter Serafinowicz: Michael Caine Acting Masterclass

We had to include something from The Peter Serafinowicz Show. Despite a complete infatuation with his Brian Butterfield character, this is our go-to sketch. Just watch, I think it’s something to do with the lenses or something.

Darth Vader being a jerk

It’s impossible to overstate how many times we’ve watched this. This is right in our Mr Thing sweet spot... Cheekily messing with a classic bit of pop culture, thanks to a simple bit of video editing, and wasting everybody’s time with the stupidest possible version of a joke. As soon as it starts, you know exactly where it’s going which makes it 100 times funnier.

The Umbilical Brothers: Green Screen

There are a bunch of people doing what we do with taking overly complicated (or sometimes vintage) tech to create something completely pointless and silly, but the masters are The Umbilical Brothers!

We saw this live at their 2023 Edinburgh show The Distraction about 100 times. A perfect example of how to have fun with a classic green-screen which, as a device, is more than 80 years old – which is the lifespan of a bigmouth buffalo.