Ronnie Corbett: five hilarious sketches, from Four Candles to Mastermind

Ronnie Corbett has passed away aged 85 – but he’ll long be remembered for his comedic contributions over the years.

The Scottish actor became a comedy legend for his collaborations with Ronnie Barker on The Two Ronnies, creating some of the most hilarious and well-known sketches of all time.

Here are five brilliant examples – from the ingenious Four Candles clip to the razor-sharp writing of Crossed Lines.

1) Four Candles

Originally titled The Hardware Shop, the Two Ronnies’ most iconic sketch is one of the best ever written – casting Corbett as a handyman shop worker who can’t quite work out what his customer’s looking for: four candles, or fork handles? Hoes, or a hose, or letter ‘O’s? Sheer comic genius.

2) Mastermind

How do you make Britain’s notoriously intense quiz show Mastermind funny? The sketch in which Corbett takes the approach of ‘Answering the Question Before Last’ is a true masterpiece.

3) You Can Say That Again

When you've known someone for long enough, you can practically finish each other’s sentences – except these two in the pub can’t. Despite Barker’s constant interruptions, he takes several attempts to get the gist of what Corbett is trying to say.

4) Crossed Lines

The two Ronnies find themselves at payphones next to each other – and even though they’re having separate conversations, their dialogue syncs up in increasingly daft and hilarious ways.

5) Crossword