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Below is a selection of the best sketches from Dare to Believe, unfortunately, with over sixty sketches in total, we couldn't inlcude them all. In the show these sketches are interspersed with a psychedelic mix of music, magic, philosophy and even thai chi.
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Fly like a Mouse. Run like a cushion. Be the small bookcase
This is the show’s mantra and it opens every episode. It consists of black screen with three lines of simple white text and a voiceover which suggests this is some inspiring philosophy by which to live your life. Have you been the small bookcase lately? |
Department of Environment: Otter Survey
Each contender stands motionless outside their house looking into the camera. An official voice announces their name followed by a hushed voice of a commentator. A caption and the official voice announces a large number of otters, the commentator is impressed. Then a flashing correction caption appears and the official announces “No Otters” (caption: No Otters (0)) and the contender disappears in a puff of smoke. These sketches are great fun, you’ll find yourself rooting for the contenders. One day they’ll win. Those people from the department of environment must be pretty bad counters. I’m training for next year, imagine a Rocky style montage scene – but with otters. |
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The Spanish Villager and the Agua Moose Man [Marios Nain and Tim Scott]
A Spanish man is being interviewed in his simple home. As he babbles away in foreign a monotone voiceover translates. The man is recalling the Agua Moose Man, an important and respected member of the community, and his familiar call of “Agua! Moosa!”, (monotone voice: “Agua Moose.”). This is one of the show’s strongest sketches, with an involving character as well as surrealism. Remember, an Agua Moose is for life, not just for breakfast.
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Peter Hipkiss, the bored office guy [Nat Reed]
A more traditional type of sketch here and always dependable for laughs. A bored man sits at his desk and starts fiddling with whatever’s at hand, be it the phone, the hole punch or his lunch. With hilarious consequences naturally. These sketches are slightly overshadowed by the more surreal sketches in the show but they are little gems. |
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Sandwiches [Tim Scott]
A man, dressed in a formal white suit and a top hat, runs across screen constantly stopping to look up. He sticks a sign in the ground which reads “Sandwiches” on an arrow pointing up. The man runs of screen and a caption appears, an important voice reads it, “Sandwiches!”. Hilarious stuff. It makes no sense whatsoever. And thank bally goodness for that. Also, how come whatsoever is three words written as one? I'm drifting...
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Bicycle Man [Tim Scott, Robbie and Rebecca Lee]
My personal favourite. An excited voice sings “What’s in the bicycle box today!” as a small box slowly opens to reveal a bicycle part. A cuddly voice announces the contents of the boxes and asks us if we want to hang it on the bicycle man. Cut to a hillside at night and a man in the pose of a scarecrow, who like a scarecrow seems to be stuck where he is. A small child skips up to the man and hangs the bicycle part on him, meanwhile the bicycle man is protesting and shouting “Gwendolyn! Gwendoyln! They’re hanging bicycle parts on me again!” This is such a fine, fine surreal sketch. What more can I say? Peterborough! There. |
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Dutch Cyclist [Tim Scott]
A Dutch cyclist is taking part in the Tour de France (or similar), or being interviewed, while smoking a large comedy spliff. A favourite with a lot of Dare To Believe fans, though I think it’s bit of an easy target. I gather many Dare To Believe audience identify with this character, and not because they’re Dutch - or cyclists. The Dutch cyclist seems to crop up more times per episode than any other character. It’s also worth noting that the Dutch Cyclist is sponsored by agua-moose.com!
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What’s This? [Susie Barrie and Michael Smith]
An object, such as a banana, appears on a white background. A female voice asks “What’s this?” and a male voice replies “banana”. This is repeated, “what’s this?” “banana”, “what’s this?” “banana”, “what’s this?” “banana”. In series 1 this would be interrupted by a voice shouting random things like “OSPREY HOUSING!”. The random shouting is one of the elements of series 1 most missed by fans in series 2. |
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Football Coach [Dave MacCreedy]
In the locker room a football coach is giving his team a pep talk. What advice can he give to improve their performance? “Be Better”. Not enough? “Be better at football, that way we’ll score more goals”. Sound advice, though not very constructive. A great sketch, after all this is certainly the first phrase I think of when I try to give someone advice (even before I saw the show). Giving them a good shake works well too.
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The Much Obliged Neighbour [Nat Reed]
A door opens to reveal a short, fat man with glasses and a slightly pompous voice. [Sorry Nat, I’m sure it’s just camera angle]. He may ask you to turn down the stereo (“It’s the bass. I don’t like the bass. Could you turn the bass down.”), or, bizarrely, to watch you do press-ups. As he turns to leave he tells you that if you can do him this favour he’d be “much obliged. Much obliged.” Another great performance by Nat Reed with a quotable catchphrase. This character returned in the Dare to Believe follow-up series 'Dusty and Dan', this time called 'The Landlord'. As an aside, I ask my neighbour to look after my plants for me while I was on holiday. After I got back I asked him why they looked so healthy. “Mulch applied”, he said. “Mulch applied”. True. No, not really.
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Twarb Coffee [Jennie Linden]
Doesn't it make you sick when coffee tastes bitter! Literally. This advert for Twarb tells you just how mellow their coffee is - mellow as a horse! Now you can stay clean as a whistle thanks to Twarb. But when they say clean as a whistle, do they mean covered in spit?
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Jabbing Jimmy [Michael Marshall Smith and Martin Evanson]
These cartoons recount Jabbing Jimmy's most challenging boxing matches against his toughest opponents - such as the mahogany sideboard. Jimmy tries to soften them up with some combinations, but invariably they deliver a fatal suckerpunch. But everyone knows the mahogany sideboard is the Apollo Creed of livingroom furniture! |
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Small Things Forecast [Susie Barrie]
In the style of a weather forecast this presenter sticks labels on a map of Britain and tells us what sort of small things to expect, such as teaspoons and socks. More seriously we are then given today's elk warning. As for large Gnu's, you're on your own.
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Stuttgart International Festival of Noises [Michael Marshall Smith, Susie Barrie, Steve Kynman, Ali Trott]
This cartoon proves the SFIN is a fun day out for all the family. The kids will love it! What a shame it has to end, I guess we'll just have to come back again next year. The sponsors at the end are hilarious! |
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And the rest...
A means that there's a video to watch
Fish Karate
Safety Guy 
Perfect Wave Surfer
Racing Driver
200 Words Pianist
Trumpets
French Waiter
Rod Argent - Pianist
Thai Chi
Conductor
Countdown
Fish Snooker
Opposite Thesis Men
Professor
Magic
Vicar
Postcards
Dennis Murphy - Carl Jung Fan
Talkety Talk with Samantha
Drake Pennington
Gardener
Belly News Reader
Man who irons fish
Chuck and Joe
Stoked Surfer
Plumber
Don't think of it like that
Breaking News
Learn Chess
Headmistress
Signs
Brahms
Aaah Bang!
Survival Australian
Wordmaster
Cave Man
Blizzard Mountaineer
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