Television series
Smack the Pony
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
- Dip in and out
Smack the Pony is a rapid-fire sketch show built on absurdist humour, character comedy, and fearless satire. Three women playing dozens of roles across thirty electric minutes. It's uninhibited and contemporary for 1999—smart without being smug, silly without being dumb. For anyone who loves sketch comedy that swings for the fences.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love sketch comedy built on odd, recurring characters and a brisk, unembarrassed nerve, the kind of show that trusts you to keep up with its sudden left turns.
Skip it if you want a single story arc or a sitcom you can settle into, since each sketch is brief and the hit rate wobbles from one to the next.
What it asks of you: Short bursts, quick changes and a half-hour of sharp turns, so it rewards being fully present rather than half-watching while scrolling a phone.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Fast Show1994
A masterclass in character-driven sketch comedy with a rotating cast of brilliant performers. Sketch shows don't get better constructed or more laugh-dense than this. Essential viewing for anyone who loves Smack the Pony's energy.
But Some sketches overstay their welcome even when the premise is solid. A few rely on dated 90s references that don't land the same way now.
French and Saunders1987
Two-person sketch show with the same fearless tone and commitment to character that makes Smack the Pony sing. Parody, absurdism, and a willingness to be genuinely weird. Often hilarious, always inventive.
But Sketch shows depend entirely on whether individual sketches land for you. Some will, some won't—and that's the format working as intended.
The League of Gentlemen1999
Dark, grotesque, brilliantly committed character comedy from the same era. Sketches build a disturbing and hilarious world. If you like Smack the Pony's irreverence, this takes it somewhere stranger.
But It's genuinely unsettling. The humour is sharp and occasionally cruel. Not for anyone who finds transgressive comedy alienating.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Smack the Pony
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Monty Python's Flying Circus1969
Both are sketch shows built on the principle that anything goes—that you can crash a skit if it's not working and that the form itself is the joke, not just the content within it.
The ur-text: British sketch comedy that genuinely reinvented what television humour could be. It moves at Smack the Pony's pace, shares its willingness to abandon sketches mid-thought, and proves comedy can be both smart and absurd. Watch the original—you'll see the DNA.
But It's fifty years old and sometimes the references are opaque. Some sketches drag. But the best ones are untouchable.
More like this (7)
Brass Eye1997
Satirical sketch and mockumentary show with a savage edge. It skewers targets with precision and commitment. The same fearlessness as Smack the Pony, deployed toward topical outrage rather than pure absurdism.
But Some sketches are uncomfortable on purpose—part of the satire. If you don't like being made complicit in the joke, it won't work for you.
Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge1994
A sketch-show precursor featuring Steve Coogan creating a fully realised character across thirty minutes. Brilliant writing, committed performance, awkward humour that builds through repetition.
But It's a slower burn than Smack the Pony. The comedy lives in sustained discomfort rather than quick punchlines. Some find it grinding rather than funny.
Big Train1998
Visual and character-based sketch comedy with genuine heart beneath the absurdism. It has the same spirit of creative fearlessness as Smack the Pony, sometimes deployed toward genuine pathos.
But It's very earnest in places. If you want relentless jokes, the slower, more sentimental sketches might feel like dead air.
Shooting Stars1995
A panel show built like a sketch show, with recurring characters and absurdist rules. Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are brilliant, and the format rewards rewatching. Chaotic and genuinely inventive.
But It's very silly and sometimes incoherent. If you need clear structure and recognisable jokes, this will feel like nonsense.
The Mighty Boosh2004
A sketch-and-narrative hybrid with surreal humour, committed character work, and genuine weirdness. Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt create a fully realised world. For fans of comedy that swings for something different.
But It's very mannered and self-consciously quirky. Some find the arch delivery and silly voices exhausting after forty minutes.
Absolutely Fabulous1992
Both are character-driven comedies about women behaving badly, unrepentantly. Both find humour in commitment to extreme personalities rather than plot.
A fully written comedy series (not a sketch show) with two brilliant women playing central characters across a narrative. It has the same satirical energy as Smack the Pony, the same fearless commitment to character, the same refusal to be safe or ingratiating.
But The premise wears thin by season three. Jokes repeat. Once you've seen it, rewatching reveals how often the writers rely on the same gags.
Nighty Night2004
Both feature women playing characters at full intensity without apology or softening. Both trust the audience to find humour in extremity and refusal to be likeable.
A single-camera comedy-drama about a toxic, delusional woman, written by and starring Julia Davis. It has sketch comedy's fearlessness and absurdism but deployed across a narrative. Genuinely uncomfortable and genuinely brilliant.
But It's painful to watch. The protagonist is irredeemable and the humour is cruel. If you like your comedy warm or your characters sympathetic, this will feel wrong.
People
Cast
Doon MackichanVarious Characters
Fiona AllenVarious Characters
Sally PhillipsVarious Characters
Production
- Arabella McGuiganAssociate Producer
- Peter FinchamExecutive Producer
- Victoria PileProducer
Recommended by
The Fast Show, French and Saunders, Harry Enfield & Chums, CBS News Sunday Morning