The Post Office sketch was first performed by the English Teaching Theatre in 1989. An old lady goes to a post office with a fish-shaped parcel that she wants to send to her daughter. At first she claims it’s a coffee pot, which gave us the chance to give examples of (doesn’t) look like, sound like and smell like. She finally admits that it’s a fish and there is some debate about whether she can send it.
The sketch was a bit surreal, and we were worried audiences might not get it, so we were delighted and relieved when they clearly loved it, probably because they enjoyed the performance of the old lady, a role which was played memorably by various women members of the group, including Lizzie Lewendon, who plays it on the tape.
Before listening, it’s advisable to show the image above so students can see what the parcel looks like, and also remind students that the words wait and weight are pronounced the same.
The sketch is performed by Lizzie Lewendon and Matt Bates.
