Running Gag / Radio

• In the comedy radio program Fibber McGee and Molly, Fibber McGee's infamous avalanche-waiting-to-happen closet was a skillfully managed Running Gag, doled out at unpredictable intervals to simultaneously keep it fresh for the audience and build anticipation for its next appearance. (It was even subverted once or twice when Fibber went to his closet and the well-known crash and clatter of falling junk failed to materialize, after which Molly announced she had just cleaned it out the day before.) As a matter of fact, the entire show was constructed around a large collection of carefully husbanded running gags.
• The British 60s comedy show I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again continually referenced gibbons and the awarding of OBEs to the cast. This is Lampshaded at the end of one show, when Bill Oddie exclaims "No gibbons? No OBEs? What?!". Tim Brooke-Taylor's assumed character Lady Constance de Coverlet was used in most shows and was so popular that the hint of her arrival was greeted by cheers from the audience. Several other running gags were used a little more sparingly.
• Internet radio show Two Sense Two Sense has had several, including substituting foreign names the hosts can't pronounce with "Schleigelhoffen", uncovering the infamous Dead Baby Ring, and of course, screaming "FUCK! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!"
• Commander Bond.Net's podcast and "Anatole Taubman".
• The Frantics' classic "Last Will and Temperment" sketch has an internal running gag — "And one for Jenny and the Wimp!"
• Jack Benny was born in 1894 and died in 1974 at the age of 39. His penny-pinching ways were also frequently used for cheap laughs.
• The Goon Show has gags in episodes, and gags between episodes, and both qualify. Especially when Bluebottle dies.
• On The Stan Freberg Show, inquiries into the nationality of any foreign-sounding character were answered with: "Swiss. That way we don't offend nobody."
• Any time any reference to hair is made on Boers and Bernstein, you'll hear a wheezy "By cracky" in response.
• At the end of every broadcast of Car Talk, they thank a quick barrage of Punny Names for helping with the show. The most famous being their lawyers, Dewey, Cheathum, and Howe.
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue:
  • Would you welcome please: Mr and Mrs Bennett, this must be the billionth time this joke has been used on I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue, and their son Gordon Bennett, this must be the billionth time this joke has been used on I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue.
  • "It's now time for Film Club, we'd like the panel to suggest films that would appeal to a group of comedians who repeat jokes at regular intervals for comic effect. Graeme Garden?" "Bring Me the Head of Alfrunning Gagcia!"
  • Cheddar Gorge, the add-a-word-to-continue-the-sentence game. As well as Humph's lists of other famous games named after landmarks, a common sentence clause is:
    Person 1: (Adjective)...
    Person 2: Yet...
    Person 3: Strangely...
    Person 4: (Desperately has to think of another adjective)
  • Before continuing, we've received just less than two messages from a Mrs. Trellis of North Wales. She writes 'Dear Wikipedia. Did you know there are other websites that collect massive amounts of general knowledge on the Internet? Yours sincerely, Mrs. Trellis.'
  • One Song To The Tune Of Another, a game of such breathtaking simplicity that it can only be explained by extremely complex analogies.
    • And we know what you're thinking: Surely collections of running gags can become stale? Yes, there is a risk that you end up with a constant annoyance in the background continuing to turn up even though no-one finds it entertaining anymore. On ISIHAC, they had piano accompaniment by Colin Sell.

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