---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you did something in 'The Fast Show'…"
description: "\"If you did something in 'The Fast Show' that didn't work, you could always deliberately undermine it, or chop it into three and run it over a series, b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/paul-whitehouse-6516_funny_if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-th_360762.jpg"
---

#  If you did something in 'The Fast Show' that didn't work…

![“If you did something in 'The Fast Show' that didn't work, you could always deliberately undermine it, or chop it into three and run it over a series, but 'Happiness' is a bit more like real life, in that sometimes there are bits that aren't particularly funny, but you just have to hope that a…” quote by Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/paul-whitehouse-6516_funny_if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-th_360762.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/paul-whitehouse-6516_funny_if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-th_360762.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/paul-whitehouse-6516_funny_if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-th_360762.jpg)

> “If you did something in 'The Fast Show' that didn't work, you could always deliberately undermine it, or chop it into three and run it over a series, but 'Happiness' is a bit more like real life, in that sometimes there are bits that aren't particularly funny, but you just have to hope that a funny bit will be along in a minute.”

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Comedy sketches often contain uneven jokes; perseverance and hope for later humor keep audiences engaged.

**In simple terms:** Not all jokes land, but hope for a funny moment remains.

Key Takeaway

Trust the pacing of humor and keep trying.

Themes

comedy creativity patience

Mood

lighthearted reflective

Type

entertainment creative

When to use this quote

- stand‑up
- scriptwriting
- improvisation
- editing

Key Concepts

humor timing audience expectation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you decide when to cut a joke?
- What role does audience feedback play?

A Different Perspective

Humor is subjective; what works for one may not work for another.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [I always wanted to understand the causes of happiness. I'm a bit of a scientist, I guess you could say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/i-always-wanted-to-understand-the-causes-of-happiness-i-m-a-bit-of-a/)

[Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/)

> [The word 'funny' is a bit like the word 'love' - we don't have enough words to describe the many varieties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-word-funny-is-a-bit-like-the-word-love-we-don-t-have-enough-words/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [Until I was about 14, I was a fat boy, or at least I looked like a fat boy. I think that being funny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pippa-evans/until-i-was-about-14-i-was-a-fat-boy-or-at-least-i-looked-like-a-fat/)

[Pippa Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pippa-evans/)

> [I think it's more funny how every bit of information is up for grabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guido-palau/i-think-it-s-more-funny-how-every-bit-of-information-is-up-for-grabs/)

[Guido Palau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guido-palau/)

> [“hope is taking in your real-life situation and finding God smack-dab in the midst of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-swoboda/hope-is-taking-in-your-real-life-situation-and-finding-god-smack-dab/)

[A.J. Swoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-swoboda/)

> [ITS MORE FUN TO DO IT IN REAL LIFE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-paul-rose/its-more-fun-to-do-it-in-real-life/)

[LEONARD PAUL ROSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-paul-rose/)

> [I think everyone has been annoyed at school or in their life, that's a type of bullying. So, you can take those feelings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodi-smit-mcphee/i-think-everyone-has-been-annoyed-at-school-or-in-their-life-that-s-a/)

[Kodi Smit-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodi-smit-mcphee/)

> [In a compass, we got north, south, east and west, right? But in between that, you got things like north-east - now that, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-the-chicago-kid/in-a-compass-we-got-north-south-east-and-west-right-but-in-between/)

[BJ the Chicago Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-the-chicago-kid/)

> [I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/i-think-you-either-live-a-real-life-or-you-live-a-weird-celebrity/)

[Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/)

> [“Being a writer is 1% inspiration, 50% perspiration and 49% explaining you're not a millionaire like J.K.Rowling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-tozer/being-a-writer-is-1-inspiration-50-perspiration-and-49-explaining-you/)

[Gabrielle Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-tozer/)

> [“It is not about giving her the world, it is all about making her realize that she is the only one in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nehali-lalwani/it-is-not-about-giving-her-the-world-it-is-all-about-making-her/)

[Nehali Lalwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nehali-lalwani/)

> [“You can't get mad at a real ending. Some of them are ugly. It's the fake happily ever afters that should piss you off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/you-can-t-get-mad-at-a-real-ending-some-of-them-are-ugly-it-s-the/)

[Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/)

> [People who really desire inspiration expect to hear the truth and those who deserve motivation here accept really the truth because the truth in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/people-who-really-desire-inspiration-expect-to-hear-the-truth-and/)

[Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/)

> [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

## More by Paul Whitehouse

> [In comedy, if you're going to commission something commission two series, don't commission one because so many comedies are finding their feet and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/in-comedy-if-you-re-going-to-commission-something-commission-two/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [I am not a heavy drinker, but I like a drop of white burgundy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/i-am-not-a-heavy-drinker-but-i-like-a-drop-of-white-burgundy/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [If you look back at 'The Fast Show,' we always shot it nicely and tried to make it look good as well as funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/if-you-look-back-at-the-fast-show-we-always-shot-it-nicely-and-tried/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [Bob and I got into comedy in a similar way. On the coat-tails of our mates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/bob-and-i-got-into-comedy-in-a-similar-way-on-the-coat-tails-of-our/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [Making it big in pop would have suited me fine, although comedy is a far better world for an older person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/making-it-big-in-pop-would-have-suited-me-fine-although-comedy-is-a/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [There's nothing better than going down the lawn to the river for a few hours in the evening and catching your own supper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/there-s-nothing-better-than-going-down-the-lawn-to-the-river-for-a/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [My dad was a very calm figure in my life and I have only good memories of him. We had a very simple relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/my-dad-was-a-very-calm-figure-in-my-life-and-i-have-only-good/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [Women would never be abusive about physical appearance. It's a no-go area, but it's an icebreaker for men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/women-would-never-be-abusive-about-physical-appearance-it-s-a-no-go/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [There's more to fishing than catching fish. It's being lost in a timeless world, away from all the chaos outside, doing something that's elemental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/there-s-more-to-fishing-than-catching-fish-it-s-being-lost-in-a/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [Stealth is important when you're fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/stealth-is-important-when-you-re-fishing/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [As more and more new houses get built, they just suck the water out of rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/as-more-and-more-new-houses-get-built-they-just-suck-the-water-out-of/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [I never write alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/i-never-write-alone/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [When we started out, there weren't that many women in team sketch shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/when-we-started-out-there-weren-t-that-many-women-in-team-sketch-shows/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [In many ways I was lucky: my dad had a quadruple bypass in his fifties. When I had the heart stents, the guy who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/in-many-ways-i-was-lucky-my-dad-had-a-quadruple-bypass-in-his-fifties/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [Harry - how can I put it? - doesn't suffer fools gladly. But he's always very indulgent with me. If I come up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/harry-how-can-i-put-it-doesn-t-suffer-fools-gladly-but-he-s-always/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

[Explore all 99 Paul Whitehouse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

## More Funny quotes

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Sometimes I look at my awesome twitter followers &amp; think to myself, What the hell would I do without them :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/sometimes-i-look-at-my-awesome-twitter-followers-think-to-myself-what/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/)

[Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/)

> [Congratulations to Facebook on going public with all my private information...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-to-facebook-on-going-public-with-all-my-private/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Why are things as they are and not otherwise?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/why-are-things-as-they-are-and-not-otherwise/)

[Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/)

> [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/)

[Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/)

> [Penis goes in , sperms cums out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/penis-goes-in-sperms-cums-out/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/)

[Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/)

> [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/)

Pancho Barnes

> [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/)

[Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/)

> [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/)

Michael Fishman

[Browse all 39,858 Funny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you did something in 'The Fast Show' that didn't work, you could always deliberately undermine it, or chop it into three and run it over a series, but 'Happiness' is a bit more like real life, in that sometimes there are bits that aren't particularly funny, but you just have to hope that a funny bit will be along in a minute.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Whitehouse"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-that-didn-t-work-you-could/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Funny"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-that-didn-t-work-you-could/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/paul-whitehouse-6516_funny_if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-th_360762.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/paul-whitehouse-6516_funny_if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-th_360762.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/paul-whitehouse-6516_funny_if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-th_360762.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you did something in 'The Fast Show' that didn't work, you could always deliberately undermine it, or…” — Paul Whitehouse",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Paul Whitehouse",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you did something in 'The...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-that-didn-t-work-you-could/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/if-you-did-something-in-the-fast-show-that-didn-t-work-you-could/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
