Bruces sketch

The Bruces sketch is a comedy sketch that originally appeared in a 1970 episode of the television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, episode 22, "How to Recognise Different Parts of the Body", and was subsequently performed on audio recordings and live on many occasions by the Monty Python team.

The sketch involves a group of stereotypical "ocker" Australians of the period, who are all wearing khakis and cork hats. All are named Bruce, hence being known as the Bruces.

The Bruces are revealed to be the Philosophy Department at the fictitious University of Woolamaloo (see below). The department appears to be situated in nothing more than a simple wooden building apparently somewhere in the outback.

The Bruces all have a common fondness for beer and a dislike of "" (a derogatory Australian and English slang word for a homosexual). Terry Jones plays a "pommie" professor, Michael Baldwin, joining the department and meeting his colleagues for the first time. Since his name is different from that of everyone else, Baldwin is asked if he minds being called "Bruce" to avoid confusion.

John Cleese's character (who in a later sketch is called Bruce Beer) recites the seven faculty rules at the University of Woolamaloo:

The sketch featured on the Matching Tie and Handkerchief album and in many of the team's stage shows, where it would be capped with a performance of "The Philosophers' Song". Free cans of Fosters beer were tossed to the audience with the addition of a joke about American beer given at Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl.

The song does not feature in the original television version, which instead ends with the first Bruce saying "Sidney Nolan! What's that?" pointing to the ear of fourth Bruce returning to that episode's running joke, "how to recognise different parts of the body", with the voice over saying, "Number nine. The ear." (the TV sketch began with "Number eight. The kneecap." and a closeup of the First Bruce's knee).

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