The Simple But Impossible Task

A classic exercise for clown and sketch writing. It takes a task so ordinary it should be boring, then makes it the hardest thing in the world. Think Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean, Chaplin with a door handle, or the Road Runner forever failing to catch a bird.

The joy is that the task should be simple. The impossibility comes from obstacles, obsessions, and raised stakes that keep the character pushing long after reason would give up.

How to Do It

1. List 10 everyday activities (30 seconds).

   Examples: brushing teeth, tying a tie, opening a vending machine, buttering toast.

2. Pick one and raise the stakes (1 minute).

   Write 10 reasons why this task matters today. Maybe it’s their first date, a job interview, or they just drank a litre of milk and must brush. Stakes make the scene feel real, and justify why the character won’t quit when things go wrong.

3. List 10 obstacles (1 minute).

   From obvious to outrageous. The toothbrush keeps snapping. The sink floods. A flatmate barges in. The toothpaste is swapped for glue.

4. Order by surprise and escalation.

   Use heightening — start with small obstacles, then grow stranger, bigger, or more desperate. Cut anything that isn’t fun.

5. Write or play the scene.

   Keep it mostly physical, like a sketch or clown act. Add moments to remind us of the stakes and escalate the frustration (see Grounding / Grounded). Endings can resolve the problem at a huge cost, make it worse beyond repair, or snap back to the original stakes for a final punch.

Tips

• Silence is golden. This style thrives without dialogue - actions and reactions carry the comedy.

• Confine the environment. One location forces inventive use of space and props.

• Commit to failure. The clown never gives up, even when it’s hopeless. That persistence is the heart of the laugh.

• Surprising ingenuity. As obstacles pile up, the character may try increasingly bizarre “solutions” that only make it worse.

Examples

• Silent films: Chaplin, Keaton, Harold Lloyd.

• Mr Bean: everyday tasks inflated into epics.

• Road Runner cartoon

Credits

We first encountered this through our friends at Second City. Their sketch courses are excellent.