Wains Cotting
Ratcatcher/Wainscotting is a sketch that appears in "The Attila the Hun Show," the twentieth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Synopsis[]
The parent from the last sketch (Terry Jones) enters his house, his wife (Michael Palin) sitting on the sofa knitting. They are Mr and Mrs Concrete. Mr Concrete answers the doorbell and the ratcatcher Leslie Ames (Graham Chapman) enters. He tells them that their flat has been chosen as the venue for the third test against the West Indies. When Mrs Concrete asks in delight "Really?" he says it was a joke and he is the council ratcatcher.
Mrs Concrete describes how the rat has been scrabbling down at the wainscotting and the ratcatcher repeats "Wainscotting" wistfully, and says it sounds like a "little Dorset village". It cuts to a village called Wains Cotting and an excited housewife (Eric Idle) runs out of her house and announces to the camera "we've been mentioned on telly!"
The ratcatcher kneels down by the wainscotting and hears sheep bleating. Mrs Concrete finds a mouse hole but the rat catcher pulls out a line of mice and continues looking for another hole. He finds a large hole cut in the wall hidden by an armchair.
Just then, a group of cricketers enter and asks if the third test in here and Mr Concrete sends them out, saying it was a joke. The ratcatcher announces he's going in the wainscotting and the same Wains Cotting lady rushes out of her house and says "they said it again!"
The ratcatcher goes in the hole to lay down some sheep poison but emerges clutching his arm, claiming it's got a gun.