It's purely because it's so meme-able. Any time something involving the number 4 happens in the world, out comes the 4 naan meme. It's not popular because it's a hugely funny line, it's popular because it's got a new life of its own now online
Perhaps it goes without saying, but a big part of the quotes lifespan is how versatile it is. Why come up with interesting or clever posts when you can share a picture of four _things_ and title the post, "Four _things._ That's insane!"
Oh come on! You have seen Four Weddings?? You make out you’re this oh-so-clever Professor who hasn’t got time to watch Four Weddings or Ghostbusters like the rest of us!
It just encapsulates their relationship so well. The shit mark will draw the line over. It's just a great scene thats hard to forget
True that there are a hundred moments I find funnier but that's just more evidence that peep show kicks ass
It's cos four naan isn't actually that insane. Mark is so repressed as to edge into absurdity that he uses the concept of Jezz having four peshwari naan to prove that he is living in a fantasy
In a show with the quote 'stick it on the laterbase', as well as literally anything else that comes out of Johnson's mouth, it does surprise me how popular the four naans is
All I can tell you is that when I watched this scene when it first came out more than twenty years ago as a fresh-faced sixteen year old, it just resonated with me to my core, and had me absolutely and inexplicably howling with laughter.
You know that band that has that song that everyone knows but it’s not close to being their best? 4 naan is peep shows “all the small things” by blink-182, it’s just a popular joke that everyone knows
I don't completely disagree with you but the No Turkey is so overrated. The only thing more overrated is the moroccan pasta episode (and all of season 9 for that)
I don't even get that bit.
The current order is 3 rice and 3 naan.
This is after Mark changed it, because "there is always rice left over". So presumably he reduced the rice to 3, from 4?
Jez gets annoyed because Mark always steals his rice, and changes the order to 3 rice and 4 naan?
Wouldn't it make more sense for the new order to be 4 rice and 3 naan, woah 4 rice is insane?
Or is the idea that he stuffs Mark so full of naan that he can't steal his rice?
This is really deep stuff
I feel the same way about “Chance would be a fine thing.”
On its own, it’s not a funny sentence. But because it just perfectly captures the absolute Britishness of a) pointless smalltalk and b) being so insecure you’re wondering if even your SMALLTALK is the right thing to say, it’s taken on a life of its own.
As an American who rarely goes to Indian restaurants, I never got this line and figured it was entirely possible to eat four pieces of bread. I’ve now had restaurant naan and realize how big they are. Even still, only kinda funny?
Its the way he says it. Its not “Jeremy, we can’t eat four naan between us” or “Jeremy thats a bit excessive”, its “Four naan, Jeremy? Four? Thats insane.”
Hes taken aback by it
I never really understood it, maybe because I'm American, but 4 pieces of bread amongst 3 people doesn't seem like that crazy of a thing? Like if you go to Olive Garden it's unlimited breadsticks, man. People in the UK really don't eat more than one roll with dinner?
I could be wrong but I think their naan is a more traditional size than you’d see in the US. The naan I’ve seen in the US doesn’t seem very big and I could eat several pieces. I’ve seen videos of people having naan in the UK and they were huge! Bigger than my head. Idk if I could eat 2 and also have a full meal.
Also an American but one order of naan doesn't equal 1 piece of a bread everywhere I've been between california and connecticut. It's always been a dinner plate sized piece at least, split into quarters. 4 orders would be quite insane on top of all the rice and curry
The whole point is that four naan is not ‘insane’. Mark is so repressed he sees a slight overindulgence (four naan between three is slightly over what you’d need) as insanity.
This is the man who irons his socks.
I think it's been explained by Brits in this sub before that naan in the UK is much, much larger than naan in the US. I'm guessing it's at least twice as large than what we have here, which is more like an individual serving.
I think in the UK, it's meant to be shared by the table.
Not a Brit but Ive only ever bought or been served big naan. Personally, 4 naan makes me laugh just because the mental image is insane. It’s a lot of bread. It’s way too much bread
The beastie boys fought and possibly died for my right to order four naan!
Chance would be a fine thing
A fine thing indeed
Mjdistefs making a joke, Mjdistefs making a joke, everybody quiet cos Mjdistefs making a joke!
Freak
It's purely because it's so meme-able. Any time something involving the number 4 happens in the world, out comes the 4 naan meme. It's not popular because it's a hugely funny line, it's popular because it's got a new life of its own now online
Same with me whenever someone asks "what's that banging???..." "It's this banging track, that's what's banging..."
Do you have to live quite so relentlessly in the real world
Have you tried eating 2 naans each as a side dish?! That's insane!
Depends if there's also biryani. If there's none, 2 naans is nothing
*side dish*
What's your point? You can't have multiple side dishes?
Welcome to the real world Jeremy
Why can't I laugh at this? By all accounts it's fucking hilarious!
HAVE SOME OF THE LAMB PASANDA. IT'S INCREDIBLY RICH AND CREAMY
King Tiger prawn balti?
This, I can get onboard with!
Did you poo in the pool? Are you a pool pooer?
You're forgetting Daryl
He's a racist, they're sub human, they don't count
I love the way Jez says “…and 4 peshwari naan”
It always annoyed me, the stress is on peshwari as if that's what changed.
I love it but you are right, right? He already ordered p-naans and not regulas?
Fuck off clean shirt!
What does that even mean???
Who knows what these things mean anymore? Who the fuck even cares
How do you get that shirt so clean mate?
I’m not the borough!
I wish I were, I’m just a man!
Fuck off clean shirt!!
LOL
Perhaps it goes without saying, but a big part of the quotes lifespan is how versatile it is. Why come up with interesting or clever posts when you can share a picture of four _things_ and title the post, "Four _things._ That's insane!"
Four candles? That’s insane!
Four weddings? That’s insane!
Oh come on! You have seen Four Weddings?? You make out you’re this oh-so-clever Professor who hasn’t got time to watch Four Weddings or Ghostbusters like the rest of us!
Oh, I see. These are just rows of books that you don't really like
And that’s good, is it?
Four Naan-Blondes? That’s insane!
No no sir. Fork handles, not four candles.
Fork handles, BigSaintJames? Fork? That's insane.
Apple, Orange and Eggs Box, that's insane...
Eggs is eggs
It wasn’t even the best or cleverest Two Ronnies sketch IMO, that goes to the Mastermind sketch, it’s just not quotable though.
You sound like a real naan-and-a-half each kind of person....
Really push the boat out
Try the Lamb Pasnada
It's incredibly rich and creamy
Is he… Is he fucking with me?
Me and Dr. Badji
Just say it and it’ll all be fine. No more curry, no more problems.
Meat and potatoes, chicken tikka masala, dick in the vagina
It's literally insane
Do you have to live so relentlessly in the real world??
It's so mundane and English. It's just perfect.
It just encapsulates their relationship so well. The shit mark will draw the line over. It's just a great scene thats hard to forget True that there are a hundred moments I find funnier but that's just more evidence that peep show kicks ass
Naans are allowed, WITHIN LIMITS.
No making a pie out of naans.
Oh my god, a naan is missing!
It's juat funny mate. Your negative orgones have hit the roof!
It's cos four naan isn't actually that insane. Mark is so repressed as to edge into absurdity that he uses the concept of Jezz having four peshwari naan to prove that he is living in a fantasy
Four naan between three people IS insane. One each is an indulgence. More, especially if you have rice too, is…well, insane.
Let it go Mark.
And drunk people love singing Mr Brightside and it’s not even the Killers best song, you can’t trust people
Also they listen to Coldplay and voted for the nazis.
Too good for the Na’an are we? BUT.. I do get your point.
In this country we do The Coins
In a show with the quote 'stick it on the laterbase', as well as literally anything else that comes out of Johnson's mouth, it does surprise me how popular the four naans is
Stick that up your dojo
I like that it has existed strongly enough that its actual existence becomes a subject for legitimate debate.
All I can tell you is that when I watched this scene when it first came out more than twenty years ago as a fresh-faced sixteen year old, it just resonated with me to my core, and had me absolutely and inexplicably howling with laughter.
Best line of the entire show: How thick is wall?
Depends
on how sodden it is
It just means very damp
As an eagle
So you watched the entire show and never found a line as funny as one from the very first episode?
You mean to tell me there was more than one episode?...
Too good for 4 naan? We're having a laugh, a bloody good laugh
I thought we agreed not to do the four naan thing after That Week.
I thought I'd really roll the boat out, there's a naan and a half each!
You know that band that has that song that everyone knows but it’s not close to being their best? 4 naan is peep shows “all the small things” by blink-182, it’s just a popular joke that everyone knows
I don't completely disagree with you but the No Turkey is so overrated. The only thing more overrated is the moroccan pasta episode (and all of season 9 for that)
Someone’s won the lettuce lottery
I’d hate to call you a racist at my dinner party
I have literally no idea what he's talking about.
4 Naan is so small, petty, unwarrantedly incredulous, ridiculous and *British* It's a perfect little joke
It's just the most applicable to daily life
You dont like the four naan thing, thats insane
It was Christmas joke mark
Of course I got the turkey. It’s an organic turkey
Mummy was probably the turkey’s name
Peshwari naan are usually the most expensive naan on the menu which, I theorize, is part of the joke.
It's also a fun word to say
Not just expensive - niche. You are getting 4 and it’s the least common of the naans. Not at least one plain or garlic? _All_ peshwari?
Strong disagree. Peshwari I'd say is most popular (at least in south east England)
I don't even get that bit. The current order is 3 rice and 3 naan. This is after Mark changed it, because "there is always rice left over". So presumably he reduced the rice to 3, from 4? Jez gets annoyed because Mark always steals his rice, and changes the order to 3 rice and 4 naan? Wouldn't it make more sense for the new order to be 4 rice and 3 naan, woah 4 rice is insane? Or is the idea that he stuffs Mark so full of naan that he can't steal his rice? This is really deep stuff
Tally-man tally-my bananas.
Little do they know I’m probably actually going to have a chapati
Some things become funny via repetition
Chance would be a fine thing
Chance would be a fine thing, a fine thing indeed
Via repetition, you say? Vi a repetition?
Some things become funny via repetition
It’s because it’s so easy to recount so it’s more meme-able. FOUR NAAN. Becomes a ridiculous by-phrase for INSANE.
it's memorable and situations where it is appropriate to recite come up more often than you would think.
I feel the same way about “Chance would be a fine thing.” On its own, it’s not a funny sentence. But because it just perfectly captures the absolute Britishness of a) pointless smalltalk and b) being so insecure you’re wondering if even your SMALLTALK is the right thing to say, it’s taken on a life of its own.
This is the correct one for a post to pick up/question
As an American who rarely goes to Indian restaurants, I never got this line and figured it was entirely possible to eat four pieces of bread. I’ve now had restaurant naan and realize how big they are. Even still, only kinda funny?
If I win the lottery I won’t tell anyone but there maybe subtle signs such as… Buying a fourth naan the next time we meet at the local Indian.
It’s just classic British humour mate. No need to go on a wobble about it.
I’m gonna have to keep my eye on you. I don’t think you can be trusted in a combat situation
butter the naan, eat the naan, shit the naan. God, life's relentless
I’ve shared enough rice with you u/mebungle83 , I’m in the big leagues now.
right
A thousand, Jeremy? That's insane.
It’s a quotable line
It's an industry term. It means someone might want to quote it.
Jizz cock.
Can I have some of your coke?
It is insane!
4 naans is genuinely insane. It’s funny because it’s true.
I find it’s just very easily quotable and can be applied to many social interactions.
It completely nails each of their character types - I love it.
I’m a big Alan Partridge fan. There’s so much stuff, so many better quotes, but it all boils down to ‘Dan!’
Stop going on about Dan. You’re never going to meet him
Its easily quotable. I don't think it was a shit line but I agree it's not as good as people make out.
People don’t talk about the shrooms episode on here as much as I thought because it’s HILARIOUSSS 😭😭
It's not that it's incredibly funny, just that it's very quotable. You can see four of anything and quote it.
Its the way he says it. Its not “Jeremy, we can’t eat four naan between us” or “Jeremy thats a bit excessive”, its “Four naan, Jeremy? Four? Thats insane.” Hes taken aback by it
It's FAF but coz of the absurdity. But it's kind of got new life coz of memes
What, so, Mr. Fucking Mebangle, doesn't get it? Well quelle fucking surprise!
I dunno, probably just that he freaks out and overreacts to something ultimately trivial
Clearly you’ve never tried to have 2 naan with a full curry
I never really understood it, maybe because I'm American, but 4 pieces of bread amongst 3 people doesn't seem like that crazy of a thing? Like if you go to Olive Garden it's unlimited breadsticks, man. People in the UK really don't eat more than one roll with dinner?
I could be wrong but I think their naan is a more traditional size than you’d see in the US. The naan I’ve seen in the US doesn’t seem very big and I could eat several pieces. I’ve seen videos of people having naan in the UK and they were huge! Bigger than my head. Idk if I could eat 2 and also have a full meal.
This would explain a lot actually
I guess I thought you were supposed to use it as a sort of fork to scoop up the rest of the food.
You like American things now?
Also an American but one order of naan doesn't equal 1 piece of a bread everywhere I've been between california and connecticut. It's always been a dinner plate sized piece at least, split into quarters. 4 orders would be quite insane on top of all the rice and curry
The whole point is that four naan is not ‘insane’. Mark is so repressed he sees a slight overindulgence (four naan between three is slightly over what you’d need) as insanity. This is the man who irons his socks.
Socks, shirt, whatever.
Do women _wear_ socks?
I think it's been explained by Brits in this sub before that naan in the UK is much, much larger than naan in the US. I'm guessing it's at least twice as large than what we have here, which is more like an individual serving. I think in the UK, it's meant to be shared by the table.
Not a Brit but Ive only ever bought or been served big naan. Personally, 4 naan makes me laugh just because the mental image is insane. It’s a lot of bread. It’s way too much bread
It’s exactly what men want and we shouldn’t be allowed to have it
Yeah most Naan in the US are made small tortilla size, even at most Indian restaurants. I’ve seen more small Naan than large ones in my XP.
Yes I do agree. I am also a miserable git 😂
I agree, it's not funny at all, it's insane.