People talk about laughing their heads off, or splitting their sides – but it is not often you hear of someone cracking up so much that they choke on a bit of sushi, knock themselves out on the kitchen table and end up needing stitches.

Ad

That is precisely what happened to Australian MP Graham Perrett, who found a scene in the US political satire Veep so funny that he knocked himself unconscious.

The producer and stars of Veep have responded incredulously to the news. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays the VP in the series, at first couldn’t believe it – and she later told Perrett: “Take good care of yourself and for God's sakes - be careful!”

https://twitter.com/OfficialJLD/status/859917432432992256
https://twitter.com/GrahamPerrettMP/status/859952142865506305
https://twitter.com/OfficialJLD/status/859956187122458624

The scene that left Perrett in stitches, literally, was one in the first episode of the new series in which Congressman Jonah Ryan is caught shaving his head to fake having cancer.

“I was laughing so hard … some of the rice went down the wrong way,” Perrett told BuzzFeed News. “I started choking and I kind of stumbled forward and knocked my head on the corner of the kitchen cabinet.”

His wife found him unconscious on the ground, “with blood everywhere”.

“I must have been out for only a few seconds because, when I came to again, I was still laughing at Jonah.”

Timothy Simons, who plays Jonah, reacted with disbelief as well, and promised to “tone it down” next series.

https://twitter.com/timothycsimons/status/859911322682638337
https://twitter.com/timothycsimons/status/859912778718498817

Meanwhile, the executive producer of Veep David Mandel, told Guardian Australia he was “very glad someone thinks the episode was as funny as we do”.

“I can think of a few officials in the USA that I may send the episode to,” he added.

Ad

“With any luck, their wives won’t be home.”

Authors

Ellie HarrisonWriter, RadioTimes.com

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Overall rating

Ad
Ad
Ad
Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

RT offer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

hello
An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

summer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

More