Idea for a period comedy
The nineteenth century. A man runs a joke shop selling silly little practical jokes and amusing geegaws. He has been persuaded to hire his inept cousin as a delivery boy, which is largely a disaster. But that doesn't matter because his real business is selling actual jokes, crafting witty repartee for aristocrats and society figures. A gentleman has a bet with a famous wit over which of them can make Queen Victoria laugh and comes to the shop owner for help. Nothing works until he sends his useless nephew to deliver fresh material and his slapstick antics cause Her Majesty to be very amused indeed.