A Bit of Fry & Laurie was witty and sophisticated entertainment of consistently high quality, with an old-fashioned revue-type atmosphere and oddly 'British' sketches that rejoiced in literary turns of phrase and elaborate wordplay. The delicate innuendos, coupled with Fry's ability to suggest hidden meanings in everyday phrases, gave the impression that bubbling below the innocent surface were lewd undercurrents threatening to burst through, although they never did. To add to this mix, Hugh Laurie demonstrated his keyboard talents with parodies of musical genres.
Written by Sophie and last updated on jan 06, 2022.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
Sketches include "Information Desk", "My Name is Derek Nippl-e", "Flexibility of the English Language", "America", "The Richard Morley Interview", "Tony Gives Control a Flash", "The Mouth Organist Gets Reprimanded", "Hands Exercise", and "Peter and John."
The episode was rated 8.20 from 86 votes.
Sketches include: Grey and Hopeless, Guest Movements, Theme Vox Pops, Blame the System, The Comedy Charter, Writing Poetry, Smell: The Forgotten Sense?, Gordon's Unintelligible Song, Wrist Changer Commercial, and It's A Soaraway Life. The guests order a Golden Meteorite cocktail.
The episode was rated 8.20 from 41 votes.
Sketches include "Lavatories", "Critics One", "Judge Not", "Critics Four", "Ignored Teacher", "That's It", "Hugh's Favourite Sketch", "Critics", "The 'Burt'", "Christening", and "Swiss Comedy (Heidi and Johann Smell Just Right)".
The episode was rated 8.17 from 59 votes.
Sketches include: Stolen Money, Young Tory of the Year, Variety, Gossiping Heads, Death Threat, What I Mind (Misunderstood) (Song), Honda, The Duke of Northampton. The hosts finish off with a Silver Prostate cocktail.
The episode was rated 8.17 from 30 votes.
The BBC must find new places for funding. Thus this episode is sponsored by Tideyman's Carpets, which ingratiates itself in almost all the sketches: "The Spillage That Wasn't", "Control Talks of the Open Window", "A Right Way and a Wrong Way to Deal with Trick-or-Treaters", "The Tideyman's Test", "Piano Standards", "Nazi Interrogates English Major", "John and Peter #3" and "The Improvised End Sketch".
The episode was rated 8.12 from 49 votes.
Fry and Laurie have gags over their mouths to protests the censors' ban on traditional swearwords. Thus Fry and Laurie create new swearwords for their sketches: "Testimony", "Over to You", "The Jeweller's Shop", "Girlfriends", "Mystery Object", "Westminster Society", "Peter and John #4" and "What People Find Funny".
The episode was rated 8.08 from 49 votes.
Sketches include "Trouser-Competition Introduction", "Prize Poem", "Awful Smell", "Madness", "Antique Shop", "Spies Three", "Light Metal (The Bishop & The Warlord)", "Bank Loan", "Nipples", "Inspector Venice", and "Tomorrow's World".
The episode was rated 8.06 from 69 votes.
Sketches include "Marjorie's Fall", "Puppy Appeal", "Leave It Out", "Girlfriend's Breasts", "Spies Four", "Violence", "Chicken", "Cocoa", and "Tony of Plymouth (Sword Fight)".
The episode was rated 7.97 from 62 votes.
Sketches include "Mr. Smear Confronts the Headmaster", "Hugh Laurie's Short Poetry Reading", "Politician Insists, 'Stop Breaking into My Car'", "SAS Application/Library Books on Cricketers", "Spoon Bender", "Apology", and a barbershop piece called "Bitch Mother Come Light My Bottom" by Sir William (now Lord) Rees-Mogg.
The episode was rated 7.85 from 127 votes.
Fry and Laurie want to be big enough for Marlon Brando to notice them. Thus come the sketches: "Dinner with Digby", "Department Store Changes", "Interrogation in the Car", "An Elf or a Pixie", "Peter and John #5", "The Robert Robinsons", "Control's Telescope" and the "Bigometer Update".
The episode was rated 7.66 from 47 votes.
