A Bit of Fry and Laurie S03E02 Part 1/3

A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC2 and also BBC1 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode in 1987. Both Fry and Laurie have expressed interest in working together again, but this has been prevented by the busy schedules of both men.

The programme was a sketch show cast in a rather eccentric and at times high-brow mould. As in The Two Ronnies, elaborate wordplay and innuendo were staples of its material; some sketches deliberately threatened to cross the line into vulgarity, but would always finish just before reaching that point.

It was a progressive show, playing with the audience's expectations. For example, it frequently broke the fourth wall; characters would revert into their real-life actors mid-sketch, or the camera would often pan off set into the studio. In addition, the show was punctuated with non-sequitur vox pops in a similar style to those of Monty Python's Flying Circus, often making irrelevant statements, heavily based on wordplay. Laurie was also seen playing piano and a wide variety of other instruments and singing comical numbers.

"Please Mr. Music, will you play?" Each episode of Series 3 and 4 ends with Stephen Fry preparing a ridiculously named and even more ridiculously concocted cocktail. Fry entreats Laurie to play the closing theme by saying, "Please Mr. Music, will you play?" He then shakes the cocktail while dancing eccentrically and serves it to Laurie (in Series 3) or the guest performers (in Series 4), while Laurie plays the piano and impersonates a muted trumpet.

Both in Series 3 and 4, Fry precedes the question with increasingly silly introductions: * "I say, as I like to on these occasions, the six words which open the door to sophisticated habits:" (Series 4, episode 3) * "And now into the cocktail shaker of my mouth I throw these six words: You Please Music Mr Will Play. I give a brief shake [he shakes his head and makes "brr" noises], and I pour out this golden phrase:" (Series 4, episode 4) * "And as I prepare your Swinging Ballsacks, I ask this question, in accordance with no principle:" (Series 4, episode 5) * "While I mix these, I turn to the debonair doyenne of the dance and I ask as askingly as I might this ask:" (Series 4, episode 6) * [Preparing a "Modern Britain"] "But perhaps, somewhere, you might be inspired to add one small, tender, caring cherry of hope. I wonder. While you decide, I will entreat for the very finalest of last, last times, this entreaty of m'colleague, Britain's very own melody man, as I say to him, please, please, oh please Mr. Music:" (Series 4, episode 7)

"Soupy twist" The catchphrase "soupy twist" was uttered by both Laurie and Fry at the end of each episode of series 3 and 4 (save the Series 3 closer), and is believed to be a phrase, likely meaning 'cheers', from the language Strom (invented by Fry and first used on his BBC Radio 4 series Saturday Night Fry). Strom comprises nonsensical single-syllable words often meaning different things in the same sentence, even shorter words that can only be expressed in over a full sentence in English, and vulgar faux amis.

"What pun?" A running joke had one character adding "if you'll pardon the pun" mid-conversation, when there had, in fact, been no pun uttered. The second character, puzzled, would say, "What pun?" and the first character would say, "Oh, wasn't there one? I'm sorry," and resume as normal.

"M'Colleague" A phrase that Fry and Laurie began using during the fourth series to refer to each other. Both have since used this phrase outside the series to refer to the other, for example on chatshows; the dedication in Fry's novel The Stars' Tennis Balls reads "To M'Colleague". * Condom Quickie * Embassy * Ampersands * Duel * Ass-Kickers' Song (song) * Petrol Attendants * Jobs * European Deal * Cocktail Ending 1: A Slow Snog with a Distant Relative

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• actor opera german broadway
• A Bit of Fry and Laurie
• stephen fry
• hugh laurie
• bbc
• british
• comedy
• humour

[pnutosan]

That first sketch was fantastic hehehe

[Tryptophile]

Ever since the first time I'd seen the duel sketch, any time somebody says "business" I hear hear Steven Fry shouting 'THE BUSINESS!' in my head.

Sadly, nothing kills an interview like failing to hold in the ensuing laughter...

[e7l13]

anybody else look at the number 7 on their keyboard?

[diecheney]

they are so handsome in the Duel

[weirdcitykid]

Only on episode 2 and I learned 2 new words already: ampersand and portend...lol.

[youtubister]

You can never have enough of A Bit of Fry and Laurie :)

[HughLaurieFan2]

@KetOoKa889 I really have no idea (is Microsoft the computer or just the software?)

It would be hard to find anyone who is less of an expert in these matters than I am.

However I checked lots of Computers since that episode and I never saw one that had the & over the 7. I´m living in Austria, maybe that´s it?

[KetOoKa889]

@HughLaurieFan2 what kind of computer do u have??

[dandondan223]

&

:O my god, i didit!

[HughLaurieFan2]

My own & is over the 6, not the seven. The 7 has a / though