It’s generally agreed in places where comedy nerds meet that the last great golden blast of classic sketch comedy came from Mr Stephen Fry & Mr Hugh Laurie. No I will not brook any Little Britain (early promise wasted by laziness)
Here’s one of my many favourites – what is yours?
Oh and if you don’t like it then you can sick it in your pimhole, you cloffing pempslider
They were utterly magnificent.
But I have Big Train down as the last of the greats, assuming Brass Eye is exempt.
They could be hit and miss, but then so could F&L. Here’s a favourite:
http://youtu.be/7z14eZN7ZjA
Actually, yes , I will give you the 1st series of Big Train. The wanking in the office sketch, Chaka Kahn shootout with The Bee Gees, Emperor Ming at home, Hitler post speech backstage party etc etc
Not forgetting the Great Kidnap Of Sir George Martin
“Four felching pens and a bevelled spill-trunion”
“Only got one felching pen left. Got some frotting pencils though”
To be fair, Hugh barely makes more sense than this when he’s Gregory House.
Aye!
And what of the people?
Thanks for giving me an excuse to watch this again.
“Who are you that you must SHROUD yourself under a lightweight travelling hat?”
THAT is genius.
I suppose it’s another quotation from Derek Bowie is it?
Marvellous stuff
Smack the Pony. later than the above. Also funny. Very funny.
The Fast Show deserves a mention amongst this exalted Company.
OK, it was more Dick Emery than Monty Python (but is that a bad thing?), and the catchphrases quickly became spouted by damn near everybody (often in squeaked, laboured impressions (a bit like Colin Hunt, I suppose)).
But it was bloody funny
see also earlier series of Harry Enfield & Chums (never took to the Harry & Paul re-invention though)
I once cut all the hairs on a gentleman’s head in Cairo, shortly after the War, when the world was in uproar and to a young man everything seemed possible.
There’s been plenty of good sketch shows since ABOF&L and Big Train.
e.g.:- Paul Merton A Series, Alexei Sayle’s Stuff, Absolutely, Mr Show, Cardinal Burns, Kids In The Hall, Cowards, It’s Kevin, The Day Today was essentially a sketch show and that is a masterpiece.
It’s a shame Little Britain always gets it in the neck because it was often brilliant. Maybe it went off the boil by series 3 but it had some corking stand alone sketches that have been forgotten.
Paul Merton The series was ace! Although it was longer ago than you think it was, early 90s. During its original run, PM had a nervous breakdown and had to spend a few weeks on some kind of mental health ward. He reported having a conversation with staff then went something like:
“Can we have the telly on please? My show’s on”
“Oh of course it is Paul…”
“No it is, really, I’ve got a show on tonight on Channel 4!”
“A lot of our patients say that. Now you just go back to bed”
Rather illustrates that he wasn’t so recognisable then…
“You should be out there having oral sex, killing people, watching women urinate in opera houses and eating hamburgers on camels. Drinking milk from the breasts of Nepalese maidens.”
It was Burmese just now
Nice drop o’ cocoa is that…
Big Train’s initial run was 1998-2002, so a few years after the Day Today, Kids in the Hall, etc.
Those shows are genius though.
Daaaaaaaamn!
http://youtu.be/Y7o8FbGCR9U
Hugh’s sidies in these sketches may well be the greatest thing in the history of television.
Marjorie……
Concerning Language
Hello Control….
They were utter geniuses. We shall not see their like again.
My favourite Fry & Laurie sketches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoAe6LanFkg
This sketch I adore. Pre ABOF&L, me and my mates at college used to have a running joke about having a name that was the sound of a bunch of keys dropped on the floor, so I was utterly gobsmacked when I saw this for the first time
Not really Fry but I still love Laurie’s ditties. This one from the pilot was probably the best.