|
Laden with literary sophistication and innuendo, this series
showcased the comic talents of former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. In a collection of
sketches and songs, they revealed the vagaries of British character with all its
glorious eccentricities. Their humour bridged the gap between highbrow '60s
satire and '80s alternative comedy.
Unusually for a sketch-based series, the double act wrote every single word;
penning 153 sketches for the first run. Many sketches set off along a clichéd
route but, with mounting word play, would turn themselves on their heads. A joy
in language found expression throughout. Words were explored to their fullest comic
potential, notably in a sketch based around the ampersand of the programme's
title.
Middle England and its corporate machinery proved another fertile ground for
their cerebral comedy, with one of the successful recurring sketches following
the exploits of two yuppies saying 'damn it' a lot and trying to put Uttoxeter
on the map. There were spoofs of espionage and horror, while classic comedy
sketches were given a Fry and Laurie twist. The Two Ronnies' 'Fork Handle'
became a rich playground for the duo's word play - "Four felching pens and a
bevelled spill trunion."
Regular segments included Fry's monologues railing against Thatcher's
Britain, Laurie's music parodies and a section dealing with viewers' fictitious
complaints. In fact, the programme did receive a number of complaints for its
use of 'disgusting material' (including a mock interview, 'Photocopying My
Genitals With...').
The pair found a good use for funny lines which proved impossible to
incorporate into sketches; from the second series on, they introduced vox-pop
interludes, presenting a myriad of characters answering unheard questions on a
nondescript high street ('A little man in the village runs up my skirts...').
From series three, each episode would conclude with a cocktail recipe. In a
nod to Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's show-ending turns in Not Only... But Also
(BBC, 1965-66, 1970), 'Mr Music' Laurie would play the piano, while a peculiarly
dancing Fry mixed the cocktail. The final series introduced guest actors (not
Fry and Laurie's idea), and the show was poorer for it. Finally, 'me
colleagues'' brand of comedy ran its course, with both partners citing sketch
comedy as a young man's game. "Soupy Twist."
Graham Rinaldi
| 
1. Vox Pops (0:35)
