IMDb user comments for
"A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (1986)

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34 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
I want all of this on dvd now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, 19 diciembre 2003
Author: liam-18 de Ireland

A real gem of a program for anyone who likes their humour dry with a hint of genius! It is said that there are two types of comedy performers, clowns and wits but Fry & Laurie break this rule from the off. With perfect awareness of their characters physical presence they bring the intelligent, charming, surreal and downright odd sketches to life with zest and sheer love of wordplay and being silly for the sake of it. Note to the BBC please pull your finger out and release every last bit of this fine comedy series on dvd right now!

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29 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
"Oh Christ, I've Left The Iron On!", 10 abril 2002
Author: lordwoodbine de London, England

Monty Python's footballing philosophers sketch is a good example of the painful varsity guff that has been a part of British TV and radio right up until today's 'League of Gentlemen'. It isn't what Fry and Laurie do at all. They plough a completely original furrow of snatched conversation, admass and inane banter that forms an impressionistic picture of the most baffling and frustrating 'bits' of the British experience.

A collection of sketches and routines that could well baffle some foreign viewers who may not understand the love/hate relationship that most sensible Britons have with their country. For example, in mentioning the town 'Utoxeter' Fry and Laurie are able to throw the audience completely. One viewer may remember a trip to the town, another may never have been there but is able to wonder quite how unpleasant/pleasant it may be. Some will know that there is a race track there but know no more. And we all get to celebrate a name that is bound to be far more interesting than the place it's self. Don't let that put you off. Most of their material is more universal than this example implies. It's this kind of circular thinking that Fry and Laurie spend most of their time exploiting while also chucking in TV show pastiche, songs and quite a few traditional 'shop sketches' that simply leave Monty Python wheezing on the touch-line. What I mean is that random elements are seemingly clumsily adhered to tried and tested comedy formulae to create something quite striking and original.

It's not to everyone's taste but if you believe that stupidity and intelligence are the two vital sides of the comedy coin then this pair may be for you.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Hilarious, 26 agosto 2006

Author: jash-1 de NYC

I liked Jeeves & Wooster a lot. But it wasn't until I saw BlackAdder that I truly became a fan of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Over the years I have shifted more toward Laurie than Fry, with "House" completing that shift. (Okay, I'm a House fanatic.) But, living in the U.S., I had never been able to see ABOFAL (other than the occasional sketch posted to the internet). Fortunately, the first two series are now out on DVD. And I've just finished watching the first one.

These men are spectacular together. The acting is beyond reproach. But it is the writing that deserves special note. It is sharp, funny, sly, silly and merciless in skewering the pompous and the ordinary alike. But, above all, it never condescends. They assume the audience is a smart as they are.

I'm tempted to give an example, but so many of the sketches have hilarious twists at the end and I wouldn't want to ruin any of the punchlines for future viewers. But I can promise you at least two or three laugh-out-loud moments in every episode (even if you are watching all by yourself, as I was.)

I do have one quibble which kept me from giving ABOFAL a score of 10. The person who mixed the soundtrack on the DVDs should be taken out and tortured. Slowly. And painfully. There is a laugh track that is silent until they get to a punchline. Then it is dropped in, loudly enough to rattle the walls, frequently ruining the next line. And, in the final sketch in Series 1, the music actually drowns out the actors.

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Triple damn and an extra slice of damn for tomorrow!, 2 septiembre 2006

Author: trigerchic de United States

This is the BEST comedy sketch show I have ever seen, besides or perhaps alongside with Monty Python. Their characters are flawless and the duo are absolutely perfect for one another. Laurie wonderfully balances out Fry's excellent but at times overbearing presence, while Fry brings Laurie round and supports him subtly but effectively. Possibly the most outstanding aspect of this marvel is their hilarious and creative wordplay, which is made even better by Lauries comical physical comedy and Fry's occasional hilarious slapstick. An example of their creativeness is seen here:

Fry: "Which of sir's manifold hairs would he care to place in my professional care for the purposes of securing an encutment?"

Laurie: "Well, all of them."

Fry: "My, I haven't cut a full head of hair since before the war!"

Another favorite of mine is the recurring skit of Tony and his coffee-obsessed boss Control, as their interactions are robotic and excessively civil, while at the same time having innuendo like undertones. They supposedly work for the CIA.

This is, again, the most drop-dead hilarious show you will ever come across. If you see only one of Hugh Laurie's or Stephen Fry's works, let this be it!!!

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Two Men And An Ampersand, 8 agosto 2006

Author: ProfessorStahlman de United Kingdom

Amidst the 'alternative' comedy chaos of the '80's, 'A Bit Of Fry & Laurie' arrived almost unnoticed. Unlike 'The Young Ones', it had no ambitions to 'tear up the rule book book of comedy', but simply to present funny, surreal sketches. 'Not Only But Also' was undoubtedly an influence; highlights included 'Its A Wonderful Life' starring Rupert Murdoch, 'Kickin' Ass', and the 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' send-up with Fry as a Smiley-type intelligence boss who comes out with such cryptic phrases as: "You know I can't stick The Department up my arse, George.". Another notable feature were the vox pop sequences. As a double act, Fry and Laurie were peerless. After three excellent seasons, the show moved to B.B.C.-1 for its final run, which predictably became bogged down by guest-stars such as Caroline Quentin. The pair then split to pursue successful solo careers. It would be nice to think that they might come together again some day to give us more of their offbeat brand of humour.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Amazing linguistic manipulation mixed with surreal imagination, yet the show somehow remains completely unpretentious, 25 abril 2007

Author: Art_Vandalay_316 de United Kingdom

Well, really I don't know what to write, as I summarised it all in the title of the review! "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" is a programme that is unique of its time. There were other surreal comedy products in the 80s, such as the Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, The Young Ones and some of the Comic Strip Presents material. However, this is the only mainstream show which managed to effectively bridge the gap between sophistication and comedy, yet somehow managing to avoid coming across as pretentious.

Often as silly as it is clever, the comedy never falls into the trap of alienating a certain audience, always having something for everyone to enjoy, yet never compromising its unique style in doing so.

It's no surprise that the stars of the show are Stephen Fry - renowned for his intelligence and cultured nature and Hugh Laurie - renowned for his quirky and laughter-inducing surreal style. Combined, they make a perfect team.

In the 80s and 90s Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson were known as the kings of the 'nob gag'. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie will forever be the distinguished gentlemen of surreal wit.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful, including extras, 3 enero 2007

Author: smegma23 (gordon_geise@hotmail.com) de Washington, D.C.

Having never seen ABOFAL on TV, I've now watched all of Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. To be fair, one should note that not every sketch delights--some are perhaps a shade too random and give us little to hang on to or identify with; but when Fry gets going on his "overly-florid-speech" character, with Laurie as the increasingly put-out straight man, we're in LOL territory. A particular highlight of Season 2 is the extended sketch in which an effete, reticent Laurie is charged by Fry's menacing spy/terrorist with planting a bomb in a local restaurant--then this scenario plays out alongside two or three other situations in the restaurant--each one terrific--with Fry and Laurie playing multiple characters.

In addition to the six episodes of Season 2m the DVD includes a 45ish-minute "Cambridge University Footlights Revue" that, while inconsistent in tone and quality, shows off Fry and Laurie and some of their contemporaries (including Emma Thompson) at college-age, looking freshly scrubbed and adorable. Fry, in particular, had yet to gain his extra poundage--his slender face is beautiful and he is a veritable panther in terms of physical grace. He, solo, also has the best piece in the "Revue," a recitation called "The Letter" that recounts, with raucously funny wordplay, his Harkerian visit to Transylvania to respond to the legal needs of one Count Dracula. ("The journey through Eastern Europe had passed pleasantly enough. I'd picked up a little German on a previous visit, and he and I had met up again at Ragensberg. Now, night was just falling as I knocked on the mighty oaken door, and heard the answering echoes ring through the castle. After what seemed a cliché, iron bolts were drawn back..." "I tried to question Travolta as to the nature of the Count's business as I dressed for dinner, but he made the sign of the cross and said nothing. I asked him why there were no mirrors in the castle, but this time he made the sign of the very cross indeed, and spat." "The wind whistled all through the night, and other Welsh hymns. I arose early, made my toilet, sat on it, and then came down to breakfast.")

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0 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Uneven, but generally worth it, 3 noviembre 2007

Author: dr_foreman de Staten Island, NY

I consider Steven Fry & Hugh Laurie to be old buddies of mine, since I grew up watching "Blackadder" and "Jeeves & Wooster." Naturally, I thought I'd give "A Bit of Fry & Laurie" a try when it came out on U.S. DVD. So far, I've seen the first two seasons.

The show sees the boys operating at their most cerebral and bizarre; many, many of the sketches are unashamedly intellectual and/or surreal. While there are many hilarious moments, I find perhaps half of the sketches to be either flat or alienating in their grotesqueness. The show is a weird mishmash of great stuff and complete clunkers. Generally, I find Laurie funnier than Fry.

The first season is good on the whole, but the second season sees Fry and Laurie recycling too many of their characters for repeat skits. I really didn't need to watch the endless adventures of John the businessman or the soft-spoken secret agents, for instance. I wanted more new stuff.

But when the sketches are great, they're great. I can't get the nursing home skit with the cocoa out of my head. But something about the bad sketches really annoys me. Sometimes being a little too smart and too smarmy kills the joke, you know what I mean? Pitch your material lower boys, pitch lower! You're dealing with an American here!

Maybe I'll buy season three when I have some dough handy -- I'm just not sure.

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3 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
Hugh Laurie, 9 marzo 2006
Author: Tilyou1 de United States

Those who are only familiar with Hugh Laurie's work as the lead of "Dr. House, MD" will be fascinated to compare his earlier work in Hugh & Laurie which, while hilarious, fails to convince that Mr. Laurie had a life as an English wit and comedian before his present incarnation as a brilliant but acerbic and pain-damaged American doctor who never returns my requests for a consultation.

Like Dr. House, this earlier Laurie plays piano, and can burst derisively into shrill fake laughter to humiliate his adversaries. There are even moments in which Hugh plays an American character (isn't that what's going on in his piano playing bit in 1.2 where he earnestly sings "America" until Fry pushes him onto the floor?); which is much as Dr. House on occasion puts on a mock English accent who's imperfection makes him more convincingly American.

Much of Hugh & Laurie is inscrutable, and while a laugh track helps to educate Americans about which parts are funny, it does not reveal which parts are surreal because the humo(u)r is surreal, and which parts are merely English.

Cholly

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