Couple #13 – Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, A Bit of Fry and Laurie

Yes, Virginia, they need to be considered as an all-time favorite British comedy couple.

From 1989 to 1995, former Cambridge Footlights members, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, ruled BBC 2 with a sketch show that was a cross between Monty Python’s Flying Circus and The Two Ronnies. As with most sketch shows of the time, A Bit of Fry and Laurie was filled with innuendo, pushed the boundaries what could be said on television at the time and was very political, frequently being very topical and critical of the British government in charge, whether it be Margaret Thatcher or John Major.

It’s interesting to note that just by the sheer nature of a sketch show, many segments throughout a show are up and down. This was true of Monty Python, The Two Ronnies, French & Saunders and, also, Fry & Laurie. That said, more often than not, thanks to the incredible talent and wordplay of both Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, A Bit of Fry and Laurie was pretty consistent throughout the entire show week to week. It’s no wonder both have gone on to have very successful careers, both in the U.K. and the United States.

We all know both from a number of series such as Blackadder, Absolute Power, etc. but if you haven’t seen JEEVES & WOOSTER, you need to rent it now. Very understated and very funny stuff from P.G. Wodehouse.