A Bit of Fry and Laurie

Comedians Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie perform a variety of comedy skits and the occasional musical number.

Genre: Comedy

Cast:Stephen Fry , Hugh Laurie , Deborah Norton , Geoffrey McGivern , Ralph Michael , Rebecca Saire , Rowland Rivron , Jana Shelden , Jo Unwin , Daniel Thorndike , Dimitri Andreas , James Ottaway , Rowan Atkinson , Selina Cadell , Paul Eddington , Jacqueline Boatswain , Maria Aitken , John Kyriacou

0Season 1

S1.E0 ∙ Pilot

Sat, Dec 26, 1987

Sketches include: Vacation Pictures. Privatized Police. Argue The Toss/Up The Ass/Oh No, Not Another One. Deodorant lover. Something Wrong With My Suit. Hugh Sings "Mystery". Executive Breakfast Lounge. Toy Car Salesman. Australians.

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ Episode #1.1

Fri, Jan 13, 1989

Sketches include Fry as headmaster and Laurie as a parent with child "poisoned by randy sex talk" in Biology Class; Laurie reads Fry poetry suitable for daily and vacation uses; Fry plays a minister who simply wants kids to stay away from his bloody car; Fry plays recruiter and Laurie is applicant to a perverted SAS; Fry is a Tally-Ho librarian who proviides patrons like Laurie with severely edited texts which extol Mother England; Laurie plays an odd psychic who claims he can bend spoons on Fry's talk show; F&L tongue-in-cheek skit poking fun at the thought police which culminates in epic tune, "Bitchmother, Come Light My Bottom." Fry plays a demented barber and Laurie the customer who asks for all of his hair cut and taunts the barber, who is distressed and brings a chainsaw.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ Episode #1.2

Fri, Jan 20, 1989

A man quizzes an Information Desk attendant. Derek Nippl-e reports a car mishap to the police. A conversation about the uniqueness of Language and how it defines us. Performance of the three word song, "America". A cad of a talk show host gets a dressing down by a guest author. Expositional news of blown covert ops is delivered to, and read by the rather pleasant commander of MI-5. A beggar is accosted for busking, which devolves into a debate of Classism and Democracy. An anemic program of Hand Exercise. Troubleshooting board members plot and booze it up.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Episode #1.3

Fri, Jan 27, 1989

Fry steals Laurie's brain as a practical joke, but Laurie never notices. A pleasant Greek lunch is spoiled by Laurie's insecurity and lack of self-esteem. A tobacconist posing as a doctor prescribes cigarettes. The commander of the M.I.5 and his assistant are back for a chat, and two unwavering detectives demand to know the whereabouts or an unmarried woman's husband.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ Episode #1.4

Fri, Feb 3, 1989

An episode rife with controversy: several of the sketches are canceled after an audience member demands they are his stolen intellectual property. A teen poet helps his headmaster to accept the head's own repressed longing to express himself in metaphor. The polite M.I.5 boys return, and a young entrepreneur is denied a bank loan for his drug operation. Fry names his nipples, and, with Laurie's help, tells us how a floppy hat can save you from being killed by a bus.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ Episode #1.5

Fri, Feb 10, 1989

As a service to the public, Fry and Laurie provide two TV critics to deride the show. A lesbian-obsessed lawyer, a miserable English teacher, and a young couple who baptize their infant for business reasons provide plenty of fodder for the critics' self-absorbed rambling. As an added bonus, Laurie walks us through his very favorite sketch, and, with Fry's help, celebrates Swiss week.

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ Episode #1.6

Fri, Feb 17, 1989

Highlights include a puppy who has had a hard life: the conversational pull of the Book of Genesis versus that of girlfriends' breasts; and a retirement home resident who, at 94, decides he wants to suck the marrow (or more specifically, the oral sex) out of life. The pleasant boys from M.I.5 are back to treat each other with love, and the taxation minister is heckled by no other than Tony of Plymouth, avenger of the poor.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Episode #2.1

Fri, Mar 9, 1990

The first of a new experimental series in which Stephen Fry will be played by Hugh Laurie and Hugh Laurie will be played by Stephen Fry. The part of 'A Bit' will be played by And, and the part of 'Of' will be played by Paddy Ashdown. The BBC takes no responsibility for articles of clothing removed on the premises.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Episode #2.2

Fri, Mar 16, 1990

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ Episode #2.3

Fri, Mar 23, 1990

Stephen and Hugh cope with the knotty problem of offensive language. They have uncovered a series of obscure words like 'pempslider,' a 'cloff-prunker' and 'pim-hole' which are extremely rude, but pass unnoticed by most of us because we don't know what they mean.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ Episode #2.4

Fri, Mar 30, 1990

On the soap opera side of things, Tom gets a surprise when Irene reveals her treachery, and the arrival of Duncan's new legs causes Bob's affair with Martin to reach flash point.

5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ Episode #2.5

Fri, Apr 6, 1990

Last episode you met the Robert Robinsons, this week be prepared to face The Rhodes Boysons. The identity of the surprise guest is also revealed during the program which represents new horizons in home entertainment.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ Episode #2.6

Fri, Apr 13, 1990

Passions run high in the final program of the series. The day turns out to be very unlucky for Hugh as Stephen becomes irritated by his piano playing and kills him. But the irritation continues as the program becomes an obituary for Hugh and ruins the sketch. However, there is a happy ending for those who like that sort of thing.

1Season 3

S3.E1 ∙ Episode #3.1

Thu, Jan 9, 1992

When Timothy is called into his father's study for a word, it is revealed to him that he is the chosen one and he must set out to kill Pewnack the Destroyer, the Dark One, the Beast - who lives in Saffron Walden. The show closes with Hugh providing accompaniment on the piano as Stephen mixes up a 'Whisky Thunder'.

2Season 3

S3.E2 ∙ Episode #3.2

Thu, Jan 16, 1992

A pair of country boys perform their song 'There Ain't But One Way' which advocates 'kickin' ass' in order to solve most of the world's problems. Hugh reminisces about the variety of jobs he's had since moving to London including working as a freelance nudist and a couple of months in the white slave trade.

3Season 3

S3.E3 ∙ Episode #3.3

Thu, Jan 23, 1992

A customer in a shoe shop is surprised to learn that the shoes are not for sale, but actually available for pleasures of the flesh, he is eventually tempted by Fredericka the moccasin. Stephen remembers 'The day I forgot my legs' and there is a special version of A Question of Sport's 'What Happened Next?'

4Season 3

S3.E4 ∙ Episode #3.4

Thu, Jan 30, 1992

Jacobsen is called in to see his commanding officer in the US Army who is furious and tells him he is going to 'boil his ass in a bag, and have his ass for breakfast'. At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting a new member stands up to confess his problem is that 'the starter motor seems to get stuck, especially in cold weather'.

5Season 3

S3.E5 ∙ Episode #3.5

Thu, Feb 6, 1992

An angry customer attempts to return a copy of Jane Eyre to the bookshop where he purchased it, his reason - 'it's complete balls'. Once again it's time to mix another cocktail at the piano, Hugh plays jazz as Stephen conjures up a 'Beef Goulash'.

6Season 3

S3.E6 ∙ Episode #3.6

Thu, Feb 13, 1992

The owner of a magic shop demonstrates some of his wares by cutting off his customer's finger in a trick guillotine, but he still manages to sell him some very realistic dog poo. Elizabeth Martin is cooking a selection of human ears, testicles and sweetbreads on her show 'Tahitian Kitchen'.

1Season 4

S4.E1 ∙ Episode #4.1

Sun, Feb 12, 1995

Stephen and Hugh present their Comedy Charter, to ensure that all jokes arrive on time and are of sufficient quality. 'It's a Wonderful Life' is retold with the story of a powerful media mogul named Rupert.

2Season 4

S4.E2 ∙ Episode #4.2

Sun, Feb 19, 1995

The quiz show Going for Gold is spoofed in a new version titled 'English People Appear to be the Most Ignorant in Europe'. Hugh performs a special song dedicated to the tennis player Steffi Graf.

3Season 4

S4.E3 ∙ Episode #4.3

Sun, Feb 26, 1995

Stephen and Hugh are joined by special guests Clive Mantle and Imelda Staunton to discuss everything from getting drunk to opening supermarkets. Stephen tosses a salad as he expresses his anger about a Shakespeare play he watched at the Royal National Theatre.

4Season 4

S4.E4 ∙ Episode #4.4

Sun, Mar 5, 1995

Hugh performs a rap song about being nice to an old lady on the bus and Stephen puts forward his idea for growing a small but attractive town in garden in his freshly washed hair. The show closes with Hugh playing the piano as Stephen mixes his latest cocktail creation 'A Quick One for you Stephen'.

5Season 4

S4.E5 ∙ Episode #4.5

Sun, Mar 19, 1995

In a parody of the Oprah Winfrey show a woman confesses her problems with low self-esteem and receives a pointless round of applause. Guests Stephen Moore and Phyllida Law join in some of the sketches including a dilemma with a wasps nest.

6Season 4

S4.E6 ∙ Episode #4.6

Sun, Mar 26, 1995

7Season 4

S4.E7 ∙ Episode #4.7

Sun, Apr 2, 1995

The Young Tory of the Year National finals are taking place with contestants including Andrew Treadgold, who is reading Bigotry and Libertarian Nonsense at Exeter University. Hugh receives a death threat and Stephen warns him that it might not be safe for him to do his song.