Most people focus on Fry's amazing delivery, but also imagine that you're sat opposite this performance and your only task is to stay engaged and be ready to hit your timing and delivery perfectly into this stream of chaos, without the opportunity to establish and maintain your own rhythm and pacing. Greatest double act bar none.
@@ivok9846 Yeah. Not just apparent chaos to the viewer, but Stephen Fry is bound to be ad-libbing some of it, he can't help himself going off script. I'm sure the important beats are rehearsed but he's also bound to be throwing a few curve-balls at Laurie if only for the fun of it.
@@Ylyrra i think you a) didn't get most of it b) presume it's mostly improv because of a) now, why do you think it's ad-lib? have you devoted much thought to language and didn't found anything he said remindful of basics of linguistics?
@@ivok9846 Interesting presumption about my intelligence and level of understanding. Or alternatively my reasoning could simply have been because of exactly the reasons I gave. Stephen Fry is notorious for ad-libbing, and also notorious for having fun with co-performers by keeping them on their toes if he thinks they'll rise to the occasion. He and many of the other of the mid-80s British comedians grew up on the improv circuit as much as on rehearsed skits. I find it UNLIKELY that he wasn't doing that at least some of the time with his longest collaborator and friend, just based on their personalities and how they've always interacted when interviewed together. But obviously I'm just too thick to "get it" must be the only explanation.
@@Ylyrra did you answer my question, which parts are chaos, gibberish, improv? instead of that, your op concentrates on fry's non existent replies... give me 20sec excerpt which is utter foolishness, if you would. or 10. thanks btw. my standpoint on improv in comedy is simillar to that of John Cleese, ie that thing doesn't really exist.
This feels simultaneously like a stroke and like everything that I've learned throughout my Linguistics degree condensed into 7 minutes, and all I remember is that he said Vulva.
I think Shakespeare, kinda was better. But each to their own. Shakespeare certainly never made anyone laugh so? Well he probably did, but they were from the past, and not forced to study it's hard to comprehend rhythmic iambic pentameter shiz at school. :P
“Listen to me, lovelet” In almost every sketch I’ve seen of them, even from back on Saturday Live, Stephen somehow finds some way of calling Hugh a sweet term of endearment. They’re so adorable, I don’t normally say this, but.... friendship goals.
I don't think he is mocking. The answer is actually yes. And the conversation isn't actually mad, it makes perfect sense if you pay attention to what he is actually saying.
"Hold the news reader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers" is a priceless sentence. And the way he says "upper lip of a Mediterranean girl!" There are a few sketches I seek out and replay when I feel like I haven't laughed in a very long time. This is one. (A Bit of Fry & Laurie - Haircut is another)
"the first downy growth on the upper lip of a Mediterranean girl!" was missed by the laughter of the original audience, but I caught it and it was hilarious! ... but "I think he said 'vulva'" was a kicker as well.
great performance by stephen fry here but did anyone notice how many characters hugh played 2:03 tiger 3:58 duncan 4:28 geoffrey 4:51 phillip 5:03 lovelet 6:05 tommy 7:01 timothy
I think it might also be a parody on the type of person that speaks like Fry's character... They sometimes forget people's names while being so intense.
Beauty of this sketch is every sentence can elaborated in big philosophical discussion. This is funny and thought provoking at the same time. So beautiful.
Fry carried most of both the sketches but Laurie's small inputs were like cherries on the top. That "whoops" by Laurie was done so masterfully it's absolutely amazing! True masters.
Never underestimate the value of the straightman in comedy. The Marx Brothers would not have been as funny as they were without a Zeppo to bounce off of.
What makes this so brilliant is that what Fry is saying is actually all very true. It's just filtered through the most ridiculously pretentious dolt in the history of the world. lol
@@danielchiverton4168 True. But it is a fairly accurate portrayal of some of the narrow-minded, self-congratulatory guff that certain liberal-conservative oxbridge types (esp. of a late 20th century vintage) would come out with in their tutorials.
@@neilwayte579 it means that someone is about to laugh so hard that milk comes out their nose, and should the waiter not plug said nose firmly, the milk will surely ruin the other person's pants
These sketches are interesting because they don't really contain any jokes, but they are very funny. I would also have a very hard time explaining why they are funny.
People falling over is funny, it's not a joke though and it's definitely not comedy. I think you're just hung up on the idea that it's a series of words followed by a punchline. Think physical comedy, character comedy, observational comedy, the fact that warped copies of things can be hilarious just by existing. Despite this being so heavily about words it's not really in the same realm as jokes, it's mannerisms and timing, notes on class, education and flirting, expectations being subverted. Fry does some brilliant physical comedy and turns on such a torrent of vocal tics so specific they almost demand you think you recognise them, and those unexpected lowbrow/highbrow switches keep giving it the rhythm of a joke that rolls along.
@@storageheater This is a terrific explanation. The comment about how Fry "turns on such a torrent of vocal tics so specific they almost demand you think you recognise them" is particularly insightful: I instinctively feel on first listen that I must've been born in the wrong era and 'ought' to recognise them as parodies of a whole string of intellectual figures who probably used to hold court on late-night 1970s arts programmes - yet in fact I think it's just Stephen relishing the chance to create archetypes of these sorts of tics without it needing to reference anyone specifically. It's brilliant, either way.
@@samvimes2061 Yes it's needlessly, terribly embellished, congrats on getting the joke, but much of what he says must've missed your head as well if you thought it was completely devoid of "meaning". Underneath the exaggerated, meaningless blabbering, there was a pretty solid line of thought. He is talking about real questions asked in linguistics and aesthetics and philosophy in general. Though it is hardly groundbreaking stuff, it is very interesting nonetheless. Those last lines were definitely deliberately chosen to sound pseudo-philosophical as possible, but it'd be an injustice to say the whole thing was "meaningless". I'd ask you what an objectively meaningful imperative sentence even could be, but it would seem too much like I'm parodying Fry's character at this point.
@@Sam-qc6sz A little belated, but... Having good thoughts, thinking kindly of people, being a good person at heart, these are good things, but what really matters is what other people can actually see; think beauty, but _be_ beautiful.
I use this video as an example of how human brains are shaped by the way we speak. Ironically, people are rendered speechless after watching this video. Go m'colleagues!!
"We all of us spend all of our days, saying to each other the same things, time after weary time, I love you, don't go in there, get out, you have no right to say that, stop it, why should I, that hurt, help, Margery is dead."
I remember years ago watching a late night discussion show on BBC 2 where various intellectuals and authors discussed contemporary issues. It was just like this.
Based off some of his writing, the reason for that is because that's where he's getting it all from. He has a wonderful way of documenting, mocking and being the very thing all at once.
Stephen Fry trying so hard not to crack is the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life... The chemistry between him and Hugh Laurie is nothing short than perfect...
The last golden era of SNL was ended by the departure of people like Hader, Wiig, Armisen, Sudeikis, Moynihan, and of the writers, Mulaney. Since then they've been more concerned with providing a safespace for snowflakes and virtue signaling than real comedy.
I only discovered ABoFaL about seven years ago and it has been such an influence in my life as a screenwriter and playwright. As an homage to Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, the main character in my first produced play was named Marjorie because they used that name so many times. No one caught it, but I enjoy how there’s a nice little Easter egg in the play that calls back to their comedic performance abilities that I can only ever hope to obtain a fraction of.
Actually, I'd probably argue the opposite and say this would have been thoroughly rehearsed. That's why this show was so funny. They were meticulous about hitting the right comedic beats at just the right time. That takes practice. I've seen some behind the scenes footage of their similar process on blackadder. Very interesting.
All scripted. They sweated over getting every word just right. Fry did a small amount of improv away from Fry & Laurie, but he never felt he was particularly good at it.
Stephen Fry before he was merely famous for being famous. This was really where he really shone and was brilliant. I think he said somewhere that he never became the actor he wanted to become and that it really broke him that neither critics nor audiences accepted him. The highlight of his dramatic acting career came with Wilde. And now he just sort of dabbles in everything, especially in well-trodden fields, and spends time on talk show couches and chairs.
Dearest Aunty Stephen, did you actually have all those words in your head and all you needed to do was open your mouth and they just poured forth? Love you to bits! Stay well and safe. Live Long and Carry On!
Thanks for uploading this. _"Language is a parchment scroll nestling in the grass by an old man's hammock._ _A family of field mice nesting in the burnt out hulk of a Saracen tank._ _That's language."_ I'm sure I remember a sketch with Stephen saying this, but I've never been able to find it. {:o:O:}
Wow...thank you for sharing Mr. Fry's interesting take on...*language*... I think. 🙃 I feel a wee bit dizzy...goin' to take a nap. Need me some *cognition* down-time now.
![PIECE BY PIECE - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters October 11](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7Bc6trBc1kc/mqdefault.jpg)
May I compartmentalise? I don't want to, but may I?, may I?
Correctly correctington!!
You may.. continue
Extrinsically, Extrinsically!
Makes me think about "Blazing Saddles" and:
"...dare I say..."
"Dare,dare"
I hate you*
" Language is a complementary moist lemon scented cleansing square "
I will live by these words
*complimentary*
@@shelbynamels7948 complemintary
Or "a hunk of a charred Panzer"
@@andrewmaclennan5194 *the hulk* of a charred Panzer.
complamenotaury
I think this sketch perfectly portrays what happens when a highly intelligent and well read mind meets cocaine.
So true. Fry was well and truly in his cocaine phase during a bit of
Most people focus on Fry's amazing delivery, but also imagine that you're sat opposite this performance and your only task is to stay engaged and be ready to hit your timing and delivery perfectly into this stream of chaos, without the opportunity to establish and maintain your own rhythm and pacing. Greatest double act bar none.
chaos?
@@ivok9846 Yeah. Not just apparent chaos to the viewer, but Stephen Fry is bound to be ad-libbing some of it, he can't help himself going off script. I'm sure the important beats are rehearsed but he's also bound to be throwing a few curve-balls at Laurie if only for the fun of it.
@@Ylyrra i think you
a) didn't get most of it
b) presume it's mostly improv because of a)
now, why do you think it's ad-lib?
have you devoted much thought to language and didn't found anything he said remindful of basics of linguistics?
@@ivok9846 Interesting presumption about my intelligence and level of understanding. Or alternatively my reasoning could simply have been because of exactly the reasons I gave.
Stephen Fry is notorious for ad-libbing, and also notorious for having fun with co-performers by keeping them on their toes if he thinks they'll rise to the occasion.
He and many of the other of the mid-80s British comedians grew up on the improv circuit as much as on rehearsed skits.
I find it UNLIKELY that he wasn't doing that at least some of the time with his longest collaborator and friend, just based on their personalities and how they've always interacted when interviewed together.
But obviously I'm just too thick to "get it" must be the only explanation.
@@Ylyrra did you answer my question, which parts are chaos, gibberish, improv?
instead of that, your op concentrates on fry's non existent replies...
give me 20sec excerpt which is utter foolishness, if you would.
or 10.
thanks
btw. my standpoint on improv in comedy is simillar to that of John Cleese, ie that thing doesn't really exist.
This feels simultaneously like a stroke and like everything that I've learned throughout my Linguistics degree condensed into 7 minutes, and all I remember is that he said Vulva.
that's language for you
😂😂😂 I love you
I was laughing so hard at your perfect summation, that it took a full 30 seconds to actually manage to hit the thumbs up.
Key terms covered.
This is basically a perfect summary.
Extrinsically
*EXTRINSICALLY
Cay-pa'bull, is language Cay-pa'bull !
This is the most beautiful use of the English langunge I have ever seen or heard.
You, on the other hand, have benutifully destroyed it.
@@rishivachaspathyastakala866 The irony here is powerful
I think Shakespeare, kinda was better. But each to their own. Shakespeare certainly never made anyone laugh so? Well he probably did, but they were from the past, and not forced to study it's hard to comprehend rhythmic iambic pentameter shiz at school. :P
Correctly Correctington.
and the complete opposite is The Armstrong and Miller Show - WWII Pilots 1
Language is the soft rain of dust that falls into a shaft of morning light as you pluck from an old bookshelf a half-forgotten book of erotic memoirs.
“Listen to me, lovelet”
In almost every sketch I’ve seen of them, even from back on Saturday Live, Stephen somehow finds some way of calling Hugh a sweet term of endearment. They’re so adorable, I don’t normally say this, but.... friendship goals.
"Our language, tiger"
For example, m.youtube.com/watch?v
5:00 for anyone looking
The knowledge that Stephen Fry is gay adds an interesting subtext to moments like that.
"I find you beautiful."
is this what it's like to have an intellectual discussion with someone going through a manic phase?
I wouldn’t mock bipolarism, but it was funny as this is a very mad conversation
I don't think he is mocking. The answer is actually yes. And the conversation isn't actually mad, it makes perfect sense if you pay attention to what he is actually saying.
yeah I think it literally is, I can't believe it took 30 years for stephen fry to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Bipolar 1 no less.
I've been there and yes, definitely.
The brilliance of the delivery from Stephen Fry is unparalleled.
"Hold the news reader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers" is a priceless sentence. And the way he says "upper lip of a Mediterranean girl!" There are a few sketches I seek out and replay when I feel like I haven't laughed in a very long time. This is one.
(A Bit of Fry & Laurie - Haircut is another)
it's a take off of Noam Chomsky..'colourless green ideas sleep furiously'..
i don't get the meaning of either of those sentences
"the first downy growth on the upper lip of a Mediterranean girl!" was missed by the laughter of the original audience, but I caught it and it was hilarious! ... but "I think he said 'vulva'" was a kicker as well.
the rest of the sentence was so covered up with audience laughter, the Mediterraneans forgot to officially protest.
@@joesr31You're right not to understand their meanings, as they are both grammatically correct sentences but also nonsensical.
great performance by stephen fry here but did anyone notice how many characters hugh played
2:03 tiger
3:58 duncan
4:28 geoffrey
4:51 phillip
5:03 lovelet
6:05 tommy
7:01 timothy
I think it might also be a parody on the type of person that speaks like Fry's character... They sometimes forget people's names while being so intense.
Its different skits
@@Emrys91 7 different skits?
Javelina, Trevlin, Castella, Lyllette, Bradley, Finley, Declan etc.
In Dorset _alone_
So turns out Fry played Zizek once...
Nice one
...what?
@@DuskAndHerEmbrace13 Slavoj Zizek.
Dux Nihilo He is nothing like this.
SelfReferencingName He is though.
I laughed so hard that friendly milk just countermanded my trousers.
As an English teacher, I've got trapped in such speeches many times. With alcohol, it's even worse.
yeah you wish
To be a fly on that wall
Impossible. Alcohol can't talk.
This sketch is exactly what its like to have a conversation with a coked up linguistics undergrad
Studying English is: invigorating, delightful, dizzying, mind-boggling, mesmerizing - glorious! So let‘s go on with it, my brethren in arms
Beauty of this sketch is every sentence can elaborated in big philosophical discussion. This is funny and thought provoking at the same time. So beautiful.
Yes, Stephen Fry is a literature scholar and he uses it beautifully.
@@matsbjur2535 But does his use of said literature scholarship in the confines of language contain, exhibit, express beauty?
@@Fofo-sr2xu they actually do!
Fry carried most of both the sketches but Laurie's small inputs were like cherries on the top. That "whoops" by Laurie was done so masterfully it's absolutely amazing! True masters.
Never underestimate the value of the straightman in comedy. The Marx Brothers would not have been as funny as they were without a Zeppo to bounce off of.
The delivery of "whoops" seemed to surprise Fry as well, you can see him trying not to laugh right after it.
What makes this so brilliant is that what Fry is saying is actually all very true. It's just filtered through the most ridiculously pretentious dolt in the history of the world. lol
I mean, he's definitely wrong to claim that the English language is immune to demagoguery.
@@danielchiverton4168 True. But it is a fairly accurate portrayal of some of the narrow-minded, self-congratulatory guff that certain liberal-conservative oxbridge types (esp. of a late 20th century vintage) would come out with in their tutorials.
Well countermand my trousers if he isn't bang on the bloody milk! 👍
@@danielchiverton4168 He doesn't claim that though, he just posits the idea.
I’m just here to tell you all to shut the fuck up
Hold the news reader’s nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers.
Ta! 😄
But what does it even mean?
@@neilwayte579 it means that someone is about to laugh so hard that milk comes out their nose, and should the waiter not plug said nose firmly, the milk will surely ruin the other person's pants
@@cindel6765 Dear me! Thank you
Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.
It's like the sketch is an excuse to enjoy the absurdities of language. The intelligence of this sketch and performance is astounding.
The sheer brilliance of the writing and the perfect delivery of these lines is astonishing yet still completely hilarious.
This is how my internal monologue sounds when I’m trying get to sleep or think of something important.
Every damn night.
These sketches are interesting because they don't really contain any jokes, but they are very funny. I would also have a very hard time explaining why they are funny.
Laugh track?
It was filmed in front of a live audience.
People falling over is funny, it's not a joke though and it's definitely not comedy. I think you're just hung up on the idea that it's a series of words followed by a punchline.
Think physical comedy, character comedy, observational comedy, the fact that warped copies of things can be hilarious just by existing. Despite this being so heavily about words it's not really in the same realm as jokes, it's mannerisms and timing, notes on class, education and flirting, expectations being subverted. Fry does some brilliant physical comedy and turns on such a torrent of vocal tics so specific they almost demand you think you recognise them, and those unexpected lowbrow/highbrow switches keep giving it the rhythm of a joke that rolls along.
we know why they're funny, but when it comes to explaining it.. yeah, hard 😂
@@storageheater This is a terrific explanation. The comment about how Fry "turns on such a torrent of vocal tics so specific they almost demand you think you recognise them" is particularly insightful: I instinctively feel on first listen that I must've been born in the wrong era and 'ought' to recognise them as parodies of a whole string of intellectual figures who probably used to hold court on late-night 1970s arts programmes - yet in fact I think it's just Stephen relishing the chance to create archetypes of these sorts of tics without it needing to reference anyone specifically. It's brilliant, either way.
this is philosophically and linguistically beautiful
Hush, tish, vibble.
A unique child delivered of a unique mother!
"Think 'beauty', but be beautiful. Say 'beauty', but say it beautifully."
...that might actually be fairly profound.
Thanks for pointing out. It is indeed.
What does it mean in your opinion?
@@samvimes2061 Yes it's needlessly, terribly embellished, congrats on getting the joke, but much of what he says must've missed your head as well if you thought it was completely devoid of "meaning". Underneath the exaggerated, meaningless blabbering, there was a pretty solid line of thought. He is talking about real questions asked in linguistics and aesthetics and philosophy in general. Though it is hardly groundbreaking stuff, it is very interesting nonetheless.
Those last lines were definitely deliberately chosen to sound pseudo-philosophical as possible, but it'd be an injustice to say the whole thing was "meaningless".
I'd ask you what an objectively meaningful imperative sentence even could be, but it would seem too much like I'm parodying Fry's character at this point.
@@gnorung7769 successfully parodied!
@@Sam-qc6sz A little belated, but...
Having good thoughts, thinking kindly of people, being a good person at heart, these are good things, but what really matters is what other people can actually see; think beauty, but _be_ beautiful.
I use this video as an example of how human brains are shaped by the way we speak. Ironically, people are rendered speechless after watching this video. Go m'colleagues!!
I love it when Stephen plays the flirt with Hugh 🤭😋 that naughty twinkle in his eye
This is absolutely freaking brilliant! Fry did a stunning job of memorization here, just to keep up with himself, let alone pull it off flawlessly!
Autocue!
And that is why Stephen Fry should be appointed as the new Prime Minister by the Queen.
Stephen fry will say such profound things and Hugh goes "whoops" xD
And didn't he say it beautifully?
I can't help but think that this sketch is based on Chomsky's "colourless green ideas sleep furiously"
of course that is about it
"Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers" helped me towards a 2:1 at university :)
I’m not English but only the Brits can do this. What a laugh I had, brilliant!
Two absolutely outstanding performers. A joy to watch.
.. that surely is a thought to take out for a cream tea on a Sunday afternoon.
"We all of us spend all of our days, saying to each other the same things, time after weary time,
I love you, don't go in there, get out, you have no right to say that, stop it, why should I, that hurt, help, Margery is dead."
"Hello, we're talking about language." - this sketch is so good hahaha
both halves of this conversation are how untreated adhd feels
"Capabull" - Stephen Fry
"Rebenton" - Jeremy Clarkson
@@jagtan13 haha TG lads had their own way of pronouncing (car) names
@@nothajzl indeed!
My 6 years of linguistics education summed up in 7 mins....remarkable!!
And there I was thinking they might actually teach useful things like phonology, rather than intellectual claptrap!
I remember years ago watching a late night discussion show on BBC 2 where various intellectuals and authors discussed contemporary issues. It was just like this.
Actually, this is almost exactly like my philosophy tutorials at university. I was Hugh Laurie and my tutor, who I won’t name was Stephen Fry.
Same for me in my English Linguistics degree!
Based off some of his writing, the reason for that is because that's where he's getting it all from. He has a wonderful way of documenting, mocking and being the very thing all at once.
I *WISH* my philosophy classes were like this! I got "what are morals, values, and ethics?"
Somehow it doesn't surprise me that Stephen Fry was teaching philosophy at your university.
@@doctorfmac8469 ohh that is easy...Q:"what are morals, values, and ethics?" A:"Ideas but nothing tangible"
His novels are equally florid and wonderful...he is my island's current answer to Oscar Wilde....a great wit and a lovely man....
Bloody clever clogs Fry.
Stephen Fry trying so hard not to crack is the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life... The chemistry between him and Hugh Laurie is nothing short than perfect...
Funnier than anything snl has produced in the last decade
The last golden era of SNL was ended by the departure of people like Hader, Wiig, Armisen, Sudeikis, Moynihan, and of the writers, Mulaney. Since then they've been more concerned with providing a safespace for snowflakes and virtue signaling than real comedy.
I only discovered ABoFaL about seven years ago and it has been such an influence in my life as a screenwriter and playwright. As an homage to Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, the main character in my first produced play was named Marjorie because they used that name so many times. No one caught it, but I enjoy how there’s a nice little Easter egg in the play that calls back to their comedic performance abilities that I can only ever hope to obtain a fraction of.
You said nobody caught it, do you expect someone would ever think to suggest that Marjorie was connected to Fry and Laurie out of context?
@@kevinbissinger lol no???? 😂😂 it was just me saying that no one caught it lol. I didn’t expect them to
I did, being young in Ulster, and it got me into trouble, let me tell you.
Never has a discussion of meaning versus usage in the English language ever been so funny, or indeed as beautiful.
sorry to hear about Marjorie.
When Fry started describing language, it made me tear up a little, to be honest.
which bit was that?
No it didn't
He was actually making quite a lot of sense there.
Laurie is such a perfect foil for Fry’s brilliant eloquence! 😂❤️
Oh, these men were so tremendous. Not only talented, but also brilliant and innovative. I wish I could have known each of them in person.
They are both still very much alive. And they’re both still tremendous… 😉
The way he says capable gets me laughing every time 🤣🤣
I love these men!
Frillions! Needs to be heard in Parliament...
Fry could be the 5th Beatle with that haircut. ❤️
I'm guessing that this had a predefined framework but was largely improvised. Stephen Fry is an astounding talent.
Actually, I'd probably argue the opposite and say this would have been thoroughly rehearsed. That's why this show was so funny. They were meticulous about hitting the right comedic beats at just the right time. That takes practice. I've seen some behind the scenes footage of their similar process on blackadder. Very interesting.
All scripted. They sweated over getting every word just right. Fry did a small amount of improv away from Fry & Laurie, but he never felt he was particularly good at it.
The most educational few minutes of my adolescence in the 1980s.
Mark it please
It's funny - but a lot of the second half is pretty much what I learnt in semiotics. :D
The finger, the turtleneck! Stephen's giving Foucault vibes lol
Brilliant chaps, both of them in their own right.
Absolute genius - both straight man and deliverer. Nothing akin to this in our sad, vulgar era.
Look at that naughty mischievous sparkle in Stephen's eye 🤗
This is full of Platonic philosophy. And has echoes of Bertrand Russel's ideas. *Beautiful* and lovely.
also Saussure
I’m listening to an audiobook of Stephen Fry’s Mythos and I can’t stop thinking about this sketch. Genius!
Stephen Fry before he was merely famous for being famous. This was really where he really shone and was brilliant. I think he said somewhere that he never became the actor he wanted to become and that it really broke him that neither critics nor audiences accepted him. The highlight of his dramatic acting career came with Wilde. And now he just sort of dabbles in everything, especially in well-trodden fields, and spends time on talk show couches and chairs.
"Goodnight, I don't feel quite so well now" I had fallen to the floor in stitches upon hearing that.
Would love to meet Fry one day. What an absolute legend.
Dearest Aunty Stephen, did you actually have all those words in your head and all you needed to do was open your mouth and they just poured forth? Love you to bits! Stay well and safe. Live Long and Carry On!
My, how I wish I had found both this clip and these comments four years ago. I've been thoroughly entertained and uplifted.
Hold the newsreader’s nose *squarely,* waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers.
Sostén firmemente la nariz del presentador de las noticias, camarero, o la leche amigable contradirá mis pantalones.
I want this sentence on a T-shirt or plaque or mug.
True genius. And Hugh's understated acting was also sublime.
They both look on the edge of loosing it. Wonderful piece ❤
losing.
Was too young to appreciate this as a kid, glad I've rediscovered it.
This was fantastic
I love whenever he talks in posh English riddles that I can't even make sense of 😂💕
All of this "bollocks" actually makes sense.
Apparently
Just brilliant!!
This is fantastic, it's so funny and full of details
Come back, Fry and Laurie!!! You were so great together!
He either had all of this memorized OR he was making it up ex tempore. I'm not sure which would be more stunning.
EXtrinsical-LY! EXtrinsical-LY!
This is just brilliant
2:50 The set of lines here mustve been the dialogue exchange between Margerie and him when he killed her. 😂
Stunning, wonderful
"I find you beautiful - but you are not beauty."
"...Whoops."
Thanks for uploading this.
_"Language is a parchment scroll nestling in the grass by an old man's hammock._
_A family of field mice nesting in the burnt out hulk of a Saracen tank._
_That's language."_
I'm sure I remember a sketch with Stephen saying this, but I've never been able to find it.
{:o:O:}
Theres such a musical quality to this sketch. I haven't watched it in over a decade but i can still rap along to much of it
Wow...thank you for sharing Mr. Fry's interesting take on...*language*...
I think. 🙃
I feel a wee bit dizzy...goin' to take a nap. Need me some *cognition* down-time now.
Incredible to be able to do this in front of a live audience in 1 take with no mistakes
I was in the audience for the first sketch.
Splendid. Simply splendid.
One of my absolute favorites
Having studied at a linguistic faculty, I can rewatch this thousands of times
That utterly unexpected Karl Kraus reference in there, brilliant!
Had me in stitches. The parody of some of my best teachers and professors cuts too close to the bone! (Then again I believe it's the point)