Years ago there was a Yellow Pages advert with an old guy who 'wrote' fly fishing' (his name was JR hartley) - it was a very popular advert and it got spoofed to death. This is very 'of the time' and 'UK audience' specific
It was a social meme for about 10 years, the advert was made in the early-mid 80's and was still being shown in the 90's - it's like the Xmas Yellow Pages ad where the boy couldn't reach the girl with the mistletoe so stands on it - that one's over 20 years old as well and is still being shown *really needs to get out more* XD
He's absolutely splendid😁Haha this so cracked me up 😆How ironic it is now though too that the Yellow Pages has been long discontinued and probably is priceless and can't order a copy anywhere LOL
I like how the use of “good old L.O. Pages” makes it sound as if this is a recurring item following this silly old japester as he merrily goes about his life.
For those who "don't get it", it's intended to humourise and simply to take the piss out off the original ad which must've been aired so often that it was that well known in Britain at the time. According to the ad, everyone fails to find whatever they're looking for and MUST come across and yellow pages and MUST order it through phone with their name. Damn I lvoe Fry and Laurie, they can satarise and humourise anything and everything. Legends.
No word of a lie, I have the exact same shirt that Stephen Fry is wearing in this sketch. Either my fashion sense is 30 years out of date or Stephen was ahead of his time...
Very late for the party, I know. I just want to say that I call this style "gringo shirt", which quite amuses my Irish boyfriend - he can't grasp the concept of plain shirts.
LOL, as a 20yo American all I understood from the clip is that Laurie and Fry are supercute together, and the old man's a great actor. Thanks for explaining it!
@stevebritgimp doesn't work for me either. and I know the message you're referring to about being blocked in your country, but I don't get that message, just goes straight to homepage!! weird..
@existenceisrelative Worked fine for me - odd one. Usual problem I get is that some TV channel wants to stop me looking at something in my country. Yellow pages advert ought to be openly available, but who knows on this site.
Well I am glad they cut it off just before the end so we don't get to relish the whole thing, Stephen and Hugh probably made some funny expressions just to top it off. Was that the actual end of the sketch? Seems unlikely, rushed, Fry and Laurie didn't do that. What's the rush? It's RUclips, I've got enough time, and if I haven't I will do later. Sort your brains out, BBC department who does this (Worldwide, now AKA Studios?).
Not quite. This was one of a series of ads whose message was, "YP will help you find things you couldn't get otherwise." (Pre Google, virtually pre-web) Here old bloke comes in dejected - he's failed to find what he wanted. Daughter hands him YP. Cut to him on telephone, "Have you got a copy of Fly Fishing by J R Hartley? ... You DO, how splendid." Presumably other party says they'll put it aside for him. He replies, "My name? Oh, it's J R Hartley." (Joke being that it's a book he wrote that he looking for.) Real life intervenes - someone wrote a book called "Fly Fishing by J R Hartley" AFTER the ad - I think people gave it to each other at Christmas. I don't think that this is a very funny bit of F&L - I speak as a fan. (Mildly funny) joke supposed to be that now the (?imaginary/actual) book has sold out. Second (not funny) joke that the bloke can't now buy anything, unless he uses the phone - as opposed to the original where he was failing to buy it without using the phone.
Very funny !! If you like the original join the J R Hartley page on Facebook - just search for J R Hartley - probably the best Yellow Pages advert ever !! :-)
He's more enjoyable in comedy and I've see most, but I didn't ever watch "House" after half an hour. I've seen other people suffer in real life tv is cyber,and I'd rather be with them than watch a figment on tv.
Look at Happy Hugh, and then see how disgruntled he is on the melodramatic "House" thing.Hugh can do drama and comedy, but look how antimated he is here, and the many other comedy shows that he's done for years.I hope the Yankees are watching "Black Ader"
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
"You do....splendid" that with the finger movement is priceless
Yeh that was too funny!
Best moment in the sketch by far
Years ago there was a Yellow Pages advert with an old guy who 'wrote' fly fishing' (his name was JR hartley) - it was a very popular advert and it got spoofed to death. This is very 'of the time' and 'UK audience' specific
SOooo good - I remember watching the original ads as a child. It's so funny hearing Oxbridgers Hugh and Stephen doing a 'working class' accent!
I'm guessing Fry and Laurie enjoyed working with a skilled comedian from a past generations. I enjoyed this. :)
... with Ralph Michael.
It's all priceless, and greatly needed in these bizarre sad times.
Nice to see the late Ralph Michael. A terrific actor. RIP
"Hugh & laurie?" :P Once my friend, who wasn't very interested, called them Stephen & Fry XD
hahhahahahahaha
I keep accidentally saying "Hugh & Laurie" ;)
this is outstanding humour a century ahead of its time
I wouldn’t say a century. Maybe a hundred.
It was a social meme for about 10 years, the advert was made in the early-mid 80's and was still being shown in the 90's - it's like the Xmas Yellow Pages ad where the boy couldn't reach the girl with the mistletoe so stands on it - that one's over 20 years old as well and is still being shown *really needs to get out more* XD
Oh, man, a blast of nostalgia and a killer punchline at the same time...!
"are all english people natural born comedians?"
Yes, but unfortunately some soon grow out of it.
And unfortunately, about half of those who don't become politicians.
Like napoleon said Britain is a country full of small comedians that keep shops.
Now I know where my favourite red and black flannel shirt { bought in 1974} is.
Stephan Fry is wearing it.
That old man is hilarious XD
He's absolutely splendid😁Haha this so cracked me up 😆How ironic it is now though too that the Yellow Pages has been long discontinued and probably is priceless and can't order a copy anywhere LOL
Thanks, I watched it on RUclips. The ending is a little bittersweet.
I could fall for him even back then!
I like how the use of “good old L.O. Pages” makes it sound as if this is a recurring item following this silly old japester as he merrily goes about his life.
One of my all time Fry & Laurie moments. When the old dude says his name is 'Yellow Pages' I lose it every time.
L.O. Pages
haha i love how there's nothing on the shelves.
Splendid!
It makes so much sense now!
brilliant spoof
Thank you!
Found it here on YT - thanks!
For those who "don't get it", it's intended to humourise and simply to take the piss out off the original ad which must've been aired so often that it was that well known in Britain at the time. According to the ad, everyone fails to find whatever they're looking for and MUST come across and yellow pages and MUST order it through phone with their name.
Damn I lvoe Fry and Laurie, they can satarise and humourise anything and everything. Legends.
No word of a lie, I have the exact same shirt that Stephen Fry is wearing in this sketch. Either my fashion sense is 30 years out of date or Stephen was ahead of his time...
Although Stephen is and was always quite ahead of his time...
Do you know Al Borland?
Very late for the party, I know. I just want to say that I call this style "gringo shirt", which quite amuses my Irish boyfriend - he can't grasp the concept of plain shirts.
Check shirts will always be cool lol
Looks like LL Bean, never out of style, and at the time of this sketch, carried a lifetime guarantee.
Brilliant
@7SDice
It does, just type the code into the youtube box as you would anything else...
Funny. Also funny how Laurie's head has become more hairy over the last 20 years.
LOL, as a 20yo American all I understood from the clip is that Laurie and Fry are supercute together, and the old man's a great actor. Thanks for explaining it!
Thanks for explaining this :)
thanks =)
Ha ha, good one! I hope Adam Lambert sees this, it's very apt ;)
=P Oh man, I love these guys!
Great punchline
It was a bestseller for years because of the ads.
if you search youtube for j r hartley you should find the ads :) (there were 2 or 3 I think)
@stevebritgimp doesn't work for me either. and I know the message you're referring to about being blocked in your country, but I don't get that message, just goes straight to homepage!! weird..
@englandmadethewest yeah it was, this is way better than house I think
i like hugh in that red sweater..... =]
Who is the actor playing the old man? I'm tormenting myself trying to remember where I know him from
His name is Ralph Michael, and he appeared with Fry & Laurie in some episodes of Jeeves & Wooster.
A very young looking stephen fry
@existenceisrelative Worked fine for me - odd one. Usual problem I get is that some TV channel wants to stop me looking at something in my country. Yellow pages advert ought to be openly available, but who knows on this site.
Well I am glad they cut it off just before the end so we don't get to relish the whole thing, Stephen and Hugh probably made some funny expressions just to top it off. Was that the actual end of the sketch? Seems unlikely, rushed, Fry and Laurie didn't do that. What's the rush? It's RUclips, I've got enough time, and if I haven't I will do later. Sort your brains out, BBC department who does this (Worldwide, now AKA Studios?).
This video is 15 years old - there was an upload limit then.
Since when did you pay for the youtube service?
@bennythenoob The joke is that the original ad sold out the flyfishing book and the rest is just comedy..
Not quite. This was one of a series of ads whose message was, "YP will help you find things you couldn't get otherwise." (Pre Google, virtually pre-web) Here old bloke comes in dejected - he's failed to find what he wanted. Daughter hands him YP. Cut to him on telephone, "Have you got a copy of Fly Fishing by J R Hartley? ... You DO, how splendid." Presumably other party says they'll put it aside for him. He replies, "My name? Oh, it's J R Hartley." (Joke being that it's a book he wrote that he looking for.) Real life intervenes - someone wrote a book called "Fly Fishing by J R Hartley" AFTER the ad - I think people gave it to each other at Christmas.
I don't think that this is a very funny bit of F&L - I speak as a fan. (Mildly funny) joke supposed to be that now the (?imaginary/actual) book has sold out. Second (not funny) joke that the bloke can't now buy anything, unless he uses the phone - as opposed to the original where he was failing to buy it without using the phone.
Sorry to reply to myself, but it is available from Amazon.
@McPrfctday I'm from the UK but i'm 20 years old. Thanks i'll look it up :)
Stuart Little is my favourite thing he's done
@ex2tt7yaa2vy9dyhvw5u Your address/link thingy didn't work for me. Not sure if it's just altogether broken. Alls I know is that it didn't work for me.
They recenty remade this add in a modern settings
CUTEST OLD MAN EVER!!!
lol very funny, a boy in my at college (did BTEC in media last yr) class did a spoof of the same advert, very funny indeed
RACING MINDS
I didn't quite get the end. :(
And in 12 years, no one has helped you 🥲😆
JAJAJAJAJAJAJA
Now that i've seen the original comercial, it's so much funnier
The original commercial wasn't intended to be funny.
The campaign took hold so deeply that in the end somebody actually had to write the book. Don't know if it is still in print, though.
it makes more sense now...
Adverts really are like this most of the time!! lol
If they'd got Norman Lumsden to play the old guy, this would have been even better.
No, he's J. R. Hartley. That would only confuse me as to the veracity of that whole fishing business.
no he's better in the classics
@ex2tt7yaa2vy9dyhvw5u Thanks for the link. It's definitely better to watch the commercial first if you've never seen it.
@stevebritgimp It's the same address and it still doesn't work for me. Just sends me to the main youtube page.
I love these guys and to think Hugh Laurie gave it all up for "House". How silly was that?
He did a marvellous job in House, Personally still wondering how he got used to the some words pronounced the way they do in American English
Very funny !! If you like the original join the J R Hartley page on Facebook - just search for J R Hartley - probably the best Yellow Pages advert ever !! :-)
lol, they should do one of Day V Lately!!!
Real marketing
are all english people natural born comedians?
"*really needs to get out more*"... Not at all! 'Useless Information' is a contradiction in terms IMHO :)
dont get it....
Very funny !! If you like the original join the J R Hartley tribute page on Facebook....
I don't understand... o_0
Original here: ruclips.net/video/7qk7FISvlDM/видео.html
LOL
He's more enjoyable in comedy and I've see most, but I didn't ever watch "House" after half an hour. I've seen other people suffer in real life tv is cyber,and I'd rather be with them than watch a figment on tv.
@Orlabobz
I'm not technologically impaired, and it redirects me to the front page no matter what. Perhaps it's because I'm from a shit country?
Look at Happy Hugh, and then see how disgruntled he is on the melodramatic "House" thing.Hugh can do drama and comedy, but look how antimated he is here, and the many other comedy shows that he's done for years.I hope the Yankees are watching "Black Ader"
ROFL!!!!
why the fuck am i paying for my tv license when BBC seem to be making money from adverts online now?
hmmmmmmmm....since when did BBC have adverts??? Go to hell RUclips.
What are you selling? What are you buying? #ResidentEVIL
uncle tom
i would n't join with obama if it saved my life
What are you selling? What are you buying? #ResidentEVIL
What are you selling? What are you buying? #ResidentEVIL
What are you selling? What are you buying? #ResidentEVIL