A Bit Of Fry And Laurie Friday

by Mallory Ortberg · December 19, 2014

There are only so many long-running, well-developed female relationships in popular media I know enough about to write Femslash Fridays for, guys. Please enjoy this sketch in the meantime; it’s just the single most important sketch in terms of my development as a comedy writer so it’s no big deal if you don’t absolutely love it.

(“Embedding disabled by request” is the meanest phrase in history; you can watch it here.)

Please find a way to use either the phrase “Re the weekend just past, might I enquire as to whether sir was in receipt of an enjoyableness, or did events prove themselves to be of an otherwise nature?” or “Would sir have preferred that in the sphere of total hair cuttation, I was to him a virgin? The desire that we should both of us embark upon this voyage as innocents, wide-eyed travellers in a foreign land, unknowning of our destination, careless of our fate – to emerge somewhere, some day, bruised, tender, a little sad perhaps, but ultimately and joyously alive” at some point over the weekend. Thank you, and God bless.

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53 Comments

  1. thesarahgirl +47

    Ahh, finally a place to write this – the other day my husband was watching Youtube clips of this show, and excitedly told me that he’s “really into this A Bit of Hugh & Laurie show!”

  3. PunnyDreadful +37

    Especially relevant because I just learned that Jeeves and Wooster is all available on Youtube. In totally unrelated news, I’ve cancelled all of my Christmas plans.

    1. SarcasticFringehead +45

      The day my husband moved out, I was wandering around town doing errands because I really didn’t want to be there, and I went to the used bookstore and found every season of Jeeves and Wooster for between $10 and $20 each, so my day actually turned out all right.

    2. amygriz +27

      WHAT IS THIS SORCERY. There is a series where fucking Fry and Laurie play fucking JEEVES AND WOOSTER and NO ONE EVER TOLD ME?!

      1. keristars +30

        the best part is when Laurie plays piano and warbles completely in character as super 1920s-fads-following Bertie while Fry-as-Jeeves completely ignores him

        i mean, there’s a LOT of best parts, but for someone who’s new to the series, that’s a really good hook. the only way for it to be more 1920s-fads would be to have a ukulele instead of a piano, but i think Jeeves broke the ukulele. or was that the trombone?

        1. Tortoiseshell Bat +12

          I believe it was a trombone in the show and a banjolele (a hideous cross between banjo and ukulele) in the books.

        2. julezyme +8

          “When you’re blue … and you don’t know … where to go … to? When you’re blue and you don’t-know where-to go-to?”

          “With due expediency, putting on the Regency!”

    1. nopemobile +6

      favorite sketch of all TIME in my youth as a smart-alecky high school kid. I made my family watch this who even knows how many times.

  6. meanchelled +31

    the only truth in this world is in hugh laurie’s eyes at 3:58. yes, stephen. would that we all could embark on this journey of the mind and heart with you as our companion. in conclusion #HUSBANDS

  9. mlitiagrl +19

    I’m so happy to have an excuse to watch this sketch this morning. Thank you. (“Mallory said it was important!”)

    I quote F&L all the time and suspect that no-one gets any of the references….but of course Toasties would get them all. That makes me happy.

    1. Gzortenplatz +17

      “Mallory said it was important!” is full and sufficient reason to call in sick, turn off the phone, leave the breakfast dishes in the sink, and devote the day to whatever our beloved leader commands.

  10. viviennestreet +18

    The engagement ring sketch is also important.

    “Is sir aware, I am busy wondering, that I made so bold to remark on the goodness of the morning to the youngest of my mothers earlier today as she wheeled me into an upright position. Was sir in an awareness of that?”

  11. Es_Petal +12

    They are timeless, the pair of them. I’ve got the script book for these, it is dog eared and battered and I LOVE IT.

  13. Sean_Sullivan +34

    “Parent Power” is my favorite sketch. And my favorite bit within it is this throw-away exchange:

    APPALLED PARENT: You call yourself a school?!
    HEADMASTER: I don’t actually call myself a school, no…

  14. GreenGrasses +15

    Hhhhoooollyyy shhhiiiittt Slash my throatlet, I’m thrilled to see this on The Toast! Fry and Laurie are the heart of my soul’s desire, and this sketch is unimaginably good.

    Also, I really, really hope everyone has seen The Letter: http://youtu.be/SKdGwfMD8u8

  15. perianwen +6

    Well, Mallory, if you ever make it back to Vancouver & want to binge-watch all 4 seasons with me, I have the DVDs and am Ready.

  17. Alina +11

    “I sneak myself towards the suspicion that sir has cast me as the mouse in his ever-popular cat drama.”

    I know the title of this article is “A Bit of Fry and Laurie”, but I still expected Jeeves and Wooster when I clicked on the link. It was a confusing few moments: “When did Jeeves ever not wear a black suit? And Bertie’s clothes look suspiciously modern.”

  19. mrtafadhali +10

    Yesssssss. Always Fry & Laurie.

    My favorite bit is probably the vet office (“Has it got the cancy-wancy?”), but my sister and I do quote the sketch about the word gay (“Would you care to have a go at the arsebandit?”) a lottttttt, often in public places much to the denigration of our family name.

  20. amygriz +13

    Friends, country(wo)men, please give yourselves the gift of reading “Moab is my Washpot” if you have not already. Stephen Fry is my #2 Favorite Englishman of All Time (preceded by John Cleese and followed by Rowan Atkinson).

      1. wallpaperori +14

        Making History feels like Stephen Fry called a publisher and went ‘you’ll publish anything I write, correct? Because I had a dream last night that I thought would make a good novel.”

        I’m not saying I don’t own two copies, but it is ridiculous.

  21. leslieellenjones +9

    To this day, my BFF and I do not go to the hair salon, we (slight paraphrase) secure an encutation. See also, “executive” anything, “like Thursday,” and probably a dozen other things that we don’t even remember are F&Lisms anymore.

  23. wallpaperori +15

    Mallory, have you ever watched Peter’s Friends? I’d like to talk about it on the internet with a group of similarly-minded people, all of whom I am convinced would love it. Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, etc. (Kenneth Branaugh), all playing what I can only describe as failed versions of their real selves.

    I also want to talk about flexibility of language. Linguistic elasticity, if you will. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gjWUiVtldk

      3. freshwaterpearl +6

        I always want to say “LANGUAGE, tiger” just in conversation (what do I want to communicate by saying this? who knows).

    3. Es_Petal +2

      I haven’t seen it for years but if we’re going to talk about it I will remedy that forthwith!

  25. KatrinaGalena +15

    I adore them all but whenever I need a sheer jolt, I run straight to the “Where is the lid?” sketch where F kills L and promptly launches into a tribute of L’s life for the rest of the segment. Just three fantastic minutes.

    “Hugh Laurie, whose real name was Hugh Laurie, was better known by his stage name, Hugh Laurie.” “It was really a quality, a quality of…needing the money.”