A Bit Of Fry and Laurie Friday: Australian Soap Opera

by Mallory Ortberg · January 9, 2015

To this day, this video informs roughly 80% of what I assume life in Australia is like (the other 20%, of course, coming from Bart Vs. Australia).

“Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I’ve tried not running away from myself? Seems like every time I look out the window, there I go, down the street, away from myself.”

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26 Comments

  2. MunchletteBelle +30

    Boyfriend and I binged all four seasons on Netflix last week while we were off work. And I don’t mean it took us the whole week to watch all four seasons. I mean that we kept watching them on a loop for the entire week. Then over the weekend we took turns watching ABoF&L and Jeeves and Wooster. His enjoyment of both confirms to me that he is worth keeping around.

    1. perianwen +8

      Agreed. I actually just added a bit to my okc profile about how if Fry & Laurie is your thing, we will be fast friends.

  3. sokkysinging +7

    I want to promise that I won’t just comment on Antipodean stories…but I am homesick and my Facebook feed is full of summer and my windows are full of winter. *sobs*
    Would have to ask an actual Auusie, but these accents are not terrible? Definitely better than my Aussie accent. Fry and Laurie. LOVE.

  6. Robin, Sth Australia +8

    Yup, apart from the accents (which are a bit posh) that’s pretty much it… Almost as accurate a picture as the Simpsons are of life in Manhattan.

  8. mkpatter +24

    OMG can we have A Bit of Fry(day) and Laurie every week?

    Also I feel like Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries also proves that this is what Australia is like, in its own way.

    1. cinnatron +13

      Yes, to a bit of Fri(Day), It’s so nice to find a community of people who love this show!

      Also, I wouldn’t mind a post or two about Miss Fisher., particularly about that dishy Doc MacMillian. Those three -piece suits, those wing tips and those finger-waves…
      .
      .
      .
      I’ll be in my bunk…

      2. Unreadaethel +14

        The cravats! On a man, an artfully-tied cravat just looks like an affectation; on Elizabeth MacMillan, it looks rakish and filled with promise.

  9. MarjorieIsDead +6

    Still quite heartbroken that they aren’t a couple in real life. I mean, I’m overjoyed that Stephen’s getting married in real life and all, but…what about Hugh?!!!

    1. wallpaperori +21

      I heard an interview with Stephen once where he said that he’s spent the last 24 (or something like that) Christmases with Hugh Laurie & family, and that pleases me so much.

  11. Apollonia

    Yep, agree with molly. 8/10 on the accents. Definitely better than any American-doing-Australian accent I've heard.
    This is hilarious because it's pretty much exactly what Neighbours was like in the 80's. That is some comedy gold right there for anyone looking to laugh at tacky Australiana.

  12. Unreadaethel

    We always watched Neighbours after dinner when I was doing study abroad (in Yorkshire, so I have no idea why Neighbours was on TV). Everybody's so orange!

  14. Gigi

    I'm an American who went to grad school in northern England, and EVERYONE watched Neighbours religiously. No one would admit it, but they knew exactly who everyone's niece's doctor's cousin's father was having an affair with. It was pretty addictive.

    1. Danielle B. +1

      Any interaction between lil’ tykes, especially from a treehouse, that consists of: “Is it flabbergasting??”, “TERRIBLY flabbergasting!”, etc. has my heart. <3 Thanks for sharing.

  17. Girl Detective

    I don't think Pear can be referring to homophobia since they're definitely both queer friendly(/queer themselves obvs). But I don't know what else it might be. Oh dear!

  18. skipper

    might be an issue of religiosity? stephen fry has a bit of a superiority complex going on where he's all "atheism is for the intellectually superior, like me" and then basically calls anybody with religious beliefs a poopy doo-doo head without seeing how jackassy that is. he's one of those people where sometimes you agree with an opinion of his, but he expresses it like such a turd that you just feel embarrassed.