A Bit Of Fry And Laurie - BBC Series 1-4 Complete Box Set [1989] [DVD]

I had completely forgotten about his series and when it was recommended to me by Amazon, I snapped it up with relish. Sadly, the product did not live to my rose-tinted memory. There are some classic sketches which will live forever: the privatisation of the police, the over-dramatic businessmen, Stuart and Gordon, the headmaster and the poetry prize-winning pupil, and others. These wonderful moments don't make up for the majority of dross. The whole fourth series can be dismissed as it failed to raise even the mildest of chuckles. Overall: a disappointment.

This is a wonderful comedy series, although it seems to sometimes get forgotten when looking back a great British comedy and I think that may be a testament to the genius of the men in question. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are each polymaths in their own way. They've both had long and successful careers while becoming national treasures along the way and as such this series may get lost at times in the long list of triumphs that these men have accomplished.I grew up knowing Stephen Fry as the author of those books on the shelves in our house and then as the host of popular BBC2 show QI. My first encounter with Hugh Laurie (even if I didn't realise it at the time) was probably in Stuart Little. Once I reached my teens and started to discover more material that these two were behind I couldn't believe the true brilliance they were responsible for, especially "A Bit Of Fry & Laurie". Their use of language and absolutely ridiculous concepts for sketches that only they could make work is extraordinary. I just knew Stephen Fry as that very intelligent man with the "schoolmaster image" as host of QI and then to see some of the things he said, impressions he mastered and characters he brought to life on screen in ABOFAL was a wonderful experience and made me realise how brilliant he is. The same goes for Hugh Laurie; I knew him as leading actor in a hit US TV series that we Brits didn't pay much attention to compared to the rest of the world and then I realised why. We know him as a comic genius in British comedy which he showed in ABOFAL, not to mention his fantastic musical skill. I found myself resting on holiday reading a Hugh Laurie novel while listening to a Hugh Laurie album, while a dubbed version of "House" was on the TV; amazing!These two are one of the best comedy double-acts ever to walk the Earth and make more modern sketch shows seem cheap (excluding Armstrong & Miller and Mitchell & Webb of course, although I prefer the former). Their use of word play is wonderful to listen to, for example one of my favourites is during a sketch where Stephen Fry is telling a story while eating cornflakes with a knife and fork and he says "I stooped to pick a buttercup. Why people leave buttocks lying around I have no idea".Some of the best sketch comedy ever made!10/10

I remember A Bit of Fry and Laurie from the late 80s/early 90s, and it was always the highlight of the week. My sister fancied Hugh Laurie but I was besotted with Stephen Fry. What made Fry and Laurie such a uniquely funny creation was the combination of intelligence and a deliciously skewed way of seeing the world, and not taking themselves too seriously. Decades after first watching it, the 'Kickin' Ass' song still makes me cry with laughter, as does the interrogation of a small baby - Scumbag!' It's comedy in a class of it's own.

I've sort of grown up dodging this series. I'm not entirely sure how or why it started but it's a habit I found hard to break. I love their work seperately and they are brilliant together but there was something about this series that worried me. Then I caught of sketches and began to chuckle. It wasn't long before I knew I had to dive a deeper and I was beyond pleasantly surprised. There are flashes of true comedy genius here, alongside a nigh on constant river of laughs. Hmmm, mixed metaphor there, sorry. But the point is these two men are brilliantly clever and it turns out they have inspired a lot of the comedians and sketch shows I grew up liking. Mr Fry, Mr Laurie, I tip my hat to you.

Funny, Charming, Layered, Self-Aware. I enjoyed the show from start to finish and would have loved to have grown up in such a time when a comedy show meant quality such as this. It's hard not to recommend this to pretty much anyone, as it's varied and will suit a wide range of tastes. British Humour at its best, with simple comedy to keep you attentive throughout but with layered overtones of critique and wit to the entire ensemble of sketches that always offers you a chance to view it from a more inquisitive perspective. It won't bore you to death with the same joke every 5 minutes, nor does it carry the same joke into another episode, each one is lovingly crafted by the duo and is also brought to life by the same two.

Not as funny as i thought they would be,i also own jeeves and wooster and that is realy funny

The masters of sophisticated comedy here at their very best. Shame they aren't still working together, but we lost Hugh to the States. Fortunately Stephen is still here with us. England is safe while he stays.If you've got this, try them in Jeeves and Wooster - great fun and entertainment for all the family.

Fry and Laurie are superb comedians - they're sharp, crazy and wonderfully intelligent, and the chemistry between them is perfect. Through the 4 series in the DVD they have highs and lows, of course, but overall, A Bit of Fry and Laurie is a gem, with some sketches I can just watch over and over again.One of the DVDs has the Cambridge Footlights Revue, featuring Fry and Laurie, Emma Thompson, Tony Slattery and others. A lovely addition =)