A Bit of Fry & Laurie

Dec 26, 1987

Pilot episode of the comedy sketch show with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. The duo imagine what life would be like with a privatised police force, take arts criticism to its natural conclusion and offer their take on Australian soap operas.

Jan 13, 1989

Fry as a put upon headmaster and Laurie as a Puritanical parent who wants to exchange his 'soiled' son kicks off the premiere episode. Useful tips for making poetry convenient is followed by a bookshop in which all the books have been edited for greater British glory. Laurie turns in a great performance as a fraudulent psychic, and the duo round out the episode with description of a censored sketch and its boorish replacement.

Jan 20, 1989

Fry is an information stand attendant who knows too much. A man whose last name is the sound of a cigarette lighter dropping on a desk tries to file a police report. A cad of a talk show host gets his desserts. We meet the very pleasant and expositional commander of the M.I.5 and his assistant. The episode ends with an aerobic workout for hands, and a very dramatic corporate takeover.

Jan 27, 1989

Fry steals Laurie's brain as a practical joke, but Laurie never notices. A pleasant Greek lunch is spoiled by Laurie's insecurity and lack of self-esteem. A tobacconist posing as a doctor prescribes cigarettes. The commander of the M.I.5 and his assistant are back for a chat. Two unwavering detectives demand to know the whereabouts of an unmarried woman's husband.

Feb 03, 1989

An episode rife with controversy: several of the sketches are canceled after an audience member demands they are his stolen intellectual property. A teen poet helps his headmaster to accept the head's own repressed longing to express himself in metaphor. The polite M.I.5 boys return, and a young entrepreneur is denied a bank loan for his drug operation. Fry names his nipples, and, with Laurie's help, tells us how a floppy hat can save you from being killed by a bus.

Feb 10, 1989

As a service to the public, Fry and Laurie provide two TV critics to deride the show. A lesbian-obsessed lawyer, a miserable English teacher, and a young couple who baptize their infant for business reasons provide plenty of fodder for the critics' self-absorbed rambling. As an added bonus, Laurie walks us through his very favorite sketch, and, with Fry's help, celebrates Swiss week.

Feb 17, 1989

A waiter keeps interrupting the punchline of a joke and a care worker in a retirement home brings an objectionable resident his cocoa.

Mar 09, 1990

By and with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. The first of a new experimental series in which Stephen Fry will be played by Hugh Laurie and Hugh Laurie will be played by Stephen Fry. The part of A Bit will be played by And and the part of Of will be played by Paddy Ashdown. The BBC takes no responsibility for articles of clothing removed on the premises.

Mar 16, 1990

The duo demonstrate how to deal with trick or treaters, a German officer interrogates a British soldier, and the over-dramatic businessmen are back.

Mar 23, 1990

Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie revisit some of our favourite sketches in this episode, including the jewellery store where Hugh Laurie becomes rather exasperated.

Mar 30, 1990

A skit on dinner party conversation and a sketch where a hard man is needed for a very special assignment.

Apr 06, 1990

A doctor breaks bad news to a patient, the duo poke fun at former Tory MP Rhodes Boyson, and Paul Eddington guest stars in a sketch set in a restaurant.

Apr 13, 1990

A discussion about the concept of beauty and Stephen expounds on his vision of Britain.

Jan 09, 1992

A man tells his son of his true identity, while a pint of milk finds itself before a medieval court.

Jan 16, 1992

Two former estate agents attempt to run a petrol station, while the language barrier causes problems for a businessman sealing a deal with a foreign colleague.

Jan 23, 1992

A man gets more than he bargained for when he goes to buy a pair of shoes and the Department are on the lookout for a missing file.

Jan 30, 1992

An elderly man looks for a get well card, a man has trouble asking his wife to pass him the marmalade at breakfast, and there's the scary tale of the Red Hat of Patferrick.

Feb 06, 1992

A reader is disappointed by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and contestants avoid the obvious on Countdown.

Feb 13, 1992

Two men with no experience of flying go up in a light aircraft, a bishop and part-time heavy metal singer finds himself in court, and two pedantic customers make life difficult for a waitress.

Feb 12, 1995

Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie welcome John Bird and Jane Booker to their sketch show. Featuring Hugh's protest song 'All We Gotta Do'.

Feb 19, 1995

Anne Charleston, Kevin McNally and Fiona Gillies join in the fun with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. A man recounts a childhood memory to his therapist and Hugh sings about his love for Steffi Graf.

Feb 26, 1995

A man confides in a barman about the state of his marriage, while contestants try to keep it clean on game show parody 'Don't Be Dirty'.

Mar 05, 1995

Stephen and Hugh rap, and wash their hair.

Mar 19, 1995

A dilemma with a wasp’s nest and a parody of the Oprah Winfrey show that resounds with pointless applause.

Mar 26, 1995

A visit to the national finals of the Young Tory of the Year competition and a parody of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads series.

Apr 02, 1995

A school teacher sets up a new religion, a father tries to talk sense into his son who has played truant for years, and Stephen recites a monologue very quickly.