Now that House is no longer in production (I don’t want to say “off the air” because it’s still on everywhere in reruns), I’m finding new outlets for my Hugh Laurie fix. The man has done so much in his career, but most Americans only know him as Gregory House. So, in upcoming posts I want to introduce you to a few different Hugh Laurie characters, starting with Paul Slippery.
Paul Slippery is having a mid-life crisis. The pressures of his work life and family life have him so out of sorts, he sometimes thinks he can hear peoples’ thoughts. Like Gregory House, Paul Slippery is a doctor, but that’s where the similarities end.
He has three grown sons, who he feels are totally obsessed with sex. But Paul is no better. He’s been married to his wife, Estelle, for 20 years and can’t remember the last time they had sex. Throughout the series Paul is endlessly trying to be intimate with Estelle, planning an erotic dinner, slipping her an herbal aphrodisiac, but one way or another life gets in the way.
Not only is this show a great way to see Hugh Laurie in a sillier role, in 
many ways Paul’s a much more likeable character than House, but you also get to see a younger Benedict Cumberbatch, (who is so absolutely fabulous as Sherlock) playing the eldest son, Rory. Anna Chancellor, who may be best known as the woman everyone hated in Four Weddings and a Funeral, plays Estelle, a character that everyone likes, and I mean everyone.
A special treat in Episode Two: Hugh Laurie’s old comedy partner, Stephen Fry, has a cameo role playing an offended fishmonger.
MAIN CAST:
Hugh Laurie – Paul Slippery
Anna Chancellor – Estelle Slippery
Benedict Cumberbatch – Rory Slippery
Neil Henry – Daniel Slippery
Joe Van Moyland – Edwin Slippery
Sheila Hancock – Gwendolen Hartley
Lolita Chakrabarti – Surinder Dhillon
Peter Capaldi – Ronnie Pilfrey
Emma Ferguson – Laura Proek
Siobhan Hewlett – Lucy Proek
Total Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Seasons Available on US Formatted DVD: 1
In Production: 2003
Viewer Discretion: Adult situations and language
Reblogged this on Musings of an Anglophile.
I’ve never watched this programme, something new to add to my list!
It’s not the funniest show, but if you love Hugh Laurie, it’s great to see him in it.
When I watched this it was mainly for Ben (a younger benedict at that; and you can’t go wrong with anything he’s in), but I also walked away with a renewed sense of love for Hugh laurie, who I absolutely adored as grouchy old House. I agree it’s not the funniest, but it’s got some truly hysterical scenes. The blow up dolls was a gut breaker
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