Almost 20 years before Hugh Laurie limped into his role as Dr. Gregory House, he and his buddy Stephen Fry introduced us to their comic genius on a TV show called, A Bit of Fry and Laurie. Well, actually they did that in Jeeves & Wooster also, but that’s another story.
Fry and Laurie met when they were members of Cambridge University’s Footlights Dramatic Club. With Fry’s talent as a wordsmith and Laurie’s as a musician who could parody all musical genres, the two formed an incomparable comedy duo. (Although, I guess you could compare them to Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.)
I have great admiration for actors and comedians who have range, who can play so many different roles effectively. And if you take on a sketch comedy show, that’s exactly what you have to be proficient in, many different roles, 
many different characters. Fry and Laurie do it all in this show.
Some of their most memorable recurring characters are: Control and Tony, two overly polite secret agents who discuss issues of national security over coffee; John and Peter, hard-drinking executives who complain about their competition; and Gelliant Gutfright, the host of “The Seventh Dimension,” a show similar to The Twilight Zone.
And in between the sketches, like the most famous of all absurd sketch comedy shows, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, A Bit of Fry and Laurie features many men (and women) on the street commenting on unrelated subjects.
Even though the show is a bit dated and many of the topics were inspired by the issues of the day, it’s still great entertainment. If you only know Hugh Laurie from House, this is a great way to see him, when he was starting out as a comedian.
MAIN CAST:
Hugh Laurie
Stephen Fry
Total Seasons: 4 (26 episodes)
Seasons Available on US Formatted DVD: 4
In Production: 1987 – 1995
Viewer Discretion: Some adult situations
Some of my favorite recurring sketches include: a wife who tries on new outfits for her husband looking for a compliment, but the clothes are so outlandish he can’t think of anything nice to say; a new father who keeps misplacing his infant son, often unknowingly switching 
him with small animals or a roast turkey; and then there’s drunk Uncle Jack who takes his 12-year old nephew to very inappropriate places; and Karen who crank calls her flatmate, who works at a police emergency phone line, pretending she needs help.
TOP PICK
“Spanish Inquisition?” Nobody expects them!
I can recite all of my favorite sketches like “How Not to Be Seen,” “The Cheese Shop,” “Crunchy Frog,” “Self Defense Against Fresh Fruit,” “The Upper Class Twit of the Year,” and “The Piranha Brothers.”
TOP PICK
“That’s Numberwang.” There’s even a German version and a word version called “Wordwang.” A couple other bits include a documentary about the origin of Numberwang, a commercial for the home game and a trailer for the movie “The Numberwang Code,” kind of like “The Da Vinci Code.”
*The Surprising Adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar: Webb plays Digby, an alcoholic, drug addicted homeless man who’s under the impression that he’s a secret agent. Along with his sidekick, Ginger, they commit various crimes while searching for their nemesis, whoever that is. This sketch is shot partially with a point of view camera, similar to the style of 
Catherine Tate’s collection of ridiculous, eccentric characters has earned her six BAFTA nominations and two British Comedy Awards, including Best Comedy Newcomer in 2004 and Best TV Comedy Actress in 2006.
