🗣Americans React to Fry & Laurie👀

Hey guys! We have been huge fans of Hugh Laurie since "House" that we figured we needed to review A Bit of Fry & Laurie starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Forgive us if this is completely over our heads.
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[@15Indianajon]

As a British citizen I can guarantee that Hugh's accent was genuine in the end sketch. That is his normal voice.

[@christhornycroft3686]

So he really is Bertie Wooster?

[@JustinCardiff]

Fry was speaking Greek to the waiter for a bit, Laurie did have a british accent in the sketch.

[@MrDaiseymay]

American---he IS British, and it showed through intentionally

[@JustinCardiff]

Philip Croft wasn’t doing an American accent in this sketch, is what I was trying to say.

[@cuthbert246]

Hugh took part in the Oxford-Cambridge boat race can't remember if he won or not but he was in his younger days very fit.

[@burstcity3832]

He came in the second placed boat but it was close.

[@TonyWhite22351]

Seems to me everything goes over their heads !

[@Mikael_Puusaari]

yea, they are americans, I don´t mean it in a demeaning way, they just are not used to subtle humor where u need to think, it has to be thrown in their faces 200 mph or else they won´t notice it, it is just a difference of humor in different cultures and perhaps also generation differences

[@Sue474]

Yes it's painful watching them puzzling over sketches like this. They're never going to get it.

[@rachelgarber1423]

Me too, I thought it was obvious that Fry was ordering in another language

[@rachelgarber1423]

@@Mikael_Puusaari Ikwym, I’m American and I love British humor, but I’ve been watching PBS, which airs a lot of British comedy for years

[@happyhedgehog6450]

The return to language sketch is hilarious. Also the scene where Fry is being interviewed as a random woman outside morrisons and Laurie plays a crazy woman who rants at him from behind is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Laurie: You're alright aren't you with your jeans and your heroin. 😂😂😂

[@pizzafacemcbride3582]

That's definitely one of the best bits from the whole series

[@raycope2086]

Felipe, I believe that you and Lillian would enjoy the "Jeeves and Wooster" series by P.G. Wodehouse set in the thirties England in high society. Very funny series and well acted. Good Sunday evening viewing.

[@marvinc9994]

Hugh Laurie's 'accent' was that of a Lower Class bloke - now risen to the dizzying heights of 'Executive' Salesmanship - trying NOT to sound Lower Class. Stephen, of course, is irredeemably Upper Middle Class here - and Hugh is finding it hard to compete with his _genuine_ Worldly Wisdom. All VERY much about English class consciousness, in other words............................;-)

[@davidjb-750]

Mr Dalliard, we’ve been activated!

[@jamespilcher5287]

My absolute favourite Fry & Laurie sketch

[@mgangel2679]

Within the British Isles there are dozens, some say over a hundred different accents and dialects. According to an interview of Steven Fry, Hugh has an impressive talents for detecting even subtle differences. I guess by the time of House he also had a talent for replicating accents.

[@blutey]

Second clip was meant to be poking fun at Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA!

[@warpnin3]

The headband! Also a slight Willie Nelson vibe..

[@harrynac6017]

Bruce's song was not pro USA though.

[@cliffbetton8893]

They are actors. From the time of ancient Greek theatre, with the Chorus, through Shakespeare to the present day, there has been a tradition of the performers talking to the audience; either directly as a speech or as an aside during dialogue (think of Fleabag). That rarely happens in films (pace Mel Brooks and similar) and may be why "who is he talking to" is a concept that is not well known to you. In the UK it is common knowledge I think.

[@mollykeane2571]

I think it’s called breaking the fourth wall.

[@jamara3330]

As you like Stephen and Hugh who came from footlights, check out Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. They were also a double act which came out of footlights with the pythons. Peter was a genius and Dudley became a huge star in America.

[@sallycrane6317]

The biblical skit is reminiscent of the Sunday morning religious programmes that were on in the 70's and 80's

[@cosmicsman666]

They also did a show called jeeves and wooster... Downton abbey style comedy. Have a nice day xxxxx

[@jimbolb250]

Got to watch Jeeves and Wooster recommended

[@Captally]

In the last one he started off saying "The Yorkshireman in me".

[@handsolo1209]

He said that "they are Yorkshiremen in many respects there".

[@Captally]

@@handsolo1209 "The Yorkshireman in me respects that" or I'm a Dutchman.

[@handsolo1209]

@@Captally Perhaps you are right, or should I have said "Perhapsh"? :)

[@TimTM-gm6od]

Philippe,,,,,you must watch some Tim Vine,,,,,clean, funny, one liner comic who is very British,,,,and held the world record for most jokes in an hour !

[@omegasue]

Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry first met at university (Cambridge) in the 80's ... quite a few comedians (and actors) use the technique of talking directly to "us" the viewer - Miranda Hart did it really well in her half hour comedy show on BBC 1. You should watch Blackadder from the first series, covering medieval Britain through to the last series they made which covered WW1.

[@craigk621]

Miranda Hart was ok in that space thing but since then really can't see anything funny about her. Totally out of place in call the midwife too.

[@bradleybrown8428]

It's so interesting that they didn't recognise that. they were talking to the viewer.

[@happyhedgehog6450]

Good morning. Mr Daliard we've been activated!!!!

[@sequri]

Fry and Laurie are national treasures. Stephen is a fount of all knowledge; equally at home with the Classics, or science and technology (he's always been in the vanguard of consumer technology). A brilliant raconteur, comedian, author, presenter, host and general bon viveur. I've never known anyone blend intellect, humour and presentation in the way that he does. I get the impression that he would have traded some of his qualities for more dashing good looks and to be more 'normal', playing down his genius with a liberal dose of humour. 🤘

[@mickc7388]

Fry is as funny as a funeral, Laurie is brilliant.

[@daneng3641]

@@mickc7388 Graham Chapman's funeral maybe.

[@thomasmain5986]

Yes that's a paddle we use it to get about on our coracles.

[@bartconnolly6104]

It is amazing the transformation of Phillipe into an Imam with that beard :)

[@neilcaress9036]

Its Felipe not Phillipe

[@bartconnolly6104]

@@neilcaress9036 He changed the F to a P when he became a Mullah so people wouldnt recognise him in text

[@warpnin3]

@@bartconnolly6104 Hmm...Mullah Felipe... Doesn't sound right! I shall smite you bunch of unbelievers!

[@007MrYang]

I had so much fun binging this entire show when I was in high school!

[@chsparkle]

You should watch some Dave Allen clips, he was really funny.

[@Wally-H]

Thanks for watching and reminding me of that sketch with Hugh as the American pop star. It looked like the point of that one was slightly lost on you - they were having a go at singers like Bruce Springsteen who, back in the 80's, seemed to write endless ballads about how fantastic the USA is. To many on this side of the Atlantic it came across as self-indulgent, high handed trash. By the way, try some Alas Smith and Jones which was even more popular than Fry and Laurie. Their 'head to head' sketches are brilliant.

[@IanMatthewsuk]

The Jayser except Springsteen isn’t a good example. His songs were deeply critical of American social policy and the struggle of the working poor.

[@Wally-H]

@@IanMatthewsuk Billy Joel?

[@barrykacher7761]

As others have said you should watch Jeeves and Wooster.

[@jimbobjimbob8275]

You guys should really do Jeeves and Wooster, the cats scene is particularly funny.

[@raminybhatti5740]

Why do the first 20 seconds of these reaction videos feel like Felipe is staring into my soul? 😀

[@ThePostmodernFamily]

Because I am

[@MrDaiseymay]

@@ThePostmodernFamily thought so---but what if I haven't got one ? Like a untuned TV.

[@MrJonno85]

I saw that second sketch for the first time just a couple of weeks ago, and I wondered if it might be of interest to PMF given the Christian theme (Stephen Fry playing a very condescending and supercilious character, which he often did). The dynamic between Fry and Laurie seems very similar to that between Peter Cook and Dudley Moore - in each case the latter partner going on to achieve success in the USA, even though Fry and Cook were considered the more dominant personalities.

[@russellpointer4731]

OUR HOUSE, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR STREET. OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!

[@carlhartwell7978]

lol, actually I think the first clip was perfectly characteristic of the humour in A Bit of Fry and Laurie.

[@Mikael_Puusaari]

comedians nowadays are not taking hits at christianity, I get the feeling that they always treat all religions equally :) the skit wasn´t a joke about christianity or the bible though, it was a very multifaceted joke about how some people are interested in discussing about the deeper questions, philosophize and think while others find the size of breasts to be the most important topic, the "intellectual" of course was made of in the sense that he thinks he sounds more intelligent by speaking in that horrible nose in the weather way the words "bible" and "god" were merely mentioned in the joke and didn´t rly have anything to with the joke more than being the topic of discussion, perhaps that was part of the joke that christian ppl would be offended even when there is nothing to be offended about as long as the bible is mentioned :) they do somewhat the same type of sketch in the last one, Laurie is trying to act like a tolerant, educated businessman who understands cultural differences and "good taste" of food and wine but slowly his ignorance showing he gets irritated and leaves with a remark of his own ignorance "Im going for an honest brittish kebab!" :D

[@reggiegimmix9128]

I know you've checked out a few of the Two Ronnies... I'd love you to checkout the sketch by Ronnie Barker. the ministry of mispronunciation. great play on words which Ronnie Barker was a master of.

[@somyod2u]

I doubt that Ronnie Barker would have ended a sentence with a preposition.

[@Twinklyist]

Hahahah! Watch more to learn about Great Britain. What's really funny is you trying to analyse it like you understand what's going on on some intellectual cultural level. Our humour revolves around laughing at our class system, ourselves and each other.

[@Fedup1234]

Spot on Lilian they were the more sophisticated comedic duo. For a more abrasive sort of humour check out some other oxbridge graduates with The Young Ones, filthy rich and cat flap . Different humour same educational backgrounds.

[@russellpointer4731]

9:00 Back then is was compulsory to study the bible in school, compared to today.

[@JC0023]

Adored your conversation very enjoyable and entertaining Thankyou 😁

[@sas949]

I love that sketch about Greek restaurants, we go to Greece every year for our holidays. The waiters in Greece are just like that. The food is always great there.

[@galadballcrusher8182]

what exactly do you mean like that? The guy was perfectly normal and it isn't his fault if some client acts like a retarded moron , it is like when some guy goes to a Chinese restaurant with a friend who can order in Chinese (while himself doesn't) and tries play it smug and order same things without knowing if they up to his taste , then acts in a very dismissing and xenophobic way about the dishes.

[@dr.zacking2097]

Hi guys - really enjoying your videos so thanks for putting in the effort and time....I love how some things you get straight away and others bemuse you a tad but makes sense....Fry and Laurie takes a good few watches to get the ear in (that's Hugh's real normal accent, v English) and also to get used to the humour....mix of linguistic play, absurdist, satire, straight slapstick or bizarre mix of all these elements....many sketches look to play against pomposity, class attitude and social stereotypes.....many play cliched situations and characters (mainly from a British perspective) against each other from myriad veins and some are just odd for the hell of it........worth more viewing....like a few 25 minute shows in their entirety......if still 'searching for Britain' there's a hell of a lot of it right there....just needs chipping away at for a bit.....

[@xandervampire195]

It was filmed in front of a live audience, they were talking to them as well as anyone watching the show on TV later. Also, that's a cricket bat.

[@rachelgarber1423]

It’s called breaking the fourth wall

[@Lambchop2701]

Lol! Lilian actually sounded quite middle class British when she mimicked the British accent there for a sec!

[@jasonwhitehurst4508]

thanks for another amazing video guys.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

Police sketch: Blasphemy, that "paddle" was a cricket bat. Both are highly educated Cambridge graduates that got into entertainment after university.

[@axw016]

Love you guysSteven Fry is a national hero

[@marcanderson1198]

i think you ment breaking the 4th wall

[@jonnno243]

Perhaps a viewing a few sketches of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore would be more up your street.

[@Sue474]

They won't "get" them either.

[@peteq1972]

When i first watched house i thought "huh" it's s bit different for him and omg he's now doing any American accent lol That was a Cricket bat. Haha

[@hitchslap8254]

So glad you've discovered ABOFL!

[@dannydorko7075]

I'd like to see you react to a few more videos from them. like Kicking ass or Language

[@MrJonno85]

Fry and Laurie did a sketch where they played macho clergymen, but I can't find it on KZbin.

[@MrJonno85]

@@seanclough5822 Sounds like it !

[@roborb1960]

No disrespect intended but I remember as a lad, before a meeting with a CEO from an American manufacture/supplier, a Boss told me never treat or speak to an American as if they are British.... They may speak the same language but they are as foreign to us as the Taiwanese. He was right...

[@billmilligan1705]

You missed out on the street interviews, shame. Hugh Laurie is also an accomplished musician. You should see his American south music documentary. Stephen Fry once got thrown out of salt lake city for being surcastic. See QI pre show banter

[@lemdixon01]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIbFepiheZeDe7M here's another Fry and Laurie sketch I like called Army Ass

[@MarkMcLT]

I think Jeeves and Wooster is their best work. In A Bit of Fry and Laurie I particularly like their discussion on language and Laurie's songs "Mystery" and "I'm in love with Steffi Graf." And Laurie has a successful blues band today.

[@jameshumphreys9715]

You didn't see the part, Laurie goes off script, and says, that hurt, fry goes, o diddems, Laurie go forget the stekch. The dating with the lawyer is brilliant

[@elsiestrydom7595]

Paddle??? Jeez, if I had a dollar for every American I've seen on the internet who called a CRICKET BAT a paddle........

[@jdlc903]

9:22 i think its there age,thst why they have biblical literacy

[@rachelgarber1423]

Britain has many different dialects just as the US

[@Anthony-xd1lj]

the weapon was a cricket bat Hugh Laurie was hit over the head with

[@CLINT473]

Have you done the league of gentlemen?

[@roborb1960]

Try the Still Game and really get confused!

[@segazora]

Being surprised that Cambridge graduates have biblical literacy considering that most British children are brought up in Church of England schools even if our families have no religious beliefs seems a bit presumptuous... not believing in Christianity doesn't mean that you don't know anything about the religion, just that you don't believe it to be true.

[@roborb1960]

I have found that most that don't believe in Religion have read more and can quote more biblical text than the believers.

[@MrJonno85]

That first sketch was Monty Python on acid.

[@stephenhardy9860]

That was a cricket bat, not a 'paddle'!

[@jamesbrighton1778]

they were in the oxford footlights with emma thompson

[@roborb1960]

You mean Cambridge... :-)

[@grumpylesley]

It's quite astonishing to me that Americans have so much difficulty understanding British humour

[@cooldude4643]

any hint of humour about christianity and they just shut down

[@Wally-H]

They missed the fact this was taking a pop at Bruce Springsteen and his irritating 'Born in the USA' self indulgent crap.

[@Arcticwolf1964]

Its called a Cricket Bat...

[@1972brianmcneill]

they are just doing what peter cook and dudley moore did in the 60's and 70's

[@HighHoeKermit]

Stephen Fry is a genius and very funny. You should watch him on stage with Jordan Peterson at the Munk Debates. I don't think it's one for a reaction, but I think you'd find it very interesting. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fam8mqCbltSYl5I

[@mauricecasey5556]

Agreed.

[@stevecharters8965]

Like so much of Victoria Wood's comedy, it's a parody of a typical TV broadcast, with which you may not be familiar.

[@roborb1960]

Oxbridge???? Cambridge dear lady!

[@normanwallace7658]

Another of these two is Bertie Wooster

[@SpamEggSausage]

you didn't even watch the first sketch all the way through

[@johnriley7312]

You guys should react to Stephen Fry's pooh-pooh speech from Blackadder it's hilarious

[@stephenhardy9860]

The 'mystical barrier' is known as the 'Fourth Wall' and is not peculiar to comedy, but to all theatrical art.

[@donepearce]

Oh, that was rather painful.

[@markmorrisjones62]

I think you’ll enjoy this. It’s a sketch from a comedy series called Not The Nine O Clock News and involves a bigoted racist police officer being dressed down by his superior. Starring Rowan Atkinson kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpa2gYFuqLuVfLc

[@galadballcrusher8182]

i think the idea for second skit was ..."Bruce Springsteen on piano ...."and as a Greek don't get me started on the Greek one. Andyeahh notall Greeks love retsina (which yeahh it is made with resin and if one doesnt know what he is ordering ... it is like complaining to a Spanish guy that sangria has citrus) but majority does ... ( i don't but then again i don't like ouzo either cause of anice).

[@circus-jf5kr]

Bloody Hell!

[@iddicco]

What you always seem to miss, L and F is that this humour is observational in nature. We look for types and their traits. Whether it's the Two Ronnies, Fawlty Towers, Catherine Tate or Ricky Gervais, it's all observational. You often look for significance where there is none.

[@MrDaiseymay]

true, but as a British trait--not their fault.

[@iddicco]

@@MrDaiseymay Absolutely. I thought it possible that some people may not know of the term observational humour and the ideas behind it so my comment was intended as guidance not criticism. Apologies to F and L for not making that clear.

[@daveupton8625]

Your wife is such a cool 😎 beautiful lady

[@dambuster6387]

A bit of Monty Python influence ?

[@MrDaiseymay]

Definately, and not their forte.

[@bartconnolly6104]

Fry wasnt using any accend in the Greek clip. Laurie does have a fake american accent he did . Mind you he seems to have perfected it by House ( or he always had it). They me in College, Cambridge I think where they did the footlights review? Emma Thompson introduced them to each other. they had two slapstick comedians Cannon and Ball who at the time worked as decorators decorate the flat they shared in college! It must have been like a Three Stooges or Lauren and Hardy scene!

[@mauricecasey5556]

The decorators / plasterers were Paul Whitehouse and I think Charly Higgson.

[@bartconnolly6104]

@@mauricecasey5556 oh thanks real comedians then??? 😉

[@bartconnolly6104]

@@davidcook7887 i havent corrected anythong much in about 10 yeats posting lother than typos so congrads. The reason i said it wss Fry compared them to csnnon and ball in an interview and that stuck im my memory.

[@bartconnolly6104]

@@davidcook7887Sorry but Im not a relativist! Truth isnt socially negotiated to me. :)

[@neilthompson5740]

He was doing a yorkshire accent

[@brianmountain3358]

Gr8 Team Mentioned before tho' dated Please watch /review Tony Hancock _ The Blood Donor, Radio Ham many more Enjoy

[@brianmountain3358]

Thanks fr Hearted Response gang if I may add a clip to view /review on Xmas Day Freddie Frinton in Dinner fr One _ UK watches Queens Speech Germany watches an early 19 60s British comedian To this Day!

[@martinunitt]

Their Michael Jackson sketch is a good one.

[@bentleycharles779]

They were talking to the imagined consensus BBC audience of the day. Pathetic.

[@MrScipio2011]

Maybe do some research on subjects you present?

[@TommyIsATwat]

We are brought up with State Christianity, why shouldn't we poke fun at it?

[@MrDaiseymay]

Not their best 'Police' sketch---I thought it was the other, brilliant sketch they did on the Police, where Laurie wants to report his Car, as stolen. But having been abroad for some time, is not aware of the privatiseation, of the Police, where certain ';'Services'' are now chargeable.

[@alastairjinks6966]

How do I add a link?

[@ThePostmodernFamily]

Leave it in a comment or reply! 👍🏻

[@darrenfearon4288]

Hugh's accent is english lol

[@neilcarpenter2669]

Personally I thought the first 3 series of Fry and Laurie had some of the finest sketches in the last 40 years or so, when they get it right they are as clever and funny as any I've watched. They were excellent in Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster , but their humour in this series isn't necessarily something that appeals to the masses, it is very much a product of an Oxbridge education, in this case Cambridge, anyway everyone knows Oxford is a dump unlike the 2 great universities Cambridge and Hull , that's a joke from Blackadder before someone from Oxford responds negatively.

[@chrismccartney8668]

Superb but very British Humour..

[@thomasbower7727]

"It's amazing, the transformation." You do realize that A Bit of Fry and Laurie was something like twenty years before House. "They don't call it a paddle?" Exactly how long have you been "living in England"? I've never set foot in the country and I know it's a cricket bat. And Hugh Laurie is a terrific musician, serious and comedic. You embarrass me as an American.

[@MrDaiseymay]

Hugh Laurie was using a mock American accent, which is associated in Britain, with that countries reputation in salesmanship, as slick and full of sharp cliches.

[@jhwheeler7]

Definitely not a mock American accent, the character even says he is from Yorkshire. He was just using his own accent.

[@tonystavely6719]

There Actors guy’s it’s not real

[@carlkeane2549]

You can learn about demographics from comedians representing those demographics. Comedy rooted in Oxbridge is funny but their privileged experiences will not be representative of the larger nation. Catherine Tate, to use your example, is representative of a larger and more locally recognizable portion of British culture.

[@axw016]

Cricket bat