Peter Cook's biased judge sketch (complete)

[@douglasharre7156]

Not only brilliantly written, but shows a great understanding of the intelligence of the audience.

[@alcyonepiano]

Utterly superb. How he managed to keep it together with the audience screaming with laughter and deliver 'chews pillows' without corpsing, is one of the mysteries of the universe. RIP genius.

[@theresafarren3236]

I think possibly the greatest sketch ever .,,, oh god I wish he was still with us

[@velvetraptor8540]

I'm American. I never heard of the Thorpe Affair but I got the gist in a few minutes here on KZbin. Let me tell you, even if the audience knows nothing this is one of the most hysterically funny skits I have EVER seen. I think about Cook sitting on his own sofa writing this. cracking himself up, rolling on the floor, giving himself a wonderful time. Just brilliant. Thanks, Peter.

[@velvetraptor8540]

Plus I love that loud, junky, chipped up lectern. Fits perfectly.

[@t87871]

the Thorpe affair is covered in a brilliant 2017 BBC miniseries called A Very English Scandal with a lot of great actors, funny and serious scenes, and amazing writing! 10/10 recommend

[@yhho8473]

I remember it.this is a brilliant and excellent mirror on the British class system/old boy network.Thorpe was guilty as

[@BenjaminKerstein]

This is absolute, pure, unadulterated genius. Long live Peter Cook, master of the deadpan.

[@alexjewell2351]

Gone too soon, way before his time. He had so much more to give. Comedy just isn't like that anymore.

[@michaelmuldowney8]

This came from the 1979 Secrets Policemans Ball shows. There were 4 shows. After the first show - one review remarked the lack on relevant biting satire. Peter Cook wrote this entire sketch in less than 3 hours and had it ready for the second show that night. A true genius.

[@downlink5877]

He adapted it from one Christopher Booker wrote for Private Eye.

[@jimbobeire]

@@dalegarraway9865 Thanks for the link.

[@truthseeker7001]

And the "self confessed player of the pink oboe" was added minutes before he took the stage after asking the assembled comics & performers for another euphemism for homosexuality. Billy Connolly offered up the euphemism and minutes later it was hilariously injected into the monologue. Truly a work of genius and with his multiple characters interviewed by Clive Anderson, I would say a high achievement of his latter career.

[@iancrause1856]

@@truthseeker7001 and his Why Bother? series, with Chris Morris.

[@truthseeker7001]

@@iancrause1856 haha, yes! I mean, come on - Cook and Morris!!! They both are the standout comedians of their generation. Even though it's only 7 episodes, Brass Eye is still my favourite show of all time. I met Morris after a Stewart Lee gig at Leicester Square Theatre and I was so overwhelmed with fandom that I probably looked a complete tw*t with red face, stuttering and all. Morris and Cook are my comedy idols. I wish Morris would put out more work as his stuff is gold and no one outside of Charlie Brookes puts as acerbic a lens on society.

[@johnboyce1916]

Beautifully written and beautiful timing Peter Cook you are missed

[@hopecentrechurchyork8398]

The savage courage and genius of this attack on the judicial handling of the Jeremy Thorpe murder trial is simply jaw dropping

[@MrDaiseymay]

so was the 'Trial? all the ranks of the 'old brigade' were on show, including Free masonry

[@mzreid6386]

Yep. Satire....how we miss you.

[@juliebone4929]

Best work of Hugh Grant in the play about Jeremy Thorpe too. He acted in that one.

[@henrysmith883]

@@juliebone4929yes he was brilliant in it

[@petesmith9472]

And its accuracy

[@piplee1439]

Thank the Lord this was caught on celluloid

[@charlywobershalek7142]

Peter Cook was a genius, this will never grow old. And if, someday, in the far future, it eventually does, there'll be nothing left to laugh about.

[@MrDaiseymay]

IT WILL ALWAYS BE RELEVANT, WITH MORE AND MORE EXAMPLES. WE NOW HAVE A ENGLISHMAN ( TOMMY ROBINSON ) ARRESTED, CHARGED AND IMPRISONED, WITHOUT BASIC LEGAL HELP OR A JURY, WITHIN 5 HOURS, AND IMPRISONED FOR 13 MONTHS. HIS CRIME ? STANDING OUTSIDE A COURT, ASKING AND RECORDING PASSERS -BY, THERE OPINIONS OF THE TRIAL INSIDE. HE WAS NOT, CAUSING A PUBLIC AFFRAY, AS HE IS ACCUSED OF, HE WAS ALONE, WITH NO CROWDS OBSTRUCTING ANYONE. ORWELL WAS RIGHT, IT IS IN CLEAR SIGHT NOW, NO PRETENSE, JUST BLATANT DISREGARD FOR COMMON BASIC RIGHTS OF OPEN DISCUSSION AND FREE EXPRESSION.

[@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11]

And now we have Trump, his litter, his lapdogs, his enablers and his cult followers yet again proving the point.

[@malcolmcartlidge3743]

@@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11 Mate, who the fk else have the septics got to choose from? Hilldog?, Biden? Bernie? - Trump will win again in November, democracy son, got to love it.

[@romanramirez7847]

Malcolm Cartlidge You’re further proving the point that Trump sucks with not being able to take a joke.

[@beverlyfletcher4458]

So true.

[@barney6888]

For over 40 years i've told everybody i know that the funniest man that ever lived was Peter Cook. I still believe it. It's not just the script, it's the accent.

[@KBJ58]

I used to do some bits for Richard Ingrams' mag, 'The Oldie', a lot of the staff from which came over from 'Private Eye'. Richard, and everyone else who worked there said that when Peter came into the magazine offices, work ceased and he held court for as long as he felt inclined, reducing everyone to dribbling wrecks. Most of the funniest things he ever said were never written down because he thought them up on the spur of the moment. He was a complete one-off, and I doubt will ever be bettered. I just regret never having had the chance to meet the man.

[@chazbrennan9632]

It wasn't just that he embodied funny, with his entire lanky body a pillar of deadpan, in the same way that Milligan vibrated with desperation and clownish electricity; it was that the man could just WRITE. He could sit down for a half-hour and just WRITE A SKETCH. Like Mozart: alone, no copies, no tests, no duds or false starts; no throwing of ideas about. You waited thirty minutes and out popped a finished, polished, timed, hilarious perfect piece of humorous art. He was a genius. He made the hardest work on earth look like a child's-play.

[@Dreadtower]

Yeah. If you’re a writer you can just sit and go with it, get focused on, and absorbed, in it. Or, if lazy, have a wife like Dylan Thomas, who kicked him out into his ‘writing shed’ where there was nothing else to do. You can see that he’s structured it as he’s gone. There are several sections, each coming to a comic climax. He manages the speed of the gags as he builds each climax. So it’s writing, but creating structure as you go and using comedic elements to best effect. So it’s good quality comedy writing is the thing.

[@Electricshrock]

When he says 'unable to carry out a simple murder plot', it's like the whole thing shifts a gear.

[@Lindsay-t2e]

40+±± years on this still makes me cry laughing. PETE NEVER CRACKS !!!!

[@Mike20216]

nearly 40 years ago and still brilliant, Cook was a genius.

[@DudleyMod]

One of the most classic pieces of British comedy ever to grace the screen

[@kyawkyawwin1]

Quite possibly the finest.

[@bennewnham4497]

This is possibly his best ever work. In June 1979, Cook performed all four nights of The Secret Policeman's Ball, teaming with John Cleese. Cook performed a couple of solo pieces and a sketch with Eleanor Bron. He also led the ensemble in the finale - the "End of the World" sketch from Beyond the Fringe. In response to a barb in The Daily Telegraph that the show was recycled material, Cook wrote a satire of the summing-up by Justice Cantley in the trial of former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe, a summary now widely thought to show bias in favour of Thorpe. Cook performed it that same night (Friday 29 June - the third of the four nights) and the following night. The nine-minute opus, "Entirely a Matter for You", is considered by many fans and critics to be one of the finest works of Cook's career.

[@shabbos-goy9407]

The man was a satirical genius

[@johnPaul-qn3dg]

Here because of the brilliant 'A very English Scandal' I get the context now and Peter Cook was a genius

[@ferocel]

Possibly the best timing of anyone ever.

[@gravlaxbob355]

I admit I never heard of Peter Cook before and do not know the subject matter but just to see him deliver that speech without even a single smirk is priceless (and free!).

[@shanenolan5625]

You might remember him as the priest in the Princess bride. With the funny voice ( marriage ) ? He had tv shows , movies, comedy albums. And he was the editor owner of a political satire magazine. He and dudley Moore were a comedy duo from 1959 to 1979 . ( they were famous already before finishing college) His father was a very high level civil servant. He was expected to follow and was to be groomed for a great government career. He was a genius and a rebel . If you search. ( Peter cook and dudley Moore) you will get a lot of clips .

[@paxxop]

I first saw this when the movie of The Secret Policeman's Ball, where Peter Cook did it, was shown in Australia. Had no idea it was a parody of an actual event, but enjoyed it for the sheer comic brilliance. The "pink oboe" phrase especially stuck in my mind as a highlight which I've never forgotten. Then a few days ago I was recommended to watch "A Very English Scandal" and learnt the background...and it becomes even funnier, even so many years later. What a great talent, was Peter Cook, to be able to create this piece that not only stands on its own for those like me who didn't know the context, also justifiably lampoons a biased judge, and still works 30 years later.

[@iainstevenson6658]

It was Billy Connolly who gave him the pink oboe idea

[@jonnybrowne]

A piece of genius from Peter Cook, one of THE greatest British comedians, I remember buying the 12" single of this sketch!

[@peterjenkins7324]

He was one of, if not THE, best comedians of our time. We were very fortunate

[@MrDaiseymay]

was it a 12 inch pink album ?

[@Kimdino1]

Absolutely brilliant. I'm sorry for those who weren't around at the time of the Thorpe Affair as much disappears with the loss of context. This piece of satire was a very good demonstration of the 'old boy network' at work. A very biased judge was allowed to blatantly twist the evidence & drag the jury to what he wanted them to say, and his behaviour was supported by the establishment - but not the public at large who were up in arms about his behaviour. And Peter Cook satirised this brilliantly with his performance being described by two key journalists as "actually not that different from the original.".

[@mutmeista]

+Kimdino1 strangely still relevant.

[@soundbelch1600]

+Kimdino1 The specific context might have diluted over time but the overall context, that of the establishment protecting their own, is even more relevant given the events of the last 15 years, namely the Hutton Inquiry, the child abuse allegations, and the upcoming Chilcot report.

[@jvanhee71]

And quite probably the events of 9/11

[@tarnopol]

Info here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorpe_affair

[@wuffothewonderdog]

Add to that list the closure of the Dunblane report for a hundred years on the orders of Gordon Brown, which protects senior Labour politicians connected to the shooting of a dozen very young children and their teacher.

[@paulphilipempey1]

"A self-confessed player of the pink oboe....."

[@malcolmcartlidge3743]

And, and lo "a self confessed chicken strangler" struth what happened to this brand of Brit' humour Paul?

[@karpizan]

A line fed to him by Billy Connolly, apparently

[@janetrickwood2484]

A genius. He was from a time when comedy could be allowed to percolate, unlike now. A genius.

[@occamsrayzor]

His like shall not be seen again - an unsurpassed satirical and comedic genius.

[@michaelweir9459]

This is over 35 years old. As funny now as when I first saw it on 'The Secret Policeman's Ball'.

[@DavidBromage]

The name of the sketch is "Entirely a Matter for You". It is a parody of an actual event when Justice Sir Joseph Cantley summed up for the acquittal of the Rt Hon Jeremy Thorpe. Thorpe was accused of conspiring to have Andrew Gino Newton murder Thorpe’s former lover, Norman Scott. Peter Bessell was the chief prosecution witness. That will help explain some of the lines. Peter Cook performed this just a few hours after the actual Cantley summing up.

[@Johnny-sj9sj]

Dаvіd Вrоmаgе ha ha! And we shall now sing “As shepherds shot their dogs by night“

[@gavpowell1981]

"It sounds biased to modern ears" You think?? I thought Rumpole of the Bailey exaggerated all these things, but a judge actually calling the complainant a parasite and a vagabond is utterly bizarre - the most he should have said was "Whatever you may think of this person's character, you must consider only the evidence." not "Sure, the man is a scumbag and a ne'er-do-well, but it's possible he's not lying."

[@gavpowell1981]

It's not the transcript per se I take issue with, merely your reading of its propriety. And you paraphrased rather than quoted, as seemingly the full quote is "He is a crook, a fraud, a sponger, a whiner and a parasite . . . But, of course, he could still be telling the truth.” It's the same as the Birmingham Six trial and the Archer trial - utterly biased and completely loaded in a way to try to sway the jury.

[@gavpowell1981]

"You people" being someone who disagrees with you? I'm sorry you feel you've had to make sooo much effort to, err, reply to a discussion you started. The quote makes no difference to the meaning but adds further abuse, which is relevant. Was Scott a crook? How so? The judge is obliged to remind the jury that the perceived character of the witness should not detract from their evidence, but NOT to pointedly highlight all of those perceived flaws, and calling someone a liar before saying "It might be true though" is utterly ridiculous. Thorpe was a proven liar himself, but instead is given a glowing character reference by Cantley. Having never known Thorpe or Scott, I don't find either of them terribly sympathetic characters from interviews, but the summing up in the trial was like rounding up sheep.

[@gavpowell1981]

Simon Lomberg I have time to waste at the moment, and can't get worked up about people on the Internet, I just enjoy the debate and hopefully learn something along the way.

[@richardenglish2195]

Anybody who's watched this knows what a comic master Cook was, so there's no point re-emphasising that here; all I will say, however, is that this is one of his finest pieces and a truly breath-taking piece of satire.

[@martinashwoodsmith7674]

Richard English Amen, sir, Amen!

[@geoffpoole9107]

This sketch is nearly 40 years old but it remains hilarious.

[@beanshapedhorror]

What a wonderful example of Cook's comedic character acting! For those new to Cook & Moore and perhaps a little confused by the style, the Frog & Peach sketch is always a good starting point. Thank you for posting this.

[@jeanmyers1787]

Or try the One Legged Tarzan sketch 😂

[@squishedpimp]

surely you mean the Peche a la frog?

[@kyawkyawwin1]

One of the greatest sketches of all time.

[@lynneceegee8726]

HAving just watched the 3 episodes of "A Very English Scandal" and seen for the first time just how the judge deliberately mislead the jury, and repeatedly insulted and harassed Norman Scott , I think Peter Cook's sketch is rather on the mild side. I'm still astonished how that disgusting old man was not struck off for his unprofessional and biased behaviour.

[@philburtoft535]

Disgusted but hardly surprised. He did what he thought he had to, as did Thatcher when she covered for the child molester Smith. Power does strange things to people, peer pressure and self interest blurr right and wrong

[@mikekemp9877]

@@philburtoft535 indeed you are right in the avbs show maudling covers up a crime for thorpe not even knowing or caring what its about just does it because thats what they do.incredible

[@scarfhs1]

He wasn't struck off because he was doing the job he had been asked to do by the establishment.

[@robertdarby1039]

I am reminded of the Jeffrey Archer libel trial when he sued the Daily Star for libel, less than a decade later. Another Establishment cover up. This is from Wiki: The description the judge (Mr Justice Caulfield) gave of Mrs Archer in his jury instructions included: "Remember Mary Archer in the witness-box. Your vision of her probably will never disappear. Has she elegance? Has she fragrance? Would she have, without the strain of this trial, radiance? How would she appeal? Has she had a happy married life? Has she been able to enjoy, rather than endure, her husband Jeffrey?" The judge then went on to say of Jeffrey Archer, "Is he in need of cold, unloving, rubber-insulated sex in a seedy hotel round about quarter to one on a Tuesday morning after an evening at the Caprice?" Archer won the case and half a million in damages. He was subsequently convicted of perjury for lying in the trial. Justices Cantley and Caulfield were cut from the same cloth. They both did exactly what the Establishment wanted.

[@stephenreeds3672]

@G*man Scott was an ill man who was exploited by Thorpe. The whole case is a severe indictment of this country and it's "justice" system. The Toffs always win.

[@david552]

"It is conceded that the money arrived, what happened to it after that we shall never know... it will be a sad day for this country when a leading politician cannot spend his election expenses in anyway he sees fit." Still relevant today, I think.

[@MrJetexjim]

What a pity Peter Cook isn't around today. I'd love to see him 'do' Jacob William Rees-Mogg.

[@shanewright2772]

Cook described himself, politically, as a "conservative anarchist". Is that not in essence what Rees-Mogg and his father are/were? That' not to say it still wouldnt be very funny. I can't imagine Cook ever not being funny.

[@Elitist20]

He'd have seen through the fakery of Jacob (and Boris). In Beyond the Fringe he famously did an impression of the then-PM Harold Macmillan that was shocking to many Tories, but Macmillan himself got the joke and even went to see the show. Cook's impressions of Macmillan became more sympathetic over the years, particularly as it became clear the real Macmillan detested Margaret Thatcher: 'When I call Mrs Thatcher "that ghastly woman", I don't call her ghastly *because* she's a woman. And I don't call her a woman *because* she's ghastly. But she is a woman. And she is ghastly.' Paternalistic and aristocratic? Yes. But also a genuine belief in public service. Tories today have neither this, nor the undoubted strength of Thatcher that she didn't care whether she was liked as long as she was respected.

[@stephenreeds3672]

How much we need him now. This is chillingly accurate. Justice.... my arse!

[@kentishtowncowboy]

Superbly done. Excellent parody of the judge (manner, speech, articulation) in the Thorpe murder trial all those years ago. Very clever.

[@sysiphuscorinth]

this is the beauty of british humour of the 60's / 70's before ultra PC kicked in...

[@kentishtowncowboy]

Ronan FitzGerald Agreed. :-)

[@lukesixtynineuk]

Ronan FitzGerald What the fuck has this got to do with PC? Get off the Bernard Manning bandwagon!

[@nigelsinspirations4160]

lukesixtynineuk

[@bigbearfuzzums7027]

The funniest but true sketch ever to be recorded for all time! Trials have never changed and never will!

[@ghengiscant538]

So true , I think Peter Cook could have done wonders with the judges summing up in the trial of O.J. Simpson .

[@kyawkyawwin1]

Absolutely.

[@matthewlaurence3121]

I think my father was in the audience at this performance. We still have the cassette tape they sold to the audience once the show was finished. It was 1979, when he was living in London. Not sure how many performances they did, he might not be at this specific show. The Secret Policeman's Ball, 1979.

[@namcat53]

Every courtroom must witness this sketch. Its similarity and relevance to recent events in America is significant.

[@richardneedham2134]

I despair of ever hearing such a talented satirist ever again. Irreplaceable!

[@johnh7101]

Masterful performance by the master of comedy himself. RIP Pete!

[@coldeb8911]

Lol.. I remember this when it first came out.. as the whole Thorpe thing is now in the public eye again (due to the recent drama ) it's never been a better time to watch the very brilliant Peter Cook lampooning the Judge again. .Classic!

[@FredNerk57]

Just watching it now on repeat in Australia - it is uncanny how much the Judge at times looks like Hugh Grant's JT

[@simonpatterson3288]

For those who weren't there, this script was written overnight (the Secret Policeman's Ball was a day or so after closing arguments), which makes it even more brilliant. If you go back to the actual trial it is frightening just how much Judge Cantley - the judge in the Thorpe trial - sounded like, and briefed the jury in a manner almost identical to this. Satire. Superb

[@stevewest4994]

I think someone (Billy Connolly?) told Cook a "pink oboe" joke just before he went on stage and he worked that into the script on the spot.

[@MrDaiseymay]

This gigantic piss take of our legal system, will never become irrelevant.

[@johnnyhammer]

Indeed. Just ask Tommy.

[@bigbearfuzzums7027]

Indeed on both sides of the pond...for all time! The only justice is bought justice stolen justice and justice by calling in every scrap of black mail and every last skeleton and even a borrowed lot in the car boot! ...

[@captainanopheles4307]

@@johnnyhammer and by Tommy you mean Stephen.

[@johnnyhammer]

@@captainanopheles4307 What's your point?

[@TheCrazydawg123]

@@johnnyhammer are tommeh

[@trevordance5181]

I seem to remember a joke that came out at the time of the Jeremy Thorpe/Norman Scott trial... Apparently a book was written about it entitled, "Scott And The Arse Antic"

[@LennyJohnson5]

Genius. Both Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were great losses to our cultural life, but luckily film like this survives to demonstrate their genius to future generations.

[@tombirmingham7033]

I want this played at my funeral.

[@mnd1955]

Peter Cook was a riot. This is pure, unadulterated genius.

[@1966Hillman]

Just genius! And jogged a few memories of the trial itself. It was one of those scandals where many suspected the establishment had simply closed ranks to protect one of its own (old Etonian, former bank director, party leader, etc.).

[@hugolindum7728]

1966Hillman They were protecting him too because he was a homosexual, and they thought the scandal could be revolutionary.

[@anonUK]

@@hugolindum7728 If he had been the PM, perhaps. The head of the Liberals, no.

[@jeanmyers1787]

I vaguely remember Thorpe affair. I looked it up & Peter Cook is absolutely brilliant.

[@paulthomas6252]

Brilliant! I remember like yesterday the trial and the events leading up to it, and I've enjoyed watching A Very English Scandal these last few weeks, but I've never seen this sketch before. Thanks davidon30, pmsl.

[@richardruff8712]

Yes, the Secret Policeman's Ball events were amazing.... I remember it on TV many, many years ago.... Once seen, never forgotten...

[@NxDoyle]

I know that "self-confessed player of the pink oboe" levelled Billy Connolly.

[@dozysplot]

Utter brilliance, The best he ever did done by the best there ever was . . . God I miss him . . . .

[@rickglorie]

This is brilliant, delivery, timing, great material, what a talent.

[@bandolero5068]

Sorely missed, he would have had a field day with today’s bunch of ministerial clowns

[@joejoesguitarinventions]

"that is a matter entirely for you".. the whole sketch is classic!!

[@richardcooper3530]

brilliant. the recent tv dramatization of the thorpe case brought all this back.

[@JohnSpringateMusic]

Utterly brillant. Ive watched this sketch so many times and it never fails to make me laugh!

[@marioantoniodemellodias1603]

Absolute genious. Peter Cook is one of the best in British humour.

[@cymrumbeth1977]

Written overnight. Brilliant, only Spike can shine a light to Peter Cook at his best. And where the hell did the phrase "self-confessed player of the pink oboe" come from?

[@jeffgross6649]

Funniest line in the sketch, and that's saying a lot.

[@bountybar]

the line was suggested to Peter Cook backstage - by Billy Connolly

[@jeffgross6649]

Cool.

[@pbhsfreefringe9797]

It ultimately comes from Spike Milligan. There's a Goon Show called "Who is Pink Oboe?" The Goon Show was full of similar innuendo, specialising in broadcasting the punchlines of so-called dirty jokes without broadcasting the setups, so only those who had heard the joke would have understood. For example, the line "it's his turn in the barrel" occurs in more than one Goon Show.

[@francaperotti5934]

It came from comic genius.

[@karpizan]

A truly brilliant pastiche of what must have been one of the most extraordinary and most biased summings-up in British judicial history. The transcript is out there - it'll take your breath away.

[@NPA1001]

Milligan and Cook are so far ahead of the rest when it comes to comedy genius it's unfair to compare anyone else.

[@anonUK]

NPA1001 What about Cleese and Sellers?

[@ImYourHuckleberry_29]

​@@anonUK naaah. Still outclassed by Spike and Peter.

[@kipling1957]

Brilliance I have not seen in many, or in many years.

[@grimtweaker]

So glad this is still available. Probably the best piece of satire ever written.

[@redscouse7056]

People don't have the intelligence to understand this type of comedy anymore, such a shame. Long live lord gnome

[@marypickard9407]

Lived through the whole saga of the Jeremy Thorpe affair. It's only now looking back at the whole corruption and conspiracy that went on, I can fully appreciate Peter Cook's performance.

[@peterbradshaw8018]

The best summation I ever heard from a high court judge. If only they had more like him at the Central Criminal Court. DWL

[@staceyroberts6044]

You may think this is a comedy sketch But no it is a REALITY OF THE JUDGES summing up

[@artemiszeus9735]

He took an almost holistic approach to satire. Love this. Entirely a Matter For You.

[@sail1948]

Apparently Thorpe used Vaseline to lubricate his todger before buggering Scott. The instructions on the jar were to "Use Liberally".

[@edwinscholey990]

Touche', old sport.

[@andrewb2968]

It reminds me of the comment of an England test player when faced with using an old, scuffed cricket ball; "You'd need more vaseline than a Tory MP on a Friday night to get a shine back on that ball". Apparently he was not a Tory.

[@anonUK]

Norman Scott wasn't the first person to be shafted up the arse by a British politician and he certainly wasn't the last.

[@RonWylie-gk5lc]

ha ha ha

[@thetessellater9163]

Yes, I remembered that one! A real joke form 1979.

[@francaperotti5934]

I remember this sketch but at the time i was too young to get the joke but still made me laugh.

[@sebastianverney7851]

One of the reasons we voted to leave the EU was our profound awareness that we are the most superior nation in the world. This goes back to the British Empire, of course, but also to our pride in the British Judiciary, which, as we well know, is the envy of the world. There was the time in 1950 when a crippled and illiterate young man, Timothy Evans, was hung for the murder of his wife (with whom he had rows) and daughter, murders he had nothing to do with. More recently His Honour Mr Justice Dodds was reprimanded by The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office for his gratuitous rudeness to litigants in cases over which he presides. But the younger of my friends may not remember the case against Jeremy Thorpe, a prominent British politician, on trial for arranging the contract killing of his former lover, Norman Scott. We must be grateful to Peter Cook for reading aloud the transcript of His Honour Mr Justice Cantley's summing up for the jury before they retired to consider their verdict. With jurisprudence at this level, it is very understandable why we don’t want to be told what to do by foreigners in Brussels.

[@walterceuppens6988]

The audience looks surprised and ridiculously happy. I bought the album: still use quotes although I live in France.

[@danmcbmusic]

How the hell he kept the deadpan vinegar face all the way through is beyond me. Genius.

[@Krzyszczynski]

He was very practised at it. As a young teen I remember watching avidly every Saturday night as he did his "E L Wisty" spot on the Bernard Braden show. Hilarious absurdities, week after week, which would have had most of us corpsing only a few seconds in, but the deadpan mask only slipped once that I recall, and that was on the very last one he did. (He also cultivated an unblinking stare when doing these pieces - I always watched for a blink that never came.)

[@indyandnorbert1]

Hilarious sketch, used to work at The Law Courts, some of it was pure theatre, there were some priceless retorts at times from both sides of the bench, repartee from razor sharp minds that few political commentators or so called comedians could match today. The witty repost, brilliant

[@servicekid7453]

The thing a lot of modern comics lack is the sheer joy in the english language Cook etc would take. You can see him savouring delivering some of these lines. Not because they are red hot jokes but because they’re just fun to say.

[@pemj7360]

This piece comedy genius would be wasted on the rabble that call themselves comedians these days . Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and those of their ilk of the days when comedy was actually comedy and not some left wing PC crap . Rip Peter sadly missed but never forgotten

[@routeman680]

So brilliant. This is peak satire, Cook at the top of his game.

[@Calilasseia]

This has to be one of the most stellar pieces of satire ever penned ... it still results in hilarious laughter 31 years on, and to think that it was cooked up (pardon the pun) as a quick addition to the evening's proceedings!

[@geoffpoole9107]

It was part of a series of benefit concerts for Amnesty International. The shows had gone well but were considered a bi tame- just reprising classic comedy sketches. Fortunately the Thorpe trial had just finished and Peter Cook wrote this classic.

[@jon0645]

Peter Cook was a Comedy Genius. John Cleese once said , to get 15 minutes worth of material it would take him about two days , while it would take Peter Cook 15 minutes....

[@andydavie4525]

...unable to carry out a simple murder plot without cocking the whole thing up. Genius

[@SachaPerry-r5l]

Yes

[@taliesyn12]

Still promts tears of mirth.Well done for posting this. Peter,you are so missed m8.

[@BickingtonBoy]

A brilliant & unarguable satirical commentary on the conduct of Justice Cantley.

[@RonWylie-gk5lc]

At the time of the Thorpe case I was out one Sunday lunchtime in a local social club laughing at a comedian, A normal state of affairs in Newcastle at that time, "out of the blue" he said "well lads, have you been following that case "Scott of the Arse Antics?" I cant remember laughing so much for so long lol

[@ilaconix]

"The funniest man ever to draw breath". Stephen Fry (I think)

[@krisscanlon4051]

Yes that's who it is attributed to

"A self-confessed player...... of the 'pink oboe'" - Brilliant

[@klackon1]

EarlMinime. You may like this one. Norman Scott subsequenly wrote a book about the affair. It was called "Scott of the arse antics".

[@jessiejames7492]

his diction is so spot on !

[@vermilliongecko]

I watched this without knowing anything about the Thorpe affair and found it mildly amusing but mainly confusing. Having just watched 'A Very English Scandal', I now get it. I was 7 at the time of the trial, so I'm only just now learning about it. Peter Cook was such a great satirist.

[@FreeLancerLondon]

Just brilliant, laugh out loud funny and timeless. Cery relevant with rhe showing of A very British Scandal on the BBC. Peter Cook, greatly missed!

[@casWilling]

‘You May choose to believe……… that is entirely up to you’ : if only judges were this fair and balanced now.

[@manuelahrasky8472]

Am watching this just after watching the 3-part series ‘A Very English Scandal’. Peter Cook was a genius! He parodies brilliantly the incredible and biased words to the jury of the execrable Justice Cantley. Satire was so greatly diminished by the loss of Peter Cook.

[@compusmentus5476]

Nothing short of genius Who now can comment in this inimitable fashion? We miss this mans mind, our culture is depleted without him

[@Glozboy22]

Genius. Modern day 'satirists' (apart from Chris Morris) don't have a clue

[@harryrambler]

I'm glad you gave a nod to Chris Morris.

[@illicitgrooves6212]

Really? Armando Ianucci hasn't a clue?

[@Johnny-sj9sj]

Illicit Grooves they both continue to carry the pink baton!

[@ktkee7161]

Chris Morris is a recluse though. Cook was always popping up on TV and being spontaneously brilliant about whatever was happening.

[@neilaspin008]

He’s worked with Morris you know!

[@parhhesia]

The characterisation of the right to silence at 6:10 is brilliant... this guy definitely knew his way around a judgment.

[@jamesp8569]

Cook at his finest. What's even funnier is the actual trial summation of Sir Joseph Cantley, the presiding judge at the Jeremy Thorpe (or Throop!) trial. The fact that he delivered one of the most biased summations in modern legal history and remained a High Court judge and turned down a further legal promotion, is simply staggering.

[@mikekemp9877]

and made legal history and a somewhat embarassed judiciary.as there was legally no murder plot outside scotts imagination according to cantley who then put scott on trial in the most insulting way poor chap and told the jury he was a liar and they got off.there was a problem newton the hapless hitman was now the only bloke in legal history to be convicted of having a gun with intent to endanger life when cantley had proved no intent ever existed.actually it was a major point for the jury to know as if newton had intent etc then thorpe was guilty as we all know he was.brushed aside by the judge as irrelevant farce of a case.

[@robertstorey7476]

The judges saw themselves as being part of the establishment and their duty was to preserve it. This case was highly threatening to the established order. A leading politician being convicted of plotting a murder would have undermined the social order.

[@shaunkelly9860]

Peter Cook was a genius.

[@MorrisseyBob]

With Jeremy Thorpe's death today, I expect many shares of this!

[@timmebee6097]

A self-proclaimed player of the pink oboe. That’s gold!

[@hal2473]

Another terrific Peter Cook sketch.

[@georgeroybooth3335]

Can’t think of a present day comedian who comes anywhere near to this level of skill and even if there was they wouldn’t be allowed on TV

[@TheMimifur]

Superb to find this. Recently watched Russell T Davies's wonderful play A Very English Scandal. Featuring a reference to this sketch as well as the trial.