Mr Dalliard! We've been Activated! | A Bit of Fry And Laurie | BBC Comedy Greats

Hugh walks into a model shop to buy a gift for his son, but accidentally uses the code word and activates Stephen! Subscribe: bit.ly/BBCComed...
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[@BBCComedyGreats]

If you'll pardon the pun, here is even more "A Bit of Fry & Laurie" here: bit.ly/2OJKqZD

[@notmagicok7612]

but, theres no pun there?

[@D4K44R1]

@@notmagicok7612 Isn't there one? Oh, I'm sorry...

[@abrahamcano6195]

You're pardoned!

[@mikejonesnoreally]

I can't keep up! xD

[@jefgrailet7802]

0:53 I like how Hugh's character is more puzzled by "fly to Dover" than by "detonate our relatives"

[@stayforthepeelpronpls4774]

JefGrailet The blooper reel shows multiple failed attempts at this part 😂

[@paradise_valley]

@@stayforthepeelpronpls4774 how can I find it

[@doinkstr]

Not even communist spies would willingly fly to Dover!

[@ethanlivemere1162]

I like how this implies that either this shop hasn't had customers in 27 years (at least not any that say good morning) or this happens every time someone walks in.

[@deadpan904]

I thought same thing

[@abbyalphonse499]

The shop probably opens at 1pm

[@hgjfkd12345]

I think the implication is that it's a self deprecating joke about British being rude and never saying good morning

[@ethanlivemere1162]

@@hgjfkd12345 Like that "Northener terrifies Londoners by saying hello" video?

[@theodorepinnock1517]

@@hgjfkd12345 What? The British stereotype is that we're polite and formal to the point of stuck-upishness. The only people stereotypically more polite than us are the Canadians!

[@JonnyCooper]

" Let me ask a different question in the same way" - a wonderfully ridiculous phrase...

[@jonathantillian6528]

"Oh you are genuinely stupid. I do apologise." Words thought by every customer service person _ever._

[@aosagi79]

I have, when dealing with particularly annoying customers, used the line: "We do try to accommodate our customers, but not being a hotel, we find it almost impossible" repeatedly, and with malice-aforethought. Until i my Scottish supervisor overheard me doing it, almost busted a gut suppressing his laughter, and then told me to never do that again. After which I referred to him as Mr Dalliard, and he menacingly dubbed me Arnold. In retail, you get your laughs in where you can.

[@baronmeduse]

These days it's thought more about the customer 'service' person.

[@oz_jones]

@@aosagi79 Your boss seems like a lad. I hope he's not in rude health.

[@RaynmanPlays]

Are you sure you want to use this sketch as an allegory? Because... yeah. Stupid people generally think that about people smarter than they are.

[@Skulduggery_G]

"Mr. Dalliard, I've gone peculiar now!" Is perhaps my favourite line in the whole skit.

[@iggysixx]

"..when your son turns out to be one of those 'drug jockeys' we're always reading about on television.." is a nice one too. So many hidden sillyness in this one :') Wednesday. "yes.. When's the day..?"

[@NGorso1]

@@iggysixx Mr. Daliard warned him unbenddedly

[@MySisterIsASlytherin]

“We do try to accommodate our customers, but not being a hotel we find it almost impossible.”

[@thepayne7862]

Just reading that line makes me laugh.

[@agentul009]

That's genius. 😂

[@theplasmawolf]

Fantastic acting by the actor playing mister Dalliard. Too bad he wasn't credited ;)

[@kristianfischer9814]

That was Derek Jacobi.

[@Gongasoso]

The lady rubbing it into Hugh's face with salt was credited tho.

[@misterjder1.831]

Rumors say it was Patrick Stewart himself

[@peteandurnot]

He was having a plate of water

[@agamjaini]

It was Drax, the destroyer. He was so incredibly still that you couldn't see him

[@Elvisbackpack]

I think I've watched this a hundred times and this is the first I've actually caught the line where Stephen says he and Mr. Dalliard were reading about people on television.

[@B4rberblacksheep]

TELETEXT used to be very commonplace

[@INeedANewHandle]

@@B4rberblacksheep That's besides the point, fry used antithesis and oximorons liberally

[@krazykat1977]

Mr Dalliard, I've gone peculiar now! 🤣🤣🤣

[@shanecommins7968]

The line about Comrade Milensky standing slightly to the left is such a silly little joke and i love it

[@dorayantz3649]

"A model aeroplane of water?" 😂😂🤣

[@AdilMalik6keys]

Easily one of the best comedic shorts ever made. Stephen is brilliant with the non stop delivery. Such talent

[@willy_b_coyote]

0:21 The way Laurie breaks the fourth wall here is perfect!

[@adventureswithaurora]

YES-and he does it again at 2:42! 🤣

[@Paulthefonz]

He seems so concerned when he confirms “a model airplane of water”

[@timwalker-taylor6010]

Shame you cut the ending, when Steven Fry looks at the camera quizzically and says “Strange man!”

[@stevetobin7495]

They seem to cut the ending off many of them

[@wheedler]

That would've been a great punchline.

[@amiqai]

*Legend has it that Mr. Dalliard is still walking towards Fry.*

[@FoxtrotBravo101]

The way Hugh slowly turns around when Stephen points at the imaginary woman in the corner gets me every time 😂😂😂

[@PurtyPurple]

Mr. Dalliard, I've gone peculiar now!

[@adventureswithaurora]

I died with laughter when Hugh looked directly into the camera at 2:42 like he was asking us, "Can you believe this guy?" LOL!

[@Abiwg1910]

I’ve decided to name my pet in the future Dalliard because of this sketch, would name a child but they wouldn’t sell me the one at the pet shop

[@johanngamblepotty7445]

Did you ask for locusts? They are equivalent after all

[@Fofo-sr2xu]

All they offered me is a dead parrot.

[@cassieosbourne7666]

“Mr Dalliard, I’ve gone peculiar now” 😂😂😂

[@friendgray1]

I always laugh when I read this sketch on the television

[@valentinabucibattorti9813]

You've gone peculiar, now

[@Bellpipe41]

Please post a different comment in the same way.

[@Nosregni]

Last time I was this early , Comrade Stalin was still in rude health

[@danielholoweckyj9098]

Same. Incidentally, I wonder how he is now?

[@danielholoweckyj9098]

@Krukov Von Königsberg No!

[@Mezzy..]

3:28 I like how he just kept that under the counter 🤣🤣

[@42kellys]

I was screaming with delight and laughter at this one! The steady steam of misunderstandings peppered with insults in a very good English is just hysterical to listen to,

[@KaiserAfini]

I think Mr Dalliard's acting is top notch, a veritable tribute to silent cinema, his performance is so subtle that you wouldn't be blamed for believing there was no one there.

[@adventureswithaurora]

🤣🤣🤣

[@adventureswithaurora]

This feels like an extension of the "Comrade Bingo" episode from _Jeeves and Wooster_ (also with Fry and Laurie). LOL!

[@BOABModels]

I can't wait for model shops to open again so I can have interactions like this.

[@rishivachaspathyastakala866]

I feel like they only gave Stephen a character whereas Hugh will just be himself

[@musettemusic8261]

Whereas themselves will transform untll they transfigure into eternity! 😀

[@vivaldi1ett]

They both wrote all the sketches, Hugh is better at acting the fool Or a drunk

[@cupguin]

It's comedy, Hugh Laurie is the straight man in this sketch. That's kinda standard...

[@OperaLily]

@@cupguin He's also the straight man in real life, but that's not related

[@HelmutNevermore]

Maybe Stephen didn't tell Hugh it was a sketch at all.

[@camk9825]

Every single second of this sketch is hilarious.

[@RikRiorik]

This sketch is so great it almost brings a joyful tear to my eye.

[@hanscombe72]

If I could spend my life working in an old school hobby shop like this one it would be a life not wasted.

[@heliopolis]

It’s the sheer insanity of it I love so much. A lots of Fry and Laurie just gets better and better with age.

[@vivaldi1ett]

I can’t listen to Mr Fry on QI for example without seeing him in these comedy shows, he has a fantastic precise voice

[@lenoreandreas4000]

I can’t help but wonder how much of this was improvised. Stephen Fry is such a crazy genius. ❤

[@EliasH-video]

One of the best-written shows of all time. Absolutely razor sharp

[@lll-bm1cp]

Nearly every line in this is quotable, i love it

[@thepayne7862]

Just something about the way he says mr. Dalliard gets me every time.

[@TheRewasder97]

Can't get enough of it, revisiting it almost daily xD

[@Guitarbarella]

LOVE HOW Stephen gets all Dadaesque

[@johanneshe6939]

Mr Dalliard! Command the earth the swallow me up!

[@avival66]

This is the best medicin for a covid19 lockdown...i live in Panamá waching this to cheer myself a little...wourdefilull 💌👌😃😄😀

[@AmyDroify]

"A model airplane full of water?!" 😂😂😂

[@krazykat1977]

A MODEL AEROPLANE OF WATER?!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@dorayantz3649]

krazykat1977 ikr 🤣🤣

[@ginvaas9229]

Now I wanna see Mr.Dalliard

[@KodeLiMe]

Man, I remember play Super Sonic Hedgehog Brothers when I was a kid.

[@Urlocallordandsavior]

Same.

[@Jaxymann]

You know this is from the 90s from the use of "Supersonic Hedgehog Brothers" as a reference 😂

[@jonathanbailey9075]

If you put this alongside Monty Python's Dead Parrot sketch I'd take this every time. This is my favourite sketch of theirs. Absolutely faultless in every aspect, both the writing and performances. A Bit of Fry and Laurie is underrated. It should be acknowledged for what is is, top, top sketch comedy by two extraordinary talents.

[@Unga_Bunga]

I imagine James May would be really intrigued by the modeling process described here.

[@ron234halt]

Watching this bit makes me truly understand why House's sense of humor was so scathingly brutal.

[@jessyg17]

I don't know why, but I am quite sure that Mr. Dalliard is a rather large old tom cat. And that he is indeed crouched over a rifle.

[@nickgreen4731]

Wish I'd named my cat Mr Dalliard now.

[@nasekiller]

this customer must be a very talented anti-espionage officer indeed, figuring out the secret activation phrase on first try.

[@andrewcooper8155]

Now I have to work "ready-sliced golf shots" into my daily conversations.

[@Sarah-ev1gj]

"Gosh, that Italian family at the next table sure seems quiet"

[@goweresque]

This sketch was broadcast in 1995 (in Series 4) and presumably thus written at some point after 1992 (when Series 3 was broadcast). Thus when Stephen says early on that it is '27 summers' since he had his instructions from Comrade Malenski, that takes us back to 1965 at the earliest. Yet he also asks 'How is Comrade Stalin?' indicating he'd been undercover since a time when Stalin was alive, which means pre 1953, when Stalin died. Thus anyone alive in 1965, even in the USSR would have well known that Stalin was dead, indeed Khrushchev who succeeded Stalin as leader had already been replaced himself, by Brezhnev in 1964. Odd for Stephen to not have picked up on the discrepancy, given his huge range of general knowledge!

[@aristidetwain9117]

I think the line is intentionally absurd - and, perhaps, meant to be a hint that the model salesman is in fact just plain mad and never actually met any Malenski. After all, it's pretty clear Mr Dalliard is only a figment of his imagination, too…

[@Veyron722skyhook]

@@aristidetwain9117 I was gonna say myself, that's probably intentional that the dates don't line up.

[@krashd]

The salesman is clearly just off his rocker.

[@neiledwards5100]

For goodness sake it’s a comedy sketch and not meant to be taken seriously

[@enthusedtosing9655]

I've Never seen this with such good image quality, thanks, the BBC

[@mickeymcnaughton2555]

That very naughty Comrade (actually Colonel) Malenski. In his lighter moments I feel certain that he would have been known for playing a few mean pranks on people after a vodka binge! I bet that after getting back to Moscow he would often reflect on how many times the model shop proprietor might be going through those lines and the "activated" routine any time a potential customer walked in and greeted him with THAT phrase. The comrade probably spotted an easy mark from the get go after observing the proprietor regularly carrying on a conversation with the invisible Mr Dalliard :-)

[@6lu5ky86]

I'd want a tank... "A tank of water sir?!"

[@rd8586]

Is the point of the sketch that he acts crazy so he doesn't blow his cover as a sleeper agent, or is he just crazy?

[@martinhodge921]

The point of this sketch, sir, is splunge.

[@hankkingsley2976]

@@martinhodge921 I don't want a yes man and don't disagree!!!

[@ChestersonJack]

The first fry and Laurie sketch I ever saw. A good one

[@ryanellis4474]

Nothing short of genius

[@RossHall-UK]

The subtle break of the fourth wall was genius.

[@dangerousdave123451]

Its the ready sliced golf shots that always gets me :D

[@hughcaldwell1034]

I was unfamiliar with this (and most other) golf terminology until recently. Upon learning the term, I flashed instantly back to this sketch and had a good retro-active chuckle.

[@milad.nikzad]

2:51 “A model aeroplane of water?!”

[@andrewpepper3145]

😂

[@Eleanor-yc6bw]

A model?

[@Nosregni]

Yes.

[@muchocos]

a model?

[@dr_outcast9385]

A Model

[@pek5117]

With or without plastic struts?

[@andrewpepper3145]

A helpless seal pup called Arnold 😄

[@sibadityapal1493]

Mr. Dalliard, please pardon the pun.

[@TheMainManBD]

Imagine Rowan in the scene as a second customer just messing around.

[@bernicerogers2383]

It would start to feel like Blackadder :-D

[@smnoy23]

“A *model aeroplane* of water!?”

[@en1909s9iah]

wow what a crisp image!

[@MonitorMichael]

Mr Dalliard is the real hero.

[@johnking5174]

0:51 - and from the Auntie's Bloomers outtakes we now know that it took may takes for them to get this small part right, as Hugh continued to laugh and put off Stephen.

[@entropy616]

what if stephen murdured mr dalliard and keeping the shop open to avoid suspicions

[@rubberface1424]

Detonating relatives is all very well and sound, but flying to Dover? Simply shocking.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

I'll take 1 plate of water...just because it'd be an interesting sight to have it delivered

[@philpritchard1737]

A model aeroplane of water?! :D :D

[@mikegordey2163]

“A MODEL AIRPLANE OF WATER??”

[@philgreen5175]

Bloody classic lol. Xx

[@nooctip]

You'll notice Mr. Dalliard ignores all of this.

[@genericuser2339]

I just love the insanity of this sketch

[@Hascienda27]

I've just realised, i'm building the same version of Titanic that is in the background

[@Max-xr8su]

Anyone watching this while in lockdown?

[@JesusKrispies]

Anyone watching this while their eyes are open?

[@tomp6911]

Yes, and it is still perfect :)

[@AUSSIETAIPAN]

I think mr Dalliard and the Stig from Top Gear are the same person.

[@TheAlixour]

You remembered you remembered! Good Morning!

[@Jakegothicsnake]

Mr. Dalliard is Stephen Fry’s imaginary friend/lover.

[@msul78]

A model aero plane of water?!!

[@valentinabucibattorti9813]

4:16

[@aengberg1]

So, so good.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

Super Sonic Hedgehog Brothers is my favourite game.

[@tumbles8350]

"we would love to accommodate our customers but we aren't a hotel" I need to use that at work

[@f308gtb1977]

So ridiculous it’s genius.

[@xtraspecialmango]

Their finest moment together.

[@lunsj]

When I make a faux pas I'm genuinely going to start looking over my shoulder and say to no one "Mr. Dalliard! Command the earth to swallow me up!"

[@TheArcher101]

I wonder how many seal pups are called Arnold

[@CoRLex-jh5vx]

I fully believe this is a daily occurrence

[@inthegrass11]

I can't decide if it's funnier if Mr Dalliard is real or imaginary

[@josephinebennington7247]

Hugh’s looks to camera suggest there may have been much less prepared script, and a lot of unexpected spontaneous notions from Stephen. Which he had to handle without warning.

[@jirdan4870]

Relevant.

[@chazchequer9862]

I like how he checks whether or not the dude knows about planes and plastic struts or not 🧐💥

[@bentullett6068]

Must remember to be careful when going into a model shop now