Stephen Fry in The New Statesman (clips)

The New Statesman (1989), s2e4, "The Haltemprice Bunker"

[@JayKhwaja]

Rik will always be a source of smile and laugh those who will cherish his memory for many years to come, he'll be missed!

[@PurushaDesa]

"Why?! Because we're very, very rich! That's why." May be my favourite 80s comedy quote!

[@24-karat-plonker]

Stephan's laugh and Rik's brilliance has made me laugh harder than I have in a long time.

[@Unsung_Earth]

Baaaaaaaaaah

[@BenFleury]

0:27 to 0:40 you can't beat that laugh Stephen Fry does 😂

[@amysmileyreid95]

The level of comedic genius in this one scene is absolutely off the scale

[@Sou1defiler]

"Good God you're ugly!!". Only Stephen Fry could deliver that line with the complete pathos only the likes of Gielgud or Olivier could deliver.

[@Puppy-ew4be]

Doubtful seeing as he nicked that very line from Basil Fawlty.

[@amysmileyreid95]

@@Puppy-ew4bewhat Basil actually said to the fat nurse: “My God you’re ugly aren’t you?”

[@BenPrattJin]

EUH, EUH, EUH, EUH, EUH, EUH, EUH. EUH. EUH. EUH. EUH... EUH... EUH... ... *EUH*...

[@nichellesworld1360]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 That laugh sounds cringy, tho... 😳

[@azynkron]

I can think of no better scene to depict how the newly rich behaved like during the 80s being Thatcher's little Stormtroopers.

[@akshay_9146]

That's Lord Flash Heart !! The fuck!! The on-screen chemistry between Stephen Fry and Rik Mayall is fantastic!!

[@TonyMontana-fz4io]

The comedy talent in this scene is absolutely off the scale

[@agitate2]

get "bottom" and "blackadder" . my personal faves. Mayall stars in bottom and does guest appearances on blackadder 2,3, and 4

[@basedbattledroid3507]

"Don't you think that was rather rude, Piers?" "You're right, Piers, I'm sorry, Waiter!" "Sir?" "It seems I was rather rude to you, I'm sorry; I meant to be *_INDESCRIBABLY_* Rude."

[@brianhaygood183]

And here I was not expecting Hugh Laurie to show up.

[@666gertrude]

British comedy at its bes.

[@mddistribution30]

I remember when this was first broadcast on a Sunday evening in early 89.

[@Huly241072]

Wow he must be rich, he chops lines of coke with a silver knife and then chucks it onto Piers’ lap. The 80s truly was an era of excess😂

[@peterohanraha-hanrahan3022]

2:12 gets me every time

[@chattycathydoll]

Yes but you broke the news Peter and that's unforgivable.

[@Delixe]

Fantastic! More New Statesman please!

[@trinityj1]

@vaudevilleUK He's Patrick Troughton's son.

[@atklm1]

Gosh! He threw away a shitload of coke with the tablecloth to the Fletcher-Dervish's lap! I wish I was that rich...

[@Syklonus]

It's satirising how all Tory politicians are super rich toffs who can afford to waste that much money, and how they see anyone with less wealth than them as inferior human beings. Sadly, it's very accurate to the truth.

[@edsilvester]

Dominic Raab’s training video?

[@markthompson1819]

At the time it was considered to be a caricature of Michael Portillo.

[@brettgreene1476]

Its a shame that they can't re-do this scene anymore....

[@jamsheadaziz3999]

What a classic line up of British comedy. At least Mr. Laurie doesn't talk in a ridiculous yank accent. 😁😁

[@markthompson1819]

I believe that his ridiculous yank accent is so good that inordinate Americans were shocked to find out he wasn't one of them.

[@ADyingFaith]

I cant believe i was only 1 years old when this aired. So many of my fave actors are all old now.

[@henrypang4734]

Wonderful script! So nasty and funny!

[@moribundman]

Piers Fletcher Dervish reminds me of someone... I'm sure he's been on the TV recently...

[@fantasticdesert]

Stephen Fry makes it

[@CCUStories]

Where there is fry there is always laurie

[@ADyingFaith]

He plays mad gerald in series one as well.

[@peterohanraha-hanrahan3022]

Waiter! Waiter, it seems I was rude to you. I'm so sorry, I meant to be indescribably rude.

[@iBeep2009]

bring it back now!

[@Darkstar263]

"Santiago High Income Trust" "S.H.I.T?"

[@annakowalkowski4046]

The Mussolini gets me every Time already

[@pentuprager6225]

Hugh Laurie is the saluting waiter.

[@KyleDB150]

I recognise that laugh >.< 1:12

[@noiselesspatient]

Before I have you shot for being rude to a lady...

[@nabbuko_tv]

Prohetic. Who wolud thoght... Laughing in the 80, nodding in silence in 2020...

[@radarlove8893]

Yes Piers you should tell Maggie post haste lol!!!!

[@ramsackdude]

is that waiter the same guy who plays house from House House M.D.

[@bigludo22]

Its hugh Laurie. and yes he did play Greg House. This is from before he was in dramas and was part of one of the greatest comic duos in comic history Fry & Laurie (with stephen fry)

[@nabbuko_tv]

Nah, not possible. People do not live that long.

[@brs31077]

What is depressing about it? The fact people like this exist is depressing but the fact that people see them as vile and satire them is a cause for optimism. It is a parody of all bent politicians, not just Torys (they were just the 'bad guys' at the time, if it this was first made in the 90s B'stard would have been New Labour, as he was in the specials) What I find depressing is that vile creatures like Jade Goody and Jordon are being held up as role models for young people, that is horryfing!

[@Syklonus]

Mate, the Tories have ALWAYS been the bad guys. Every time they are in power the poor and vulnerable in society suffer, and it's deliberate.

[@amnril]

Ah the 80’s, The rise of the Yuppie. Working in London briefly at the time was an eye opener, champagne bars and Ferrari’s. Sadly I was only an observer however working along side these rich numpties is something I’ll never forget as many of them were just at the right place at the right time, no talent required. Still, without them and that whole era we wouldn’t of gotten this brilliant comedy gold.

[@agitate2]

ah of course he does. well remembered. "..thats a word i havent heard in a long time"

[@Paddington_Clifford]

Your pet 😂

[@vincebrannon3353]

Mussolini pics in the background 🤣

[@vaudevillian7]

@trinityj1 Indeedy, I was being sarcastic with that last one :)

[@NxDoyle]

It's odd that you have S Fryl in yr header and not H Laurie.

[@peterbrown6224]

Nobody knows Hugh Laurie. He's not famous.

[@87654321j]

I wonder if modern Torries are like this you know Johnson's stormtroopers 😂

[@g13flat]

@ 4:10 Was that a slip of the tongue or was it in the script I wonder?

[@Syklonus]

Could be either, but given the people that it's portraying (Tories) it's possible that it was scripted, as they don't give a shit about anyone or anything other than themselves, so not bothering to get someone's name right would be on point.

[@t8283287]

@@Syklonus what an absolute tosspot you are...why don't you piss off back to the guardian online?

[@Kris.G]

It's scripted. It shows how little these characters care about personal things, like names, as opposed to money.

[@danny88101]

2:24, Fry is SO evil.

[@nichellesworld1360]

TOTALLY... 😳😳😳😥🤭😂😂

[@vaudevillian7]

@moribundman He reminds me of Jimeoin for some reason lol. And Patrick Troughton for some reason :P

[@tonypap1]

Well the restaurant is called "Mussolinis" ??

[@prodigalson56]

LOL

[@azapro911]

3:13 - 3:23 xD

[@brs31077]

It's like the old Alf Garnet hoohaa. People failed to realise he was meant to be a pathetic, bigotted figure of derision, not a hero to be emulated. B'stard is the same; he is meant to be unlikeable, hilarioulsy so IMO. And don't forget, at the time, Tories were the only game in town. Labour had royally screwed the country up and the Cons were in an unasailable position polictially, as Labour running the show again was not an option! Very brave to produce this show at a time like that!

[@welshgirllouise1695]

😂

[@RogerBarraud]

Dunno, but he sure made a B'stard of himself in Hanmer... as well as at The Ministry... and on camera... and ...

[@bitTorrenter]

Santiago High Income Trust. So cliche!

[@leehardman4607]

The tories today.

[@davidsimm805]

Stephen fry sack him lol

[@pamelabibby8642]

alan is disabled

[@felicity4711]

I had to watch this again to see if it was still as depressing as it was when I first saw it in 1994. It was so depressing back then that I had to stop watching /The New Statesman/ altogether. It's still very depressing. I guess I can rationalize it now as being a parody of horrible conservatives, and therefore not as scary as when I was suspending disbelief and imagining how horrible it would be if this was happening.

[@salwaaj1356]

Horrible