# Fry & Laurie as Wooster and Jeeves - worth watching? worth buying? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2006, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623 "2006-11-16T02:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/61 "2006-11-17T18:50:51Z")
[QUOTE=Nutty Bunny] That makes their appearance in **The Young Ones** episode, titled “Bambi”, in which they are the opposing school (Footlights College) in the University Challenge against Scumbag College. Hugh Laurie played Lord Monty, Stephen Fry played Lord Snot and someone will have to help me with Emma Thompson’s character. I haven’t seen it in a while. [/QUOTE] And, of course, Stephen Fry had made a “proper” appearance on University Challenge when he was an undergraduate. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/62 "2006-11-17T19:12:19Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] And, of course, Stephen Fry had made a “proper” appearance on University Challenge when he was an undergraduate. [/QUOTE] I like Fry, makes me laugh. Did you know he spent some time in prison, and that he was the first person in Britain to buy an Apple Mac (the second being Douglas Adams)\*? - This last may not be entirely true. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/63 "2006-11-17T19:20:09Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] I like Fry, makes me laugh. Did you know he spent some time in prison, and that he was the first person in Britain to buy an Apple Mac (the second being Douglas Adams)\*? - This last may not be entirely true. [/QUOTE] I recommend Fry’s autobiography ( _Moab Is My Washpot_) which is both funny and sad. His time in prison was after he stole a credit card from a girl-friend’s father and went on a spending spree. He was about 18 at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/64 "2006-11-17T19:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] I recommend Fry’s autobiography ( _Moab Is My Washpot_) which is both funny and sad. His time in prison was after he stole a credit card from a girl-friend’s father and went on a spending spree. He was about 18 at the time. [/QUOTE] I haven’t read it yet, but I will. His novels are pretty variable in quality, but there’s usually something worthwhile in there. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/65 "2006-11-17T20:14:26Z")
Hugh Laurie’s novel, _The Gun Seller_ is also well worth a read: it’s a comic thriller which reads as if Douglas Adams wrote Frederick Forsyth. And, for Hugh Laurie completists, check out the Annie Lennox video for “Walking On Broken Glass”, which Laurie simply steals. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/66 "2006-11-17T20:28:03Z")
You can also go to YouTube and see some of their old skits. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/67 "2006-11-17T20:35:24Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] I haven’t read it yet, but I will. His novels are pretty variable in quality, but there’s usually something worthwhile in there. [/QUOTE] I really enjoyed them all. I think _Making History_ was the best - a really creative idea for a story! His auto-biography made me feel funny. What an awkward existence he’s led. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/68 "2006-11-17T20:50:16Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] I really enjoyed them all. I think _Making History_ was the best - a really creative idea for a story! His auto-biography made me feel funny. What an awkward existence he’s led. [/QUOTE] Recently Fry has appeared in a [documentary on BBC TV](http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tv_and_radio/secretlife_documentary.shtml) about the Bipolar Disorder he suffers from. He has violent mood swings. Sometimes he suffers from deep depression , other times he is literally manic. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/69 "2006-11-17T22:11:25Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] Recently Fry has appeared in a [documentary on BBC TV](http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tv_and_radio/secretlife_documentary.shtml) about the Bipolar Disorder he suffers from. He has violent mood swings. Sometimes he suffers from deep depression , other times he is literally manic. [/QUOTE] Yeah I just watched that. I’m a Fry-aholic. Luckilly I think he’s the busiest man in British show business - there’s rarely a lack of Fry to be found 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/70 "2006-11-17T22:20:20Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] And, for Hugh Laurie completists, check out the Annie Lennox video for “Walking On Broken Glass”, which Laurie simply steals. [/QUOTE] [Walking On Broken Glass](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5vEm70CEy0), courtesy of YouTube. See John Malkovich get utterly upstaged… ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/71 "2006-11-17T22:39:04Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Yeah I just watched that. I’m a Fry-aholic. Luckilly I think he’s the busiest man in British show business - there’s rarely a lack of Fry to be found 😉 [/QUOTE] Just checking that you’ve been watching QI? ---
**Author:** ![luvtinayothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@luvtinayothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luvtinayothers)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/72 "2006-11-18T02:32:31Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] I recommend Fry’s autobiography ( _Moab Is My Washpot_) which is both funny and sad. His time in prison was after he stole a credit card from a girl-friend’s father and went on a spending spree. He was about 18 at the time. [/QUOTE] Stephen Fry had a _girlfriend_ ?? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/73 "2006-11-18T02:41:35Z")
Well, you know, everybody experiments when they’re young. 😃 I’ll second the endorsement for _Moab Is My Washpot._\* Very quirky, entertaining, and sad in its way. I had not a few flashbacks myself while I was reading it. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/74 "2006-11-18T07:28:18Z")
[QUOTE=luvtinayothers] Stephen Fry had a _girlfriend_ ?? [/QUOTE] It was a platonic relationship . He was only a teenager and still unsure about his sexuality. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/75 "2006-11-19T17:01:07Z")
We just watched the first two episodes of the _Wodehouse Playhouse_ (courtesy of Netflix) last night. The laugh track was a bit annoying, but the shows were OK. One was a Mulliner story, and the other I was not familiar with, but we enjoyed them. The real treat was the video introduction to each by Plum himself. This was in 1975, the year he died. Looking forward to watching the rest. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/76 "2006-11-20T00:59:26Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] Just checking that you’ve been watching QI? [/QUOTE] _BUZZERS_ Oh I’m sorry, “Have you seen QI?” is the most expected answer to “I’m a Fry-aholic” 😉 (yeah that show is the bees knees. turned me on to Alan Davies, too!) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/77 "2006-11-20T01:45:11Z")
Tho my b-day isn’t til tomorrow, my family gave me presents today. Guess what I got? That’s right. They were cracking up, because apparently last week I came home and said some folks on line were talking about how good these shows were, and they had just got back from buying them for me. Gonna sign off and watch me a couple eps. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/78 "2006-11-20T01:52:41Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] _BUZZERS_ Oh I’m sorry, “Have you seen QI?” is the most expected answer to “I’m a Fry-aholic” 😉 (yeah that show is the bees knees. turned me on to Alan Davies, too!) [/QUOTE] Just wanted to make sure in the cause of international Fry-dom! ---
**Author:** ![Dinaroozie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Dinaroozie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinaroozie)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/79 "2006-11-20T01:53:16Z")
A bit late to the party, but I’ll just add my voice to those saying that Jeeves and Wooster is most excellent. Personally, my favourite part was watching Hugh Laurie trying to spread treacle on a piece of brown paper that kept rolling up every time he stopped holding it down. That probably makes no sense; you really have to see it. Personally, I found Hugh Laurie to be the perfect Wooster, because I’d seen him in Blackadder (third and fourth). Stephen Fry was slightly less appropriate to my mind because I’d also most recently seen him in Blackadder. Turns out he’s pretty great in Jeeves and Wooster too, though. Anyway it’s pretty clear that the consensus is that the show is great. Just felt the need to add my two cents. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623/80 "2006-11-20T04:25:28Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] > [@luvtinayothers](#): > > Stephen Fry had a girlfriend ?? It was a platonic relationship . He was only a teenager and still unsure about his sexuality. [/QUOTE] If I remember correctly from his autobiography, it was a consumated relationship. He said it left him emotionally unsatisfied, “but my loins welcomed the exercise.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-laurie-as-wooster-and-jeeves-worth-watching-worth-buying/380623.md?page=5)