And that is your opinion that you are entitled to but that doesn't stop me from thinking the season has been brilliant so far

And as I said earlier, I am not a fan of season six of Lost but I did like the finale, at least the last scene. I loved how they tied it up to the pilot and the very first scene, I thought that was beautiful. But yeah, season six went all batshit insane and, dare I say it, boring.

Don't want to get into a huge Lost conversation again, but what was it about it you hated? Did you hate season six as a whole or were you liking it until the finale?

I had no idea who Orson Scott Card was until you said that and I looked him up. What a sad, vile, putrid human being he is.

Ok, that's the last time I make a joke.

Ah, you gotta love the fact that Nerdist has a partnership with the Henson company

Like I say, I like to look at it, it can be really pretty

I'm glad I don't watch live TV, I heard that it's practically wall-to-wall coverage at the moment.

As this is my thread I am saying 'no more MLP photos or gifs', please.........

I got two gifs! Yay!

I am doing some right now,  just so you don't think I'm slacking. I am using Blu Rays so they synch up to R1 dvds

I'm Scottish, we don't read books. We created the phone, the TV and Penicillin, we don't need to read. We smart.

On a more serious note, I am hopefully getting a Tablet for my Chrimbo, so knowing me I'll probably start reading books on that rather than read actual books. When I was a kid, I read most of Roald Dahl's books and The Twits was my favourite book growing up. I read it and probably George's Marvellous Medicine the most. I enjoyed the frankness and the downright cruelty in Dahl's books, he never softened thing or spoke down to kids. Oh and if you have never seen/heard Rik Mayall read George's Marvellous Medicine on the BBC's kid's show Jackanory, you've never lived-

Hale and Pace
As time went on, it became apparent that the days of family friendly sketch shows were a dying breed. The 80s certainly pushed the envelope on what performers were putting into their shows like Alas Smith and Jones featuring sketches with topless women in them. As the decade went on, this ‘anything goes’ policy encompassed most of comedy with traditional sitcoms becoming the butt of jokes and new edgier ones fighting to take their place. But this isn’t about edgy sitcoms with swearing and violence in them, it’s about edgy sketch shows…. with swearing and violence in them. Former teachers Gareth Hale (the one with the moustache) and Norman Pace (the one with no moustache) had been on the comedy circuit for years before getting their own ITV show in 1988. Indeed they, like many other comedians, appeared in an episode of The Young Ones in 1984. Their show ran for ten years and was one of the most popular shows on a Sunday night on ITV and from the very first episode, they established just what kind of comedians they were going to be…..

The now infamous ‘microwave cat’ sketch got many complaints when it closed their first ever episode but rather than damage their chances at stardom, it actually helped. Millions tuned in every week to see just how far they would go and the sketch was not the first time they were cruel to animals. Another involved a town in England using tortoises for sports such as skeet shooting and tortoise conkers. The pair went even further however in their second series where they had the same set up as the cat microwave sketch but instead of a feline, Norman held a baby in his arms. Gareth flipped a coin to seal the child's fate and the baby responds in kind by puking on Norman’s arm in a moment of unplanned brilliance. Their sketches were always controversial and always prompted complaints from viewers who complained that their material was perverse and often almost ‘pornographic’ (indeed, one sketch involved the pair sitting naked with a topless woman as they all dubbed a porn film). The show featured some regular characters such as two bouncers both called Ron and the Billy and Johnny sketches which parodied children’s TV-

As well as the complaints from viewers, the pair also got slack from their peers. Producer (but not of Hale and Pace) and critic Victor Lewis Smith described them as the only known double act with two straight men. This description may seem a bit cruel, essentially saying neither man is funny, but it is an opinion that was held by many critics and comedians at the time. So, who was watching the show, then? Who was giving the duo their not to be sniffed at ratings? The answer is basically the same when asked who was watching The Young Ones at the start of the 80s- kids. The fact is, there were a lot of youngsters staying up late on a school night or sneaking their TV on when their parents didn’t know to watch the crudeness to talk about it in the playground the next day. I know, because, I was one of them. The humour of Hale and Pace seemed to appeal to a young audience more than say, Fry and Laurie because Gareth and Norm weren’t clever and their humour wasn’t too smart and wordy. A slightly back-handed compliment, sure, but a fitting one nonetheless. Parody of horror films time!

Their show ended in 1998, after ten years and thousands of complaints later. Their material started to become stale and they started to lose viewers. Apparently their usual viewers grew up and moved on to other shows. The 90s was ushering in new acts and a new style of comedy. Shows like The Fast Show and acts like Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer were who the kids were talking about now. While they were once seen as ‘edgy’ and ‘new’ now Hale and Pace were seen as being ‘old hat’. People wanted surrealism (Vic and Bob) and satire (The Day Today) not exploding tortoises and microwaved cats. After the end of their sketch show, Hale and Pace more or less faded into obscurity on the comedy front, instead focusing on more reality based TV. Later on, the pair went into acting with Gareth starring in daily UK soap opera Family Affairs for two years and Norman taking to the stage in productions such as Chicago. They have now tried a comeback, touring venues with their act but have yet to make it into television again. I have mixed feelings about that to be honest, I did enjoy their show at the time but probably mainly because it felt as though I shouldn’t have been watching it. I do think their comedy is of its time and maybe should be left buried there....

Next up: We jump to the end of the 90s with a pair whose sketch show spanned three different TV channels…..

And. Here. We…..Go…….

Fry and Laurie
Trying to decide where to go next with this thread, I had two choices, either go with a duo whose sketch show started in 1988 or a pair, whose show started in 1989…….but the pilot aired in 1987.  So, guess who won? Stephen Fry met Hugh Laurie at university in the late 70s. They were introduced by Emma Thompson who thought the men had a similar sense of humour. They appeared together in various shows such as sketch show Alfresco and sitcoms Happy Families, Blackadder and an episode of The Young Ones. In 1987, they got the chance to have their own sketch show on the BBC which they called A Bit Of Fry And Laurie. Given Fry’s clever wordplay and Laurie’s musical talent, the pair were often compared to Peter Cook and Dudley Moore although you wouldn’t be far off also saying The Two Ronnies. As evidenced with this sketch on language-

Each series worked with a very loose structure although some parts remained consistent throughout its run. Chief among these was Python-que spoof vox pops in which the pair would appear (often in drag) on the streets giving their opinions on an unheard subject.  Another major aspect of the show was the pair’s apparent inability to end some sketches. Many would conclude with one of them breaking the fourth wall to address the audience, thus abruptly ending the sketch. The series was never afraid to tackle topical issues including an infamous sketch parody of It’s A Wonderful Life which showed what life would be like if Rupert Murdoch never existed. Episodes would also feature a musical number or two the main ones being Hugh Laurie at a piano singing either an original comedy composition or of a well-known song sung in a comedic way. Quite possibly the most famous song written by Hugh Laurie, one he still performs today, is ‘Mystery’ a love song that gets more ridiculous as it goes-

Like most double acts, Stephen and Hugh continued to work outside of their sketch show both together and apart. Their most famous project together was for ITV and was adaptations of the Jeeves and Wooster books by P.G Wodehouse. Laurie played Bertie Wooster, a posh little rich boy who was never the sharpest tool in the shed and Fry played Wooster, his much smarter butler.  It was safe family friendly Sunday evening entertainment and proved to be very popular for four series. Jeeves and Wooster was seen as somewhat of a departure for the duo but it was proof that they wanted to move away from sketch comedy and actually act. Also, during the time of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, the pair reunited with their friend Emma Thompson when they all appeared together in Peter’s Friends directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film didn’t do well at the box office but was critically well received and was nick-named ‘the British The Big Chill’, a comparison that is not entirely unfounded. Unrelated sketch time!

A Bit of Fry and Laurie ended in 1995 and it was round about then that the duo went their separate ways, in a professional sense anyway. They made the odd appearance together but by the turn of the 21st century, they were well and truly apart. Hugh tried his hand at making a career for himself in America, appearing in the Stuart Little films and guest appearances on TV shows such as Friends. It was in 2004, though that Laurie became internationally famous by starring as Dr Gregory House for 8 seasons of a medical show imaginatively titled- House. The year A Bit Of Fry And Laurie ended was one of drama for Stephen Fry as it was around the same time that he suffered a nervous breakdown. While appearing on stage with Rik Mayall in the play Cell Mates, Fry walked out during a live performance and disappeared for days. Fearing for his well-being, many news reports were aired pleading for his safe return. He was found safe and well but it transpired that he was suffering from a form of Bipolar Disorder. While Hugh left for America, Stephen mostly stayed in the UK, garnering praise for his documentary work and as the presenter on popular BBC show QI (from 2003), which he still hosts today. He also embraces technology and has proven to be very popular on Twitter and has been hailed as a national treasure. In 2012, it was announced by Fry that he will be re-teaming with Laurie to voice characters for animated adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost. The project is one dear to Fry's heart, being a lifelong fan of Wilde's work...he even played him in a movie once....

I love Fry and Laurie, I really do. I first became aware of them in their guest appearance on The Young Ones but it was not until their work on Blackadder II and performing sketches on Channel 4's Saturday Live that I started to take notice. Not to take anything away from Hugh Laurie, but Stephen Fry is awesome. Such a likeable, huggable man who is usually much smarter than anyone else in the room. I highly recommend you check out his documentaries, especially his one of depression, it's a great if slightly uncomfortable watch, but that is the point. Anyway, that's enough from me, soupy twist!

Next up: One that is not for animal lovers......or for those of a nervous disposition in general, really......