Re: The Laurie/Fry conlang sketch

Tim May wrote at 2005-03-17 18:56:57 (+0000)
 > Sally Caves wrote at 2005-03-17 12:37:19 (-0500)
 >  > ----- Original Message -----
 >  > From: "Jonathan Knibb" <j_knibb@...>
 >  >
 >  > > Joe> I wouldn't say that's so much a feature of newbie conlanging as
 >  > > comedy
 >  > > conlanging.
 >  > >
 >  > > On which subject I can't help mentioning the sketch by Stephen
 >  > > Fry and Hugh Laurie, which IIRC (and it was a long time ago)
 >  > > involved Fry acting as interpreter for Laurie, the latter
 >  > > speaking English and the former translating into a comedy
 >  > > conlang.  Each of Fry's lines was slightly longer than the
 >  > > previous one, until eventually Laurie gave an enormous chunk
 >  > > of text which Fry translated by a single syllable.  Anybody
 >  > > else remember this?
 >  >
 >  > No, but I'd *love* to know where you got this.  I'm a Hugh
 >  > Laurie fan, but I don't know this sketch.  Was it on Jeeves and
 >  > Wooster?  No, probably not.  On a Saturday Night live?  A Bit of
 >  > Fry and Laurie?  Fry spontaneously inventing a conlang would be
 >  > hilarious to watch.
 >  >
 >
 > I remember this sketch clearly.  I've been unable to find a
 > transcript (or any other reference) online, but it was almost
 > certainly on A Bit of Fry and Laurie (it was an independant sketch,
 > which rules out Jeeves and Wooster, and I wouldn't have seen
 > Saturday Night Live.
 >
 > It's associated in my mind with a couple of TV miniseries which
 > seem to have out in 1990-91, so it must have broadcast in the UK at
 > some time in the early nineties.  Hope that helps.

Aha!  I managed to find a copy of the script online.

http://www.geocities.com/mmemym/bits3/fal0132.htm

From the third series, in 1992, it looks like.
http://www.geocities.com/mmemym/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/b/bitoffryandlauri_7770745.shtml

Of course, the performance was funnier than the script alone.

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