Re: The Laurie/Fry conlang sketch

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.

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