“You’re a screaming Bertie and you pong!”

A Bit of Fry and Laurie is coming out on DVD. Fantastic news.

It was the first show my family went collectively nuts over (okay, we all were pretty keen on EastEnders at the start, and we wouldn’t miss Dynasty back in the day) and one that still retains its spark even now. Sketch-show comedy of the non-catchphrase variety, aside from a few side-swipes at Thatch and enterprise culture, most of the topics it dealt with were pretty timeless.

Of course, as each series arrived it got progressively worse, culminating in the unwatchable fourth season (and see here for some quotes on that), with Peter’s Friends-rank guest stars lurking around Hugh’s piano.

Nevertheless, at its peak it remains the finest comedy ever seen on British TV. Fact.