A Bit of Fry and Laury
A Bit of Fry and Laury
A Bit of Fry and Laury
Hello, Father.
Oh, damn this drawer! I just don't seem to be able to open it.
I wonder, would you mind? Yes! Yes, it's true! Every word is true! I tried to fight it, but I knew it was useless.
It's true! Father? Timothy, it's time you knew who you were.
Sit.
Sit down.
Twenty-five years ago, the doctors told your mother and me that it would be impossible for us ever to have children.
I see.
- And you chose me? - After a great deal of shopping around, yes.
From a new edge-of-town orphanage that had opened just outside Royston.
Well, did they tell you who my real parents were? Please, Timothy, let me tell this in my own way, in my own time, in
my own clothes.
He took out a small multi-bladed knife, and he placed it in this drawer, the drawer that you have just opened,
Timothy.
He then closed the drawer and said that only the Chosen One would be able to open it.
Tomorrow is your 25th birthday, and you must leave us to go in search of Pewnack the Destroyer, the Dark One, the
Beast.
- Golly.
- When the fourth moon of Trollack rises above the Cylinder of Eyelass then Pewnack will strike.
His kingdom shall be numberless and darkness will blight the land.
All men will be slaves and the time of weeping will begin.
And only Berwhale the Avenger can pierce the armour of the beast.
I knew it! It sounds funny, Father, but in my heart I knew there was something.
I realise now that I've been waiting for this moment all my life.
So where will I find this beast, this Pewnack the Destroyer? He lives far beyond in Saffron Walden.
If he knew that you were after him, he would set the minions of Threek on you.
And how will I know this Beast? Only Teece the Wise One can tell you.
- Teece? - Teece.
After six months, when you have been accepted by the Saffron Walden community, then Furlo Roth will call on you
and show you how you might find Teece and together set out on your quest to rid the worid of Pewnack forever!
Yes, yes it shall be done! Now, take Berwhale the Avenger, go upstairs and wash your hands for lunch.
Right.
Thank God.
Get that lazy little sod out of the house and earning his living.
Well, we had our first child on the NHS.
Can you believe it? I found young people are no longer enticed into the church on the promise of guitars and a little
folk music.
We've started showing leather and bondage films in St Barnaby's and the results have been very good.
Well, I looked over at my friend Suzy and her body was there but her head was right over there.
I think, in 50 years' time, people will be saying "Whatever happened to the traditional English McDonald's?" Eh? It's a
thought, isn't it? Eh? I mean, think about it.
It's a thought.
Sarah.
Damn! Sarah.
Would you like to tell us what it is that's upset you like this? No.
Right.
Sarah's too upset even to talk about what it is that's upset her.
Would it be all right if I told the viewers what it is that's upsetting you? No.
Right.
Right.
Well, you can see for yourselves that Sarah is immensely upset, so upset that she won't even let me tell you on her
behalf what it is that's upsetting her.
Right.
The thing is they're, um They're probably all a bit curious to know what it is that's upsetting you now and, you know,
if I I'd be letting them down if I didn't tell them something.
Okay, okay.
- Good.
Right.
Well, good.
Right.
Well, I think I think she's gone upstairs, so Basically, I can tell you that what happened was she was Hello, I wonder if
you can remember what you were doing at half past three on the 16th of August, 1977.
I remember exactly.
In those days you could never really call yourself educated unless you knew how to kill wasps.
Anyway, as I say, I was swatting away for these exams when I felt a sudden rush in my soul, a sense of something
incredibly beautiful and mysterious passing into me.
An extraordinary feeling, not unlike an evening with Cliff Michelmore but somehow more peaceful.
What could this feeling portend? Two hours later I discovered its meaning exactly.
For it was precisely at that time that Elvis Aaron Presley died.
I knew then that the soul of Elvis had passed into me.
But I am, of course, not the only person into whom Elvis, with his customary generosity, breathed his soul.
# Love me tender # Love me sweet # Never let me go # You have made my life complete #And I love you so # Love
me tender # Love me true #All my dreams fulfilled # Oh, my darling # I love you #And I always will # Behold.
So be it.
- Nay.
- Moo.
Meow.
All those who do have righteous business before these presents either make sign or say this court nay.
- Or moo.
- The charge.
- Cheap.
- Woof.
Be it known and appended in these, our records, that this chalice of Ultra Heat Treated milk, being appointed in the
wisdom of our Lord God to accompany the coffee of the most reverent and holy Bishop of Uffington, did fail to yield
up its juices, therefore most basely causing that holy and right goodly man to snag his fingernail against the tab, the
which is provided for the opening, thereof.
- Unto.
- Of it.
Slightly.
This snagging the devil having achieved, for it must right wise be known that the devil hath possessed this chalice -
Or pot.
The lid did open in an irritating little V shape and did most lewdly disgorge its opal fluids upon the chaste and seemly
waistcoat of our most godly bishop.
Thereat proving that the pot is a most wicked pot! - Or chalice.
- A most wicked and contumely pot or chalice wherein Satan doth play Jackalawkins.
This being said and neighed unto the articles whereof it is written, it should be said and neighed we do make most
erotic demand that this chalice or pot and its milk and contents be cast into the chasting dish thence to be tossed
unshriven and unhouseled into the condign flames whence they most surely rose.
Bugger.
Yes, it It is nice, isn't it? There's a little man in the village who runs up my skirts.
I hope you don't mind, I was just What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in? Your landlady.
Charming woman.
Turns out both she and I are great fans of Johnny Mathis.
Ah! Yeah, what the hell do you want? I'd forgotten your obsession with Japanese fighting fish.
Just say your piece and get the hell out of here.
What is it about them that interests you? Japanese fighting fish? They're loyal.
Honest.
They don't send you to Aylesbury on half-arsed operations and then sell you down the river.
Oh, come now, Alan, that's hardly fair.
It's over.
Over.
It's over.
Deborah, is it? You wanna know something, read the file, sir.
Of course, Alan.
Of course.
Steinbeck? What the hell? You and Steinbeck had quite a lot in common, didn't you? Both orphaned at an early age.
You bastard.
You're the only one who can bring him out alive.
Finished.
Done with.
Finished.
Over.
Done.
15-all.
You need an import licence for those oh-so-pretty Japanese fighting fish of yours.
You certainly came prepared, didn't you? I prefer to put it this way.
I certainly came prepared, didn't I? Welsh passport, hotel reservations at the Welcome Break, Low Wycombe, all in
the name of one Lewis Potter.
I know you're used to working alone, Alan, but under the circumstances the Department felt The Department can go
to hell! I told you, I'm finished, done away with at last.
I couldn't possibly shove it up my arse without a great deal of discomfort - Excuse me, Admiral.
Well, I'll leave you two to get acquainted while I have another go on that excellent lavatory of yours.
So did he tell you what happened to my last partner? Shot dead on the steps of the Prague Embassy.
- Yeah? Well, files ain't a lot of use when you're staring down the barrel of a knife.
Nice flat.
Gets me from A to B.
Are they good? The one on the left's a black belt fourth dan.
- Better? - Much.
Look, if you wanna make yourself useful, you could start by fixing us a pair of drinks.
- I know.
Would anyone else like a go? No? Well, in that case, I think I might have another turn myself.
# The worid is ever sliding # Ever gliding, ever turning # Ever yearning and colliding # The stairs begin to creak # You
turn but cannot speak #As the bubble starts to squeak #And you find the truth you seek # You, yes, you, you, you #
It's you I'm speaking to # You, the sparkle of my fright # The goddess of what seems # The starling of my night # The
parcel of my dreams #Just the parcel of my dreams # Oh, yes # You, yes, you, you, you # The you who do what none
can do # The you that haunts my ears # On the shortlist of wasted rains # The avenue of chandeliers # That shames
my frozen veins # That shames my frozen veins, not yet # The worid is ever hiding # Ever riding, ever churning # Ever
burning and dividing # For the horse bestrides the cart And the temple rent apart #And thou wilt be what thou art
#As your hand becomes your heart # You, yes, you, you, you # The you who knows what once I knew # The you that
spits my blood #And stares at both my clouds # You wear a sleeve of mud # Your cuffs become my shrouds # Your
cuffs become my shrouds # Oh, why? # You, yes, you, you, you # The which, why, how and who # You crumple the
skirts of need # In the belly of desire # Where my freshly planted seed # Can spin its tangled wire # Can spin its
tangled wire # It is finished # Yes, I've I've smoked pot, erm, only once.
But, it was It was strange, really, because I got arrested and sent to prison.
And my parents were shunned by the local community, and my father lost his job, and my mother became an
alcoholic, and my sister and I were put into care, and now I'm homeless.
It's funny, really, isn't it? What, this old thing? Well, it could be a help and a hindrance.
On the plus side, I can get into Ronnie Scott's half price.
So I think it would be useful if we started by your telling me something about your state of mind at the moment.
How would you describe it? Would you say you were happy or depressed? Confident or unsure of yourself? What
words would you use to describe your mood, would you say? Take your time.
Fascinating.
Absolutely fascinating.
Your problem seems to centre around the delusion that you are a psychiatrist and that everyone you speak to is a
patient of some sort.
I think perhaps it would be helpful now if we talked a little bit about your mother.
Very intriguing.
Now why mother? Was your mother affectionate towards you when you were small? Affection? Affection, that's
interesting.
I think it will be helpful if you told me at this point, if you can remember, whether or not you were breastfed as an
infant.
Good, good.
Now, how do you feel about breasts now? Do they Do they frighten you? Because, again, this is quite common.
Fascinating association.
Where do you think your father fits into that association? Right, right.
Absolutely classic.
Father, father All right, so let's imagine a line, shall we? We have fear at one end, breasts at the other.
Now, where would you place your father on that line? Lines.
Lines.
Now that is That is interesting.
Line I may ask you to draw those lines in a minute in something we call a Bender-Gestalt test, which can be very
revealing.
They're very penetrative, aren't they? Very, very thrusting, very male, very masculine.
We have fear.
We have male thrusting, penetrative, urging, some sort of psychiatric jargon you've picked up from the Reader's
Digest.
How often would you say you masturbated? Now, I'm gonna be really quite firm now, all right? - I'm the doctor.
That's a breakthrough.
Now that you can say that, now that you can admit it, we can proceed.
Excellent.
Dr Windrush.
Now, you realise that I only have to lift this phone, you will be restrained.
Yes, hello? - Yes, it's all right, Rebecca, I'm in a session - Don't worry, thank you, Rebecca.
Now, look, I can't help you unless you stop playing this ridiculous game.
Extraordinary.
I don't think I've ever come across a more deeply embedded illusion.
It is not an illusion.
Did you find that helped at all? All right, let's go right back to the beginning, shall we? If you are, as you think, a
doctor Well, I'm sorry, that's the full hour, Mr Windrush.
Shall we say same time next week? Er, yes, I think I can fit you in same time next week.
Perhaps for the next session you could bring some photographs of your parents.
And if you'll just confirm that appointment with Rebecca on the way out.
Thank you.
Mmm.
Oh.
Would you mind waiting outside, Mr Johanssen? You're a little bit early.
Extraordinary.
- So deep-seated.
- Simply fascinating.
- Well, that was just - Do sit down, Mrs Meddlicott - Have a seat I'm finished my session with him.
But then, you see, I'd have to say that my mother and I have never really agreed on Hold on, you've got a You've got
a bit of a spec of dirt on the camera.
There's a dear.
- Right.
Yes, of course.
I'm sorry.
So until we happen into each other once again, it's good night from me.
For this you'll need whisky, Angostura bitters, lemon juice, a pint of oh-so-fresh-fresh dairy cream, two olives and a
peanut.
- Soupy twist.
- Soupy twist.