25 years since Peter Cook's death

[Nowhere Man]

Blimey, it's been 25 years today since Peter Cook's died!

It seems a tad ridiculous (but hardly surprising considering it's the BBC) that we haven't had a properly upgraded 'Not Only... But Also' since the 90's, and that Pete and Dud's 'Dead Sea Tapes' are still languishing in the vaults.

Btw, does anyone know if it's possible to find a copy of the Peter Sellers episode of Not Only... But Also without the watermark?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6eeIqwZpxI

Also, very little chance I imagine, but are there any of the sketches from 'The Missing Sketches' documentary available without celebrities reaction's every 20 seconds?

[ajsmith2]

Fuck every time I remember the situation with this I get so frustrated that THEY HAVEN'T DONE A PROPER DVD BOXSET OF ALL THE SURVIVING BITS OF NOT ONLY BUT ALSO especially WHILE THERE ARE STILL SOME PEOPLE ALIVE WHO SAW THE ORIGINAL SHOWS. Although it's famed for having being decimated by the wipings and junkings back in the day, there's actually a ton of material and odds and ends still in existence out there, esp if you factor in the off air audios. If it was all collated PROPERLY it'd be a KILLER and absolutely FASCINATING collection. I'm not the hugest connoisseur of vintage comedy but I do think that the absurdity of Pete and Dud's best stuff really stands up as timeless funny stuff and it deserves to be collected properly so as many people as possible can appreciate it.

The BFI managed to do a great DVD box set of sci fi series Out Of The Unknown 5 years back, which is from the same era, and has a similar survival rate (eerily similar actually: 1st b/w series mostly exists, 2nd b/w series only a couple of shows exist, 3rd colour series nearly completely annihilated) and that's a much more obscure item with much narrower appeal (and given the famous authors involved, prob much harder to clear rights wise). Why the sod can't they do the same for Not Only But Also?

[Nowhere Man]

It's just so aggravating, here we are 30 YEARS since they did the best of specials and we still don't have the surviving bits. Is there legal issues post Lin's estate? Are they worried it's not going to sell a million copies? Here we have the remnants of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's greatest legacy (Y'know, 'Beyond The Fringe' aside.) that influenced a significant number of major comedians, was beloved by millions of viewers and included guests such as Peter Sellers and John Lennon. It's so simple to just chuck them all onto a few discs (in chronological order thank you very fucking much), fucks sake.

I couldn't agree more that Not Only But Also stands up incredibly well, and deserves to be appreciated by more people. It's the arguable peak of the greatest British comedian of the 20th century IMO, put it out already you cunts.

[Panbaams]

Isn't it still the case that none of the video of the third series of NOBA survives  anywhere – only the sketches on 16mm film?

If you Google "peter cook and dudley moore poets cornered", there's a tantalising photo of a "Poets Cornered" sketch with Spike Milligan. But in the 50 years since that final series was broadcast, I can't remember ever hearing of any video footage turning up.

[Danger Man]

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jan/09/peter-cook-comedian-legacy-eddie-izzard-lucy-porter

[ajsmith2]

Isn't it still the case that none of the video of the third series of NOBA survives  anywhere – only the sketches on 16mm film?

If you Google "peter cook and dudley moore poets cornered", there's a tantalising photo of a "Poets Cornered" sketch with Spike Milligan. But in the 50 years since that final series was broadcast, I can't remember ever hearing of any video footage turning up.

Yeah I only meant the 16mm stuff when I said the 3rd series was 'nearly' annihilated, sorry for any confusion. Those film sketches are some of their most interesting work though; The Glidd Of Good, Making Of A Movie, It's Ludwig Van Beethoven are some of my favourite things they did. Also pretty sure there's a decent whack of audio out there for that series: as well as the official compilation LP that came out in 1970, didn't some full episode off airs turn up a few years ago?

[Autopsy Turvey]

It's the arguable peak of the greatest British comedian of the 20th century IMO, put it out already you cunts.

Yeah the continued absence of a definitive NOBA release is a cultural scandal. After doing such a great job on the Goodies and MPFC, presumably it's something Network have sniffed around, but you'd think the BFI would be all over it. Has there ever been a sustained letter-writing campaign? Who do I turn to, who do I fucking get in touch with?

[SteK]

Got his biography somewhere, the bit about him resorting to drinking Listerine because of his raging alcoholism is very sad.

[ajsmith2]

Yeah the continued absence of a definitive NOBA release is a cultural scandal. After doing such a great job on the Goodies and MPFC, presumably it's something Network have sniffed around, but you'd think the BFI would be all over it. Has there ever been a sustained letter-writing campaign? Who do I turn to, who do I fucking get in touch with?

FWIW, I sent the following unsolicited email 3 years ago to Julie Pearce of the BFI (who the BFI when I called them at the time advised would be the person to contact). Didn't get a reply. If you (or anyone else on the thread) can think of anyway to improve this pitch so it, anything I missed out or could have emphasised more or anything, have at it.

'Dear Julie,


My name is Adam Smith, I'm writing as a fan of archive television and the BFI's DVD releases.

I'm writing to enquire if the BFI have ever considered compiling a DVD release of the surviving material from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's influential and legendary television series Not Only But Also (1965-70)?

I ask because the archive status of the show is so erratic (only 8 full editions out of a total of 21 made are known to survive, however  many stray clips from missing episodes are around and a lot of audio recordings survive) - this would make releasing the show on DVD problematic for most companies, however I was very impressed by the BFI's release of the BBC sci fi show 'Out of The Unknown' in 2014, which did a brilliant job of rounding up all the stray bits and pieces of a contemporary show that had been similarly decimated by the BBCs archival procedure..

Cook and Moore are still well remembered (2 hi profile documentaries on them were broadcast over last Christmas)  and influential figures in comedy (comparable to Monty Python) and so I think a set like this, compiled with care, could be a fairly big seller, and would help to place Cook and Moore's pioneering work in comedy in it's proper context. The BFI are the only company I can think of that would take the time to handle this material with the respect it deserves.

I appreciate that there may be many reasons (rights etc) that such a release would not be possible at the moment, but I'm writing mainly to enquire if it is something would consider as part of the BFI DVD range if the right conditions were to be available.

Kind Regards,


Adam Smith

[Autopsy Turvey]

FWIW, I sent the following unsolicited email 3 years ago to Julie Pearce of the BFI (who the BFI when I called them at the time advised would be the person to contact). Didn't get a reply.

The cunts. They're all cunts out there.

If you (or anyone else on the thread) can think of anyway to improve this pitch so it, anything I missed out or could have emphasised more or anything, have at it.

I'd take the apostrophe out of its, but otherwise I don't know how much more civil and respectful a request needs to be to warrant even a 'Mrs Thatcher has read your enquiry with interest' type reply. It's something I've just been expecting to turn up for years, my optimistic side wondered if they were holding out for some additional recoveries that they're on the trail of, or some propitious anniversary to tie it in with (2024?!).

What's the one where Pete and Dud are in the cells, and Pete says they must demand habeas corpus, and if they don't get it then the police have to let them go? I had an early mp3 of it on a defunct machine, can't seem to track it down.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

What's the one where Pete and Dud are in the cells, and Pete says they must demand habeas corpus, and if they don't get it then the police have to let them go? I had an early mp3 of it on a defunct machine, can't seem to track it down.

It's this one (audio only): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYr4kc6R21U

[Brundle-Fly]

Anyway... the guv'nor.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qco3bNSkgco&list=OLAK5uy_luUorEH1CG8h0XHzboRTEUnBx5yNHObhw&index=1

[Autopsy Turvey]

It's this one (audio only): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYr4kc6R21U

Many thanks MV! This is so brilliant.

[Nowhere Man]

Last week I saw a 1967 colour interview with Cook, (ironically on the BFI website) and kept getting distracted by just how bloody handsome he was back then.

I mean, it's just not on to be that good looking and talented is it? Dreamy as fuck.








At least he became a bloated alcoholic like the rest of us

[ajsmith2]

I find it a bit poignant when you contrast the cool as fuck Machiavellian good looking anti-heros he plays in early films like Bedazzled and Michael Rimmer with the grey haired old duffers he seemed typecast as 15 years later in the likes of Yellowbeard and Supergirl. Obviously actors have range and play different parts (and Cook certainly played his share of old duffers in his youth) but I still find it kind of kind of sad. It's like the male equivalent of an actress being told she's too old to play the heroine any more.

[EOLAN]

I find it a bit poignant when you contrast the cool as fuck Machiavellian good looking anti-heros he plays in early films like Bedazzled and Michael Rimmer with the grey haired old duffers he seemed typecast as 15 years later in the likes of Yellowbeard and Supergirl. Obviously actors have range and play different parts (and Cook certainly played his share of old duffers in his youth) but I still kind it kind of sad. It's like the male equivalent of an actress being told she's too old to play the heroine any more.

I loved his four roles on the Clive Anderson special. Originally had them on audio before I even saw the visual. The extremely enthusiastic football manager of Scunthorpe was a lot different to the film typecasts.

[Bad Ambassador]

"At the end of the day I can look in a mirror and say, 'There is a man'."

[DrGreggles]

I loved his four roles on the Clive Anderson special. Originally had them on audio before I even saw the visual. The extremely enthusiastic football manager of Scunthorpe was a lot different to the film typecasts.

No exaggeration to say that it was one of the best things Cook ever did - and it was just over a year before he died.
How many performers have had a swan song like that (and Why Bother?)?
It was his 'Blackstar'. His 'look at how fucking good I still am' moment.

I don't even think it was originally even billed as a special - just a normal episode in that series.

[Revelator]

There's a lot of Cook's work that remains shamefully unreleased. I would kill for a good quality copy of Cook and Co., along with the Australian episodes of NOBA, the complete episodes of Goodbye Again, the uncollected sketches from NOBA ("Cricket Match Between Good and Evil" and so on), and the color recordings of Behind the Fridge.

My guess is that Lin's death has indeed left Cook's estate in disarray, and that any chances of seeing his work properly released have receded even further.

[SteK]

There's a lot of Cook's work that remains shamefully unreleased. I would kill for a good quality copy of Cook and Co., along with the Australian episodes of NOBA, the complete episodes of Goodbye Again, the uncollected sketches from NOBA ("Cricket Match Between Good and Evil" and so on), and the color recordings of Behind the Fridge.

My guess is that Lin's death has indeed left Cook's estate in disarray, and that any chances of seeing his work properly released have receded even further.

I've got some clips from 'Revolver' if anyone remembers that....