Open University Bloopers | A Bit of Fry and Laurie | BBC Studios 

To any viewers outside of the UK, Open University was what we had to enjoy at breakfast time until breakfast television arrived in 1983. So instead of news, weather and celebrity interviews, we had mathematics and learning about the ancient Romans during the 1970s at 7.00am in the morning.

I love the reaction from the audience when Hugh appears.

Open University was better content than much of what we get on daytime TV these days. I think the BBC should return to it instead of hours of inane "coffee morning" drivel.

Incredibly geeky in-jokes, the style of presentation of the Open University courses in the 70s, the fashion of the time, and people's willingness to swear when they know something's not going to be broadcast, too.

I love the Open University! I worked really hard to get my degree! Thank you Harold Wilson for creating this - now everyone has the opportunity of education!!

I'm Brazilian and I fond of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie". Moreover, this program uses a wide and interesting vocabulary which is useful to improve my English. I think the american humour is, in many cases, aimless (not always)! Long life to the intelligent humour!

Me and my daughter watched this and she was absolutely laughing hysterically at the time. It still creases her now !!😂😂😂

Presenters on the Open University actually used to look like that in the 70s

Hilarious. I actually remember when I was about 10, sitting awake at night, watching open university hippies in black and white. And yes - they were talking gobbelldygook then too! Thanks for posting it.

I grew up in the 70's and remember these Open University programmes very well. Completely beyond me at the time due to my age, but they did get screened at odd hours and very random topics too.

the "host" of the mock show its on in tears laughing , cracks me up 😁😁 a lot of thought went into it , and I bet these type of intellectual programs in real life have outtakes similar

00:46 When he said Brian, and I looked at Stephen Fry, I swore it was Brian May LOL

Very funny. I think you have to be British and old enough to remember the 70's to really appreciate it.

this is by far my favourite skit ever done by these 2!

there is nothing funnier than other people laughing uncontrollably.

Laurie as the professor sounds like the more recent Moss from IT Crowd :)

I loved the complete incomprehensible of the open university. Bring it back

God how I miss those guys and their humour, thank you for sharing great British comedy at it’s best

The hair! The flares! Gorgeous 💚

American TV made a whole series out of this joke called "The Big Bang Theory".

the first memory of fry and laurie is this sketch,,brilliant ,,,i remember open university programmes too

"395" oh dear! I'll be laughing about that one for days!

I am a 20 year old American college student, and A Bit of Fry and Laurie is my favorite show. This is also one of my favorite sketches, I'm not sure why some people don't get the humor in this. It's hysterical, the whole show is. Nearly every sketch has me l

this is HILARIOUS! I'm actually in tears... I love simple comedy

I was laughing like Stephen here when I first saw this.

This skit kills me every time. Hilarious!

I use to realy love those old ou programmes as a kid. Memories. Some one should release a dvd.

Among the many other great things I like about this is the chalk board, which somehow looks like every Open University chalk board ever used. I swear there was always a wave pattern and some equation involving lambda.

When they started swearing I lost it.

I am a hungarian guy and I am not fluent in English, but this is awesome!!! I like the British humour very much!!!

I wonder if they had to do multiple takes of this bit? Bloopers or a blooper. My head just exploded

I laughed too hard at this...

It's the swearing that gets me! Every time! 😂

The sandals with socks killed me. Good thing they caught that numeric error, that was a close one

I knew exactly what was going to happen. And I still laughed. That's funny.

stephen laughing on the floor is sooo funny

The simple fact that they even come up with these kind of jokes is amazing! :D There is no Screen writer in whole Hollywood who would even have the Imagination for this kind of magic :D

I cried with laughter when long-haired shlumpy looking Hugh started cursing like a sailor. CRIED.

LOL. The outfits and hair styles are spot on. As a kid I remember the OU programmes being on BBC2 on Saturday mornings while I was waiting for the cartoons - those guys were like aliens to me.

I love it, I couldn't stop laughing for 5 minutes xD. And it's intelligent humor because they actually thought about this joke. It's not some simple "Your mum"-joke for example.

Something similar happened in one of my maths lectures, we are an odd lot.

I just love them sooo much...

My Mrs is studying mathematics with the OU and has to watch some of these 70's lectures. I've shown her this sketch whilst laughing but she fails to see the funny side! 😆

And besides that, I love the way they laugh "Nerd-style" xD. The expressions on their faces are hilarious!

A literal enactment of ROFL..! (Rolling on the floor laughing)

wish I could get these on dvd

Just incredibly hilarious!

I LOVE THIS CLIP!! but i love these guys anyway. they were (still are) way funny!!

I love Hugh Laurie's character's sandals!! :-)

And Steven used this laugh as inspiration for Melchett

LMFAO funniest "bit" I've seen of them

I don't know what they are laughing for but I'm laughing so hard.

Improvements in computational technology since 1973 suggest that the resultant modular quantity is now actually closer to 0.567374.

The completely, unnecessary swearing gets me more than the uncontrollable laughter, every time 🤣😂

Two of the greats!

oh dear me. The Fry...in flares...WOOOOOOOWEEEEEE!!!!

I'm choking right now.. This always makes me laugh so bad x'D

I just had to look up what "Open University" was. Wow. It sounds like one of the biggest ever distance learning establishments. Pretty cool. Most of OUR U.S. distance learning stuff is kinda shaky. I guess it helps that OU was started by the gov't over there.

I never realized that specific number was so funny before.

An undeniable classic.

For any of the younger generation who complain there's nothing on TV, I'm an old fart that remembers that *this* was we used to call "Daytime TV."

I'm American, and I think it's brilliant :D

Not all American's dislike British comedy. I love it! I watch BBC America, PBS, HULU and youtube just to find British comedy. I also purchase British comedy on amazon. Doc Martin, Father Ted, Are you being served, Are you being served Again ( Grace and Favour), Anything with Stephen Fry, As time goes by, Keeping up appearances, and many others. The list grows every single day. Can't get enough! The only country I've ever wanted to see and visit is England! :)

hehehe. Very droll. Love it! Love it all!

I love how all you can hear is: "Aaahahahah *biip* ahahahah *biiiip* hahahahah *bip* ha *biiiip* mwuahahahha!!!" xDDD

these guys are comedy gods ...imho

Geeky humour by the world's top geeks. I love it!

1973 can't have been that long before this video with steven being so young,.

I just adore this :)

I looked at the set and couldn’t help but think of Bob Holness and blockbusters.

Just love Fry & Laurie!!!

Wow, this programme looks so cool, I've never seen on TV before, might look for it.

Dear BBC Please can you start re-running A Bit of Fry and Laurie on BBC4? lots of love, Ed x

Stephen Fry's laugh near the end was too funny.

I did. I saw the pilot the day it first came out because I had nothing else to do and nearly fainted on the spot.

Awesome! Just awesome...

btw. house with long hair lol coool

A transposition error, oh they're the worst! haha

That was fantastic! XD

@mojorhythm dude Fry and Laurie have had a reunion

omg stephen I can't 1:17 😂😂

Some people are just too dense to tell that the video was mocking how seriously these people take even the smallest, insignificant details. I think the video was actually indirectly pointing to Fry himself, on his padentic take on every minute detail of language..

This video is better than all of the episodes of The Big Bang Theory combined.

Open University on the BBC, then Crown Court on ITV in the afternoon, ah the good old days of three channels.

hugh laughs soooo cute!!!!

So funny, I don't know how they came up with that, it's brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant.

I've seen him presenting the tv documentary series 'Time team' on archeology, on bbc tv. It ran for over 10 years I think.

All my teachers from primary school to the day I left comprehensive has that blackboard

I honestly don't get how some people can't grasp this kind of humour. Even just the sight of those guys cracking up is enough to make me do the same.

It is on Channel 4 mostly, but you can see it from time to time on 'Yesterday'

he reminds me so much of simon amstell there for some reason...

My favourite blooper

Cracking humour... Brilliant

ohhhh dear , lol *tears-of-laughter*

ROFL! God I love Laurie and Fry. They need a reunion.

This reminds me of an old joke: A reporter visits a mental institution. And he witnesses a stand up comedy show performed by the patients. The comedian on stage says; "Are you ready for this? 146!" The crowd of lunatics roars with laughter. "Here's an oldie but a goodie; 327!" The nuts are rolling on the floor laughing. The reporter is confused. He asks the warden to explain. "Well, you see, to save time, they assign each joke a number, and the audience has memorised all of the jokes." The reporter is incredulous. "I have to try this myself!" He gets up on stage and clears his throat. "261!" Silence. He furrows his brow. "85!" Still nothing. He steps down, and queries the warden, "I don't understand it. Why didn't any of them laugh?" To which the warden replied; "I guess it's the way you tell them."

Merry Christmas Dennis Norden!

Hugh Laurie is back working with Stephen Fry cant wait to see if they can come up with anything

It's so delicate and tastefull, it's like eating fine cheese in the form of comedy.