RIP Barry Humphries (February 17, 1934 - April 22, 2023), aged 89 RIP Peter Cook (November 17, 1937 - January 9, 1995), aged 57 RIP Clive James (October 7, 1939 - November 24, 2019), aged 80 You will be remembered as legends.
Very true. Peter just looks like he is enjoying it so much. Very good point by Barry, John Cleese can make a comedy about poor British hotel service with rapture, yet when Barry makes comment on Australian's quirks with Bazza he gets admonished. Luckily Bazza is a legend.
Willy rushton, Dudley Moore.. I have very vague memories of the steep steps in Greek St my mum worked there and I was many times stuck there against my will..I did meet all of them though memories are vague even when your 6 and a half Of course they weren't so famous then so no I have no selfies
Barry fouled up trying to parody the Lindy Chamberlain tragedy about the dingo . He quipped that a koala took his baby ,, that's Edna's baby ,, . They were in grief but the media never showed their moments of visible grief .
@solomongrundy-ri6bl That is so true..... Paul O'Grady as Lily Savage said some pretty outrageous stuff...but was never admonished by anyone: Yet a "Straight" comedian making the same joke is pilloried from all quarters....it is indeed a strange world.
Barry Humphris came into my cafe one day I worked in , I made him a cappuccino and he was so very very polite and such a gentleman . Even tho I was a young 20s alt punk musician , I had such respect and admiration for barry Humphries . Made my year .
Whenever he toured Adelaide he was a frequent visitor to a couple of leading bookshops - and always polite and courteous to everyone in there - including me.
@@andrewholliday251 And why shouldn't he have been?? Do think famius people deserve having a medal for being polite in public?? Most normal human beings are nice and polite when they go into a book shop.........🙄
Peter Cook was a very funny man, I always admired Barry Humphries' command of english, which was impeccable having the ability to turn on a dime while ad-libbing
@@jakeg1421 Great interview, but I don't miss the smoking I have to say. I used to sing in a band and would constantly lose my voice because of the smoke in venues. I had a doctor tell me that I was allergic to cigarette smoke. I'd never heard of such a thing, but yeah, passive smoking really affected me. And every house I was ever in was filled with smokers. I let people smoke to their hearts content in my own flat 'cos it would've been rude to tell them to go outside. I can't even take a whiff of passing smoke from a cigarette today. It's the one thing from the past that I'm glad is well and truly gone.
And they are all gone-and no substitute in sight. This kind of "letter-intellect", quick thinking and formulating your thoughts isn't en vogue today anymore.
@@stranraerwal I disagree. I think there are people more than capable of holding their own like this. It is more that the media networks don't want this format these days.
I had the good fortune to encounter Mr Humphries in Machiavelli's restaurant in the Sydney CBD about 12 years or so ago. Thanked him for the many, many laughs I had enjoyed watching him with my father; he was very gracious about it. BOTH these comedic geniuses gave so many so much joy and mirth. Sad to see them gone, privileged to have seen them while they were here.
I’m only 28 but I have inherited from my much older brother the love of older television, when famous people were talking about their craft and their genius rather than pretending to be celebrities. I will miss the brilliant and dapper Barry Humphries tremendously. His comedy is savagely funny as he spit roasts famous names, and deservedly, so. Clive James was also brilliant. I enjoy reading some of his poetry and watching his travel programs. Peter Cook, another lost genius, sadly long departed…
This whole episode was a master-class in improv. Even Clive knew when to just roll with it, given that his questions etc. were the most scripted bits. And, overall (despite occasional moments) the subtlety let innuendo pass by without need for censorship. Now THAT'S an art.
100% correct. Don’t really watch chat shows anymore as mainly promoting something and not particularly interesting ‘chat’. Been watching a lot of Orson Wells clips on RU-vid recently, pure genius.
Peter Cook was absolutely correct. The platypus tank was a long tank, and the one inhabitant lurked down one end. Stood there for ages, until the poor animal did one brief lap of said tank, and resumed lurking. I think it was the first public exhibition of a live platypus. This was in the 1960’s. When the Melbourne Zoo also had elephant rides. So his description of a long, darkened room, with the lone tank and the hushed silence was spot on.
So glad this interview was posted. Two geniuses of comedy who clearly crack each other up. In England only John Cleese comes close to the brilliance of Peter Cook, and I know that John would certainly agree. This interview is almost a kind of "passing of the tourch" from Cook to the great Barry Humphries. There are very few individuals capable of making me laugh uncontrollably. Two of them are shown here 'in fine fettle' indeed...
John Cleese once commented that where as it would take a whole day for him to come up with one worthy sketch, Peter Cook could knock one off in less than an hour or maybe even less than that. I think Barry was much the same. Very quick off the mark. Hope he, Pete and Dud and Spike too are having a wonderful reunion up there. What a loss,..the world is getting sadder by the week with these passings.
@@tileux Tommy Cooper does not belong on that list. However funny he may have been, he was a comedy craftsman of the old school, but certainly no genius. Unlike the others you mention, as well as Cleese, Humphries, and Cook, most of his humour was completely unoriginal.
I love the understated pace of these two interviews, Bubbling under Barry's Razor sharp satirical wit, throw away one liners, and a dazzling display of eloquent mastery of the English vocab, Peter and Clive sit in awe of Barry's mischievous smile. He rides so close to the wind on topics that no others could navigate with such ease and confidence. A dangerous man/ woman. I have to wonder if Graham Norton saw this interview and some plagiarism exists with the ejection chair concept incorporated into his own show. RIP Mr BH, Clive and Peter, may all three of you have a good old chuckle up in heaven, that's if they let you in of course. LoL Quietly "taking the piss" out of things, as we say down here at the arse end of the South Pacific Ocean, Three of the greatest minds in comedy.
Well summarised Kris. I miss the 3 of them - all razor sharp. All we are left with here is the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and on principle I won't attend any more. Thankfully I can see Kitty Flannagan outside the comedy show dates. so no loss.
An interesting note is that Barry Humphries was actually three years older than Peter Cook, even though they're all treating Cook as the elder statesman here. The difference was that Peter Cook hit his comic peak very early, in his early twenties, while Barry Humphries honed his craft slowly and was well into his sixties when he reached his peak. Interesting also that they say Bamber Gascoigne, another of the good guys, was the first in the audience to spot Humphries had something.
Back in my day, comedians were funnier..!!... Blah, whinger Im born before the seventies & I come across plenty of decent comedy, music, film, television everywhere.. Since you figured out how to use a computer, type in Are You being served or the Benny Hill show.. roll about laughing all day then moan about how nobody is as funny as they were back in the good old day's
Oh, man. As much as part of me shouts out in support of the “back in my day” mindset, the problem is it’s all confirmation bias. Cook and Humphries were world-class acts, so naturally we watch their stuff decades later. And we don’t watch the crap acts, or even average acts, so some of us start thinking the past was 100% amazing. God no. Ever watched the earliest stuff from Kenny Everett? As hilarious as it is to imply I think he was crap, it’s not him I’m aiming at, he’s great, it’s his guest content. RU-vid has several of his late-‘70s shows: 50/50 sketches, and pop-song performances by artists of the time. I started watching one, thrilled to witness a slice of ‘70s music … and it was crap! Most were! Utter dirges for the most part. It’s not the dirges we replay today. We replay the best. It’s like viewing Roman structures millennia after construction, still-operating aqueducts, and marveling at the Romans’ 100% expert design. Nah. All their non-expert stuff crumbled and disappeared centuries past. Same here.
@@arthurcharlesharrison1361 Throw-away remark, a generalisation that largely holds true in step with any other observation that can be be made concerning the undeniable decline in our culture and civilisation. Don’t hurt yourself over-thinking it
An interview this sumptuous is deserved of many views...it truly is a gift that simply keeps on giving ...superb!!! God bless them all...I picture the three of them all meeting up at the pearly gates and the fun ensuring all over again 🇦🇺👏❤️
I recorded this on VHS back when it was first aired and watched it over and over. Hard to believe that all three are now gone. It also goes to show that Barry Humphries was "cancelled" in Australia decades before it was even a thing. In the early 1970s, if anyone had anything slightly negative to say about Australia they were absolutely lambasted. Billy Connolly said, on his first tour of Australia, that Australians were well balanced, they had a chip on each shoulder. Things changed by the end of that decade though. Films like The Adventures of Barry Mackenzie, Don's Party... people like Paul Hogan, bands like Skyhooks... we started to realise that Barry Humphries was right all along with his spot-on satire. My favourite character of his is Sandy Stone. Not as high profile as Edna or Sir Les, but a beautiful character nonetheless. And Peter Cook. Well, none of this could have happened without him. Arguably the greatest comic genius of them all, who pretty much pissed away his talent over time, but as you can see here, he was still super funny. This is humour we will never see again.
Was pretty common for talented Australians to leave the country to be fully appreciated. Clive was one of those too. Australia was pretty conservative in the 70's. Still the old guard and institutions running the joint.
Three rare and precious talents. All three were a great loss to the world when they died. Their collective experiences and intellect puts pretty much all modern entertainers to shame. It was really great watching this slow-paced, relaxed interview and as others have pointed out, the respect between them is so good to see. There is something so warming about seeing someone you respect laughing genuinely at someone else you respect. May all three RIP.
So you've seen ALL modern entertainers to be able to make that claim? Or are you just an old man who can't express love for something old without shitting on something new? You can just say you like something and leave it at that.
@@stephenbaldwin8963 you clearly have no idea ... Clive is a massive genius ... Go look him up and be open cos he's so quick and so we'll read and educated ... Hell run rings thru your mind and mash it up good
Comic geniuses, all three. Was privileged to see Humphries live twice in my life. He'll be missed. An Australian icon writ large. Vale Barry Humphries.
I saw him only once: I think it was the Theatre Royal in Sydney: he had the audience in stitches from the get to. Even the poor couple who came in late (or were they part of the act?) seemed to enjoy the roasting throughout the show.
Commenting on the 'iceberg' Aids commercial I loved Peter's observation that they may as well have had Kenny Williams saying "No, Stop Messing About !". Brilliant.
@@daniellamcgee4251 Honey! Shoulda known I'd find you here! Must contact presently (sorry this sounds like a a telegram - should be writing STOP in caps in between every sentence). It's been far too long. XOXO
I can remember the recording barcode. Lasted about a year. Ahead of its time probably. It was called a G-code and i only remember that because it was around the same time the g spot was invented. Although not by the same person. He would have been very busy if that was true.
How good it is to watch this. Barry recently passed away to join Peter and Clive. Thank you for sharing this excellent interview with true stars. Rest in peace gentlemen.
And they're all gone! Nobody told me that the second half of life is filled with having to watch family, friends and loved ones die, and looking on as your comedy heros and other inspiring people leave the stage. I loved these guys - and I'm very sad that they're not still around.
Really great seeing these 3 geniuses of comedy who clearly enjoyed each other's company - sad they are all gone now. Thank you for posting this in full!
After watching this I went to sleep and had a very pleasant dream in which I directed a low budget version of Three Men in a Boat for Thames television with these three legends playing the leads but dressed up as Ratty, Mole and Badger. I hope I dream it again.
🤣 What a great interview. Clive James did a fab job feeding lines. When you get Peter Cook cracking up you know you're truly funny. What a couple of legends. It always strikes me that they both have handsome smiles. RIP both, sorely missed but never forgotten.
I know it's considered churlish to criticize the character of those departed , but after my own brief yet humiliating encounter with fellow Aussie , Clive James , at the ABC's Melbourne radio studios back in the early 90's I realized the truth about imagery not necessarily reflecting reality . Unprovoked , James verbally insulted me after I respectfully asked him about his autobiographical book , "Unreliable Memoirs", which I'd told him I had read approvingly . His public demeanor as an affable humorist seemed to conceal an obnoxious more privately expressed disposition .
3:36 Mike Oldfield's album Tubular Bells accidentally recorded the 16 kHz call sign of a British Navy radio transmitter at Rugby Warwickshire in England, used to communicate with submerged nuclear submarines.
Marsupial inhalation. 😂😂 Great to see Barry entertaining Clive and Peter. Remember seeing this when It originally, aired, hard to believe they are all gone. RIP fellas
Two of the very best comedians of there respective countries. Peter Cook was well known from his comedy partnership with Dudley Moore amongst many other roles. Barry Humphris is best know for his character Dame Edna Everage. Sadly Barry passed away last week.
