During the 1960s Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were considered the funniest men in Britain and, some would argue, the English-speaking world. Like The Beatles, it's almost impossible to measure their influence as it was so immense and while  Dudley Moore, of course, became a movie star during the 1980s but millions around the world (and outside the USA) remember him most fondly for his work with the astonishing Peter Cook. 

The pair first got together for Beyond The Fringe, the quartet of young English university students who, several years before The Beatles, conquered both sides of the Atlantic with their strange, iconoclastic satire and comedy.

Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett & Jonathon Miller:

The Complete Beyond The Fringe 4-CD set

"...This recording was made within days of the opening of the show in London, and you can hear the fresh air coming into the theatre as the audience gasps and laughs the laugh of cultural release. Oh yes, it's very funny, even today. Some of the references are dated, but most of it holds up and puts most of what passes for sketch comedy today to shame..." Amazon reviewer Jeffrey Sweet

"...Humour with surgical precision....You'll listen over and over again..." Amazon reviewer T. Gouldson

"...This is British comedy at it's best, and is a must-have buy for anyone with an interest in satire, British humour, or just laughing themselves silly!..." Amazon UK reviewer Damien Phlunk

The Beyond The Fringe DVD was recorded at the end of their triumphant four year run, unheard of in comedy at the time. The performance was recorded in B & W and the audio is occasionally erratic, so don't expect contemporary standards. However, the DVD is a priceless document.   

Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett & Jonathon Miller:

Beyond The Fringe DVD

"...This was something new and revolutionary in 1960. The series of skits within this modest DVD completely rewrote the book of comedy, as it was to follow. It also shattered what remained of British censorship over the film media..." Amazon reviewer Heather L. Parisi

"...As a devoted fan of British comedy, I found the content of this DVD absolutely outstanding, great as a historical document chronicling a signature of the satirical movement of 1960s London, but also for pure entertainment. The sketches carry intellectual weight under the guise of absurdity, and the performers are perfect vehicles for the scenes they created..." Amazon reviewer Sara Kniffen

Not Only But Also

Unfortunately precious little is left of Peter cook & Dudley Moore's recorded televised work, other than the wonderful DVD Not Only But Also, a collection of some of their work from the television series of the same name.

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore:

The Best Of What's Left Of Not Only But Also DVD

The Pete & Dud dialogues have also been gathered in book form as The Dagenham Dialogues...

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore:

The Dagenham Diaries Book

"...These routines detail the relationship of Pete and Dud, two cloth-capped proletarians from Dagenham, who muse and amuse about life, religion, sex, art, music and relationships in exaggerated cockney accents. Cook's amazing ability to generate spiralling nonsense out of the mundane suggests Samuel Beckett on laughing gas. Moore generally falls upon mad reminscences of his youth, but his cloying earnestness is kept in check by Pete's volcanic imagination and deadpan insult..." Amazon reviewer GJ Donnelley

Pete & Dud at the zoo

There are a couple of Pete & Dud sketches also available on the excellent CD, The World Of Pete & Dud, as well as their other characters who lampoon then-British life with a brilliance reaching far beyond their locale and era.  

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore:

The World Of Pete And Dud CD

Bedazzled

A classic Swinging Sixties English romp starring, then, the two funniest men in the world.  

Stanley Moon (Dudley Moore), burger-flipper and undying romantic fears that he'll never be able to impress waitress Margaret  (Elanor Bron) and attempts suicide. He's interrupted by George Spigott, a.k.a. The Devil (Peter Cook) who offers Stanley a way out, for the price of his soul.   

Derek & Clive

Depraved, disgusting and sometimes utterly funny, the Derek & Clive tapes were recorded by Peter Cook & Dudley Moore for their own fun. When bootleg copies started quickly circulating amongs pop stars like The Who & Led Zepplin, it was only a matter of time before the general public got wind of the smutty hilarity, eventually resulting in the release of the first album.

Peter Cook: An Autobiography

Harry S Thompson's superb biography is a must-read warts-and-all biography of Peter Cook, delivered with deep respect and genuine compassion. Highly recommended.

Their last film together was The Hound Of The Baskervilles, mangled out of shape by director Paul Morrissey, although Amazon viewers seem to like it...

Peter Cook & Dudley Moore:

The Hound Of The Baskervilles DVD

see also:

• wikipedia Peter Cook
• wikipedia Dudley Moore