Soupy Twists!: The Full Official Story of the Sophisticated Silliness of Fry and Laurie

by Jem Roberts

This first ever, officially authorised biography of Fry & Laurie takes us on their journey from insecure Footlighters to international comedy heroes. It is the tale of a true friendship, a deep affection between two very funny men which has long been reflected back from an adoring public.

Jem Roberts, acclaimed chronicler of  Blackadder  and  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ,  covers everything from the excitement of being the first Perrier Award winners with The Cellar Tapes  to the terrors of performing on  Saturday Live , the collaborative warfare of Blackadder  and the ultimate depiction of Wodehouse’s most inimitable characters, Jeeves & Wooster. Beyond this, the trials and tribulations of their remarkable subsequent separate career paths, from QI to House , will be explored for the first time.

With tantalising, never-before-seen titbits from the  A Bit of Fry & Laurie  archive, and interviews with Emma Thompson, Richard Curtis, John Lloyd and more, this history of Fry & Laurie is an overdue celebration, paying tribute to a legacy of laughter from one of the funniest double acts of all time.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Humor, History

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2018

About the author

• Stephen Fry: "Jem manages to write about popular cultural institutions with knowledge and affection, while avoiding the dismal traps of nerdy fanboyism on the one hand or grandiose cultural pseudo-intellectualism on the other. His research is flawless and the results are readable, illuminating and delightful."
• Tim Brooke-Taylor: "An incredibly good job – and he got it right. It’s difficult for me to judge it totally objectively because it’s all about me, me, me and a few others. But I found it very readable indeed..."
• Brian Blessed: "Tell them, 'Brian loves and trusts me.' What you're doing is so worthwhile, KEEP AT IT!"
• Barry Cryer: "You're very charming, it's a pleasure to go on about it."
• The Times Literary Supplement: "J.F. Roberts's lively, warm-hearted True History of The Black Adder is a celebration of "this incredible feat of comedy production."
• The Telegraph: (The True History...) "Essential for any comprehensive comedy library..."

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very contradictory book. In some places mind numbingly boring and in others laugh out loud funny. I won't re-read it. I truly admire both Fry and Laurie, but this book does them few favors.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice read overall. However, a lot of it was gobbledegook unless you grew up watching TV in the UK during the 80’s. So much name dropping of people I had to google to find out who the author was talking about! And the author spent entirely too much time talking about what projects these peers of Fry & Laurie ended up doing years after working together. It felt like that info was included to fluff up the length of the book.

However, the name dropping has given me the gumption to seek out these other actors and shows, so I’m grateful for that, I just didn’t prefer so MUCH about people who weren’t Fry or Laurie is all.

Anything about the leads, though, was great. They genuinely seem to be great friends which is nice to hear about with actors because you can’t always tell. They also really do seem like interesting and charming blokes. I adored their show and was thrilled to find this book existed, even if it ended up being more of a skimming kind of read.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I cannot now remember when I didn’t know of Fry & Laurie. Hugh Laurie I knew of first, not because of “House” (never watched it), but because of his two blues albums. Stephen Fry has been and done just about everything, so I’m sure I encountered him along the way. However, after an acquaintance introduced me to their pairing in “Jeeves and Wooster” and “A Bit of Fry & Laurie,” they became the high bar of British comedy for me and it’s hard to top. I don’t think their humor is for everyone, but I love how they play to their strengths in everything. This book was okay as far as set-up, but it assumes the reader knows A LOT about the history of British comedy, which I do not. Many names and shows are referenced which I did not have context for and the author does not always explain their importance. I did enjoy this deep dive into the good, bad, and ugly of their careers (together and apart) and appreciate that most of the book is quoting them directly.

[Ben Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful look at an area of these two fine gentlemen's lesser discussed but much more interesting work as a double act. A comedy history book for comedy history fans thats accessible to all, even those who speak Stromm. Hit it, bitch.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an OK book telling the story of the friendship and carer of Fry & Laurie. It never really gets beyond a simple narrative of their career, which is fine. And actually, there's not a lot in here you wouldn't already know if you'd followed their career and seen them interviewed. Or read any of Fry's autobiographies. (Is it three volumes now or four?)

It's well enough written though and if you want a one-stop-shop guide to Fry & Laurie. You can then go off and get into deeper waters elsewhere. And I do think what does come out of this book is how much I think they genuinely love each other but it just feels a little superficial.

[Mush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't remember buying this, if I'm honest, but found it on my Kindle and read it in a single evening. Fun, short read.

The bulk of it is from interviews you may have already read or seen; seems like there are some new quotes so I do get the impression the author interviewed the subjects, but much if not most of it was familiar.

Lots of references to people, places, and things only Brits - or entrenched Anglophiles - would get. I was tempted to search a couple names, but my cocktail and I couldn't be bothered to move closer to the laptop.

The skits at the end were also enjoyable.

[David Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good account of the lives and careers of Hugh and Stephen covering their personal lives, without shying away from their shortcomings, and their professional output. I just wish Roberts hadn't tried to write like Laurie and especially Fry, when constructing his prose. Stephen's greatest talent is his ability to effortlessly manufacture magnificent sentences full of words which combine brilliantly but never lose clarity or purpose. Roberts tries but often fails and simply offers up a word salad which has to be reread to reveal the convoluted meaning contained within.

[Billy Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you really like Fry & Laurie and the beautifully wordy way that ABOF&L was performed, then you will love this. Otherwise you will probably hate it. Which is less than ideal, but I'm very much in the first camp, so I rather liked it.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is difficult to decipher at times, with sentences that go nowhere and make little sense. Frustrating at times, but very informative and generally lovely to read about these two brilliant people!

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned it about 10% in. Just not grabbing me...too long winded, not really saying anything interesting or new.

[hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a devoted fan of ‘a bit of Fry and Laurie’, it was a pleasure to come across this wonderful book. Not only does Jem Roberts capture the dynamic story of an on-screen and off-screen friendship, he does so with all the ironic elegance and linguistic humour that the book’s two subjects exude. A true labour of love, ‘Soupy Twists!’ is an intimate, funny, and touching look at one of British comedy’s finest double acts. Worth a read, a second read, and many more down the line.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the partnership of Fry& Laurie, as well as a look at British comedy in the 80's and 90's.
Like any memoir where the subjects are still alive, it doesn't so much reach the end, but just run out of stuff to say.

Also, it can be a bit superficial in spots, wether that is due to the subjects being alive or the author just expecting you'd read some of Fry's huge output of writing, so know what he's talking about, it can be a bit hit or miss.

Solid enough read, and when the memoir part feels flat, it's a solid primer on British comedy and the namedropping that comes with it, and that keeps your interest.