British Comedy Classics

Not Only But Also Peter Cook & Dudley Moore - At The Art Gallery

In 1962 the BBC showed a pilot for Not Only But Also. But it wasn’t until 1965 the BBC commissioned the show with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. It was an instant success.

Peter Cook is widely regarded by many critics as the leading figure of British Comedy of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as ‘the funniest man who ever drew breath‘.

It seems truly bizarre nowadays to know that the BBC would often erase videotapes of shows, even those held in the highest esteem; and despite the status the Not Only But Also Peter Cook & Dudley Moore the BBC erased most of the videotapes of the series. This policy ceased in the 1970s.

Of the programmes, only eight of the twenty-two complete episodes survive to this day, and this sketch is often shown, though not in its entirety. Not only is the Art Gallery sketch a classic sketch in its own right, but it shows the format of the show perfectly. Unlike other sketch shows of its time, it used few props and relied heavily on the chemistry between Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, and in part complete ad-libbing.