Alfresco (TV series)

Infobox British television
show_name = Alfresco


size =
caption =
format = Sketch comedy
picture_format =
runtime = approx. 25 minutes
creator =
starring = Ben Elton,
Stephen Fry,
Hugh Laurie,
Emma Thompson,
Robbie Coltrane
channel = ITV
first_aired = 1 May 1983
last_aired = 2 June 1984
num_series =
num_episodes = 13
producer = Granada Television
related =
imdb_id =
tv_com_id =

"Alfresco" was a British television series starring Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Siobhan Redmond and Emma Thompson, broadcast by ITV (produced by Granada Television) between 1983 and 1984. Running for two series, it totalled 13 episodes.

The programme was a sketch show which was scheduled as an answer to the BBC's highly successful "Not the Nine O'Clock News". The main writer was Ben Elton, with Fry and Laurie receiving writing credits by the second series.

After a three-part pilot series called "There's Nothing To Worry About!" in 1982, which featured Elton, Fry, Laurie, Redmond, Thompson and Paul Shearer, a first series of "Alfresco" was commissioned, replacing Shearer with Robbie Coltrane. The first of the seven transmitted episodes in 1983 was in fact a compilation show of the pilot series, featuring some additional material.

The sketches of the first series had a very odd and surreal mood to them. In the second series in 1984 the overall style changed slightly. A linking device in form of a 'Pretend Pub' was created, and the sketches themselves were less dark than in the first series. The sketch style from double act Fry & Laurie formed during both series, who would continue the format with their own series "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" a few years later.

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Recurring characters

Though the programme was mostly comprised of one-off sketches, a few characters appeared over several episodes.

Mr Butcher and Mr Baker

Elton and Laurie appear four times during the first series as two odd gentlemen in a strange cinematic black & white - setting. They usually have a dialogue which relies heavily on wordplay.

Alan & Bernard

Fry and Laurie appear four times during the first series as two befriended young men discussing topics such as war prevention, a trendy cinema and the SAS. The characters appeared before on "There's Nothing To Worry About!"

Doctor De Quincy

Fry appears twice as Doctor De Quincy, a character he also plays in the sitcom "Happy Families" in 1985, which was also written by Ben Elton.

Pretend Pub

The cast appear as crew and guests of a pretend pub, which serves as a linking device during the episodes of Series 2: Pretend pub landlord Bobzza (Coltrane), barmaid Shizza (Redmond), Lord Stezza (Fry), Huzza (Laurie), Bezza (Elton) and Ezza (Thompson).

Episodes

*Season One : 1 May 1983 – 12 June 1983 (Seven episodes)
*Season Two : 28 April 1984 – 2 June 1984 (Six episodes)

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050206142113/corpses.comedynetuk.com/archive/alfresco.html SOTCAA article on Alfresco]