Not Only... But Also
| Not Only... But Also | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by |
Peter Cook Dudley Moore |
| Starring |
Peter Cook Dudley Moore |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Dick Clement Joe McGrath Jimmy Gilbert John Street |
| Running time | 45 minutes (series 1 & 3), 30 minutes (series 2 & Australian specials), 47 minutes (1966 Christmas Special) |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC2 |
| Original release | 29 November 1964 – 24 December 1970 |
Not Only... But Also was a popular 1960s BBC British sketch comedy show starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
The show was originally intended as a solo project for Moore, called Not Only Dudley Moore, But Also His Guests. However, unsure about going it alone, Moore invited his partner from Beyond the Fringe, Peter Cook, to guest in the pilot (along with Diahann Carroll and John Lennon, who was to make two more appearances during the course of the series). So well received by the studio audience was their double act, in particular the first "Dagenham Dialogue", "A Spot of the Usual Trouble", that Cook was invited to become a permanent fixture and the show became Not Only Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, But Also Their Guests, though it was only ever really referred to as Not Only... But Also. This somewhat cumbersome title was later referred to by Cook in an interview as "another of Dudley's plodding ideas."
Three series were made: January to April 1965 (prod/dir Joe McGrath), January to February 1966 (prod/dir Dick Clement) and February to May 1970 (prod/dir Jimmy Gilbert). John Street produced the (surviving) 1966 Boxing Day Special - despite initial tension with Cook, the results were excellent.
The opening titles for series one often featured Dudley playing the series' theme (later released on the B-side of the 1965 'Goodbyee' single release) in a variety of unusual locations, such as in a car wash, on violin at a Gypsy cafe, and as a one-man band. From series two onward, episodes usually began with a sketch based primarily around revealing the words "NOT ONLY... BUT ALSO..." in huge letters placed in obscure places (for example, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal). Every edition except (possibly) the pilot concluded with a performance of arguably Moore's best known composition, 'Goodbyee', sometimes involving the guest star of that particular episode. Extant examples include Cilla Black crying 'Oh, kiss me, Peter!' during the song's intro in series two episode one and Peter Sellers accompanying the duo on timpani in series one episode six.
Among the best known features of the show were the "Dagenham Dialogues" between Pete and Dud, which were rambling, surreal conversations running often for over ten minutes and regular appearances by Cook's oblivious upperclass gent Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling. Other well-known sketches include the "Facts of Life" sketch ("A Bit of a Chat"), "The Leaping Nuns of the Order of St Beryl", "Superthunderstingcar" (a parody of Thunderbirds and other Sylvia and Gerry Anderson puppet shows), and the "rhythmic voodoo" R&B singer Bo Dudley - though the fame of these almost certainly owes much to the fact they still exist in vision, unlike much of the series.
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Wikipedia