Cambridge Footlights
It happened by sheer fluke. I'd gone to Cambridge University to become and oarsman, but I met this woman called Alison in the student bar one night. I'd told a joke or something and she said " you've got to come with me." She took me to this club and said " here are these people doing the Footlights; you've got to audition." So I did and off it went. - Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie was a member of Cambridge Footlights from 1979 - 1981, serving as a writer and cast member for two years (1979,1980) and president during his last year (1981). Emma Thompson was the vice president that year. In 1981, Hugh, along with Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery, Emma Thompson, Penny Dwyer and Paul Shearer, won the first ever Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with "The Cellar Tapes." This 1981 revue was televised by the BBC on May 20, 1982 and is included in both the region 1 and region 2 A Bit of Fry and Laurie Series Two DVDs. The DVDs are available from nearly every online video outlet, including Amazon and ebay. Support Hugh and buy his DVDs!
(Front to back: Emma Thompson, Tony Slattery, Paul Shearer, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry)
Hugh talks about Cambridge and dating Emma Thompson in this clip from Inside the Actors Studio. The clip also includes an excerpt from "Shakespeare Masterclass," also from the Cellar Tapes.
2 video clips and screencaps from the Footlights Revue feature in the Fry and Laurie Series 2 DVD:
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Cambridge mention in this 1992 article from the Washington Post:
Since their Cambridge days, where Fry and Laurie met in 1981, introduced by actress Emma Thompson - "No, I never dated her," Fry says imperturbably; Laurie blushes - the two seem to have been joined at the hip. They met because Laurie was looking for someone to help him write and perform in Cambridge's big end-of-the-year production, "Cambridge Footlights Revue."
"I mean, he's about a foot taller than anyone else and had a very deep voice and looks about 30 years older than everyone else," says Laurie. An indulgent smile flickers across Fry's face through the smoke of his cigarette.
Tall and deep-voiced, granted. But old-looking? With that baby face?
"Well, he's got a baby face now. He's got younger as he got older," Laurie says. "He'll be in short trousers in about 10 years' time."
But about that Emma question. "We, we were very good friends," Laurie says with that melting expression halfway between terror and exasperation with which Bertie often faces the wrathful Aunt Agatha.
Pressed for an explanation, he protests weakly: "Ah, well, I don't want to bandy names about. I, I don't feel I can say. She might be horrified and embarrassed by being linked with me." He throws a mute glance of desperate appeal to Fry.
Moving smoothly into the breach, Fry says helpfully in that voice that could lull a lion to sleep: "Oh, they went to the cinema once, that sort of thing."
An excellent book covering the history of the Cambridge Footlights through 1983 is Footlights! - A Hundred Years of Cambridge Comedy, by Robert Hewison. It is filled with stories, facts and photos. Pages that mention Hugh are included below, although they have been edited slightly as the chapter is several pages long and won't be posted here. The book is often available on ebay or from online used books sites such as bookfinder.com
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Jennifer sent these blurbs from various Footlights programmes:
1979 - Nightcap
1981 - Cellar Tapes
Cellar Tapes
Agi sent these two 1982 Times reviews:
