h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Peter Cook: Comedian, 1937 - 1995 - A6027455
Author: Natalie [bookmark the h2g2 front page] - U190181

It's difficult to summarise Cook's career as his greatest stuff was almost 'accidental' - it can't be found in a specific film or television programme, really. I'd also welcome more creative subheader suggestions!

This is excellent. That's all

Aww thanks Otto!

Excellent!

There was an ITV series he appeared in, which I can't remember the title of, which you haven't mentioned... All I can really remember off the top of my head was that it had Warren Clarke in it.

"Do the words 'Prince of Darkness' mean anything to you? Beelzebub? Mephisopheles? The Hornéd One?" much better than Liz Hurley whispering "I'm the Devil" in the remake.

Ahh 'Gone to Seed' - will add that now! Thanks Mr. Dreadful!

I agree - I have no idea what they were thinking of with that remake!

I have on and off been thinking of doing an Entry comparing the two versions of the film... now that this is in PR I'll have to start work on it.

Haven't time to read all of this now, Natalie, but it looks great! Just two comments:

- you don't need quote marks around the quotes when they are in italics.

- if this had been written by a man, if would definitely have mentioned Raquel Welsh as Lust in Bedazzled.

G

Thanks Gnomon.

I'll sort the quotes out now and will definitely, begrudgingly mention Ms Welch's appearance as Lillian Lust!

That sounds like a great potential Entry, Mr. Dreadful. I really do love the original 'Bedazzled' - the Grimblewedge and the Vegetation clip is possibly the most wonderful pop moment ever committed to film!

I haven't read the entry yet but just popped by to metion that I was reading 'Tragically I Was An Only Twin' on the train back to the smoke yesterday and kept getting funny looks whilst reading the 'Arthur Streeb-Greebling'/Chris Morris stuff. Can't think why...

Is it really possible that HooToo's been around six years *without* an entry about this guy?

I've read it now. .

Thanks for writing it.

Thanks Roymondo - 'Tragically I Was An Only Twin' is a great read. Have you read Harry Thompson's fantastic biography? I don't know how we've survived this long without an Entry on Peter - I fear I've just highlighted the continuing Dudley void though!

One of these days I'll actually get round to reading ...Only Twin.

Very good Natalie - how do you encapsulate Cook ? How do you solve a problem like Maria ?

I'll confine myself to pointing out this little piece of tortology - "However, the videos were seized under obscenity laws by the Greater Manchester Police under obscenity laws and the video's distribution company went bankrupt."

and say well done.

Fabulous - thanks for that McKay, have corrected it now!

Hi Natalie. I haven't read the biography (in fact I haven't much of anything since joining HooToo!). 'Love All The People' is still sitting under-read on my desk at w*rk.

Are you still working on this, Natalie?

You still need to remove quotation marks from around any quotation which is in italics.

metamorphosised --> metamorphosed
to write sketches for West End Revues --> to write sketches for West End revues

"In 1960 Cook joined fellow Cambridge man, Jonathan Miller (a doctor), and two Oxford talents, Dudley Moore (a brilliant jazz pianist) and Alan Bennett (a medieval historian), to create the revue, Beyond the Fringe, which, in turn, took the Edinburgh Festival, the West End, and New York by storm." -- You've gone a bit overboard on the commas there. You might consider removing a few of them.

it led to Cook, Miller and Moore, recording an album -- remove the comma after Moore
aka Barry Humphries and legendary US comedian -- add comma after Humphries

At the time he joined the magazine’s circulation -- this would probably benefit from a comma after "joined".

inspired by an American magazines -- either "an American magazine or "American magazines".

had to sit by as his Frost --> had to sit by as Frost

with Dudley Moore with guests --> with Dudley Moore and guests

Was it Streeb-Greebling or Greeb-Streebling? I know he used both names in one sketch, but as far as I know he only used one of them in all the other sketches, and I think it was Streeb-Greebling.

not quite as warmly-received --> not quite as warmly received

"and so he, temporarily frustrated by his flagging film career, hosted a disastrous chat show"
I think this would be better if you moved the word "he" to after the subclause.

bases around the seven deadly sins --> based around the seven deadly sins
-- Add link to Seven Deadly Sins A827291

Comprising entirely new, and rather dark material, -- remove the comma after new

"They were an angrier, filthy Pete and Dud, Derek (Moore) and Clive (Cook)." -- this is confusing. Can you rephrase it differently?

followed in 1977) and --> followed in 1977 and

Ad Nauseum followed in 1978. Even more reliance -->
Ad Nauseum followed in 1978, with even more reliance

Can be seen as brave or appalling --> This can be seen as brave or appalling

which he managed two years later --> which he succeeding in doing two years later

and it not until 1993 was the film released --> and it was not until 1993 that the film was released

Dudley Moore was, unexpectedly becoming -- remove the comma

The regular compere, Ben Elton had introduced Cook -- add comma after Elton.

Whose Line is it AnywayHave I Got News For You --> Whose Line is it Anyway, Have I Got News For You
(there's a bug/feature of html that a space between a closing tag and an opening tag is ignored, by the way, so that's why your space was not displayed)

Keef Richards-alike -- should that be Richards-like ?

G

Phew! Thanks for those, Gnomon - have made all those changes. I think I'm more or less happy with this one now, though.

Still outstanding:

metamorphosised --> metamorphosed
bases around the seven deadly sins --> based around the seven deadly sins
and it was not until 1993 was the film released --> and it was not until 1993 that the film was released

G

I can't believe I missed those after all that!

Thanks Gnomon - have finally made all the changes. (I think!)

In my opinion, this entry is ready to be picked now.