93-651: Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English comedian, actor, satirist , playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishment comedic movement that emerged in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. Born in Torquay , he was educated at the University of Cambridge . There he became involved with
186-785: A West End show is a common tourist activity in London . Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are approximately 40 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre —built as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan —was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced that 2018
279-689: A coma on 9 January 1995 at the age 57 at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London, from a gastrointestinal haemorrhage , a complication resulting from years of heavy drinking. His body was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium , and his ashes were buried in an unmarked plot behind St John-at-Hampstead , not far from his home in Perrins Walk. Peter's wife Lin Cook died in 2016 and her ashes were buried with Peter's. A small memorial in
372-657: A couple of solo pieces and a sketch with Eleanor Bron . He also led the ensemble in the finale – the "End of the World" sketch from Beyond the Fringe . In response to a barb in The Daily Telegraph that the show was recycled material, Cook wrote a satire of the summing-up by Justice Cantley in the trial of former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe , a summary now widely thought to show bias in favour of Thorpe. Cook performed it that same night (Friday 29 June –
465-649: A deep distrust of politicians of all hues, he joined the Cambridge University Liberal Club . At Pembroke, Cook performed and wrote comedy sketches as a member of the Cambridge Footlights Club , of which he became president in 1960. His hero was fellow Footlights writer and Cambridge magazine writer David Nobbs . While still at university, Cook wrote for Kenneth Williams , providing several sketches for Williams' hit West End comedy revue Pieces of Eight and much of
558-630: A few cameo appearances but continued to be a regular performer in British television and film. Referred to as "the father of modern satire " by The Guardian in 2005, Cook was ranked number one in the Comedians' Comedian , a poll of more than 300 comics, comedy writers, producers and directors in the English-speaking world. Cook was born at his parents' house, "Shearbridge", in Middle Warberry Road, Torquay , Devon . He
651-530: A high proportion of straight drama, Shakespeare , other classic plays and premieres of new plays by leading playwrights—for example David Hare 's play Pravda starring Anthony Hopkins which was described by The Telegraph as "one of the biggest hits in the history of the National Theatre." Successful productions from the non-commercial theatres sometimes transfer to one of the commercial West End houses for an extended run. The Royal Opera House
744-538: A parody of the Gerry Anderson marionette TV shows, and Cook's pastiche of 1960s trendy arts documentaries – satirised in a parodic segment on Greta Garbo . When Cook learned a few years later that the videotapes of the series were to be wiped , a common practice at the time, he offered to buy the recordings from the BBC but was refused because of copyright issues. He suggested he could purchase new tapes so that
837-492: A prominent Devonshire family traced back to 1440, kept this fact secret. Peter Cook only discovered the truth when later researching his family. Cook was educated at Radley College and then went up to Pembroke College, Cambridge , where he read French and German. As a student, Cook initially intended to become a career diplomat like his father, but Britain "had run out of colonies", as he put it. Although largely apathetic politically, particularly in later life when he displayed
930-641: A record-breaking nine Olivier Awards in 2017. "Theatre is such an important part of British history and British culture" —Dame Helen Mirren after receiving the Evening Standard Award in 2013 for her performance as the Queen in The Audience . The following shows are confirmed as future West End productions. The theatre in which they will run is either not yet known or currently occupied by another show. The term "West End theatre"
1023-500: A single that Godley and Creme planned to make to demonstrate their invention, an electric guitar effect called the Gizmo , which they developed in 10cc. The project grew into a three- LP box set. The comedy sections were originally intended to be performed by a cast including Spike Milligan and Peter Ustinov , but Godley and Creme eventually settled on Cook once they realised he could perform most parts himself. The storyline centres on
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#17327868108121116-679: A time, the magazine was produced from the premises of the Establishment Club. In 1963, Cook married Wendy Snowden. The couple had two daughters, Lucy and Daisy, but the marriage ended in 1970. Cook's first regular television spot was on Granada Television 's On the Braden Beat with Bernard Braden , where he featured his most enduring character: the static, dour and monotonal E. L. Wisty , whom Cook had conceived for Radley College's Marionette Society. Cook's comedy partnership with Dudley Moore led to Not Only... But Also . This
1209-560: Is Les Misérables , produced by Cameron Mackintosh , which has been running in London since October 1985. It overtook Andrew Lloyd Webber 's Cats , which closed in 2002 after running for 8,949 performances and 21 years, as the longest-running West End musical of all time on 9 October 2006. Other long-runners include Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera , Willy Russell 's Blood Brothers , and Abba jukebox musical Mamma Mia! which have also subsequently overtaken Cats . However,
1302-496: Is a parallel between the fictional divorce of Walter and Lulu and Cook's own divorce from his first wife. The voice and accent Cook used for the character of Stapleton are similar to those of Cook's Beyond the Fringe colleague, Alan Bennett, and a book on Cook's comedy, How Very Interesting: Peter Cook's Universe and All That Surrounds It , speculates that the characters Cook plays in Consequences are his verbal caricatures of
1395-541: Is connected by a large hole in the floor. Although it has since developed a cult following , Consequences was released as punk was sweeping the UK and proved a resounding commercial failure , savaged by critics who found the music self-indulgent. The script and story have evident connections to Cook's own life – his then-wife Judy Huxtable plays Walter's wife. Cook's struggles with alcohol are mirrored in Haig's drinking, and there
1488-794: Is generally used to refer specifically to commercial productions in Theatreland. However, the leading non-commercial theatres in London enjoy great artistic prestige. These include the National Theatre , the Barbican Centre , Shakespeare's Globe (including the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse ), the Old Vic , Royal Court Theatre , Sadler's Wells Theatre , and the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre . These theatres stage
1581-542: Is often the work of several individuals collectively, as in magazines and television. Hence the following list. West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London . Along with New York City 's Broadway theatre , West End theatre represents the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world . Seeing
1674-693: Is widely regarded as one of the greatest opera houses in the world, comparable with the Palais Garnier and La Scala . Commonly known simply as Covent Garden due to its location, it is home to the Royal Opera , Royal Ballet and a resident symphony orchestra, and hosts guest performances from other leading opera, ballet and performance companies from around the world. In 1735 its first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel , began and many of his English oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres here. Likewise,
1767-516: The COVID-19 pandemic , all theatres in the West End were closed until further notice. Theatres in London were allowed to re-open (with social distancing) on 17 May 2021, with full capacity permitted from 19 July. Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years. The length of West End shows depends on ticket sales. The longest-running musical in West End history
1860-809: The Comedy Theatre opened as the Royal Comedy Theatre on Panton Street in Leicester Square . It abbreviated its name three years later. On 23 December 1886, Alice in Wonderland (the first major production of the Alice books ) debuted at the Prince of Wales Theatre . Its author Lewis Carroll was involved in the stage adaptation, and he attended a performance seven days later. The Palace Theatre opened in 1891. Opened in 1892,
1953-466: The Duke of York's Theatre debuted J. M. Barrie 's play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up , on 27 December 1904. One of the most popular playwrights in London in the 1890s, Oscar Wilde , premiered his second comedy, A Woman of No Importance , at Haymarket Theatre in 1893. The subject of widespread public and media interest, Lillie Langtry (an associate of Wilde) made her West End debut in
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#17327868108122046-545: The Footlights Club , of which he later became president. After graduating, he created the comedy stage revue Beyond the Fringe , beginning a long-running partnership with Dudley Moore . In 1961, Cook opened the comedy club The Establishment in Soho . In 1965, Cook and Moore began a television career, beginning with Not Only... But Also . Cook's deadpan monologues contrasted with Moore's buffoonery. They received
2139-629: The Globe Theatre in a new theatre district formed beyond the controls of the City corporation. Regarding theatre as sinful, these theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence the interregnum of 1649. On 24 January 1643, the actors protested against the ban by writing a pamphlet titled The Actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession, and banishment from their severall play-houses . After
2232-724: The London Coliseum is the resident home to the English National Opera . The theatre is also the London base for performances by the English National Ballet , who perform regular seasons throughout the year when not on tour. The Peacock Theatre is located on the edge of the Theatreland area. Now owned by the London School of Economics and Political Science , it is used in the evenings for dance performances by Sadler's Wells , who manage
2325-1068: The Lyric Hammersmith , Theatre Royal Stratford East , Rose Theatre, Kingston , New Wimbledon Theatre , the Rudolph Steiner Theatre in Westminster , the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon , Secombe Theatre in Sutton , the Churchill Theatre in Bromley and the Hackney Empire in Hackney . London theatres outside the West End also played an important role in the early history of drama schools . In 1833, actress Frances Maria Kelly managed
2418-620: The Nederlander Organization . Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation . The first permanent public playhouse, known as The Theatre , was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage . It was soon joined by The Curtain . Both are known to have been used by William Shakespeare 's company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark , where it was used in building
2511-534: The Savoy Theatre in The Strand, built by Richard D'Oyly Carte specifically to showcase the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan , opened in October (the first theatre and public building to be lit by electric lights, with The Times recording, "the success of the new mode of illumination was complete, and its importance for the development of scenic art can scarcely be overrated"), and five days later
2604-526: The Thorpe trial . Although unable to take part in the 1981 gala, Cook supplied the narration over the animated opening title sequence of the 1982 film of the show. With Lewis, he wrote and voiced radio commercials to advertise the film in the UK. He also hosted a spoof film awards ceremony that was part of the world première of the film in London in March 1982. Following Cook's 1987 stage reunion with Moore for
2697-658: The "Special Prize of the City of Montreux" at the Montreux Comedy Festival in 1985. In 1986, he partnered Joan Rivers on her UK talk show. He appeared as Mr Jolly in 1987 in The Comic Strip Presents... episode " Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door ", playing an assassin who covers the sound of his murders by playing Tom Jones records. That same year, Cook appeared in The Princess Bride as the "Impressive Clergyman" who officiates at
2790-421: The "n". The cast included Cleese, Rowan Atkinson , Beryl Reid , Paula Wilcox , and Terry Jones . Partly spurred by Moore's growing film star status, Cook moved to Hollywood in that year, and appeared as an uptight English butler to a wealthy American woman in a short-lived United States television sitcom, The Two of Us , also making cameo appearances in a couple of undistinguished films. In 1983, Cook played
2883-500: The 1966 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance . Following the success of the show, the duo appeared together in the films The Wrong Box (1966) and Bedazzled (1967). Cook and Moore returned to television projects continuing to the late 1970s, including co-presenting Saturday Night Live in the United States. From 1978 until his death in 1995, Cook no longer collaborated with Moore, apart from
Peter Cook - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-451: The 1989 Amnesty International benefit show, The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball . A 1984 commercial for John Harvey & Sons showed Cook at a poolside party drinking Harvey's Bristol Cream sherry . He then says to "throw away those silly little glasses" whereupon the other party guests toss their sunglasses in the swimming pool. In 1988, Cook appeared as a contestant on the improvisation comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? He
3069-742: The 1993 Christmas special of One Foot in the Grave ("One Foot in the Algarve"), playing a muckraking tabloid photographer . Before the end of the following year, his mother died, and a grief-stricken Cook returned to heavy drinking. He made his last television appearance on the show Pebble Mill at One in November 1994. Cook was married three times. He was first married to Wendy Snowden, whom he met at university, in 1963. They had two daughters, Lucy and Daisy. They divorced in 1971. Cook then married his second wife, model and actress Judy Huxtable , in 1973,
3162-450: The BBC would have no need to erase the originals, but this was also turned down. Of the original 22 programmes, only eight still survive complete. A compilation of six half-hour programmes, The Best of... What's Left of... Not Only...But Also was shown on television and has been released on both VHS and DVD . With The Wrong Box (1966) and Bedazzled (1967), Cook and Moore began to act in films together. Directed by Stanley Donen ,
3255-660: The Eastern Region based at Enugu . Cook's grandfather, Edward Arthur Cook (1869–1914), had also been a colonial civil servant, traffic manager for the Federated Malay States Railway in Kuala Lumpur , Malaya . The stress he suffered in the lead-up to an interview regarding promotion led him to commit suicide. His wife, Minnie Jane (1869–1957), daughter of Thomas Wreford, of Thelbridge and Witheridge , Devon, and of Stratford-upon-Avon , of
3348-657: The Establishment Club, but it was not immediately picked up and Cook went to New York City for a year to perform Beyond the Fringe on Broadway . When he returned, the pilot had been refashioned as That Was the Week That Was and had made a television star of David Frost , something Cook made no secret of resenting. He complained that Frost's success was based on directly copying Cook's own stage persona and Cook dubbed him "the bubonic plagiarist", and said that his only regret in life, according to Alan Bennett , had been saving Frost from drowning. This incident occurred in
3441-523: The Fridge . This show toured Australia in 1972 before transferring to New York City in 1973, retitled as Good Evening . Cook frequently appeared on and off stage the worse for drink. Nonetheless, the show proved very popular and it won Tony and Grammy Awards . When it finished, Moore stayed in the United States to pursue his film acting ambitions in Hollywood. Cook returned to Britain and in 1973, married
3534-651: The Patent Acts, as it was accompanied by music. Initially, these entertainments were presented in large halls, attached to public houses , but purpose-built theatres began to appear in the East End , such as the Pavilion Theatre in Whitechapel . The comic theatrical genre the harlequinade was also popular among London audiences. Its most famous performer, Joseph Grimaldi , best known for developing
3627-573: The Restoration (1660), Puritan legislation was declared null and void, and theatre (among other arts) exploded. Two companies were licensed to perform, the Duke's Company and the King's Company . Performances were held in converted buildings, such as Lisle's Tennis Court . The first West End theatre, known as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, was designed by Thomas Killigrew and built on
3720-722: The Second World War, including John Gielgud , Alec Guinness , Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison ; the latter's performance in Terence Rattigan 's 1936 comedy French Without Tears at the Criterion Theatre established him a leading light comedian. During the 1950s and 1960s, many plays were produced in theatre clubs, to evade the censorship then exercised by the Lord Chamberlain's Office . The Theatres Act 1968 finally abolished censorship of
3813-410: The actress and model Judy Huxtable . Later, the more risqué humour of Pete and Dud went further on such LPs as " Derek and Clive ". The first recording was initiated by Cook to alleviate boredom during the Broadway run of Good Evening and used material conceived years before for the two characters but considered too outrageous. One of these audio recordings was also filmed and therein tensions between
Peter Cook - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-450: The age of 71 in November 2016. Cook was an avid spectator of most sports (except rugby league ) and was a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur football club, though he also maintained support for his hometown team Torquay United . Cook was a heavy smoker. As a regular interviewee on his friend's show, Michael Parkinson , he was usually to be seen with a lighted cigarette in his hand or mouth during their broadcast interviews. Cook died in
3999-551: The amateur dramatic clubs of British universities to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe , and then to radio and television. On his death, some critics choose to see Cook's life as tragic, insofar as the brilliance of his youth had not been sustained in his later years. However, Cook maintained he was "comfortable with limited ambition" not necessarily for the sustained international success that Dudley Moore achieved. He assessed happiness by his friendships and his enjoyment of life. Eric Idle said Cook had not wasted his talent, but rather that
4092-510: The annual American benefit for the homeless, Comic Relief (not related to the UK Comic Relief benefits), Cook repeated the reunion for a British audience by performing with Moore at the 1989 Amnesty benefit The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball . Cook played multiple roles on the 1977 concept album Consequences , written and produced by former 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme . A mixture of spoken comedy and progressive rock with an environmental subtext, Consequences started as
4185-424: The area proper; an example is The Apollo Victoria Theatre , in Westminster . Prominent theatre streets include Drury Lane , Shaftesbury Avenue and the Strand. The works staged are predominantly musicals, classic and modern straight plays , and comedy performances. Many theatres in the West End are of late Victorian or Edwardian construction and are privately owned. Many are architecturally impressive, and
4278-404: The character became modelled on Frost. The film, The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer , was not a success, although the cast contained notable names (including Cleese and Graham Chapman , who were co-writers). Cook became a favourite of the chat show circuit but his effort at hosting such a show for the BBC in 1971, Where Do I Sit? , was said by the critics to have been a disappointment. It
4371-424: The club. Humphries said in his autobiography, My Life As Me , that he found Cook's lack of interest in art and literature off-putting. Dudley Moore's jazz trio played in the basement of the club during the early 1960s. Cook also opened an Establishment club in New York in 1963 and Lenny Bruce performed there, as well. In 1962, the BBC commissioned a pilot for a television series of satirical sketches based on
4464-415: The comedy She Stoops to Conquer in 1881. In 1878, Ellen Terry joined Henry Irving 's company as his leading lady, and for more than the next two decades she was considered the leading Shakespearean and comic actress in Britain. Opened in 1903, the New Theatre debuted The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1905, a play that introduced a heroic figure with an alter ego into the public consciousness. The theatre
4557-599: The conditions for the performance of plays, and The Strand gained another venue when the Vaudeville opened on 16 April 1870. The next few decades saw the opening of many new theatres in the West End. The Adelphi hosted A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future in 1844, a play adapted from the novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens —who came to several stage rehearsals during which he made suggestions—with his book published weeks earlier in December 1843. The Criterion Theatre opened on Piccadilly Circus on 21 March 1874, and in 1881, two more houses appeared:
4650-450: The duo are seen to rise. Chris Blackwell circulated bootleg copies to friends in the music business. The popularity of the recording convinced Cook to release it commercially, although Moore was initially reluctant, fearing that his rising fame as a Hollywood star would be undermined. Two further Derek and Clive albums were released, the last accompanied by a film. Cook and Moore hosted Saturday Night Live on 24 January 1976 during
4743-601: The extent that for a time he was teetotal . He lived alone in a small 18th-century house in Perrins Walk, Hampstead , while she kept her own property just 100 yards (90 m) away. Cook returned to the BBC as Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling for an appearance with Ludovic Kennedy in A Life in Pieces . The 12 interviews saw Sir Arthur recount his life, based on the song " Twelve Days of Christmas ". Unscripted interviews with Cook as Streeb-Greebling and satirist Chris Morris were recorded in late 1993 and broadcast as Why Bother? on BBC Radio 3 in 1994. Morris described them: It
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#17327868108124836-401: The follow-up, One Over the Eight , before finding prominence in his own right in a four-man group satirical stage show, Beyond the Fringe , alongside Jonathan Miller , Alan Bennett , and Dudley Moore . Beyond the Fringe became a great success in London after being first performed at the Edinburgh Festival and included Cook impersonating the prime minister , Harold Macmillan . This
4929-483: The four Beyond the Fringe cast members – the alcoholic Haig represents Cook himself, the tremulous Stapleton is Bennett, the parodically Jewish Pepperman is Miller, and the pianist Blint represents Moore. Cook starred in the LWT special Peter Cook & Co. in 1980. The show included comedy sketches, including a Tales of the Unexpected parody "Tales of the Much As We Expected". This involved Cook as Roald Dahl , explaining his name had been Ronald before he dropped
5022-439: The impending divorce of ineffectual Englishman Walter Stapleton (Cook) and his French wife Lulu ( Judy Huxtable ). While meeting their lawyers – the bibulous Mr. Haig and overbearing Mr. Pepperman (both played by Cook) – the encroaching global catastrophe interrupts proceedings with bizarre and mysterious happenings, which seem to centre on Mr. Blint (Cook), a musician and composer living in the flat below Haig's office, to which it
5115-489: The largest and best maintained feature grand neo-classical, Romanesque, or Victorian façades and luxurious, detailed interior design and decoration. However, owing to the age of the buildings, leg room is often cramped, and audience facilities such as bars and toilets are often much smaller than in modern theatres. The protected status of the buildings and their confined urban locations, combined with financial constraints, make it very difficult to make substantial improvements to
5208-529: The level of comfort offered. In 2003, the Theatres Trust estimated that an investment of £250 million over the following 15 years was required for modernisation, and stated that 60% of theatres had seats from which the stage was not fully visible. The theatre owners unsuccessfully requested tax concessions to help them meet the costs. Starting in 2004, there were several incidents of falling plasterwork, or performances being cancelled because of urgent building repairs being required. These events culminated in
5301-510: The lifespan dates of Cook and of naturalist and humorist Gerald Durrell . In 1999, the minor planet 20468 Petercook , in the main asteroid belt , was named after Cook. Satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism . They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. In alphabetical order (many birth dates not known): In modern culture, much satire
5394-412: The marriage ending in 1989 after they had been separated for some years. He married his third and final wife, Chiew Lin Chong, in 1989, to whom he remained married until his death. Cook became stepfather to Chong's daughter, Nina. Following Cook's death, Chong suffered from depression, deriving both from her loss and the difficulties arising from raising Nina, who had learning difficulties . Chong died at
5487-429: The modern day white-face clown , made his stage debut at Drury Lane in 1780. The West End theatre district became established with the opening of many small theatres and halls, including the Adelphi in The Strand on 17 November 1806. South of the River Thames , the Old Vic , Waterloo Road , opened on 11 May 1818. The expansion of the West End theatre district gained pace with the Theatres Act 1843 , which relaxed
5580-445: The newspapers had tried to waste him. In 1995 premiered Play Wisty For Me – The Life of Peter Cook , an original play to pay tribute to Cook. Several friends honoured him with a dedication in the closing credits of Fierce Creatures (1997), a comedy film written by John Cleese about a zoo in peril of being closed. It starred Cleese alongside Jamie Lee Curtis , Kevin Kline , and Michael Palin . The dedication displays photos and
5673-448: The non-musical Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap is the longest-running production in the world, and has been performed continuously since 1952. Running since 2011, Matilda the Musical , an adaptation of Roald Dahl 's Matilda , won a then-record seven Olivier Awards in 2012. Running since 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , a two-part play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by J. K. Rowling , won
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#17327868108125766-402: The partial collapse of the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre in December 2013. Of these earlier incidents, only one led to people being hurt, but at the Apollo 76 people needed medical treatment for their injuries. A number of West End theatres have undergone refurbishments, including the Victoria Palace Theatre following the run of Billy Elliot in 2016. The Dominion Theatre refurbishment
5859-418: The performances range from classic plays, to cabaret, to plays in the languages of London's ethnic minorities . The performers range from emerging young professionals to amateurs. Productions at the Donmar included the 1980 play Educating Rita which starred Julie Walters in the title role before she reprised the role in the 1983 film . There are many theatres located throughout Greater London , such as
5952-400: The property, it operated as a "Musick House", with performances of opera; as it was not licensed for plays. In the West End, the Theatre Royal Haymarket opened on 29 December 1720 on a site slightly north of its current location, and the Royal Opera House opened in Covent Garden on 7 December 1732. John Gay 's ballad opera The Beggar's Opera ran for 62 performances in 1728, and held
6045-433: The record for London's longest run for nearly a century. It has been called "the most popular play of the eighteenth century." Another musical show, Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (1821), was the first London production to reach 100 consecutive performances . Tom and Jerry' s combination of a tour of London interspersed with song and dance, gave rise to numerous similar, loosely constructed entertainments, and "planted
6138-413: The role of Richard III in the first episode of Blackadder , " The Foretelling ", which parodies Laurence Olivier 's portrayal. In 1984, he played the role of Nigel, the mathematics teacher, in Jeannot Szwarc 's film Supergirl , working alongside the evil Selena played by Faye Dunaway . He then narrated the short film Diplomatix by Norwegian comedy trio Kirkvaag , Lystad , and Mjøen , which won
6231-414: The seeds for later musical comedy and revue". The Patent theatre companies retained their duopoly on drama well into the 19th century, and all other theatres could perform only musical entertainments. By the early 19th century, however, music hall entertainments became popular, and presenters found a loophole in the restrictions on non-patent theatres in the genre of melodrama . Melodrama did not break
6324-411: The shape of an open book now marks the spot. Dudley Moore attended Cook's memorial service at St John-at-Hampstead on 1 May 1995. He and Martin Lewis presented a two-night memorial for Cook at The Improv in Los Angeles, on 15 and 16 November 1995, to mark what would have been Cook's 58th birthday. Cook is widely acknowledged as a strong influence on the many British comedians who followed him from
6417-466: The show from all over the world, and his dislike of his fellow Norwegians' obsession with fish. While Bull was clearly aware that Sven was fictional and was happy to play along with the joke, he did not learn of the caller's real identity until later. In late 1989, Cook married for the third time, to Malaysian -born property developer Chiew Lin Chong in Torbay , Devon. She provided him with some stability in his personal life, and he reduced his drinking to
6510-456: The show's first season . They did a number of their classic stage routines, including " One Leg Too Few " and "Frog and Peach" among others, in addition to participating in some skits with the show's ensemble cast . In 1978, Cook appeared on the British music series Revolver as the manager of a ballroom where emerging punk and new wave acts played. For some groups, these were their first appearances on television. Cook's acerbic commentary
6603-503: The site of the present Theatre Royal, Drury Lane . It opened on 7 May 1663 and was destroyed by a fire nine years later. It was replaced by a new structure designed by Christopher Wren and renamed the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. One of the first actresses on the stage, Nell Gwyn became a star of restoration comedy. Outside the West End, Sadler's Wells Theatre opened in Islington on 3 June 1683. Taking its name from founder Richard Sadler and monastic springs that were discovered on
6696-531: The soundtrack music and co-wrote (with Cook) the songs performed in the film. His jazz trio backed Cook on the theme, a parodic anti-love song, which Cook delivered in a deadpan monotone and included his familiar put-down, "you fill me with inertia". In 1968, Cook and Moore briefly switched to ATV for four one-hour programmes titled Goodbye Again , based on the Pete and Dud characters. Cook's increasing alcoholism led him to become reliant on cue cards . The show
6789-469: The stage in the United Kingdom. "Theatreland", London's main theatre district, contains approximately 40 venues and is located in and near the heart of the West End of London . It is traditionally defined by the Strand to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, and Kingsway to the east. However, a few other nearby theatres are also considered "West End" despite being outside
6882-560: The summer of 1963, when the rivalry between the two men was at its height. Cook had realised that Frost's potential drowning would have looked deliberate if he had not been rescued. By the mid 1960s the satire boom was coming to an end and Cook said: "England was about to sink giggling into the sea." Around this time, Cook provided substantial financial backing for the satirical magazine Private Eye , supporting it through difficult periods, particularly in libel trials. Cook invested his own money and solicited investment from his friends. For
6975-656: The theatre on behalf of the school. There is a great number of stage productions in London outside the West End. Much of this is known as fringe theatre (referred to as Off West End ) which is the equivalent of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre in New York City. Among these are the Menier Chocolate Factory , Bush Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse . Fringe venues range from well-equipped small theatres to rooms above pubs, and
7068-579: The third of the four nights) and the following night. The nine-minute opus, "Entirely a Matter for You", is considered by many fans and critics to be one of the finest works of Cook's career. Along with Cook, producer of the show Martin Lewis brought out an album on Virgin Records entitled Here Comes the Judge: Live , containing the live performance together with three studio tracks that further lampooned
7161-505: The third show in 1979 the benefits were dubbed The Secret Policeman's Balls . He performed on all three nights of the first show in April 1976, A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick) , as an individual performer and as a member of the cast of Beyond the Fringe , which reunited for the first time since the 1960s. He also appeared in a Monty Python sketch, taking the place of Eric Idle . Cook
7254-578: The underlying story of Bedazzled is credited to Cook and Moore and its screenplay to Cook. A comic parody of Faust , it stars Cook as George Spigott (the Devil ) who tempts Stanley Moon (Moore), a frustrated, short-order chef, with the promise of gaining his heart's desire – the unattainable beauty and waitress at his cafe, Margaret Spencer ( Eleanor Bron ) – in exchange for his soul, but repeatedly tricks him. The film features cameo appearances by Barry Humphries as Envy and Raquel Welch as Lust. Moore composed
7347-500: The wedding ceremony between Buttercup and Prince Humperdinck. Also that year, he spent time working with humourist Martin Lewis on a political satire about the 1988 US presidential elections for HBO , but the script went unproduced. Lewis suggested that Cook team with Moore for the US Comic Relief telethon for the homeless. The duo reunited and performed their "One Leg Too Few" sketch. Cook again collaborated with Moore for
7440-642: Was a distinctive aspect of the programme. In 1979, Cook recorded comedy-segments as B-sides to the Sparks 12-inch singles "Number One Song in Heaven" and "Tryouts for the Human Race". The main songwriter Ron Mael often began with a banal situation in his lyrics and then went at surreal tangents in the style of Cook and S. J. Perelman . Cook appeared at the first three fund-raising galas staged by Cleese and Martin Lewis on behalf of Amnesty International . From
7533-547: Was a record year for the capital's theatre industry with attendances topping 15.5 million for the first time since the organisation began collecting audience data in 1986. Box office revenues exceeded £765 million. While attendance in 2019 was down 1.4% compared to the previous year, box office revenues reached a record £799 million. The majority of West End theatres are owned by the ATG Entertainment , Delfont Mackintosh Theatres , Nimax Theatres , LW Theatres , and
7626-528: Was a satirical venue modelled on "those wonderful Berlin cabarets ... which did so much to stop the rise of Hitler and prevent the outbreak of the Second World War ". As a members-only venue, it was outside the censorship restrictions . The Establishment's regular cabaret performers were Eleanor Bron , John Bird , and John Fortune . Cook befriended and supported Australian comedian and actor Barry Humphries , who began his British solo career at
7719-464: Was a very different style of improvisation from what I'd been used to, working with people like Steve Coogan , Doon Mackichan and Rebecca Front , because On the Hour and The Day Today were about trying to establish a character within a situation, and Cook was really doing 'knight's move' and 'double knight's move' thinking to construct jokes or ridiculous scenes flipping back on themselves, and it
7812-785: Was amazing. I mean, I held out no great hopes that he wouldn't be a boozy old sack of lard with his hair falling out and scarcely able to get a sentence out, because he hadn't given much evidence that that wouldn't be the case. But, in fact, he stumbled in with a Safeways bag full of Kestrel lager and loads of fags and then proceeded to skip about mentally with the agility of a grasshopper. Really quite extraordinary. On 17 December 1993, Cook appeared on Clive Anderson Talks Back as four characters – biscuit tester and alien abductee Norman House, football manager and motivational speaker Alan Latchley, judge Sir James Beauchamp, and rock legend Eric Daley. The following day, he appeared on BBC2 performing links for Arena ' s "Radio Night". He also appeared in
7905-408: Was axed after only three episodes and was replaced by Michael Parkinson , the start of Parkinson's career as a chat show host. Parkinson later asked Cook what his ambitions were, Cook replied jocularly "[...] in fact, my ambition is to shut you up altogether you see!" Cook and Moore fashioned sketches from Not Only....But Also and Goodbye Again with new material into the stage revue called Behind
7998-507: Was completed in 2017 with the unveiling of a new double-sided LED screen, the largest and highest resolution projecting screen on the exterior of a West End theatre. In 2012, gross sales of £529,787,692 were up 0.27% and attendances also increased 0.56% to 13,992,773-year-on-year. In 2013, sales again rose this time by 11% to £585,506,455, with attendances rising to 14,587,276. This was despite slightly fewer performances occurring in 2013. On 16 March 2020, following government advice due to
8091-534: Was declared the winner, his prize being to read the credits in the style of a New York cab driver – a character he had portrayed in Peter Cook & Co. Cook occasionally called in to Clive Bull 's night-time phone-in radio show on LBC in London. Using the name "Sven from Swiss Cottage", he mused on love, loneliness, and herrings in a mock Norwegian accent. Jokes included Sven's attempts to find his estranged wife, in which he often claimed to be telephoning
8184-500: Was not a popular success, owing in part to a strike causing the suspension of the publication of the ITV listings magazine TV Times . John Cleese was also a cast member, who would become lifelong friends with Cook and later collaborated on projects together. In 1970, Cook took over a project initiated by David Frost for a satirical film about an opinion pollster who rises to become Prime Minister of Great Britain. Under Cook's guidance,
8277-418: Was on the cast album of the show and in the film, Pleasure at Her Majesty's . He was in the second Amnesty gala in May 1977, An Evening Without Sir Bernard Miles . It was retitled The Mermaid Frolics for the cast album and TV special. Cook performed monologues and skits with Terry Jones . In June 1979, Cook performed all four nights of The Secret Policeman's Ball , teaming with Cleese. Cook performed
8370-448: Was one of the first occasions satirical political mimicry had been attempted in live theatre, and it shocked audiences. During one performance, Macmillan was in the theatre and Cook departed from his script and attacked him verbally. In 1961, Cook opened The Establishment , a club at 18 Greek Street in Soho in central London , presenting fellow comedians in a nightclub setting, including American Lenny Bruce . Cook later joked that it
8463-425: Was originally intended by the BBC as a vehicle for Moore's music, but Moore invited Cook to write sketches and appear with him. Using few props, they created dry, absurd television that proved hugely popular and lasted for three series between 1965 and 1970. Cook played characters such as Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling and the two men created their Pete and Dud alter egos. Other sketches included "Superthunderstingcar",
8556-647: Was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in 2006 after the playwright Noël Coward . Constructed in 1897, Her Majesty's Theatre hosted a number of premieres, including George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion in 1914. The theatre building boom continued until about the First World War . In 1930, Laurence Olivier had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives . A number of other actors made their West End debut prior to
8649-465: Was the only son, and eldest of the three children, of Alexander Edward "Alec" Cook (1906–1984), a colonial civil servant and his wife Ethel Catherine Margaret (1908–1994), daughter of solicitor Charles Mayo. His father served as political officer and later district officer in Nigeria, then as financial secretary to the colony of Gibraltar, followed by a return to Nigeria as Permanent Secretary of
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