FIRST DYNASTY, THEN SWITCH OVER TO BBC2 FOR FRY AND LAURIE. And so it once was in discerning households of a Friday night, as Stephen and Hugh brought us intricately crafted Oxbridge comedy, at turns surreal (“Par-pa! Par-pa! I haven’t done this for years”), stupid (“I stooped to pick a buttercup. Why people leave buttocks lying around, I’ve no idea”), satirical (“What do I think of John Major’s leadership? I’d welcome it!”) and saucy (“Yes, it’s called ‘England: A Nation of Cricketers’ by Ted Cunterblast”). Best topped off by that ace title sequence showing the duo walking into TV Centre, the series suffered from rapidly diminishing returns, before being upgraded to BBC1 for its fourth and final run – wherein IMELDA STAUNTON and JOHN BIRD rushed the set. Soupy twist.