Talk:Peter Cook

Tightening Up
I made several badly-needed edits to the Amnesty International section and the Not Only But Also section. This article pertains to Peter Cook, but most of the info contained within is needlessly wordy and unnecessary.

Secondly, being called a "newbie" is, at best, condescending and at worse elitist nonsense (the charge is also untrue - I have been a member here since 2004, but made my edits while logged out.) Changes to a Wikipedia page to not need to be mediated through the "Talk" page first as some sort of basic premise - that's ridiculous and antithetical to the idea of Wikipedia. Particularly sensitive or pernicious changes need to be addressed and perhaps discussed, but shortening the section on his Secret Policeman's Ball involvement to something more authorative and brisk (from the windy, overly detailed mess that it was) doesn't require a particularly large amount of scrutiny.

In either case, I feel that my edits stand on their own merits. They convey all of the ideas contained within the article, while substantively reducing the parts which have little to do with Cook himself. I do not feel that anyone who would read my edits would have any less of an impression of Peter Cook, or feel slighted in the lack of knowledge as to the exact situation in which ''Not Only ... But Also'' episodes were destroyed.168.39.166.136 17:36, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

"Sweet revenge," "cult status," "classic" remain unsupported and untight. --Timtak (talk) 23:59, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Not Only But Also deletions
Please compare the original:

Although the show is now recognised as one of the classics of TV comedy, the BBC had erased most of the videotapes of the series. This was common UK television practice at the time, when agreements with actors' and musicians' unions meant that only a certain number of repeats within a limited timescale were permitted, and the VHS or DVD home sales market was decades away. As videotape was then expensive and took up valuable storage space, tapes would often be wiped and re-used. (This policy was eventually seen as foolish and ceased in the 1970s — but not before a lot of British television from the 1960s had been wiped permanently, including much of Peter Cook's early work.)

When Cook learned the series was to be destroyed, he offered to buy the tapes from the BBC but was refused due to copyright issues. He then suggested that he purchase new tapes, so that the Corporation would have no need to erase the originals, but this was also turned down on the grounds that there was no established BBC procedure for such circumstances.

Of the programmes, only eight of the twenty-two complete episodes survive. These comprise the entire first series with the exception of the fifth and seventh episodes, the first and last episodes of the second series, and the Christmas special. No complete episodes of the 1970 third series survive, apart from various film inserts. Some of the soundtracks also exist, having been released commercially. The BBC later recovered some of the shows by approaching overseas television networks and buying back copies that had not yet been destroyed. A compilation of six half-hour programmes, The Best of What's Left of Not Only...But Also was shown on television in 1990, and highlights were released on VHS.

With the revised:

"Due to a common UK television practice at the time, when agreements with actors' and musicians' unions meant that only a certain number of repeats within a limited timescale were permitted, the tapes containing the episodes were scheduled to be wiped. Cook offered to buy the tapes, but was refused by the BBC. Of the programmes, only eight of the twenty-two complete episodes survive."

And explain what is missing from the revision that would be pertinent within the context of an article on Peter Cook. I submit that most of the original would be great reading at the Not Only .. But Also article, but here it is out of place and not particularly relevant to Cook, other than the fact the he tried to buy the tapes but was refused.

It is extremely clear to me that this is section is in need of shortening and a good editor. While it is certainly a story worth telling, I don't think the Peter Cook article is the venue for it.168.39.166.136 19:45, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Also, I was to understand that any person's edits and deletions stood on their own merits. It is fairly clear to me why I made the deletions I made, but more importantly, they can be *compared* side by side by anybody with the wherewithal to do so. That edits are succinctly undone because "deleting large amounts of text" is in itself unthoughtful is antithetical to the primary idea of editing.168.39.166.136 19:54, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I've moved in some stuff from the badly named (but nicely written) Cook article. It probably needs a bit of work, and I guess it needs a bit of NPOV-ing (but I don't have the heart to do it myself). --Camembert

I deleted the line about his mother's death causing him to start drinking again. It's speculative, and the Morris interview refers to him drinking during the recording sessions for Why Bother. Gorilla Jones 23:38, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Cause of death
...his own death in 1995 at the age of 57 was officially reported as resulting from internal haemorrhaging

According to the last of Michael Palin's mini-series for BBC Radio 4, Peter Cook in his own Words (21 Sept 05), he died of liver failure. Flapdragon 18:08, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm not a doctor but I believe that liver failure can cause the rupture of the portal vein, leading to haemmorrhage. Paul Tracyundefined
 * Sort of. Cirrhosis of the liver frequently leads to portal vein hypertension and resultant varicose veins in the oesophagus, which are liable to sudden rupture. Peter died of bleeding from such varices into the oesophagus. The blood-derived coagulant used to treat this emergency is both expensive and in very short supply, suggesting that he may have had prior episodes, as in such cases, regardless of the patient, it is often deemed necessary to withhold treatment for chronic alcoholics who re-present with such bleeding (meaning that they are considered to be incapable of abstaining from further alcohol abuse). --Phil Wardle 11:27, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

Tarzan / Not an Asp
I've replaced the comment that Peter Cook wrote the Tarzan sketch for Kenneth Williams. I've never heard that Ken performed that and I reckon it's the Not an Asp sketch (as seen on An Audience with Kenneth Williams on UK Television, or Pieces Of Eight here). Feel free to site sources if I'm wrong! Cooky was profilic and could well have written more than I'm aware of. -- MJW 86.140.77.88 20:26, 4 October 2005 (UTC)


 * For what it's worth (maybe not much) I think I heard it said on Michael Palin's Radio 4 tribute to PC that he wrote the Tarzan sketch for KW; whether or not the latter ever ended up performing it doesn't strictly speaking enter into it! Flapdragon 00:08, 5 October 2005 (UTC)


 * MJW, if you follow your own link to the Establishment discography, you'll see "One Leg Too Few" listed among the tracks on "One Over The Eight", the second KW review album. potatoscone 13:34, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

The Princess Bride
I realize that his greatest appeal is in Britan, but we Americans most likely know him best for his hilarious role as the impressive clergyman in The Princess Bride. Every wedding I have ever attended (well, at least since the movie camne out in 1987) has had at least one person break out "Mawwiage... is what bwings us togevva today."

Anyway, I just thought that his article should at least feature a couple of lines about that, I just have neither the felicity of expression or chutzpah to edit the official entry. 75.4.20.74 17:53, 28 October 2006 (UTC)Nolij

Not Only But Also
Most of this section doesn't belong in the Cook biography, as it pertains specifically to to the show. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 168.39.166.213 (talk) 16:11, 30 January 2007 (UTC).

Template
I've made a start on a Peter Cook box...

I know it needs work, so please make any changes you think it needs.--PinkEllie 10:00, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Removing a hyperbolic statement
The writing got a little swept away in the sentence expressing that there was little new ground to break after Cook. There's been much ground breaking humor since him, surely. That someone may have said this is rather an expression of their awe, rather than an objective fact. It's like the head of the US Patent Office, circa 1900, saying it might as well be closed, because there was nothing else significant to invent.

That a survey of 300 comics, producers and directors ranked him number one is a fact. That there is now little new humor ground to break is not a fact. Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk) 08:40, 3 July 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree. It's true that he did make it very hard for other comedians to break new ground during and a little while after his time, but we have seen a lot of ground-breaking comedy since. It would be much fairer to say that his comedy has had a lasting effect, rather than that it drained the reservoir for invention dry. --Polymath618 (talk) 15:20, 3 July 2008 (UTC)


 * It's definitely had a lasting effect on me. (Is that a good thing?) I've added a couple words to the end you suggest. Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk) 18:25, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

L.S. Bumblebee
Would it be worth mentioning his "L.S. Bumblebee" recording? That's somewhat notable, since it was at one point mistaken for the Beatles, and was included on some Beatle bootlegs. From Wiki  : ""L.S. Bumblebee": 1967 record by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore which spoofed psychedelic music with Moore singing a Lennon-like lead vocal"  Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk) 01:47, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Plagiarism
The minor section Revival is partially word-for-word plagiarism of the source http://larvatus.livejournal.com/66328.html mentioned in external links with another source interposed. I have removed the obvious and speculative parts of the plagiarism, but suspect the remaining text may still be problematic. ewe2 (talk) 12:53, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

Free photo
I wrote to Eric Hands to request free photo (CC license) of Peter Cook, but he declined (he was happy to supply a copyrighted one though). --Zureks (talk) 19:16, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Place of birth
Article says "Cook was born at his parents' house "Shearbridge", in Middle Warberry Road, Torquay, Devon". William Cook (no relation) writes in "One Leg Too Few -The Adventures of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore" that "Peter Edward Cook was born at St Chad's nursing home in Torquay". In each case 17 November 1937 is given as the date. Moletrouser (talk) 10:51, 30 December 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
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Stephen Fry eulogy to camera…
Can we add Stephen Fry’s televised contemptuous riposte to critics who judged Cook a failure? Saw it on YouTube, no idea where the original can be found.2001:8003:3020:1C00:1042:2F17:220E:23C5 (talk) 07:06, 20 September 2023 (UTC)