Peter Cook and Dudley Moore created, together and individually, some of British comedy’s finest moments. From their first appearance together while students on stage, it was clear that a chemistry existed the likes of which occurs only once in every generation.
Like Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello or Morecambe and Wise, Pete and Dud made a unique and memorable team. Their humour was alternative before the term became a cliché, and as Derek and Clive the pair broke taboos and confronted notions of what is considered ‘acceptable’ for public performance in original and shocking fashion. For the first time, this book traced the lives and careers of Pete and Dud as a duo, examining their work and influence both as a double act and as individuals.
Using original interview material with people who knew and worked with the pair, this was the first, finest critical biography of Cook and Moore AKA Derek and Clive, AKA ‘troubled’ Peter Cook and ‘Cuddly’ Dudley. It tells the strange story of how the master inventor of the British satire boom and the most unlikely Hollywood sex symbol became friends, collaborators and the best of enemies.
About the author
Alex Games has written for most of the newspapers, as well as writing comedy for BBC Radio 1 and 4. He told the stories behind our most intriguing words and phrases in the the bestselling ‘Balderdash & Piffle‘ which went on to become a BBC television series and has also written a biography of Alan Bennett.