The previous week's episode of Saturday Night Live was pretty solid. Hugh Laurie's fantastic performance was a pleasant surprise for a lot of my House-loving friends, because they weren't quite sure what to expect from the ever-gruff Dr. House. Well, most people don't know that Laurie has an extensive comedy background... an extensive sketch comedy background... an extensive British sketch comedy background, at that (do not be fooled by House's flawless American accent). For several years, he performed with fellow British comedian, Stephen Fry, in a double-act called "Fry and Laurie" (it developed into a television show called A Bit of Fry and Laurie). Check out a clip that I've included after the jump.

Oh, and off-topic from Hugh Laurie, but on-topic with SNL... I've gotta say, I liked how Beck's performances were actually interesting to watch. I usually take a bathroom break when I know that the musical guests are coming up, but I'm glad I stuck around to see Beck's weird puppets and dish-bangers.

House may be a medical drama, but you don't have to watch Hugh Laurie in the titular role for very long to realize the man has an innate comedic sensibility. Of course, some of us knew that already when our ol' pal Hugh was cracking wise on such popular British series as Blackadder. Best Week Ever has a clip of a younger, fresh-faced Laurie playing piano and singing an ode to a long lost love that gets stranger and stranger as it goes on. According to a comment, the clip comes from a show he did with comedian Stephen Fry called A Bit of Fry and Laurie, which, according to IMDb, ran from 1986 to 1995. And hey, what do you know, the first two seasons of the show will be out on DVD in August. Now you can get the full spectrum that is all things Laurie. Very nice.