Pete and Dud were characters played by the comedians and entertainers Peter Cook

Peter Cook

Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...

 and Dudley Moore

Dudley Moore

Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...

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The dialogue format originated in 1964 when Dudley Moore invited Peter Cook to appear in a television performance, whereupon Peter Cook scripted a conversation between two men from Dagenham

Dagenham

Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...

 in flat cap

Flat cap

A flat cap is a rounded men or women's cap with a small stiff brim in front. Cloths used to make the cap include original wool, tweed , and cotton. Less common materials may include leather. Cord flat caps are also worn in various colours. The inside of the cap is usually lined with silk for...

s. This proved to be very popular with television audiences and the partnership was continued during the series Not Only... But Also

Not Only... But Also

Not Only... But Also was a popular 1960s BBC British television series starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.-History:The show was originally intended as a solo project for Moore, called Not Only Dudley Moore, But Also His Guests...

.

Pete is a know-it-all and wanna-be intellectual, very much in the spirit of E. L. Wisty

E. L. Wisty

E.L. Wisty was a fictional character played by comedian Peter Cook throughout his career. A bland, monotonal know-it-all, he was usually presented in the form of monologues and sketches in which he bores members of the public.Originally titled Mr...

, and Dud a put-upon Herbert in a subservient role, who tries to impress Pete with his knowledge, even though neither one has any real sense.

The "Dagenham dialogues" between the two ranged from paintings in toilets (Pete finds the Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...

 snooty whilst he is using the toilets), how the bottoms of Rubens' nudes seem to follow you around the room, reasons as to why gecko

Gecko

Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....

s don't live long and being annoyed by film-stars (including "bloody Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...

" and "bloody Anna Magnani

Anna Magnani

Anna Magnani was an Italian stage and film actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress, along with four other international awards, for her portrayal of a Sicilian widow in The Rose Tattoo....

") pestering them for romance.

In the 1970s, Cook and Moore used a similar formula for the more adult Derek and Clive

Derek and Clive

Derek and Clive is a double act of comedic characters created by Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in the 1970s. The performances were captured on the records Derek and Clive , Derek and Clive Come Again , and Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam , as well as in a film documentary, Derek and Clive Get the Horn...

 recordings.

The comic and personal relationship between Cooke and Moore are the subject of the play Pete and Dud: Come Again

Pete and Dud: Come Again

Pete and Dud: Come Again is a stage play about Peter Cook and Dudley Moore written by Chris Bartlett and Nick Awde. This comedy drama had a sellout run at the Assembly Rooms as part of the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe before transferring to London's West End at The Venue, in March 2006, in a...

, by Chris Bartlett and Nick Awde

Nick Awde

Nick Awde Hill , is a British writer, artist, singer-songwriter and critic. The author, editor or illustrator of more than 50 books, he is based in London and Brussels...

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