Channel 4 Channels 2
The British newspaper the Independent reports that Channel 4 is making a TV movie about Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. (Via Mike Gerber.)

Excerpts:

Rhys Ifans, the actor best known for his portrayal of Hugh Grant's slob flatmate in the movie Notting Hill, will play Peter Cook in a "warts and all" Channel 4 film about his up-and-down relationship with fellow comedian Dudley Moore.

Not Only ... But Always explores the pair's life together - from their first meeting in the 1960s to Cook's death in early 1995, aged 58. Their often tempestuous partnership has been condensed into just two hours, and chronicles the pivotal moments in their careers.

Moore, the diminutive "sex thimble" who died nearly two years ago at the age of 66 from complications arising from a degenerative illness, will be played by the little-known Aidan McArdle, who has worked mainly on the stage.

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[Executive producer Charlie] Pattinson said of the film: "Predominantly it is Peter's story, but the emotional spin on the story is the relationship between Peter and Dudley, which has that sort of 'every relationship' quality to it whether you knew who they were or not. It's a marriage that explodes then comes back together and then explodes again.

"It uses markers from their creative life to tell the story, such as Beyond The Fringe, Not Only ... But Also, and it touches on Dudley's film career and Peter's less successful years."

Filming begins a week on Wednesday and will take place almost entirely in New Zealand, which will double for locations as diverse as Cambridge, New York, Los Angeles, where Moore made his home, the Caribbean, where they wrote together, and Exmoor.

Channel 4's head of drama, John Yorke, said: "It's a history of British comedy, a look at the psychology of a relationship and a portrait of post-war Britain - but most of all it's the story of Pete and Dud."