Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry's charmingly misanthropic send-up of the English mystery features an unlikely but necessary hero: Ted Wallace, AKA the Hippopotamus, a failed and disolute poet, recently fired theater critic, and muckraker of modern irrationality, whose war against the unreasonable finds sudden purpose investigating a series of supposed miracles at a mansion in the country.
"I’ve suffered for my art,...
2) The Liar
Adrian Healey loves to lie. He does it all the time. Every minute, every moment. And worse, he does it wonderfully, imaginatively, brilliantly. He lies to buck the system, to express his contempt for convention, but mostly because he just plain likes to. It’s fun; it’s high camp. He invents a lost pornographic...
Michael Young is a graduate student at Cambridge who is completing his dissertation on the early life of Adolf Hitler. Leo Zuckerman is an aging German physicist and Holocaust survivor. Together they idealistically embark on an experiment to change the course of history. And with their success is launched a brave new world that is...
Stephen Fry explores the highways and byways of the English language in these four programmes, as heard on BBC Radio 4.
The Trial of Qwerty
The "Qwerty" keyboard faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct the English language. But who was Mr. Qwerty?
He Said, She Said
Do men and women really say what they mean? Also Stephen investigates sex, domination, gender, power, and sex changes (as only he can).
Accentuate the Negative
We
Stephen Fry hosts four programmes on the joys of the English language - as heard on BBC Radio 4. Current Puns Why does our language groan with the weight of puns? What exactly is a pun? And who, or what, is the Thief of Bad Gags? Metaphor The English language is chock-full of maritime metaphors: cock up, taken aback, chip on your shoulder and show a leg. And, with the help of a Greek removals firm, we also find the origin of the word 'metaphor'.
...Stephen Fry explores the highways and byways of the English language in these four programmes, as heard on BBC Radio 4.
'The Mouth':
Why is the human food processor and word processor in the same unit? Stephen Fry takes you inside 'this hole we call cake' - the most important part of speech.
'Brevity':
A celebration of the miniature in English. Tim Vine on the one liner, Kelvin MacKenzie on the beauty of headlines, the lost art of telegram
...11) Word Games
Is English an innately playful language? Are word games good for you? Do we divide into number and word players? And could Scrabble have been invented in any other language?
In this special programme, Stephen examines many word games, and we'll hear some familiar voices playing unfamiliar games—Sheila Dillon from The Food Programme plays Font or Cheese against miscellanist Ben Schott. Phill Juptitus talks about his
...A second BBC Radio 4 series of Stephen Fry's witty and incisive programmes looking at the oddities of the English language.
Includes four 30-minute Radio 4 programmes presented by Stephen Fry indulging his delight in the English language.
So Wrong It's Right - Stephen Fry examines how 'wrong' English can become right English, such as more people use the word 'wireless' in a computer context than in a radio one. With help from a lexicographer,
...15) Odyssey
Odysseus's journey from the battlefields of Troy to his home in Ithaca is one of the greatest stories ever told. From the lotus-eaters to the sirens, from Circe to the Cyclops, this is a tale of thrilling adventures, cunning escapes, and enduring devotion. Stephen Fry breathes...
Stephen Fry believes that if one can speak and read English, one can write poetry. In The Ode Less Travelled, he invites readers to discover the delights of writing poetry for pleasure and provides the tools and confidence to get started. Through enjoyable exercises,...
In a fascinating collection of archive interviews with the celebrated writer, presenter and polymath, you can hear - in his own words - the beliefs and aspirations that have shaped him. He talks about his upbringing, a time when Stephen admits he was a rebellious schoolboy and behaved outrageously in order to survive school, and discusses his early love of language and Oscar Wilde. He also recalls discovering classic radio comedy and meeting Emma
...