Stephen Fry In America (BBC One)
TV's Wittiest Man Leads a Six Week Journey Across the United States
Oct 8, 2008
Stephen Fry has long been described as one of Britain’s wittiest men and the modern day equivalent of Oscar Wilde. Like Wilde some 130 years ago, Fry has embarked on a tour around the great nation but unlike Wilde it’s for a new six-part BBC series.
An Almost American
Stephen Fry has had a varied career in television. He’s gone from comedy in A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Saturday Live and Blackadder, to presenting (Baftas, QI), squeezing in the occasional spot of acting (Kingdom, Bones) and making documentaries (The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, Stephen Fry: HIV and Me). But it’s the latter which seems to be his forte at the moment.
Whilst he is in many people’s eyes the epitome of all things British, Stephen Fry could nearly have been an American. Just before he was born his father was offered, but turned down, a job at Princeton University. So, inspired by his almost-life, Fry hires an American cab and sets about visiting each of the 50 US States to experience for himself the variety of people and just what makes it such a fascinating country.
Witches in Salem and Driving Sting through New York
In the first episode Fry explores New England, before heading south to the nation's capital and ending up at the civil war battlefield of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. If the previews are to be believed, he certainly kept himself busy. He meets Presidential hopefuls in New Hampshire, witches in Salem, nuclear submariners in Connecticut, deer hunters, mobsters in New York City and lobster fishermen in Maine.
Along the way he also takes Police frontman Sting for a ride in the back of his cab to see what an Englishman makes of New York (you can only guess what song may be played in the background during these scenes...), stops at the Ben and Jerry ice-cream factory to mix his own flavour called "Even Stephens" and meets James Whales, founder of one of Fry’s favourite websites – Wikipedia.
Fry has an unwanted reputation for being "tweedy" but he’s charming and laid enough to appeal to the American public, just like his friend Hugh Laurie (House). No surprises that he's also written a companion book for the series.
Stephen Fry: A Modern Day Documentary Maker
But making this programme is just one part of Fry’s hectic schedule these days which includes, filming 12 episodes of QI a year, a new series of ITV’s Kingdom, writing a weekly technology column for The Guardian, recording his lengthy but wonderfully entertaining and interesting “podgrams” and writing the screenplay for the Dambusters remake – to be produced by Peter Jackson.
Despite being a very funny and witty man, whenever Fry attempts serious documentaries or factual programmes he’s actually rather good at it. Whether it’s his natural ability at being an entertainer but he’s very good at conveying knowledge and facts in a genuinely convincing way that even most newsreaders would be envious of.
So while this is in essence a celebrity travelogue, the fact that it is fronted by one of TV’s most remarkable and interesting figures should make it a decent six hours of viewing.
Stephen Fry In America will be start on Sunday 12 October on BBC One at 9pm.
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