After months of silence, Stephen Fry finally posted something on his blog again. Yay! It’s a really cool speech about the future of the BBC and also its past and how he grew up with it. Go and read it (but make sure you have the time, it’s pretty long)!
As an example of what you’re missing, if you don’t:
When I was 7 my parents moved house. Well, we all moved house as a family, I don’t mean my parents left me behind, though who would blame them if they had? (…) The week before we moved, the BBC started a new drama, starring William Hartnell. An old man, whose name appeared to be Grandfather or the Doctor, had a police phone box of the kind we saw in the street all the time in those days. It turned out to be a magical and unimaginably wonderful time machine. My brother and I watched this drama in complete amazement. The first ever episode of Doctor Who. I had never been so excited in all my life. A whole week to wait to watch the next instalment. Never have seven days crawled so slowly by, for all that they involved a complicated house move from Buckinghamshire to Norfolk. A week later, in that new house, my brother and I turned on the good old television set in its new sitting room, ready to watch Episode 2. The TV had been damaged in transit and was never to work again. We missed that episode and nothing that has transpired in my life since has ever, or could ever, make up for that terrible, terrible disappointment. There is an empty space inside me that can never be filled. It is amazing neither of us were turned into psychopathic serial killers from that moment.
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Stephen Fry i great. He has a way of writing prose that is so close to speaking – so vivid, so carried away by his own words – , but without sounding simple or pseudo. I don’t know any other author who manages that.
I’ve seen Stephen Fry once on T.V. (I’m a yankee) when I was in England and thought he was hilarious. His panel show is fantastic. I didn’t realize he wore so many hats: writer, t.v. show host, filmmaker (just did a quick Wikipedia search on him). Am also a big Hugh Laurie fan from Black Adder, so tangentially I like Fry even more now for having worked with him. Thanks for posting this.
I used to love Doctor Who when I was a kid — it would come on during the daytime on a network here called PBS. My friends and I would eagerly anticipate each new episode, which by that time was in syndication I believe. Also wanted to say I like your blog very much.
By the way this is me who wrote the above comment, for some reason the link to my blog isn’t working on my spinachflame user name.
@L:
Very well put. He always manages to come across extremely honest and somehow real.
@Madrugada:
You should have a look at his books, very funny stuff (except maybe The Stars’ Tennis Ball). And “A Bit of Fry and Laurie” is hilarious.
Unfortunately, coming from Austria, I didn’t get to see Dr. Who until now, when they made the new one, but I love it.
You’re right. It is super. (“It is amazing neither of us were turned into psychopathic serial killers from that moment.” Hee. I love the humor from exaggerated writing!)
I’m exceedingly, overwhelmingly, backbreakingly busy (I find that I’ll have to be working this Saturday, too::sobs::) these days, but I’ll lose sleep if I don’t get down to reading this. May as well head over to the site.
Thanks for sharing.
Also uh…everyone seems to have “watched” Dr. Who. Was I the only 13-yr-old to have read the damn series?
(I have, unfortunately or not, never “watched” any Dr. Who, save for this kooky TV movie made in ’96 starring Paul McGann)
@Charl:
I don’t mean to give you the straw that breaks your back. I’m sure the speech is online for a long time! But it sure is worth reading.
As for reading Dr. Who… I discovered SciFi and Fantasy pretty late (in my family, a little snobbery against those things is traditional) and Dr. Who even later. So, no, haven’t read it.
But it’s cool to watch. You should give it a try :)