134-560: Bully Boy is a play by British-Danish playwright and comedian Sandi Toksvig . The show opened at the Nuffield Theatre in Southampton, on 13 May 2011, with Anthony Andrews as Major Oscar Hadley and Joshua Miles as Private Eddie Clark. The play then launched the debut season of St James Theatre in September 2012, the first new West End theatre to open in 30 years. The play considers
268-553: A Tony Award nomination. In 2012 he played Malvolio in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe . The production was then taken to the West End before transferring to Broadway where he received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play . Fry is also a prolific writer, contributing to newspapers and magazines, and has written four novels and three autobiographies. He has lent his voice to numerous projects including
402-466: A history book for girls . In 2009, her collected columns for The Sunday Telegraph were published in book form as The Chain of Curiosity . In 2012, she published her book, Valentine Grey , an historical novel set in the Boer War . Her 2006 young adult book, Hitler's Canary is a Holocaust story told by a boy named Bamse and his family. The characters are based on Toksvig's own father and grandmother;
536-617: A polymath and a " national treasure ". He was also granted a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards on 5 December 2007, and the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards on 20 January 2010. BBC Four dedicated two nights of programming to Fry on 17 and 18 August 2007, in celebration of his 50th birthday. The first night, comprising programmes featuring Fry, began with
670-646: A preparatory school in North Yorkshire, before taking his place. At Cambridge, he joined the Footlights , appeared on the University Challenge TV quiz, and read English Literature, graduating with an upper second-class honours BA degree in 1981 (subsequently promoted automatically to a Cambridge MA degree). Fry also met his future comedy collaborator Hugh Laurie (through their mutual friend Emma Thompson ) at Cambridge and starred alongside him in
804-500: A "near-asthmatic genius". He took his O-levels in 1972 at the early age of 14 and passed all except physics, but was expelled from Uppingham half a term into the sixth form. Fry described himself as a "monstrous" child and wrote that he was expelled for "various misdemeanours". He was later dismissed from Paston School , a grant-maintained grammar school that refused to let him progress to study A-Levels. Fry moved to Norfolk College of Arts and Technology , where, after two years in
938-774: A "wholly unexpected dimension to the film". Fry performed several of Stanshall's numbers as part of the Bonzos' 2006 reunion concert at the London Astoria . In 2006, he played the role of gadget-master Smithers in Stormbreaker , and in 2007, he appeared as himself hosting a quiz in St Trinian's . In 2007, Fry wrote, for director Peter Jackson , a script for a remake of The Dam Busters . That year he also appeared in Eichmann (2007). Fry narrated The Story of Light Entertainment , which
1072-498: A 20 April 2020 telethon held during the COVID-19 pandemic , for a skit in which he held a video call with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge , who made a surprise appearance. In 2022, Fry had a recurring role as biochemist Ian Gibbons in the Hulu miniseries The Dropout , which dramatizes the scandal involving biotechnology company Theranos . He portrayed Fiddler's Green / Gilbert in
1206-533: A Play for his performance as Malvolio in the revival of William Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night (2014). In 1995, Fry was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D. h.c.) by the University of Dundee , which named their main Students' Association bar after his novel The Liar . Fry is a patron of its Lip Theatre Company. He also served two consecutive terms – 1992 to 1995 and 1995 to 1998 – as
1340-565: A Shakespeare deconstruction, The Pocket Dream , which Toksvig performed at the Nottingham Playhouse and which transferred to the West End for a short run. The pair also wrote the 1992 TV series The Big One , in which she also starred. She has appeared in a number of stage plays, including Androcles and the Lion , Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors . In 1996, she narrated
1474-751: A butler in "Hawkeye the Gnu", and voiced ads for the fictitious "Fiasco" stores. Following three one-man shows in Australia, Fry announced a 'sort of stand-up' performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London for September 2010. In 2010, Fry took part in a Christmas series of short films called Little Crackers . His short was based on a story from his childhood at school. He appeared as the Christian God in 2011's Holy Flying Circus . In 2011, Fry portrayed Professor Mildeye in
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#17328454331101608-636: A columnist in The Listener and The Daily Telegraph , he wrote a weekly technology column in the Saturday edition of The Guardian . His blog attracted more than 300,000 visitors in its first two weeks. Fry was cast in a lead role in Simon Gray's 1995 play Cell Mates , which he left three days into the West End run, pleading stage fright . He later recalled the incident as a hypomanic episode in his documentary about bipolar disorder , The Secret Life of
1742-461: A comedy panel game television quiz show . QI was created and co-produced by John Lloyd , and features permanent panellist Alan Davies . QI has the highest viewing figures for any show on BBC Four and Dave (formerly UKTV G2). In 2006, Fry won the Rose d'Or award for "Best Game Show Host" for his work on the series. In October 2015, it was announced that Fry would retire as the host of QI after
1876-637: A five-part documentary about language, aired on BBC HD and BBC Two. In November 2011, an episode of Living The Life featured Fry in an intimate conversation discussing his life and career with The Rolling Stones ' bass player Bill Wyman . Fry starred in the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland , as the voice of the Cheshire Cat . He played Mycroft Holmes in the 2011 film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows , directed by Guy Ritchie . He portrayed
2010-457: A follow-up to Mythos , titled Heroes . In June 2020, it was announced that Fry would read J. K. Rowling's children's book, The Ickabog . Fry is the patron of the audiobook charity Listening Books. Fry said of his patronage, "I'm proud and delighted to be patron of the first audiobook charity to offer downloads to its members and excited about what this will mean for all print impaired people who can now listen on-the-go." In January 2016, it
2144-564: A forum, including discussions on depression and activities in which he is involved. The website content is created by Fry and produced by Andrew Sampson. Fry's weekly gadget column Dork Talk appeared in The Guardian from November 2007 to October 2008. Fry is also a supporter of GNU and the Free Software Foundation . For the 25th anniversary of the GNU operating system, Fry appeared in
2278-446: A further eight series would be made, hosted by Toksvig until the revived series ended on 28 June 2019. Toksvig took over from Stephen Fry as host of QI , making her "the first female presenter of a British mainstream TV comedy panel show", a fact she found extraordinary in 2016. Her first appearance as host (or Bantermeister) was the first episode of the show's series "N", which was broadcast on 21 October 2016. On 16 March 2017, she
2412-744: A guest appearance in Blackadder the Third as the Duke of Wellington , then returned to a starring role in Blackadder Goes Forth , as General Melchett. In a 1988 television special, Blackadder's Christmas Carol , he played the roles of Lord Melchett and Lord Frondo. Between 1990 and 1993, Fry starred as Jeeves (alongside Hugh Laurie's Bertie Wooster ) in Jeeves and Wooster , 23-hour-long adaptations of P. G. Wodehouse 's novels and short stories. Fry has appeared in
2546-549: A guest presenter on Time Team , at a dig in York (season 7 episode 13). In the comedy circuit, Toksvig performed at the first night of the Comedy Store in London , and was once part of their Players , an improvisational comedy team. In television, she appeared as a panellist in comedy shows such as Call My Bluff (a regular as a team captain), Whose Line Is It Anyway? , Mock
2680-460: A journalist, and a younger sister, Jenifer, a librettist , who was born when Sandi was 12. When Sandi was 24, she was appointed Jenifer's legal guardian. In 1969, her father covered the landing of the first man on the moon from mission control; she was holding the hand of Neil Armstrong 's secretary during the landing. While her father was based in London, she attended Tormead School , an independent girls' school near Guildford. Her first job, at
2814-450: A lesbian. Toksvig took over from Stephen Fry as host of the BBC television quiz show QI in 2016 (series 'N'), having been a guest a number of times and spent ten years hosting The News Quiz on BBC Radio 4 . From 2017 to 2020, she was co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off , alongside comedian Noel Fielding . In 2020, she stepped down and was replaced by Matt Lucas . Toksvig
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#17328454331102948-742: A live audio recording of the winning short story of the annual RA & Pin Drop Short Story Award, Ms. Featherstone and the Beast by Bethan Roberts, at a ceremony held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. In February 2017, Audible released Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection , a complete collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, all read by Fry, who also narrated an introduction for each novel or collection of stories. In 2017, Fry also released his own audiobook on Audible, titled Mythos , which he both wrote and narrated. In 2018, Fry released
3082-451: A long-standing interest in Internet production, including having his own website since 1997. His site The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry has existed since 2002 and has attracted many visitors following his first blog in September 2007, which consisted of a 6,500-word "blessay" on smartphones. In February 2008, he launched his private podcast series, Stephen Fry's Podgrams (defunct), and
3216-520: A mixture of science fiction and mockumentary that was cancelled after the first episode. Undeterred, Fry, Laurie and Thompson appeared in " Bambi ", an episode of The Young Ones from 1984 where they parodied themselves as the University Challenge representatives of "Footlights College, Oxbridge", and Fry also appeared in Ben Elton's 1985 Happy Families series. In April 1986, Fry was among
3350-521: A new and exciting stage of her career". On 30 April 2015, Toksvig announced that her decision to quit The News Quiz had been made in order to allow her to help set up a new political party named the Women's Equality Party . In November 2015, Toksvig was a guest of BBC Radio 4 's Desert Island Discs . Her choices included Joe Nichols (" What's a Guy Gotta Do "), Gustav Winckler , The Weather Girls , Barbra Streisand and Bonnie Langford. Her book choice
3484-404: A new flavour), and Sainsbury's supermarket. He filmed a 2016 advertisement where he explains the essence of British culture to foreigners arriving at London's Heathrow Airport . Fry's career in television began with the 1982 broadcasting of The Cellar Tapes , the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue which was written by Fry, Hugh Laurie , Emma Thompson , and Tony Slattery . The revue caught
3618-610: A nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama . He won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture along with the ensemble of the Robert Altman directed murder mystery Gosford Park (2001). For his work on Broadway he received a two Tony Award nominations for Best Book of a Musical for Me and My Girl (1987) and Best Featured Actor in
3752-463: A number of BBC adaptations of plays and books, including a 1992 adaptation of the Simon Gray play The Common Pursuit (he had previously appeared in the West End stage production). Having made his film début in the 1985 film The Good Father , Fry had a brief appearance in A Fish Called Wanda (in which he is knocked out by Kevin Kline , who is posing as an airport security man), and then appeared as
3886-647: A private wedding. Fat chance!" Eleven days after the news story, Fry married Spencer on 17 January at Dereham in Norfolk. Fry was an active supporter of the Labour Party for many years and appeared in a party political broadcast on its behalf with Hugh Laurie and Michelle Collins in November 1993. He did not vote in the 2005 general election because of the stance of both the Labour and Conservative parties with regard to
4020-555: A return to the stage at Shakespeare's Globe , appearing as Malvolio in a production of William Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night , which transferred to the West End in November 2012. He received excellent reviews. The production transferred to Broadway , with Opening Night on 10 November 2013. Fry was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his work in the Broadway revival. In August 2013, he lent his voice to
4154-466: A series of podcasts released by 10 Downing Street . He also narrated the first four Harry Potter games: Philosopher's Stone , Chamber of Secrets , Prisoner of Azkaban , and Goblet of Fire . From 2007 to 2009, Fry played the lead role in (and was executive producer for) the legal drama Kingdom , which ran for three series on ITV1 . Starting from 2007, he took a recurring guest role as FBI psychiatrist Dr. (later chef) Gordon Wyatt in
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4288-644: A set of three one-man shows (titled Gods , Heroes and Men ), each two hours in length, which were performed consecutively, multiple times during the show's run. The production received its European premiere in August 2019 at the Edinburgh International Festival . In September 2020, Fry was among the stars to mark the 100th anniversary of Sir Noël Coward 's West End debut with a stage celebration titled "A Marvellous Party". He reprised his role as (a descendant of) Lord Melchett for The Big Night In ,
4422-445: A sixty-minute documentary entitled Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out . The second night was composed of programmes selected by Fry, as well as a 60-minute interview with Mark Lawson and a half-hour special, Stephen Fry: Guilty . The weekend programming proved such a ratings hit for BBC Four that it was repeated on BBC Two on 16 and 17 September 2007. In 2011, he was the subject of Molly Lewis 's song An Open Letter to Stephen Fry , in which
4556-509: A video explaining some of the philosophy behind GNU by likening it to the sharing found in science. When in London, he drives a dark green TX4 London cab . This vehicle has been featured in Fry's production Stephen Fry in America . On 16 April 2018, Fry released the first episode of a new podcast "Stephen Fry's 7 Deadly Sins" available on his website and other podcasting platforms The first episode of
4690-431: A writer and broadcaster. Sometimes it's funny but I've just done a piece for Radio 3 all about Mary Wollstonecraft , and there's not a joke in it. The Times Toksvig began her comedy career at Girton, where she wrote and performed in the first all-woman show at the Footlights . She was there at the same time as Stephen Fry , Hugh Laurie , Tony Slattery and Emma Thompson , and wrote additional material for
4824-468: Is "a good person". She has also joked about UKIP leader Nigel Farage . In 2012, she said in an interview that "I don't think there's a party that represents anything I believe in". In 2023, Toksvig stated the reluctance of the Church of England to accept same sex marriage was harming gay people. Toksvig stated "The problem is there is only one side that is impinging on the lives of others. And I'm afraid
4958-618: Is Jewish, but he was not brought up in a religious family. His maternal grandparents, Martin and Rosa Neumann, were Hungarian Jews who emigrated from Šurany (now in Slovakia ) to the UK in 1927. Rosa's parents, who originally lived in Vienna , were deported to a Nazi ghetto in Riga , where they perished. His mother's aunt and cousins were sent to Auschwitz and Stutthof and never seen again. Fry grew up in
5092-487: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sandi Toksvig Sandra Birgitte Toksvig OBE ( / ˈ t ɒ k s v ɪ ɡ / ; Danish: [ˈsænti ˈtsʰʌksˌviˀ] ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She has written plays, novels and books for children. In 1994, she came out as
5226-681: Is a Patron of the Norwich Playhouse theatre and a Vice-President of The Noël Coward Society. In 2003 Fry was the last person to be named Pipe Smoker of the Year before the award was discontinued. In 2017, Fry became the latest patron of the Norwich Film Festival , and said he was "Very proud now to be a patron of a festival that encourages people from Norfolk, Norwich and beyond to be enchanted, beguiled and entranced by all kinds of film that might not otherwise reach them." In December 2006, he
5360-665: Is a long-standing fan of the anarchic British musical comedy group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band , and particularly of its eccentric front man, the late Vivian Stanshall . Fry helped to fund a 1988 London re-staging of Stanshall's Stinkfoot, a Comic Opera , written by Vivian and Ki Longfellow -Stanshall for the Bristol -based Old Profanity Showboat . Fry's first novel, The Liar , was published in 1991 . Fry has since written three further novels, several non-fiction works and three volumes of autobiography. Making History ( 1996 )
5494-456: Is a modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo . Fry's book The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within is a guide to writing poetry. When writing a book review for Tatler , Fry wrote under a pen name, Williver Hendry, editor of A Most Peculiar Friendship: The Correspondence of Lord Alfred Douglas and Jack Dempsey , a field close to his heart as an Oscar Wilde enthusiast. Once
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5628-402: Is about to be flooded by a storm. It stars Rachel Davies , Keziah Joseph , Maggie McCarthy, Joanna Monro , Sheila Reid and Amanda Walker . Toksvig's son, Theo Toksvig-Stewart , made his professional stage debut in the play. On 11 June 2019, Toksvig appeared on former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard 's podcast. Notably, Toksvig stated "Misplaced Pages is a marvellous idea and the idea
5762-510: Is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He first came to prominence as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie , alongside Hugh Laurie , with the two starring in A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995) and Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993). He also starred in the sketch series Alfresco (1983–1984) alongside Laurie, Emma Thompson , and Robbie Coltrane and in Blackadder (1986–1989) alongside Rowan Atkinson . Since 2011 he has served as president of
5896-619: Is campaigning to end 26 Church of England bishops sitting in the House of Lords . Later that year, she spoke with Louis Staples for the i newspaper about this, saying "They don't deal with gay people or women in an equitable manner. And they aren't some sort of obscure organisation—this is our state church . ... This is our parliament and it's not OK. Be a bigot if you want to, in your own back yard—but don't come and play in mine." She also spoke of her "distress" at "people who call themselves 'radical feminists' but are anti-trans ", saying that "When
6030-402: Is edited by volunteers but there are about 350,000 "uber" volunteers that tend, no offence to them, to be the same kind of guy who has the time to sit and do it and doesn't have laundry to do and are actively editing women out. There are two issues: 1) women's achievements are not being inputted and 2) women are actively being edited out... I am intent on trying to change this if we can." During
6164-491: Is partly set in an alternative universe in which Adolf Hitler 's father is made infertile and his replacement proves a more effective Führer. The book won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History . The Hippopotamus ( 1994 ) is about Edward (Ted/Tedward) Wallace and his stay at his old friend Lord Logan's country manor in Norfolk. The Hippopotamus was later adapted into a 2017 film . The Stars' Tennis Balls ( 2000 )
6298-402: Is that it is a crowd-sourced encyclopaedia of knowledge, what a fantastic notion. But what's happening is that women are disappearing, so 90% of Misplaced Pages's content is about men and their achievements, and 9% is about women . One per cent are still making up their mind. So that proportion is completely out of kilter and we desperately need to do something about it. Part of the problem is that it
6432-566: Is the mother of two daughters and a son, born in 1988, 1990 and 1994. The children were carried by her partner, Peta Stewart, and were conceived through artificial insemination by donor Christopher Lloyd-Pack, younger brother of the actor Roger Lloyd-Pack . It was having three young children that made her decide to come out, because, to the best of her knowledge, there were no out lesbians in British public life, and she did not want her children to grow up ashamed of having two mothers. Toksvig
6566-490: The 2005 film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . In 2005, he appeared in A Cock and Bull Story , based on Tristram Shandy . In the same year, in V for Vendetta , he played a closeted TV presenter who challenges a fascist state - the screenwriters, The Wachowskis , pointed out that it was Fry's "normalcy" in the face of the insanity of the censorship of BTV that made his character truly powerful and added
6700-574: The BAFTA Film Awards , a role from which he stepped down in 2006. Later that same year, he wrote the English libretto and dialogue for Kenneth Branagh 's film adaptation of The Magic Flute . Fry continued to make regular film appearances, notably in treatments of literary cult classics. He portrayed the clairvoyant Maurice Woodruff in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and served as narrator in
6834-530: The Cambridge entrance exams. In 1977 he passed two A-levels in English and French, with grades of A and B. He also received a grade A in an alternative O-level in the Study of Art and scored a distinction in an S-level paper in English. Having successfully passed the entrance exams in 1977, Fry was offered a scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge , for matriculation in 1978, briefly teaching at Cundall Manor School,
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#17328454331106968-679: The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland (2010) and its 2016 sequel , and the Master of Lake-town in the film series adaptation of The Hobbit . Between 2001 and 2017, he hosted the British Academy Film Awards 12 times. His television roles include Lord Melchett in the BBC television comedy series Blackadder , the title character in the television series Kingdom and Absolute Power , as well as recurring guest roles as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on
7102-623: The Dragons! interactive CD-ROM published by Oxford University Press and developed by Inner Workings, along with Harry Enfield . The software was primarily aimed at children and featured songs and poems about dragons. She also narrated the Winnie the Witch CD-ROM. She appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama Red by Big Finish Productions , released in August 2006. In December 2006, she hosted and sang at
7236-787: The London Gay Men's Chorus sold-out Christmas show, Make the Yuletide Gay , at the Barbican Centre . Over Christmas and New Year 2007/2008, she narrated the pantomime Cinderella at the Old Vic Theatre . In October 2011, she narrated the new musical Soho Cinders at the Queen's Theatre , London. In 2011, she hosted a second season of BBC Two 's Antiques Master . Toksvig wrote a play entitled Bully Boy which focused on post-traumatic stress among British servicemen. The play premièred at
7370-416: The Master of Lake-town in two of Peter Jackson 's three film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Hobbit : the second The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , and the third The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies . In 2011, Fry appeared on Kate Bush 's album 50 Words for Snow , featuring on the title track where he recites a list of surreal words to describe snow. In September 2012, Fry made
7504-416: The Netflix series The Sandman (2022). The same year he starred in two episodes of the Netflix romantic LGBT teen drama Heartstopper as headmaster of the main character's school. In 2023, he portrayed a fictitious King James III in the LGBT romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue . That same year he also presented the Channel 4 documentary Stephen Fry: Willem & Frieda – Defying
7638-451: The Nuffield Theatre in Southampton in May 2011, and starred Anthony Andrews . The play then launched the debut season of St James Theatre in September 2012, the first new West End theatre to open in 30 years. In the 2013 Christmas Special of BBC's Call the Midwife , Toksvig made a cameo appearance as grumpy ward nurse Sister Gibbs. On 28 April 2015, it was announced that Toksvig would leave BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz in June at
7772-484: The Perrier award -winning Cambridge Footlights Revue . She was also a member of the Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society . She started her television career on children's television , presenting No. 73 (1982–1986), the Sandwich Quiz , The Saturday Starship , Motormouth , Gilbert's Fridge , for Television South , and factual programmes such as Island Race and The Talking Show , produced by Open Media for Channel 4 . In 2000, she appeared as
7906-419: The Shillingstone and Blandford areas of Dorset ; in the early 1800s, Samuel Fry settled in Surrey , with his descendants residing in Middlesex . In his autobiographical writings and elsewhere, Fry has claimed relationship to the Fry family that founded the eponymous chocolate company , John Fry (one of the signatories to the death warrant for Charles I ), and the cricketer C. B. Fry . Fry's mother
8040-444: The UK Album Chart list. Ultimately however only three episodes were released, the rest with the note 'exact release date pending'. Fry's use of the word " luvvie " (spelled "lovie" by Fry), in The Guardian on 2 April 1988, is given by the Oxford English Dictionary as the earliest recorded use of the word as a humorous synonym for "actor". Fry was, at one time, slated to adapt A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole for
8174-458: The University of Portsmouth . Toksvig's party-political sympathies have developed over the years. She was part of Red Wedge 's comedy tour in the 1980s, which supported the Labour Party . By the 2004 elections , she was a high-profile celebrity supporter of the Liberal Democrats . She has received some criticism for joking about the Tories in 2011 (they've " put the 'N' into cuts " to child benefit ), but had said Prime Minister Theresa May
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#17328454331108308-964: The West End , where it ran for eight years and received two Laurence Olivier Awards . The show transferred to Broadway and Fry was nominated for a Tony Award for his adaptation. Fry has appeared in numerous advertisements, predominantly on UK television – either on-screen or in voice-over – starting with an appearance as "Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar" in a 1982 advert for Whitbread Best Bitter . Fry has said, in his memoirs, that after receiving his payment for this work – £25,000 – he has never subsequently experienced "what one could call serious money troubles". He has since appeared in adverts for products and companies such as Marks & Spencer , Twinings , Kenco , Vauxhall Motors , Honda , Calpol , Heineken , Alliance & Leicester (a series of adverts which also featured Hugh Laurie), After Eight mints, Direct Line insurance (with Paul Merton ), Trebor mints, Virgin Media , Walkers potato crisps (fronting
8442-460: The audiobooks for all seven of the Harry Potter novels and Paddington Bear novels. Stephen John Fry was born on 24 August 1957 in the Hampstead area of London, the son of Marianne Eve Fry 1932 (née Neumann) and physicist and inventor Alan John Fry (1930–2019). He has an older brother, Roger, and a younger sister, Joanna. His paternal grandmother, Ella Fry (née Pring), had roots in Cheshire and Kent . The Fry family originates around
8576-639: The "M" series, and he was replaced by Sandi Toksvig . Towards the end of 2003, Fry starred alongside John Bird in the television adaptation of Absolute Power , previously a radio series on BBC Radio 4. Fry's first documentary was the Emmy Award -winning Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive in 2006. The same year, he appeared on the BBC's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? , tracing his maternal family tree to investigate his Jewish ancestry. In 2003, Fry made his directorial début with Bright Young Things , adapted by him from Evelyn Waugh 's Vile Bodies . In 2001, he began hosting
8710-500: The 2007 Mind Champion of the Year , in recognition of the success of his documentary The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive in raising awareness of bipolar disorder. He was also nominated in "Best Entertainment Performance" for QI and "Best Factual Series" for Secret Life of the Manic Depressive at the British Academy Television Awards 2007 . That same year, Broadcast magazine listed Fry at number four in its "Hot 100" list of influential on-screen performers, describing him as
8844-498: The 2009 series of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue , Fry was one of a trio of hosts replacing Humphrey Lyttelton (the others being Jack Dee and Rob Brydon ). Fry was offered a role in Valkyrie , but was unable to participate. In May 2009, Fry unveiled The Dongle of Donald Trefusis , an audiobook series following Donald Trefusis (a fictional character from Fry's novel The Liar and from the BBC Radio 4 series Loose Ends ), set over 12 episodes. After its release, it reached No. 1 on
8978-411: The 2012 Pride of Britain Awards shown on ITV on 30 October, Fry, along with Michael Caine , Elton John , Richard Branson and Simon Cowell , recited Rudyard Kipling 's poem " If— " in tribute to the 2012 British Olympic and Paralympic athletes. In November 2012, Fry hosted a gadgets show called Gadget Man , exploring the usefulness of various gadgets in different daily situations to improve
9112-481: The American crime series Bones and Arthur Garrison MP on the Channel 4 period drama It's a Sin . He has also written and presented several documentary series, including the Emmy Award -winning Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive , which saw him explore his bipolar disorder , and the travel series Stephen Fry in America . He was the longtime host of the BBC television quiz show QI , with his tenure lasting from 2003 to 2016, during which he
9246-442: The BBC adaptation of Mary Norton's 1952 novel The Borrowers . In August 2011, Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets was shown on Channel 4 as one of the 100 Greatest strand. His choice for the greatest gadget was the cigarette lighter, which he described as "fire with a flick of the fingers". In the same month, the nature documentary series Ocean Giants , narrated by Fry, premiered. In September 2011, Fry's Planet Word ,
9380-445: The British comedians who appeared in the first live telethon Comic Relief . In 1986 and 1987, Fry and Laurie performed sketches on the LWT/Channel 4 show Saturday Live . In 1986, the BBC commissioned a sketch show that was to become A Bit of Fry & Laurie . Following a 1987 pilot, the programme ran for 26 episodes across four series between 1989 and 1995. During this time, Fry starred in Blackadder II as Lord Melchett, made
9514-555: The British versions of all of J. K. Rowling 's Harry Potter series of audiobooks. He discussed this project in an interview with Rowling in 2005. He has also read for Douglas Adams ' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film tie-in edition and has made recordings of his own books, such as The Stars' Tennis Balls and Moab Is My Washpot , and of works by Roald Dahl , Michael Bond , A. A. Milne , Anthony Buckeridge , Eleanor Updale , George Orwell , and Alexander Pushkin . In 2003, Fry began hosting QI (Quite Interesting),
9648-682: The COVID-19 lockdown period in 2020, Toksvig created and performed "Vox Tox", a YouTube mini-series, from her home. These 10-minute sessions promoted the activities of women across the ages, being inspired by items from Toksvig's own library of books and biographies. Toksvig collaborated with Björn Ulvaeus on " Mamma Mia:The Party " in 2018, leading to her officiating at his wedding to Christina Sas in Copenhagen on 21st September 2024. Toksvig has written more than twenty fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults, starting in 1994 with Tales from
9782-552: The Cambridge University Quiz Society and honorary fellow of his alma mater Queens' College, Cambridge . On 13 July 2010, he was made an honorary fellow of Cardiff University , and on 28 January 2011, he was made an honorary Doctor of the University (D.Univ. h.c.) by the University of Sussex , in recognition for his work campaigning for people suffering from mental health problems, bipolar disorder and HIV. He
9916-629: The Footlights. Fry wrote the play Latin! or Tobacco and Boys for the 1980 Edinburgh Festival , where it won the Fringe First prize. It had a revival in 2009 at London's Cock Tavern Theatre , directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher. The Cellar Tapes , the Footlights Revue of 1981, won the Perrier Comedy Award . In 1984, Fry adapted the hugely successful 1930s musical Me and My Girl for
10050-710: The Manic Depressive . He acted in a 1998 Malcolm Bradbury adaptation of the Mark Tavener novel In the Red , taking the part of the Controller of BBC Radio 2 ; and in 2000 in the role of Professor Bellgrove in the BBC serial Gormenghast , which was adapted from the first two novels of Mervyn Peake 's Gormenghast series. In the 1994 romantic comedy film I.Q. , he played the role of James Moreland. Portraying his idol Oscar Wilde (of whom he had been an ardent admirer since
10184-539: The Nazis to positive reviews and its Alternative Christmas message . In May 2024, Fry was among the members of the previously all-male Garrick Club who spoke in favour of the admission of women members for the first time in the club's 193-year history. The motion was carried. Over Fry's career he has received 11 BAFTA Award nominations for his work in television. For his performance as Oscar Wilde in Wilde (1998) he earned
10318-627: The Norse's Mouth , a fiction tale for children. In 1995, she sailed around the coast of Britain with John McCarthy , who had been held hostage in Beirut . In 2003, she published Gladys Reunited: A Personal American Journey , about her travels in the USA retracing her childhood. She writes regular columns for Good Housekeeping , the Sunday Telegraph and The Lady . In October 2008, she published Girls Are Best ,
10452-528: The UK , by sharing stories of notable women from her book collection. In 2012–13 Toksvig presented 1001 Things You Should Know for Channel 4 daytime. Toksvig began presenting the revival edition of the daytime game show Fifteen-to-One in April 2014. It is an hour-long instead of the original half-hour edition presented by William G. Stewart . After two series had been broadcast, in June 2015, Channel 4 announced that
10586-706: The Union's report, the Union of UEA Students awarded him, on 18 October 2012, Honorary Life Membership of the Union. In March 2014 Fry beat David Attenborough and Davina McCall to win the Best Presenter award at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards. The award was given for his BBC2 programme Stephen Fry: Out There . In an episode of QI , "M-Merriment", originally broadcast in December 2015, Fry
10720-598: The Week , QI and Have I Got News for You , where she appeared on the first episode in 1990. She was also the host of What the Dickens , a Sky Arts quiz show . On radio, she is a familiar voice for BBC Radio 4 listeners, having appeared on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue , The Unbelievable Truth , and as the chair of The News Quiz , where she replaced Simon Hoggart in September 2006, but left in June 2015 in order to enter politics to champion women's rights. Her final show
10854-529: The age of 13) in the 1997 film Wilde , he fulfilled the role to critical acclaim. It earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Drama . In 1997, he also had a cameo in the Spice Girls film Spice World . A year later, Fry starred in David Yates ' small independent film The Tichborne Claimant , and in 2001, he played the detective in Robert Altman 's period costume drama, Gosford Park . In
10988-538: The age of 18, was as a follow spot operator for the musical Jesus Christ Superstar . She read law, archaeology and anthropology at Girton College, Cambridge , graduating with a first-class degree and receiving two prizes (The Raemakers and the Theresa Montefiore Awards) for outstanding achievement. One of her law supervisors was Lord Denning . When I see comedian—and 'comedienne', of course I hate it—I think 'Oh, really?’ because I think of myself as
11122-562: The attention of Granada Television , who, keen to replicate the success of the BBC's Not the Nine O'Clock News , hired Fry, Laurie and Thompson to star alongside Ben Elton in There's Nothing to Worry About! A second series, retitled Alfresco , was broadcast in 1983, and a third in 1984; it established Fry and Laurie's reputation as a comedy double act. In 1983, the BBC offered Fry, Laurie and Thompson their own show, which became The Crystal Cube ,
11256-617: The big screen. In 2009, Fry provided the voice of St Peter for Liberace, Live From Heaven by Julian Woolford at London's Leicester Square Theatre . In 2010, having learned some Irish for the role, he filmed a cameo role in Ros na Rún , an Irish-language soap opera broadcast in Ireland, Scotland and the US. In 2010, Fry became an investor in Pushnote, a UK tech startup. Similar to Google Sidewiki , Pushnote
11390-557: The charity and pressure group Liberty , hosting its 2012 awards ceremony. She was appointed president of the Women of the Year Lunch . An atheist and humanist , Toksvig is a patron of Humanists UK . In October 2012, as the scale of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal became apparent, and amid claims that during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, there was a culture within the BBC which tolerated sexual harassment , Toksvig stated that she
11524-412: The citizenship his ancestors forcibly lost. Fry struggled to keep his homosexuality secret during his teenage years at public school , and by his own account did not engage in sexual activity for 16 years until the mid-1990s. When asked when he first acknowledged his sexuality, Fry quipped: "I suppose it all began when I came out of the womb. I looked back up at my mother and thought to myself, 'That's
11658-421: The confidence to go back to television. In late 2022, Toksvig was hospitalised in Australia with bronchial pneumonia , and was forced to cancel her upcoming New Zealand tour dates. On 6 December 2022, she announced that she had left hospital, but was still not well enough to travel. On 15 December, it was reported that she had returned to the UK. Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957)
11792-408: The end of the 28th series, which was scheduled to begin on 15 May of that year. She said: "I have decided it is time to move on and, of course, I feel sad but I think it's the right moment. The show is in great shape and, like a good house guest, you should always depart when people still wish you'd stay a bit longer." The BBC said Toksvig had made the "difficult decision" to leave in order "to embark on
11926-513: The eponymous Peter in Kenneth Branagh 's Peter's Friends in 1992. Fry came to the attention of radio listeners with the 1986 creation of his alter-ego, Donald Trefusis , whose "wireless essays" were broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 programme Loose Ends . In the 1980s, he starred as David Lander in four series of the BBC Radio 4 show Delve Special , written by Tony Sarchet , which then became
12060-558: The family heroism in the story closely resembles the author's father's own experiences during the war. Her memoir Between the Stops: The View of My Life from the Top of the Number 12 Bus was published on 29 October 2019. In 2020, Toksvig wrote and presented a podcast series called We Will Get Past This which aimed to provide "virtual chicken soup for the soul" during the COVID-19 lockdown in
12194-541: The feminist movement started in the 60s and 70s, lesbians were often excluded, because we were told that we would make the movement less palatable. I have been excluded myself, so how could I do that to someone else? It fills me with rage." In April 2015, Toksvig chaired the first, informal, conference of a new political party, the Women's Equality Party, and then left her job as presenter of The News Quiz to formally co-found it. She later explained that she had decided that it
12328-590: The first two seasons of the English-language version of the Spanish children's animated series Pocoyo . In 2014, he began starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland and William Devane in 24: Live Another Day as British Prime Minister Alastair Davies . In July 2014, Fry appeared on stage with Monty Python on the opening night of their live show Monty Python Live (Mostly) . Fry was the special guest in their "Blackmail" sketch. On 17 September 2015, Fry shared
12462-874: The future of public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom , which he later recorded for a podcast . His six-part travel series Stephen Fry in America began on BBC One in October 2008, and saw him travel to each of the 50 US states. In the same year, he narrated the nature documentaries Spectacled Bears: Shadow of the Forest for the BBC Natural World series. In the 2009 television series Last Chance to See , Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardine sought out endangered species, some of which had been featured in Douglas Adams ' and Carwardine's 1990 book and radio series of
12596-562: The impact of war on the relationship between an officer, Oscar, who uses a wheelchair after service in the Falklands , and Eddie, a young private accused of throwing an eight-year-old boy down a well during a raid in the Middle East. The show is critical of politicians who launch wars without regard for the consequences. This article on a 2010s play is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This British theatre–related article
12730-498: The last time I'm going up one of those'." Fry was in a 15-year relationship with Daniel Cohen that ended in 2010. Fry was listed number 2 in 2016 and number 12 in 2017 on the Pride Power list. On 6 January 2015, British tabloid The Sun reported that Fry would marry his partner, comedian Elliott Spencer. Fry wrote on Twitter: "It looks as though a certain cat is out of a certain bag. I'm very very happy of course but had hoped for
12864-476: The livelihoods of everyone. In October 2013, Fry presented Stephen Fry: Out There , a two-part documentary in which he explores attitudes to homosexuality and the lives of gay people in different parts of the globe. On Christmas Day 2013, Fry featured with adventurer Bear Grylls in an episode of Channel 4 's Bear's Wild Weekends . Over the course of two days, in the Italian Dolomites , Fry travelled on
12998-532: The memoir More Fool Me (2014). A fan of cricket, Fry has stated that he is related to former England cricketer C. B. Fry , and was interviewed for the Ashes Fever DVD, reporting on England 's victory over Australia in the 2005 Ashes series. Regarding football , he is a supporter of Norwich City FC , and is a regular visitor to their home ground at Carrow Road . He has been described as "deeply dippy for all things digital " and claims to have bought
13132-641: The mental health charity Mind . Fry's film acting roles include playing his idol Oscar Wilde in the film Wilde (1997), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor ; Inspector Thompson in Robert Altman 's murder mystery Gosford Park (2001); and Mr. Johnson in Whit Stillman 's Love & Friendship (2016). He has also had roles in the films Chariots of Fire (1981), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), V for Vendetta (2005), and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). He portrays
13266-569: The player background information on Bray Exoscience. In 2008, Fry's narration for Bond's Paddington Bear story More About Paddington (1959) saw him receive the Audie Award for Young Listeners' Title from the Audio Publishers Association in the U.S. Since August 2008, he has presented Fry's English Delight , a series on BBC Radio 4 about the English language. As of 2021, it has been running for ten series and 37 episodes. In
13400-413: The popular American drama Bones . In February 2008, Fry began presenting podcasts entitled Stephen Fry's Podgrams , in which he recounts his life and recent experiences. In July 2008, he appeared as himself in I Love Stephen Fry , an Afternoon Play for Radio 4 written by former Fry and Laurie script editor Jon Canter . On 7 May 2008, Fry gave a speech as part of a series of BBC lectures on
13534-638: The role of the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show which was staged at London's Playhouse Theatre and broadcast as the Rocky Horror Show Live . In June 2015, Fry backed children's fairy tale app GivingTales in aid of UNICEF together with other British celebrities Sir Roger Moore , Ewan McGregor , Joanna Lumley , Michael Caine , David Walliams , Dame Joan Collins , Charlotte Rampling , Paul McKenna and Michael Ball . In 2015, Fry made
13668-545: The same name . Fry's voice has been featured in a number of video games, including an appearance as Reaver, an amoral supporting character in Lionhead Studios games Fable II (2008) and Fable III (2010), and as the narrator of the LittleBigPlanet series. He also narrates a section of Bungie's Destiny 2 (2017) expansion Warmind as the "Concierge"; an AI that, when interacted with at certain points, will give
13802-470: The same salary as him for chairing QI. In 2003, she stood as a candidate in the election for the Chancellorship of the University of Oxford , supporting a campaign against student fees . She was defeated in the first round of voting, achieving 1,179 first-place votes out of about 8,000 cast. The election was won by Chris Patten . Almost a decade later she succeeded Sheila Hancock as Chancellor of
13936-579: The same year, he also appeared in the Dutch film The Discovery of Heaven , directed by Jeroen Krabbé and based on the novel by Harry Mulisch . In 2000, he began starring as Charles Prentiss in the Radio 4 comedy Absolute Power , reprising the role for three further series on radio, and two on television. In 2002, he played The Minister of Chance in the Doctor Who audio drama Death Comes to Time . In 2002, Fry
14070-582: The second series was released on 13 January 2020 and continued to be released over the course of nine weeks. In 2019, he was featured in the filmed poem rendition Love Goes Never Alone, for the online theatre publication First Night Magazine in support of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2023, during an ' Alternative Christmas message ', broadcast on Channel 4, Fry remarked that he was proud of his Jewish heritage. He said: "I've been on lists of British Jews that some ultra-right wing newspapers and sites have published over
14204-528: The series for a second series, which premiered on 17 February 2022. Series three premiered on 7 June 2023. Toksvig first came to wider public prominence in 1994 because the charity Save the Children dropped her services as compere of its 75th anniversary celebrations after she came out . The decision led to a direct action protest by the Lesbian Avengers , and the charity apologised. Toksvig supports
14338-814: The singer jokingly offers herself as a surrogate mother for his child. In February 2011, Fry was awarded the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University , the Harvard Secular Society and the American Humanist Association . In 2012, Fry wrote the foreword to the Union of UEA Students report on the student experience for LGBT+ members. As recognition of his public support for LGBT+ rights and for
14472-499: The six-part Channel 4 series This is David Lander in 1988. In 1988, Fry wrote and presented a six-part comedy series entitled Saturday Night Fry . Frequent radio appearances have ensued, notably on panel games Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue . Fry was cast in Simon Gray's The Common Pursuit for its first staging in the West End on 7 April 1988, with Rik Mayall , John Sessions , Sarah Berger, Paul Mooney and John Gordon Sinclair , directed by Simon Gray. Fry
14606-725: The sixth form studying English, French, and History of Art, he ultimately failed his A-Levels, not turning up for his English and French papers. Over the summer, Fry absconded with a credit card stolen from a family friend. He had taken a coat when leaving a pub, planning to spend the night sleeping rough, but had then discovered the card in a pocket. He was arrested in Swindon and, as a result, spent three months in Pucklechurch Remand Centre on remand . Following his release, he resumed his education at City College Norwich , promising administrators that he would study rigorously and sit
14740-495: The skids of a helicopter, climbed down a raging 500-foot waterfall, slept in a First World War trench and abseiled down a towering cliff face. In June 2015, Fry was the guest on BBC Radio 4 's Desert Island Discs . His favourite piece was the String Quartet No. 14 by Beethoven. His book choice was Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot and his luxury item was "canvasses, easels, brushes, an instruction manual". Fry narrated
14874-526: The student-elected Rector of the University of Dundee . He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Letters (D.Litt. h.c.) by the University of East Anglia in 1999. He was awarded the AoC Gold Award in 2004, and was entered into their Hall of Fame. Fry was also awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ. h.c.) from Anglia Ruskin University in 2005. He was made honorary president of
15008-456: The third Macintosh computer sold in the UK (his friend Douglas Adams bought the first two). He jokes that he has never encountered a smartphone that he has not purchased. He counts Misplaced Pages among his favourite websites "because I like to find out that I died, and that I'm currently in a ballet in China, and all the other very accurate and important things that Misplaced Pages brings us all". Fry has
15142-658: The title role in Benjamin Britten 's operetta Paul Bunyan at the Wales Millennium Centre with the Welsh National Youth Opera . In 2012, he appeared as a guest panellist in the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show Wordaholics . In September 2012, he guest-starred as himself in the audio comedy drama We Are The BBC , produced by the Wireless Theatre Company , written by Susan Casanove. At
15276-554: The two countries. Fry married comedian Elliott Spencer, 30 years his junior, in January 2015 in Dereham , Norfolk. Fry lives in West Bilney in Norfolk. He became friends with King Charles III while Charles was Prince of Wales , through his work with The Prince's Trust . He attended the then-Prince's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. He is also a friend of Rowan Atkinson and
15410-578: The two-part opening episode of Doctor Who ' s twelfth series , which was broadcast on New Year's Day 2020. Fry also starred in the 2018 heist comedy film The Con Is On , previously titled The Brits Are Coming . From May to July 2018, Fry appeared in Mythos: A Trilogy, a stage version of his book Mythos , in the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake , Ontario. This comprised
15544-509: The very conservative people who interpret the Bible with less love than I would hope are causing severe mental health problems for the LGBTQ+ community. My wife works in mental health with the queer community and the figures are shocking for a young LGBT person committing suicide, or attempting suicide, not because they feel bad about who they are, but because of the way society stigmatises them. So it's not an equal battle that we're having here." Toksvig
15678-554: The village of Booton, Norfolk , having moved at an early age from Chesham, Buckinghamshire , where he had attended Chesham Preparatory School. He briefly attended Cawston Primary School in Cawston, Norfolk , before going on to Stouts Hill Preparatory School in Uley, Gloucestershire , at the age of seven, and then to Uppingham School in Rutland , where he joined Fircroft house and was described as
15812-475: The years. And I'm frankly damned if I'll let antisemites be the ones who define me, and take ownership of the word 'Jew', injecting it with their own spiteful venom. So I accept and claim the identity with pride, I am Stephen Fry, and I am a Jew." Enabled by a 2020 change in citizenship legislation in Austria, Fry acquired Austrian citizenship as a descendant of persons persecuted by National Socialism, thus regaining
15946-530: Was The Ashley Book of Knots , and her luxury item was an endless supply of the Daily Mail for use as clothing, insulation and toilet paper. Her most recent play Silver Lining opened at the Rose Theatre Kingston on 11 February 2017, before touring to Portsmouth, Oxford, Cambridge, Ipswich, Keswick, York and Salford. It centres around five elderly ladies and a young carer in a retirement home which
16080-558: Was "not too late to fight the good fight, after all". In September the same year, she announced the dates for a comedy tour to raise funds for the party. The party's full set of policies was launched at Conway Hall , 20 October 2015. I wouldn't care if they came from Tesco . I don't care about the blood thing. They call me Mummy and I earned it. We love each other. You can't do better than that. Lots of families don't. Toksvig commenting on her children in The Times Toksvig
16214-406: Was a browser add-on that enabled users to leave comments on any site they visit. The following year, Fry announced the Pushnote launch to his then 2 million Twitter followers. Both Pushnote and Sidewiki were discontinued the following year. He also appeared as a shiny New Millennium Bonzo on their post-reunion album, Pour l'Amour des Chiens , on which he recited a recipe for "Salmon Proust", played
16348-483: Was announced as the new co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4, alongside Noel Fielding . They replaced the previous hosts, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc . In January 2020, she announced she was leaving the show to focus on other work commitments, and was replaced by Matt Lucas . Toksvig presented Channel 4 's four-part travel series Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig , which premiered on 10 February 2021. In December 2021, Channel 4 renewed
16482-447: Was announced that Fry would be appearing as the character "Cuddly Dick" in Series 3 of the Sky One family comedy Yonderland . In 2016, Fry had a lead role in the American sitcom The Great Indoors . He portrayed an outdoor magazine publisher helping to ease his best worldly reporter ( Joel McHale ) into a desk job. The show was cancelled after one season. In November 2019, it was announced that Fry would guest star in " Spyfall ",
16616-436: Was awarded membership of The Magic Circle . In 2017, the bird louse Saepocephalum stephenfryii was named after him, in honour of his contributions to the popularization of science as host of QI . In 2021, Fry was appointed a Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by Greek president Katerina Sakellaropoulou for his contribution in enhancing knowledge about Greece in the United Kingdom and reinforcing ties between
16750-457: Was best man at Atkinson's wedding to Sunetra Sastry at the Russian Tea Room in New York City. He was a friend of John Mills . His best friend is Hugh Laurie , whom he met while both were at Cambridge and with whom he has collaborated many times over the years. He was best man at Laurie's wedding and is godfather to all three of his children. Fry started using cocaine in his twenties, and continued until 2001. He wrote about his drug use in
16884-405: Was converted into a marriage. Toksvig became a British citizen in 2013. She describes her "posh" accent as being the result of a deliberate attempt to copy the voice of Celia Johnson in Brief Encounter , after being ostracised at boarding school for having an American accent. In her late fifties, she lost a significant amount of weight on medical advice and credits this with giving her
17018-448: Was first broadcast on 26 June 2015. She presented Radio 4's travel programme Excess Baggage until it was axed in 2012. In 1993, Toksvig wrote a musical, Big Night Out at the Little Sands Picture Palace , for Nottingham Playhouse , co-starring with Anita Dobson and Una Stubbs . In 2002, it was re-written, with Dilly Keane , for the Watford Palace Theatre , in which they appeared with Bonnie Langford . Toksvig and Elly Brewer wrote
17152-412: Was groped by a "famous individual" on air in the 1980s. Toksvig said the allegations of inappropriate behaviour at the BBC "did not surprise me at all". In September 2018, as the BBC gender-pay-gap controversy continued to unfold, Toksvig reported that she was only paid 40% of what Fry, her predecessor, had received. Toksvig had earlier told the Radio Times it would be "absurd" if she did not receive
17286-412: Was nominated for six British Academy Television Awards . He appears frequently on other panel games, such as the radio programmes Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue . Fry is also known for his work in theatre. In 1984, he adapted Me and My Girl for the West End where it ran for eight years and received two Laurence Olivier Awards . After it transferred to Broadway , he received
17420-411: Was one of the narrators of A.A. Milne 's Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner , in which he voiced Winnie-the-Pooh . He presented a 20-part, two-hour series, The Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music , a "witty guide" to the genre over the past 1,000 years, on Classic FM . In 2004 he was the narrator for an adaptation of Vanity Fair on BBC Radio 4. Fry has been the reader for
17554-400: Was ranked sixth for the BBC's Top Living Icon Award, was featured on The Culture Show , and was voted Most Intelligent Man on Television by readers of Radio Times . The Independent on Sunday Pink List named Fry the second most influential gay person in Britain in May 2007; he had taken the twenty-third position on the list the previous year. Later the same month, he was announced as
17688-430: Was shown from July–September 2006. In 2007, he presented a documentary on the subject of HIV and AIDS, HIV and Me . In 2007, Fry wrote a Christmas pantomime, Cinderella , which ran at London's Old Vic Theatre . In 2007, he hosted Current Puns , an exploration of wordplay, and Radio 4: This Is Your Life , to celebrate the radio station's 40th anniversary. He also interviewed the Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of
17822-400: Was the president of the Women of the Year Lunch from 2015 to 2017. Toksvig was born in 1958 in Copenhagen , Denmark. Her father, Claus Toksvig , was a Danish journalist, broadcaster and foreign correspondent; as a result, Toksvig spent most of her youth outside Denmark, mostly in New York City. Her mother, Julie Anne Toksvig ( née Brett), is British. She has an older brother, Nick, who is
17956-440: Was warned she might never work again, and the family faced death threats and had to go into hiding. Toksvig and Stewart separated in 1997. Toksvig now lives on a houseboat in Wandsworth with psychotherapist Debbie Toksvig, whom she joined in a civil partnership in 2007. They renewed their vows on 29 March 2014, the day same-sex marriage was introduced in England and Wales, and in December 2014, their civil partnership
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