Stephen Fry
1) Mythos
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
...Stephen Fry presents this intriguing programme charting the history of knowledge, how technology changes our relationship with it, and how we know what we know
Knowledge. The Google generation thinks it doesn't need to carry much of it around in its head any more. Much has already been written about the internet changing the way we think and learn. But is knowledge less valuable than it used to be?
This absorbing programme explores the concept
...A fifth series from BBC Radio 4 in which Stephen Fry examines, with the help of experts, the highways and byways of the English language. In these four episodes he tells The Story of X: a letter holy and profane, sexy and chaste; discusses intonation, the "song" of English and how cadence affects meaning; muses on the art and craft of conversation - and whether true conversation can happen on TV and radio - and ponders the meaning of meaning, and
...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 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
...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'.
...12) 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,
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