“He was one of a long line of mimsy and embittered middle-class sensitives who disguised their feeble and decadent lust as something spiritual and Socratic. And why not? If it meant he had to end his days on some Mediterranean island writing lyric prose for Faber and Faber and literary criticism for the New Statesman, running through successions of houseboys and 'secretaries', getting sloshed on Fernet Branca and having to pay off the Chief of Police every six months, then so be it. Better than driving to the office in the rain.”

English actor, comedian, writer, and broadcaster

Sir Stephen Fry is an English actor, comedian, writer, and broadcaster. He is known for a long career in British television, from early sketch and sitcom work to presenting panel shows and appearing in drama series. He was knighted in 2025 for services to mental health awareness, the environment, and charity. Fry first came to notice on Alfresco and Blackadder, then as part of the comedy partnership with Hugh Laurie in A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. He later appeared in Kingdom, Bones, and The Dropout, and hosted QI from 2003 to 2016, a role that brought six BAFTA TV Award nominations.