Stephen Fry on Who Do You Think You Are - (1/6)

[neonatalpenguin]

How nice are Stephen's parents?

[zeldaofarel]

And of course he has roots in Hungary. (Slovakia was broken off of Hungary after WWI and the Southern regions are still very densely Hungarian populated.)

[zeldaofarel]

Okay, this is kind of funny. I have a picture of my mum at 2, with almost the exact same clothes and hair-do as the girls on the old family photo. Small world.

[splerppp]

7:04-7:08 lol porno groans

[kargelr]

I could listen to his mom talk all day.

[Mistersamsam]

Wouldn't it be cool if someone watching here on youtube finds out they're related to stephen fry?

[DestroyerWill]

He never talks about Philip.J.Fry and any influence he may of had on him, especially in the area or inter galactic and/or pizza delivery related issues...... lol

[lixechan]

is that his house? guh... the books.. and the twee... and the gayness... so fucking beautiful <3

[amandag263]

His mother is just adorable!

[kateribethrose]

@amandag263 She is. I cant tell if she is so tiny or if he's just that tall. Maybe it's both.

[MoonEyes2k]

@kateribethrose Well, he's just under 6'5". So, she's probably just under 'average' as it were, but not that THAT tine, seeing as how he is nicely tall!

[ShanelK]

Ancestors made of tweed :3

[Efreeti]

Quality is awful, but it's the best I can find anywhere. I couldn't have seen this show otherwise. Thanks a ton for uploading, Fry is one of my greatest living heroes.

[DefeatedElitist]

His house is fantastic.

[geffel]

6:10 - I was born in Bury St Edmunds and I believe we lived there for a year or so when my dad was in the RAF abut I have no memory of it.

[rileyandstella]

I have to mime at parties when everyone sings Happy Birthday . . . mime or mumble and rumble and growl and grunt so deep that only moles, manta rays and mushrooms can hear me. Don't you just love Stephen Fry!

[TheSultan79]

i think that i was adolf hitler in a past life

[Avath]

Mrs. Fry is just adorable! 

[DrHouse2006]

he usually takes a camera crew with him on tuesday?

that's kinda weird

[gumusluk05]

@DrHouse2006 its called humour,sarcasm,you yanks just dont get it do yaaa !!

[DrHouse2006]

@gumusluk05 it was just a question, a reaction on what he said. what is your problem, no need to be like that at once

[rileyandstella]

Happy Birthday Stephen Fry turns 54 today :)

[SuperStarsNStripes]

@rileyandstella So, he is a Virgo?

[rileyandstella]

@SuperStarsNStripes I am tempted to say yes he is but I don't know enough about astrological signs and not like any Virgo I know so I am unsure.

[wolfenriroar]

@SuperStarsNStripes Haha, he'd probably dislike being asked about his Star Sign, he hates Astrology.

[SuperStarsNStripes]

@wolfenriroar I am not surprised. I just wish I knew what he DOES like or DOES believe in. ;p

[Satanicm0nk]

His mom has such a youthful glow talking about the past, It's quite refreshing.

[kimadog2]

Thanks so much for posting this episode. It's nice to get a little history, however sad, on a person with whom one is so familiar, even if one only knows that person through a tv screen.

[olimakiella]

OMG, he looks exactly like him..... freaky...

[Airsculpture]

I'm sure she said 'punning' not 'humming'.

[spacecowboy5000]

@Airsculpture I'm quite sure she said "punning". I think humming in three languages isn't quite so impressive. :)

[ihatelumberjacks]

"...he had this infuriating habit of humming in three languages." Lol, I wonder did that slip past other people or am I one of a few who found it highly amusing?

[furrantee]

O.O Do *not* attempt to take a drink at 2:44, I almost choked trying not to laugh, desperately searching for the mouse to pause it and not spray all over my laptop. "And 'dere was 'dis man who was...!" Ahh, that was good, I love the accents.

[violetshadez]

I wish I wasnt anti semitic Im working on it and one day I shall be cured

[shmoopywoopy]

This really moved me, I've seen it many times and still cry every time. And how enjoyable is it listening to Stephen's eloquent and fascinating telling of his family's history? A must see.

[SteinaIcelander]

I want to live in Stephens study

[90Zarp]

@SteinaIcelander Ditto!



[furrantee]

@SteinaIcelander I know! From :09 to :20....I want his shelves....la, I'd be in heaven! Although why anyone, if you do have books published, would need 5+ copies of your own book is anyone's guess. One would work yes? But those shelves!

[guzsaj]

magyarok minden jobb koktélba benne vannak ;D

[bogi18]

@guzsaj Azért nem kell elszállni, mert azt is mondhatnánk, hogy magyarok, minden jobb hozzávalóból van bennük egy kicsi ;D

[Thereisonlythemoment]

An absolute joy to watch. I thought it was delightful the way he spoke about his Grandfather, how tactile he was and how much he loved life. It was also lovely to see his interaction with his mother - seemed so natural and loving. This man could recite the phone book and I would still be hanging on his every word. Great Post.

[BeigeFunk]

I look like my grandfather too! I think mist of us resemble grandparents more than our parents.

[Frequency95]

The photo of his (grandfather?) looks SO MUCH LIKE HIM!

[TheIndigoNinja]

Whenever the narrator talked, here's what I thought: "SHUT UP! Stephen here is talking!"

[255ad]

05:04 I expected his farther to look more menacing after reading moab is my washpot

[bradfordbulls4lyf]

in the beggining he talks about being the son of generations. I have always wondered what was my family like in middle ages and before (i know my dads side in the 1200 to 1400's my family were famous irish poets and have i have read the poems)

[255ad]

@bradfordbulls4lyf "poets" as in plural as in their where many generations poets because it doesn't exactly seem like the sort of job you can pass down from farther to son

[bradfordbulls4lyf]

@255ad i was just saying that they were famous bards if thats what you prefer but i they were i can point you towards where you can read some

[Growlertrim]

I hugely enjoyed "Moab is my Washpot", in which Stephen Fry wrote so effectively and affectionately about his parents that I felt like squealing with delight just now when they came onscreen. <3

[TheBigHiphopopotamus]

But whats with the orgasm at 7:18 to 7:56

[TheBigHiphopopotamus]

God! When he speaks the hungarian accent, its just like hearing Victor Krumm in the Harry Potter audio books!

[guzsaj]

@TheBigHiphopopotamus Viktor Krum probably has nothing to do with Hungarians, he's Bulgarian

[TheBigHiphopopotamus]

@guzsaj oh yeah thats right.. It just sounded like him ;)

[MediaLinkllc]

I love how all the comments on Stephen Fry videos attempt to articulate there thoughts in a way Stephen might be proud. A worthy goal. :)

[Dtennantlover1]

I love how his study is all old fashioned, with wood paneling, and walls of books then theres this massive apple mac sat in the middle of it all lol

[Chicagoan444]

So interesting to see this series from English TV. I enjoyed the American series, and this is really good too. Being an American, I don't recognize everyone whom this series features, but that's probably part of why I am liking it so much. Thank you for posting this!

[squigglyweb]

Quintessentially English. How ironic. Stephen Fry's mother was told brush your teeth and don't tell anyone you're Jewish. What a beautifully tragic story.

[lesterclaypool1]

@squigglyweb

Culturally specific shames: My wife's French family denying their Aboriginal heritage while it was no big deal to mine.

[GirLInSecondLife]

Hello Stephen, I'm in Second Life too. It's a great place to unwind!

[Edgey1988]

Stephen Fry doesn't look like a jew boy at all. Maybe the bugle but that's it.

[majordbag2]

Everyone's a ruddy peasant Stephen, in the case of aristocrats their anscestors managed to get a sword and killed everyone who said otherwise.

[corvus13]

What a beautiful house and garden, and I love that the house has a name.

[mecagoenlaleche98]

Michael McIntyre is also part Hungarian. Both excellent comedians. Can I rent a hungarian relative?

[gnarlyalbatros]

i love stephen fry, he is amazing. perhaps the reason for his gayness is getting kissed on the lips by his grandad tho. im yet to figure out what makes people gay because as i do not think its bad in anyway its not a conscious the person i dont think its natural, its obviously not natural actually. great guy, just sharing a thought :)

[BobTheMunificent]

@gnarlyalbatros Clearly it is "natural". Gay people would not exist if it wasn't - by definition...

Please educate yourself. There are perfectly good evolutionary reasons to explain attraction to people of the same sex as yourself. At that point, you are simply ignorant. That can be corrected with a little effort on your part.

The bit about his grandfather's kisses "turning him gay" is however beyond comprehension and I can only assume you are very, very young - or very, very stupid.

[jlaurson]

@BobTheMunificent

people constantly confuse "natural" with "normal" and, worse, think that either is inherently 'good', when they are perfectly neutral terms. oh well...

[dead0piggy]

@jlaurson I don't think that he is implying that something being natural or normal is inherently good, if that were the case we would accept rape as part of everyday life.

Besides, homosexuality is not, in any sense, 'normal'. It is natural, maybe, but not 'normal'.

I don't think normality is something to strive for though, lest we all become carbon copies.

[ikutsu2001]

@dead0piggy Normality is subjective. What is normal for one person is abnormal for another.

[lesterclaypool1]

@ikutsu2001

We also have "social norms". A larger percentage of the population is straight. The problem is that we take the term abnormal as something negative when it isn't.

[top20lists]

His mum seems amazing!

[tonymeademusic]

I want to live in a house like his... Cozy, very English, nice kitchen, and books everywhere.

[CCNuck]

Oh Stephen Fry fans, you are my kind of people. Booooooooooks *drool*

[Broadway3]

Stephen and his mother are so precious!

[royalgirl31]

Whoa he really does look like his Grandad! Nose and chin especially! x

[MultiSigrun]

AW the photo of him and his gandf. was so adoreble

[willietoyboy]

A great man, an inspiration to me and many others. Long may he reign.

[megan8madonna]

@Maialeen I am so grateful to you. This is wonderful. Stephen Fry is my hero. So talented, so clever, so witty, so beautiful, and yet so wonderfully humane and good. It's a rare combination.

[XerkDaniels]

Stephen will never be a bloody peasant to me.

[vanillalatteblended]

So. Many. Books. /swoons.

[janeeyre1990]

He's so lovely with his mom. What a sweetheart.

[khi590]

what an interesting family story - and so tragic in between - thanks a lot for sharing (and bringing history back to life - much more interesting to learn from personal context than from schoolbook facts only)

[tartfuel]

@MANofINACTION They already explained it as "present day Slovakia," although I would have like them to call it's name at the time. It wasn't Czechoslovakia until after WWI, so should they call it Hungary? I think it would confuse viewers.

[balazst]

@tartfuel

Yes, they should call it Hungary to be precise.

[bersa888]

Love this man...

[EllysaE]

Omg he looks like Martin!!

[RussianRaina]

wow Stephen looks exactly like his grandfather and nothing like his parents, he's so lovely btw.

[batmanofni]

It looks like all the books in his office were written by him.

[TheRainstorm97]

@batmanofni Love how there are more than one copy of each =P

[jackie83us]

his mom is so little and sweet lol

[Nneka1963]

I LOVE WDYTYA! I've been living in Munich, Germany for 19 years and my lovely Mum in London has always taped these for me, so when I come back home on holiday I can watch them. And I MUST say that this one on Stephen Fry was one of the most touching!!! It made my cry!!!

Thank's a million for the upload, I will sub! :o)

[LeftyHandedGuns]

:O

Best thing on YouTube that I've seen in a while!

[1thinkexist1]

First thing that struck me about this program was how many bloody books he had! I've always dreamt of having a space like that, filled with literature, where I can study and relax. What an amazing human being :)

[pockypurse]

LOOK AT ALL THOSE FUCKING BOOKS! :U I think I'm in love.

[nagetone]

thank you so so much for uploading this. I used to live in england for about a year and I've seen this as I was staying there. And thru this I got to like stephen fry. he's such an kind and intellegent man. I love everything with him. thank you again!

[MrsGamgee977]

It's weird to watch this after reading Moab is My Washpot. It almost feels like I personally know these people. :D

[IstalkBananas]

@MrsGamgee977 ,´Moab is my washpot is such a great book!

[hedvig78]

Thank you so much for posting!

[LIVERLADD]

I love Steven Fry every time I see him I think of General. Melchard Black adder

[CaledoniaJeanne]

Sweet! Really enjoyed this, thanks.

[animeeclipse]

"just another ruddy peasant..."

haha!! love him...

[GambitJHB]

Love this show. Never around to watch it on the TV at home.. :)

[johnnyforeigner33]

4:12 I wish he realised what a handsome chap he really is, bless him

[EnigmaDrath]

It's not easy, being so knowledgeable without coming off as a boring know-it-all, but everything he does and says carries so much charm to it. Hell, I actually watched that documentary he did on the printing press--a subject which would normally bore me to tears--and I loved it! This man could talk about anything, ANYTHING, and he'd still have me on the edge of my seat, listening intently.

You, Fry, are gifted! And I want your library!! With YOU in it!

[BelfastAtheist]

@EnigmaDrath

Lol I watched his doc on the gutenberg press too.

If you're as dangerously obsessed with Mr.Fry as myself, read his books...they carry equally as much charm as his real-life character.

[NorwegianSDMF]

@EnigmaDrath Have to say i totally agree. From the first time i saw him and heard him talk he had me hypnotized; don't even have to see him, just hearing his voice is enough. I bet he could talk about how paint dry for hours without making it boring.

[oliviagiles]

Stephen fry is so beautiful inside and out, god i love him....

[synicalrules]

1. HOLY SHIT - he and his grandfather are the spitting image of one another!

2. I think I'm the only one that's disturbed that he's got multiple copies of his own books in his office... :P

[anaemicandsweet]

@synicalrules Not really, it depends on his publishing agent. If you're an author, you can get sent advanced or multiple copies to keep or distribute amongst family. Or if you're going to sell them yourself.

[synicalrules]

@anaemicandsweet Good point - thanks!

[anaemicandsweet]

@synicalrules It is interesting though, they do seem a little out of place. I just know one or two authors and they tend to have stacks of books lying around for some yet-unnamed purpose.

[fangirl8392]

Stephen is the spit of his grandfather. Oh my goodness, I thought they were holding up a mock portrait of Stephen.

[enisylo]

"I'll be your father, which is a Freudian nightmare..."

I laughed myself silly at that hahaha.

[parkviewmo]

His mother is charming, and you can tell she adores, Stephen and he adores her. The best of families.

[smell0my0nipples]

That man in the photo at 4:04 look unbelievably like Stephen!

[bapsy078]

I could listen to him talk all day. I wouldnt even say anything back. I would just sit there and probably feel really dumb in comparison.

[englishfrenchgerman]

My ancestry is kind of like Stephen's. My mother's grandfather was a German Jew and was the only member of his family in Germany to flee from Germany. He left in 1935, just before the Nuremburg Laws stopped him leaving but his family all refused to leave and were, subsequently, persecuted and killed in 1943, one year after the Final Solution was first started.

[limabeen]

Heinrich Heine? I am descended from him, on my dad's side of the family. Thank you for reminding me, Stephen, I'd like to learn more about him!

[krugerfuchs]

thank you very much for this 

[dvtip1980]

What a lovely mother he has

[KeithUnderneath]

I want his library. I WANTS IT! GIVE!

[Flonkertonn]

You stand there, and I can pretend to be your father, which is a freudian nightmare.

[lamzy]

He looks way too much like his grandfather. Amazing!!

[SpitamaFan]

Funny thing just came to my mind: i'm a fan of Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson has sometimes shown his mother on the show. Stephen's mother and Jeremy's mother look like they could be sisters!

Funny how complete strangers can often look alike.

[1n5oMni4]

@SpitamaFan you're right they are quite similar !

[leandralee]

does anyone know the eppisode were a man goes after his grandmother who was adopted, her perants were killed in a railroad- accedent.

I need to know the name of the man who was searching.

[loveress]

Just hearing his voice puts a smile on my face. He's so comforting and warm, even when he's telling you something factual that contains no emotion. Would follow that voice anywhere.

Also, we're in Stephen Fry's house! I got so excited about catching a glimpse of how he lives, you don't imagine such etheral-beings living like the rest of us. But apparently they do, surrounded by piles of wonderous books.

[paulitas83]

Thanks! I can saw this program. love SF. THANKS!

[MrsGamgee977]

Thank you so much for posting this. His episode was one of my favourites. I always cry in the end.

[lennic95]

I would have loved to meet my grandparents! People always talk about them so well! BTW Stephen look EXACTLY like his granddad!

[lauragornod333]

Finally!

[Flowerblood]

This is lovely.

[xSilverPhinx]

Thanks for uploading! I've been looking for this.

[damechastain]

Is anyone else in love with his study/office? So many books!!!!!

I love him. He's such a great person.

[HughHouselover]

@damechastain Yeah, I love that study/office to! All those books! I could spend days in there! Probabaly all very good books I think, knowing Stephen. Love him, he's great! <3

[nuclearpavlova]

@damechastain I love him! His office could rival dumbledore's!

[KeithUnderneath]

@damechastain I want his library. I WANTS IT! GIVE!

[luverlything]

@damechastain I am just in love with Stephen!!!! Just such a wonderful, intelligent, charming man!  I think he would make a fabulous friend! Hi Stephen if you read this, haha would you like a new friend?

[1n5oMni4]

@damechastain yeah really cool studio!

[MultiSigrun]

@damechastain LOVE

[EllysaE]

He looks so soft. Like the Michelin Man.

[adraim69]

My god I love listening to this man talk. I've got a grin on my face just from the opening dialogue!

[DeliriousGoomba]

Oh gracious, he looks exactly like his grandfather!

He's so sweet with his mother, it's delightful.

[imnevermakingavideo]

I thought that the first picture of his grandfather was stephen, its really bizarre/amazing

[callistotheii]

So did I.  They look just alike.

[rdgloveshouse]

Is it my imagination or does his mother have a hint of a Hungarian accent?x

[Tropicaliak]

thank you SO MUCH for the upload. I've wanted to see this for so many months!!! to find it is absolutely wonderful.

[Peripatetic5]

Can anybody cite the music playing intermittently in background?

[getanerection]

Listening to Stephen Fry is just a marvellous pleasure. But when he says "Hungarian" is too much for me!! (in a good way of course)

Being a fan of him who is Hungarian... omg!! :O

[Hes25]

Thank you so much for uploading this!

[thatoneword]

A thousand thanks - been hoping for this to pop up for ages :)

[sabken1]

Thank you so much. I and my children have wanted to see this for some time.

[Schopie]

What a gift to humanity this upload is. Thank you kindly.

[duchesstw]

Thank you for posting!!! I've been wanting to watch Stephen Fry's WDYTYA for so long!!

[ingahauks]

Thank you very much for this!!!