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Wednesday, June 14, 2006

STEPHEN FRY and MARK CARWARDINE TV Series in the works?

Fabulous news direct from Stephen Fry's iMac keyboard! During today's VIP Stephen Fry webchat at the Douglas Adams Continuum website, I asked him the following question...
AnotherChanceToSee: Hello Stephen. I really enjoyed your "Rescuing the Spectacled Bear" book, but being in the USA, I never got to see the TV special. Any chance that might be released on DVD someday, and do you have any more plans for similar trips?

Stephen Fry: Golly anotherchance -- not too sure. I am in discussions with Mark Carwardine about doing a TV series with your handle as its title. Using Douglas's audiobook version of ACTS as a guide for us as we investigate how the various species are doing nearly 20 years on. The Yangtse River Dolphin now officially extinct, for example....
How marvellous would that be?

And because I'm a huge fan of Hugh Laurie in Fox Channel's "House", I also asked Stephen whether they'd discussed finding him a role in the show.
AnotherChanceToSee: Has there been any talk with Hugh about getting you into an episode of "House" with some particularly virulent pox?

Stephen Fry: Yes, anotherchancetosee, Hugh and I talk about it. couldn't make it last season, but maybe the upcoming season will see me in it. I like the idea of playing either an even nastier doctor than Hugh, or possibly a cleverer one who's nicer and really pisses him off. Won't try the accent though. Can't match Hugh there ... :-)
In addition, James asked him...
James: Do you miss working with Hugh Laurie? I know there are a lot of fans who'd love to see you two together again.

Stephen Fry: Miss it very much. Saw him over the weekend, for his birthday (he's back off to the USA in a couple of weeks) and we talk constantly of trying to do something when our several particular projects allow us time. Still best friends, still deeply suspicious of anyone who isn't us, if you know what I mean. My general view is that Hugh is the only person I know who doesn't talk bollocks.
Read the full webchat transcript here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mark mentioned this at a talk he gave in Southwold on 17th November 2003, and so I asked him about it at the 3rd Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture (10th March 2005) and he was still hopeful of it happening. So it has had a long gestation, but the fact that Stephen Fry mentioned it is a good sign. In the meantime we have had times like the Final Chance to Save (currently being repeated on Sky in the UK). It would be great if it could happen but Mark and Stephen are very busy guys and a TV series will be more difficult to get off the ground that a radio series.

Other goodish news is that Dirk Maggs was recently lobbying the BBC to release the original radio series. Also I asked the National Sound Archive to get a copy of the episode that they didn't have so that both the BBC and NSA have full sets, and although it takes a bit of arranging you can go to the British Library and listen to the actual episodes.
DaveH

Gareth said...

Thank you as ever Dave. Always reliable with great information.