Stephen Fry in Americais a six-partBBCtelevision series in whichStephen Frytravels across theUnited States.In the six-part series he travels, mainly in aLondon cab,through all 50 of theU.S. statesandWashington, D.C.
| Stephen Fry in America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Starring | Stephen Fry |
| Narrated by | Stephen Fry |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No.of series | 1 |
| No.of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Production location | United States |
| Running time | 60 min |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One BBC Two(repeat) |
| Release | 12 October– 16 November 2008 |
The episodes are regularly repeated in the UK onDave.It was aired in the United States onHDNet.InAustralia,the program screened onABC1.[1]The ratings were so successful that the broadcaster decided to finally air Fry's other BBC programme,QIthe next month.[2]
The series was filmed in two segments, the first in October–November 2007, and the second in February–April 2008. Special guests featured on the show includeSting,Jimmy Wales,Morgan Freeman,Buddy Guy,andTed Turner.
Episode list
edit| # | Title | Subject | States visited | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New World | Fry's journey begins inNew Englandwith lobstermen inEastport, Maine.He attends a primary meeting hosted byMitt Romneyand visits theMount Washington HotelinBretton Woods, New Hampshire,where he rides acog railwayto the top ofMount Washington.In Vermont he is invited to create his ownBen and Jerry'sice cream flavour. He hunts for deer in theAdirondack Mountains(without a gun), attends a tea party withHarvard UniversityprofessorPeter Gomes,and meetswitchesinSalem, Massachusetts.Fry tours a submarine at theNaval Submarine Base New LondoninGroton, Connecticut,visits stately homes inNewport, Rhode Island,and moves on toNew York City,meeting cabbies, mobsters, andSting.Next isAtlantic City,where he apprentices as a croupier at theTrump Taj Mahalcasino beforecrossing the DelawaretoMarylandandWashington, D.C.to interviewWikipediaco-founderJimmy Walesand a member of theCapitol Steps.He ends the first leg of his journey at theCivil Warbattlefield inGettysburg, Pennsylvania. | Maine,New Hampshire,Vermont,New York,Massachusetts,Connecticut,Rhode Island,New Jersey,Delaware,Maryland,Washington, D.C.,andPennsylvania. | 12 October 2008 |
| 2 | Deep South | Fry tries to find out what makes the South so distinctive. He begins this leg of his journey with a visit toArlington National Cemeteryin Virginia. He then finds theMason–Dixon line,tours a coal mine in West Virginia, and watches horse trading and bourbon brewing before getting a trim at a barber shop in Kentucky. He then visits abody farmin Tennessee, rides in a hot-air balloon in theGreat Smoky Mountains,experiences theGullahculture in theSouth Carolina Lowcountry,attends a Southern-styleThanksgiving Dinner,toleratesMiami,mingles withsnowbirds,and attends a massivecollege football gamein Alabama. | Virginia,West Virginia,Kentucky,Tennessee,North Carolina,South Carolina,Georgia,Florida,andAlabama. | 19 October 2008 |
| 3 | Mississippi | A 2,000-mile (3,200 km) journey up theMississippi Riverbegins inNew OrleansduringMardi Gras,followed by a visit toMorgan Freeman's blues club in Mississippi. He hitches a canoe up the river to Arkansas, visits hoboes inSt. Louis,gets to see his brainwave activity at the research department of theMaharishi University of ManagementinIowa,and after a detour going into a burning building inIndianaand over toOhioandDetroit,explores Chicago and its place as a center for blues and comedy. He finishes the journey with a sheep's milk cheese farm in Wisconsin andHmongimmigrants and ice fishing in Minnesota. | Louisiana,Arkansas,Mississippi,Missouri,Iowa,Indiana,Ohio,Michigan,Illinois,Wisconsin,andMinnesota. | 26 October 2008 |
| 4 | Mountains and Plains | National security becomes a recurring theme as Stephen visits Border patrol agents in Montana, a former missile silo in Kansas, and an INS patrol inEl Paso.He also visitsGlacier National Park,Ted Turner's Bison ranch, the Continental Divide, theGerman Americancommunity in North Dakota,Mount Rushmoreand theCrazy Horse Monument,theLakota people,a major truck stop onInterstate 80,AspenandSalvation Armywork in Oklahoma. | Montana,Idaho,Wyoming,North Dakota,South Dakota,Nebraska,Kansas,Colorado,Oklahoma,andTexas. | 2 November 2008 |
| 5 | True West | Stephen explores the ancient city ofSanta Fe,sees the cutting edge of scientific research inLos Alamos,eats frybread withNavajosinMonument Valley,and hitches a ride with aB-17 Flying Fortressto the309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.He sees a wild west show inTucson,takes a houseboat aroundLake Powell,takes part in a team-building exercise inLas Vegas,and sees another legacy of the wild west at theMustang Ranchbefore arriving at the shores of the Pacific Ocean. | New Mexico,Utah,Arizona,andNevada. | 9 November 2008 |
| 6 | Pacific | Stephen begins inSan Francisco,exploring its Chinatown and meetingAppleexecutiveJonathan Ive.He takes a ride with theMendocino Countysheriff, meets students atHumboldt State University,explores the forests of Oregon with activists andBigfootbelievers, and reaches the end of theContiguous United Statesat a cabaret inSeattle.In Alaska, Stephen encounters fishermen andInupiatwhalers. Finally he goes to Hawaii, where he swims with sharks, meets a real-lifeMagnum, P.I.,attends an authenticluauand finishes his journey at theHawaiian Volcano Observatory. | California,Oregon,Washington,Alaska,andHawaii. | 16 November 2008 |
Home media releases
editThe UK home video version was released by West Park Pictures through Lace Digital Media Sales on 17 November 2008. Both the DVD and Blu-ray versions are two-disc sets, complete and uncut. A two-disc Region 1 version was released in the United States in July 2010. In Australia, it was released byMadman Entertainmenton two-disc DVD and Blu-ray on 19 August 2009.[3]
Book
editA book to accompany the series, also calledStephen Fry in America(ISBN0061456381), was published byHarperCollinsin 2008. In it Stephen writes in more detail about some of his adventures, as well as some of the ones not featured in the show.
Announced follow-up
editIn May 2008, it was announced that a five-part companion series,More Fry in America,had been commissioned for BBC Four. It was to feature in-depth essays excluded from the first series due to time constraints.[4]No further information about the project has since been released.
Sequel
editA four-part sequel series,Stephen Fry in Central America,was broadcast onITVin the UK from 27 August to 17 September 2015, following Fry travelling throughMexicoand the countries ofCentral America.
References
edit- ^"ABC1 Programming Airdate: Stephen Fry in America (episode one)".ABC Television Publicity.Retrieved27 September2010.
- ^Knox, David (6 October 2009)."Airdate: Q.I."TV Tonight.Retrieved27 September2010.
- ^"Stephen Fry in America DVD".Madman Entertainment.Retrieved27 September2010.
- ^"Digital Spy: Fry to offer thoughts on USA for BBC4".Digital Spy.31 May 2008.
