Stephen Fry in America

[emperor]

This TV series has had universally bad reviews, but I decided to watch the first episode on Tuesday, as atreic was away, and I generally like Mr Fry. I enjoyed it enough to watch the second tonight, thanks to the wonder of iplayer.

It's not really a coherent programme, more a smorgasbord of bits of America that Fry found interesting; amongst other things, this episode made me almost want to try Woodford Reserve, as well as managing an interesting but not over-the-top piece on The "Body Farm".

You might almost say it was Quite Interesting ;-)

Comments

[hooloovoo_42]

He was supposed to be meeting "ordinary" Americans to prove to us Brits that they aren't all ignorant, gun toting rednecks. Well, I suppose that a little old lady in a "cottage" on Long Island or a Kentucky horse breeder aren't necessarily classed as ignorant rednecks, but they are hardly "ordinary" in the sense of "you'd run into them at the supermarket".

So much of it is clearly set up, rather than him just going to see who he meets when he gets there. Yes, that's the nature of television, but that's not how he was selling the idea in his book.

I liked him seeing the actual Mason-Dixon line. Even going down a mine was meeting "real people". But at an average of 7.5 minutes per state, we're not really getting a true feel for the place. It's no more of an unbiased view than a week in Florida or NY or DC.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I like it even if it's not as random as it's supposed to be and quite self-indulgent (hot air balloon ride over the Smokies, anyone?) but he does touch on stuff off the beaten path.
However, as you say, it works as an US roadtrip version of QI.

[aardvark179.livejournal.com]

Indeed, I think it has been marketed as something it isn't but it is fun and interesting and occasionally quite quirky in a nice Stephen Fry sort of way.

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

That made me want to go in a hot air balloon ;) Though I'll watch anything with Mr Fry in. I'll probably put the book on my Xmas wish list.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Not to mention that he picked the best time to be in the Smokies with the full autumn colours out. The US has some awesome scenere in places and the Smoky Mountains are certainly one of them. I was a little early when I passed through during my roadtrip last year as the leaves just started to turn but it was still wonderful. Until you hit the horror that is Gatlinburg...

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

I'm still jealous I wasn't invited on the road trip my dad and brother did (I was in the middle of my masters). I might go and visit sometime if Obama gets in - less scary that way ;)

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

The book's marvellous, even better than the tv series. :-)

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying it apart from the fact that he is able to spend so little time on each subject. I loved the shots of the grumpy little boy who was having his hair cut at the same time as Fry!

[emperor]

There's allegedly going to be a few programmes on BBC4 where he'll cover less material in more detail in due course.

[crazyscot.livejournal.com]

I quite liked the first episode for something to dip into in short intervals (e.g. 15 minutes while I have my lunch) - so have set my monk to grab the rest. As you say, it's random odds and sods, but it works for me.

Woodford Reserve

[garamondbophin.livejournal.com]

Just to say that Woodford Reserve is the only whiskey from the other side of the Atlantic that I have tried so far that I've found drinkable (other American and Canadian so-called whiskey seems more like something one should use for treating fence panels!). I've had it at three bars in London and, when in the right mood, have even specifically gone to one of them (can't remember the name, but it is near the block of flats they use in the ITV "Poirot") just to drink it, so I would recommend giving it a try (though normally I'd prefer a single malt from Scotland, like the Laphroaig I had at the "Sherlock Holmes" on Thursday night...).