Stephen Fry

If, for some reason, you're thinking "Hey, I'm sure I know this character – isn't he that dude from Bones?" then here are Five Reasons You Totally Know Stephen Fry.

(And yes, he is also in Bones).

1. A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989-1995)
Stephen Fry had been doing comedy with Hugh Laurie since they were Cambridge undergraduates and had done a fair amount of comedy for the BBC (including an appearance on The Young Ones) before being given their own show. It ran for four seasons, all of which are currently available on DVD and stand up impressively well today. They mainly avoided doing recurring characters, although their series of sketches as Tony and Control are particular favourites.


 
2. Jeeves & Wooster (1990-1993)
Fry and Laurie took time off from their own writing to star in this adaptation of the stories of PD Wodehouse, with Hugh Laurie as the somewhat dim child of privilege Bertie Wooster and Fry as the all-knowing "gentleman's gentleman" Jeeves. The entire run is on DVD and is, frankly, superb.



3. Blackadder (1986-1989)
Fry first joined the cast in series two, often considered the best of the four seasons, playing the Queen Elizabeth I's ineffectual advisor Lord Melchett, who often found himself in opposition to Rowan Atikinson's Lord Blackadder. He reprised the role as the a rather more blustery General Melchett in the WWI-themed Blackadder Goes Forth, as well as a notable appearance as the Duke of Wellington in one episode of season 3 -Â however, here he perfectly captures the pain of anyone who's ever lost a plump, speckly pigeon to hungry squaddies.



4. Wilde (1997)
The casting of Fry as Oscar Wilde in Brian Gilbert's biopic did smack a little of typecasting, but hell: English, gay, foppish, well read, swift of wit: there's more than a few points of comparison there. It also solidified the idea of Fry as the modern equivalent of the legendary playwright in the mind of the public, which certainly was no bad thing.

 

5. QI (2003-present)
Fry has been host of this wildly popular UK quiz show from the beginning, where he presides over a panel of contestants - generally comedians of some stripe or other – who are regularly stumped by questions such as "How many moons does the Earth have?" (although we, frankly, don't buy this Cruithne nonsense). Incidentally, the QI stands for "quite interesting". Which it is.