Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is castaway by Kirsty Young.

Comedian, actor, writer, director, presenter and award-ceremony host – Stephen's list of accomplishments is long, varied and impressive.

His younger years were troubled and with a propensity for stealing and lying, he was expelled from two schools and imprisoned for credit card fraud.

The turning point came when he knuckled down and won a scholarship to Queens’ College, Cambridge, where he read English and joined the Cambridge Footlights, becoming lifelong friends with Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie.

His career highlights include the fruits of his collaborative work with Laurie – from A Bit of Fry and Laurie to Jeeves and Wooster, he played Lord Melchett in Blackadder and Oscar Wilde on the big screen.

He is a best-selling author of fiction and three volumes of autobiography, is the voice of the Harry Potter audiobooks and presents BBC Two’s QI.

Stephen has also spoken of his experience of mental health issues and in 2006 he made a documentary exploring the effects of living with Bipolar - it won an Emmy Award.

DISC ONE: Bach - Partita No. 1 in B flat major
DISC TWO: Schubert - Variations 2 & 3 Piano Quintet in A
DISC THREE: Beethoven - Presto Quartet Op. 131 in C-Sharp minor
DISC FOUR: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Nina Simone
DISC FIVE: Wagner - O sink hernieder , Nacht der Liebe - Tristan und Isolde
DISC SIX: Changes - Hugh Laurie
DISC SEVEN: Do I Love You? - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC EIGHT: Arthur Wood - Barwick Green (The Archers' Theme Tune]

BOOK CHOICE: T. S. Eliot Four Quartets
LUXURY CHOICE: Canvasses, easels, brushes, an instruction manual
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Roses - The Chainsmokers featuring Rozes

Desert Island Discs was created by Roy Plomley.

Producer: Cathy Drysdale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2015.