As Pride sweeps across London, we sit down with Stephen Fry to discuss everything he loves about the capital and how he came to be one of the city’s most prominent figures.
Home is…
Mostly a mix of the capital and the county of Norfolk really. In Norfolk since I was seven and in London since I left university.
Where do you stay in London?
Well, on the rare occasions that I have to stay in a hotel (the house is being fumigated or the roof re-slated perhaps) I tend to go for Claridge’s. To my mind it remains the finest of the old style five-star establishments. I’ve noticed that it isn’t cheap, so it remains a treat. Deco at its best. Service at its best.
Where was your first flat in London?
I shared a two-bedroom flat in Draycott Place, just off Sloane Square, back in the early 1980s. Having Peter Jones and Partridges just round the corner was an exquisite thing. Sloane Ranger territory. I used to see Diana Spencer about the place. Then she got married and moved away.
What was your first job here?
Same as it is now really! I started with sundry bits and occasional bobs for BBC radio and TV. Then a series for Granada: we met up (Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Ben Elton, Robbie Coltrane and I) in the assistant producer’s house in Notting Hill, and in the Granada HQ in Golden Square. The series was shot in Manchester though.
Where would you recommend for a first date?
I know as much about dating as Robert F Kennedy Jr knows about immunology, but for romance and charm I like old-school brasseries like Mon Plaisir in Seven Dials (the oldest French restaurant in London I think) or upping it a bit, La Petite Maison just behind Claridge’s: the hors d’oeuvres are so fabulous you don’t have to move on to a main course.
Which shop would you visit to buy a present for a partner?
Absolutely not anything that’s part of a so-called “luxury group”. Can’t bear all that ghastly LV tat. Maybe a silver Yard-O-Led propelling pencil from a shop like Penfriend in Burlington Arcade. Who could object to something as lovely as that?
Which shops do you rely on?
Bayley & Sage for really good deli and fruit. Geo F Trumper in Duke of York Street for shaving soap and a haircut. Paxton & Whitfield in Jermyn Street for cheese. Hatchards in Piccadilly for books. And the Apple Store in Regent Street.
Best meal you’ve had in London?
A recent 15-course blow-out in Jason Atherton’s Row on 5, in Savile Row, comes close to the best I’ve experienced. I say “blow-out” but each course was small enough for me not to feel puffed and bloated at the end.
What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?
Declare 1890 Day. No one would be allowed into central London unless they were dressed in late 19th-century apparel. The police included. Children would be encouraged to bowl hoops; the only transport allowed in the West End would be penny farthings and similar bicycles, or horses, carriages and carts. Police in Victorian uniforms too. Then the next year 1810 Day — the same, but Regency.
Who is the most iconic Londoner?
Do I have to choose between Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde? Probably have to hand the palm to Dickens. All three originally from outside London — that’s the nature of a great metropolis. Fictionally, Sherlock Holmes of course. Patrick Hamilton should be considered too. Hangover Square and novels like that, so so London.
Where do you go and what do you do to have fun?
I stay at home and watch darts, snooker, cricket or old episodes of Columbo. But in town, well, you know, the usual. Meet up with friends, theatre, a gallery or two…
What’s the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you?
“Hop in Mr Laurie.”
Where do you exercise?
A gym in the West End. Shan’t give you the name, wouldn’t want people laughing at my straining and striving. Or I walk. Never run.
Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer?
1989. I emerged from Kenneth Branagh’s small stag do in Bert’s, Soho (long since closed) — crossed the road, got on my motorbike (yes, I rode them back then) and as I kicked away the stand, a policeman grabbed the handlebars and told me I’d seemed to stagger somewhat as I left the restaurant. I blew down the tube and registered as (slightly) over the limit. Back at West End Central nick, I emptied my pockets and out came three audience tickets for Blackadder Goes Forth, which we were recording at the time. I offered the tickets to the three police officers who were booking me in. They said they’d be delighted to come along to the next day’s taping. It didn’t work as a bribe though. Still had a court appearance and lost my licence for a year. Heigh-ho. They enjoyed the show at least.
.jpg)
Where do you go to let your hair down?
I never let my hair down. Why would I? If you mean just relax and be myself, then I go home. Isn’t this true of everyone, unless they’re the sort of person who likes dancing and things like that? I’m afraid I’m not cut from that sort of cloth.
Who do you call when you want to have fun?
I don’t know that I’ve ever thought to myself, “Goodness, I want to have fun, I must call… X”. Noël Coward said, “Work is more fun than fun”, and I’m lucky enough to be able to feel much the same.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Rare books, first editions. I do spend a fair amount on those. It’s a dreadful indulgence but better than some I suppose.
What’s your London secret?
Wouldn’t be much of a secret if I told you, now would it? But Pickering Place is worth a visit and not as well known as it might be. London’s smallest square, tucked behind Berry Bros & Rudd, the St James’s wine merchants. It’s enchanting. Beau Brummell is said to have fought a duel there.
What are you up to at the moment for work?
Oh you know, the usual. Currently, literally today, taking time off between chapters as I record an audiobook to answer these impertinent questions. ;-)
Who is your hero?
I have to say Oscar Wilde. Of course he was witty and a lord of language, master of paradox and epigram. But he was kind, he was thoughtful, he was wise in his writing if not in his living. A prince of Bohemia, a model for all of us who are eternal students and refuse to be fixed.
What do you collect?
First or rare editions of favourite authors. The above mentioned Oscar, PG Wodehouse (hundreds and hundreds of those), EM Forster, Norman Douglas… I’d bore you if I went on. Damn it I’m already boring myself.
Which podcast are you currently obsessed with?
None.
What’s your favourite work of art or building in London?
Leighton House is fun.
What was the last thing you googled?
“How do you get out of a media request that you’ve foolishly agreed to in a moment of weakness?”
What’s your favourite beauty or grooming spot?
Haha!!!! You are so silly.
What apps can you not live without?
Well maps are useful of course. Tube, bus and general walking.
What’s your London dress code?
No low-rise jeans. Certainly not on me, but please not on anyone else either.
