Sir Stephen Fry is suing a tech conference for £100,000 after he broke his leg, hip and ribs falling off stage.
The actor and recent Traitors contestant plummeted six feet after delivering a keynote speech about AI at the CogX convention at the O2 Arena in London in September 2023.
He had just finished his speech and was trying to leave the stage when he fell and landed on the concrete below.
The 68-year-old was taken to hospital where doctors revealed he had broken his right leg in several places, his pelvis in four, and multiple ribs. He used a walking stick for some time afterwards.
Fry has now accused CogX Festival Ltd and creative agency Blonstein Events Ltd of “negligence” and failing to provide a “safe” and “properly protected” stage and backstage area.
He has brought a personal injury claim against the companies.
Filings stated: “The Claimant brings a claim for damages for personal injuries sustained on 14 September 2023 at the O2 Arena, London, whilst attending the CogX Festival where he had been engaged to deliver a talk on Artificial Intelligence.
“After concluding his presentation and whilst exiting the stage backstage area, the Claimant fell approximately two metres from the stage to the concrete floor below.
“The incident was caused by the negligence and/or breach of statutory duty of the Defendants, its servants or agents, in failing to ensure that the stage and backstage area were safe, adequately lit and properly protected to prevent a fall from height.”
A CogX spokesperson told BBC News: “We are unable to comment while the legal process is ongoing, but we were all deeply concerned when Stephen had the accident after giving his incredible speech on the Impact of AI, and we continue to send him our best wishes for a full recovery.”
Fry’s legal team said: “It's very unfortunate that court proceedings were necessary, but the Defendants do not accept Sir Stephen's account of events, and we have had to ask the court to determine who is responsible for his injury and losses.”
A brilliant talk by the amazing Stephen Fry @CogX_Festival
— Mindera UK | Software House (@MinderaUK) September 14, 2023
“Technology is not a noun, it’s a verb. What we have now is not what will be.” pic.twitter.com/cxYnzkzQpf
The Standard has contacted Fry’s representative for further comment.
The second company, Blonstein Events, said it has not yet been formally notified of the claim.
Typically when a High Court claim is filed, the claimant has four months in England and Wales to formally serve it to the defendants.
Blonstein Events said in a statement: “No court proceedings have been served by Sir Stephen Fry, nor those representing him.
“If court proceedings are served both we and our insurers are confident that our defence will be successful as we were in no way responsible for this incident.”
Fry previously recalled his “six-feet drop onto concrete” and described the extent of his injuries during an interview with Claudia Winkleman on BBC Radio 2 in December 2023.
“I was doing an event at the O2 arena. I did my hour after delivering this lecture, turned to go off stage and didn't realise I was walking off a part of stage where there was nothing but a six-foot drop onto concrete,” he said.
“I broke my right leg in a couple of places, my pelvis in four places and a bunch of ribs. I'm now fine. I'm now without a stick.”
He added: “It's been fine so far but I feel slightly self-conscious without the stick. The cane, more than helping me walk, is a flag to everyone around.
“I live in the centre of London where the pavements are absolutely packed. So [this time of year] you get slightly nervous with people stopping to take pictures of lights, or the [pavement] is slightly slippy.”
Fry praised the NHS and the care he received at Queen Elizabeth Woolwich after the fall, saying it could have been much worse.
”The person treating me told me he was treating a patient who had fallen on the same day as me, half the distance, and would never walk again,” he recalled.
“So I really praise my lucky stars. If it had been the spine or the skull who knows.”
Fry later revealed his recovery in part was down to doing “lots of hydrotherapy and physiotherapy”, and added: “It was pretty nasty.”
He explained on Good Morning Britain that while painkillers accelerated the recovery, he was conscious to not get addicted to the opioids he was prescribed.
The TV star continued: “[Painkillers] mean the physio can get you on your feet earlier.
“Even though it was the dreaded OxyContin, which has cut a swathe through America in the opioid crisis, it was being dealt to me very properly and I was weaned off it, so I didn’t get addicted.
“Because of the painkillers I was able to move earlier than I would otherwise have been able to.”
No hearing has yet been scheduled in the claim.
