A Good Read: Stephen Fry and Alan Davies discuss dystopian visions, childhood traumas and tips for writers.
A Good Read
BBC
4.2 • 848 Ratings
🗓️ 30 January 2018
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Stephen Fry and Alan Davies reunite in the studio to debate their all-time favourite books with presenter Harriett Gilbert. Expect philosophical musings and a fair bit of silliness from these comedy polymaths and former QI partners in crime.
Fears for the future are discussed through Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel A Brave New World, reflections on the past come with J.M Coetzee's memoir Boyhood, and for some light relief, Muriel Spark's centenary is celebrated in a humorous take on the publishing world, in A Far Cry From Kensington. But who picks what?
Producer: Eliza Lomas.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In Northern Ireland, from the late 70s to the early 90s, the IRA killed over 40 alleged informers. |
| 0:08.0 | But the man who often found, tortured and sometimes killed these people on behalf of the IRA |
| 0:12.0 | was himself an informer, a secret British army agent with the codename Stakeknife. |
| 0:18.0 | Who gets to play God? And why me? Why my family? |
| 0:21.3 | When lies are still being told to this day, who do you believe? |
| 0:25.1 | I wouldn't even know where to start, and I'm with the IRA. |
| 0:28.5 | Steakknife. |
| 0:29.7 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:32.5 | This is the BBC. |
| 0:37.9 | Hello, this is Harriet Gilbert. |
| 0:39.8 | You've downloaded the A Good Read podcast with Stephen Fry and Alan Davis. |
| 0:44.7 | Every week, my two guests and I do what book lovers all over the world enjoy doing. |
| 0:49.2 | We recommend books we love and talk about why. |
| 0:52.9 | Join today by comedian, actor, presenter, director, Stephen Fry, among much else star on TV |
| 0:59.1 | of Jeeves and Worcester and Blackadder, erstwhile host of more than 180 episodes of QI, |
| 1:05.2 | and narrator of all seven Harry Potter audiobooks. |
| 1:08.8 | His own most recent book is Mythos, The Greek Myths, Retold. |
| 1:13.8 | With Stephen is his long-time QI sparring partner, a panelist on the show from its beginnings |
| 1:18.9 | until today, the stand-up comedian, writer and actor Alan Davis. On BBC television, Alan plays |
| 1:25.6 | the title role in mystery drama series Jonathan Creek, |
| 1:28.9 | and also recently starred in Channel 4's comedy series, Damned. |
| 1:34.0 | Stephen Frye, would you start by telling us the book that you're recommending we read? |
... |
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