Try 30 days of free premium.

Fry's Planet Word - Episode Guide

Season 1

Babel

Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Sep 25, 2011

Babel

Stephen Fry seeks to uncover the origins of language and how and why we are the only species on the planet to have this gift.

Identity

Episode: 1x02 | Airdate: Oct 2, 2011

Identity

Stephen Fry argues that the way we speak defines us above all - be it a national language, a regional dialect or even class variation.

Uses and Abuses

Episode: 1x03 | Airdate: Oct 9, 2011

Uses and Abuses

Documentary series. Stephen learns that swearing plays an important part in human communication, and that slang and jargon can both aid and thwart clarity.

Spreading the Word

Episode: 1x04 | Airdate: Oct 16, 2011

Spreading the Word

Stephen Fry looks at the written word, starting with the earliest form of writing - cuneiform, and ending with the modern inventions of blogging and twittering.

The Power and the Glory

Episode: 1x05 | Airdate: Oct 23, 2011

The Power and the Glory

Stephen Fry explores language. He looks at our desire to entertain and explain through stories, and why any attempt at formula is doomed to fail.

Try 30 days of free premium.