Afternoon Play - I Love Stephen Fry

Jackie is married to a good-natured but big-bottomed butcher, Terry. She works in a newsagent and she's restless. Her youngest child, Chloe, is about to get married to Carl, a sensible lad. But Jackie thinks Chloe's repeating her own mistake: marrying too young, without exploring her options. Jackie's a big fan of Stephen Fry and would love her daughter to be marrying a man as interesting as him. Jackie buys a tent, ostensibly as a wedding present for Chloe. But instead Jackie sleeps in the tent herself, in the garden, to escape her husband. She has a series of dreams about Stephen Fry. He's everything her husband Terry is not: eloquent, metropolitan, learned and gay. In a series of exciting and alarming fantasies, Jackie and Stephen have a platonic love affair. Then Chloe meets Stephen Fry in an Indian restaurant and tells him her mum is in love with him. Suddenly, fantasy is becoming reality. Terry discovers his wife is in love with a man known only as 'Steve'. He's no idea who Steve is. Should he confront Steve? Or should he keep quiet and wait for his wife's affair with Steve to blow over. Eventually, husband, wife and Steve meet in an Ipswich bookshop and have their lives changed forever. Except Steve. He just carries on being Stephen Fry. I LOVE STEPHEN FRY is written by Jon Canter. Jon's worked with many of the biggest names in TV comedy and was script editor on 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie'. His writing credits include The Two Ronnies, 'Not The Nine O Clock News', 'Mr Bean', 'Alas Smith & Jones', 'Murder Most Horrid' and 'Posh Nosh'. He has had two comic novels published by Jonathan Cape. 'Seeds of Greatness' and 'A Short Gentleman'. 'I Love Stephen Fry' stars Stephen Fry himself, Lesley Sharp, Phil Davis, Karl Theobald, Sinead Matthews and Carolyn Pickles. Stephen Fry ..... Himself Jackie ..... Lesley Sharp Terry ..... Phil Davis Margaret ..... Carolyn Pickles Ron ..... Ron Cook Chloe ..... Sinead Matthews Carl ..... Karl Theobald Producer/Director Fiona McAlpine The programme is an Allegra producton for BBC Radio 4.