The Comic Abroad

As you know, I was reading up on the delightfully guilty early years of Stephen Fry not so long ago and I was happy and surprised to receive the DVD of Stephen's BBC documented trip to the United States of America for Christmas. This isn't the first time that this sort of thing has been done; carting a renowned British comic into a faraway place and allowing the viewer to explore the lesser-known traits of said land alongside our host is clearly a welcoming format. Think of Paul Merton's trips to China and India, where highlights include Paul smoking marijuana with naked spiritualists, Paul suffering the pangs of his fear of flying while aboard a fake tourist jet, and Paul being hit upon by a weirdly criminal hermaphrodite. If you recall, Billy Connolly did a similar thing with his World Tour of Scotland, and I have a feeling he did the same with Ireland. Although I must say, Connolly often succeeds a little too well when trying to be serious. And so, Stephen trots a similar path for our viewing pleasure. What's strange, however, is that these individuals are national treasures, and yet somehow bound by this characteristic. No one, of course, really knows who Stephen Fry is in America (unless they happen to be obsessed with Hugh Laurie, who is American culture). This dynamic lends the proceedings an extra dimension: how will these foreigners respond to Merton's sense of humour, or to Stephen's extraordinary intelligence? After having watched them all, I can report that they both dumb-down their intellect and their wit for their hosts, responding rather than orchestrating. For example, I'm well aware of Stephen's disposition on a number of things, from New Age medicine to fundamentalist religion, but seldom does he challenge or provoke on these matters even to the slightest degree. He might, perhaps, offer an aside to the camera lending his opinion, but I'm afraid he merely becomes an ambivalent bystander, rather than, what I would like to see, a spanner in the works. Merton is content to play the clown, and he does so rather well, but he and Stephen both come across somewhat divided in character. They do, however, make for interesting viewing.