Stephen Fry's stage fall shattered his pelvis as docs said he'd never walk again
As Stephen Fry delivers his alternative Christmas speech, he will look back on year that was one of the most traumatic of his life.
The 66-year-old will address Channel 4 viewers with his own festive message, and in it he is to make an impassioned plea for us all to recognise and call out antisemitism for the "racism that it is". But just months ago, the broadcaster, writer and actor feared his time on TV was over.
Revealing the full extent of his horrifying injuries after he plunged off a six-foot platform at the CogX Festival at the O2 in London in September, the British icon had only just finished giving his speech about the impact of AI when things went horribly wrong and it could have had a devastating impact on his life.
Stephen Fry was told this year that he may never walk again (PA)As he exited the stage at the £495-ticket festival, Stephen fell onto solid concrete - smashing his pelvis, ribs, and breaking his leg in two places in the process. He was told he might never be able to walk again and concerns were growing that his incredible career would be winding down early.
Thankfully, has now made a full recovery after briefly using a cane to help him walk. Telling Claudia Winkleman on BBC Radio Two about one of the worst times in his life, he went into the full extent of his injuries. He is back to fighting fit but admitted he misses using the walking stick sometimes.
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He said: “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 for 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.”
The historian also revealed that part of his speedy recovery was due to, in part, taking the controversial pain-killing drug Oxycontin, something he was extremely worried about doing. Stephen, who was treated at the Queen Elizabeth Woolwich, shared: “The first night they took me to hospital, the nurse brought out this little pot with pills in and I asked what they were. She said that's zolpidem to help you sleep, this is this, and this one is for your pain. It's called Oxycontin.”
He went on: “The surgeon comes round and said ‘oh you've been refusing the pain-killing’. And I said it was very kind of you, but I'll put up with a bit more pain. He said you misunderstand I didn't prescribe it for your sake at all, I prescribed it for the sake of the NHS."
The star will speak out about his Jewish heritage to condemn the hate that followed the attack by Hamas terrorists on October 7. In his Channel 4 message which will be shown on Monday, he tells how his mother’s Jewish family came here from Europe in the 1930s but he never thought being Jewish would cause problems.
He quotes a police figure of a 1,350 percent rise in antisemitic incidents since October 7. He says: “Jewish people here are becoming fearful of showing themselves. In Britain in 2023. Can you imagine?” Fry says his Jewish grandparents “believed Britishness meant being fair and decent”, adding: “The horrendous events of October 7 and Israeli response have stirred up this ancient hatred.”
He calls on people to “call out venomous slurs” and in the 10-minute speech adds: “I don’t believe most Britons are OK living in a society judging hatred of Jews to be the one acceptable form of racism.” Channel 4’s Ian Katz called the speech “brave and personal”.
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