Celebrity Traitors: Why Stephen Fry went to prison, when he was knighted and his game plan for the BBC show
Stephen found himself behind bars as a wayward teenCelebrity Traitors star Stephen Fry will tonight toss up whether he wants to be an honest Faithful or deceitful Traitor – but not all fans will know he once went to prison.
The man of many talents is famed for being a writer, broadcaster, comedian and director. He’s also known for his high intellect and IQ of a “reasonable 150” (the average Mensa score is 100).
But before he was a household name, 68-year-old Stephen endured a rocky childhood at multiple boarding schools. And as a teenager, he ended up in prison for a very deceitful crime.
Why did Stephen Fry go to prison?
Stephen was arrested in a hotel room in 1975 after turning to crime. He was just 17 years old and had recently left Norfolk College of Arts and Technology, having previously been expelled from two schools.
Stephen stole a jacket and discovered a wallet inside one of its pockets. Inside, was a credit card. Stephen then went on a massive spending spree using the stolen card, which lasted three months.
Recalling the moment he discovered the Diners Card in the wallet, Stephen previously told The New York Times: “I said to myself, ‘What ho!'” He added: “For the next three months I went ape.”
Stephen has since spoken about his criminal past on a podcast. He told Bold Reasoning with Peter Singer that he was an “intense, deeply feeling, deeply screwed-up adolescent”.
When asked what it led to, Stephen replied: “To my abandoning all idea of schoolwork and concentrating on other things. I was expelled. I stole a jacket and found it had a wallet in it, and in the wallet was a Diner’s Club card…I stayed in lots of hotels, including the Ritz in London. Eventually, I was caught.”
What sentence did Stephen get?
Following his arrest, Stephen was charged with credit card fraud. He was held on remand at Pucklechurch Prison in Bristol for young offenders for two-and-a-half months.
Stephen was then sentenced to two years’ probation, as it was deemed he had already spent a sufficient amount of time in jail already. Thankfully, Stephen’s time behind bars led to a major turning point in his life.
“Fortunately, I was given two years’ probation, and that’s when I said, ‘look, I really think it’s my last chance. I want to go to Cambridge University’,” he added to Peter Singer.
Stephen returned to his studies and passed two A Levels and the entrance exams for Cambridge in 1977. He went on to gain a 2:1 in English Literature, that was later promoted to a Cambridge MA degree.
When was Stephen Fry knighted?
Stephen has come a very long way since his shady youth. He rose to fame in the comedy act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie. Stephen’s acting and broadcasting career also took off at this time.
In 1997, Stephen received a nomination for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Oscar Wilde in the film Wilde. He presented the TV game show, QI, from 2003 to 2016.
Stephen is the voice of the Harry Potter audiobooks and has penned his own books. Their topics range mental health to Greek mythology. Stephen has also been very open about his battle with his own mental health over the years. He became the president of the charity Mind in 2011.
Earlier this year, Stephen received a knighthood. He was made Knight Bachelor by The King in March in recognition of his services to mental health awareness, the environment and charity.
Stephen’s Celebrity Traitors game plan
Stephen made his position clear before going on The Celebrity Traitors. He said from the word go that he wants to be a Faithful. Whether host Claudia Winkleman observes his wishes, however, remains to be seen.
Stephen says he signed up to the BBC One show because he has “never done anything like this before”. He says he is competitive but not a sore loser. Stephen also doesn’t have much of a game plan. He intends to watch his fellow celebrities carefully to see if they “slip up” but says he has done nothing to prepare.
Stephen said: “What can one do? Watching every previous episode wouldn’t help because the people are different. It’s not about the thing; it’s about the people with this game.”
Stephen has also ruled out relying on his ability to act. He explained: “The fact that I’ve acted in films and on stage and in small screen, big screen and so on, and we have others who have acted, people think, ‘Oh, they’re actors, therefore they’re better liars’. Actors are terrible liars! It’s not an actor’s job to lie. It’s an actor’s job to tell the truth.”
The Celebrity Traitors returns continues tomorrow – see all schedule details here.
