I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started watching the second instalment of Stephen Fry in America. Having missed the first, I had a suspicion that I wouldn’t understand why he was there, it might be a pale imitation of a Palin travelogue or worse, it might prove Fry to be less than capable of turning his hand to this new venture. I was pleasantly surprised and by the end I was doing that thing that this sort of programme really should aim for, making me wish I was there, sharing the spectacle and the experience – except for one particular section.
The bit I’m glad I missed was the rather surreal trip through some locked gates in Knoxville, to be met by what at first looked like your average American backyard (for average, read big), replete with shack, wheelie bins, an old car and an assortment of bin bags. The twist - they all contained human bodies in various states of decay, some of which Mr Fry had the dubious pleasure of getting up close to. This was effectively an outdoor laboratory for the study of human decomposition, ants, maggots and all. Grisly and unpleasant, but well handled by Mr Fry, whose closing lines there made it clear how important the study was to helping to identify victims and ultimately to catch killers. Amongst the banjo players, horse riders, bear up a tree, whiskey swilling, balloon ride and pomp of an American football match, this thought provoking section could have jarred, but didn’t. I shall watch this again.
…and now the votes from the tellyjelly jury
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