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Stephen Fry and friends on the life, loves and hates of Christopher Hitchens
Wednesday November 9th, 2011
In November 2011, just five weeks before Christopher Hitchens died, Stephen Fry and other friends came together to celebrate the life and work of this great writer, iconoclast and debater. Fry was joined on stage at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall by Richard Dawkins and the two discussed Hitch's unflinching commitment to the truth. Hollywood actor Sean Penn was beamed in from LA by Google+ and, between cigarette puffs, read from Hitch's acclaimed work, The Trial of Henry Kissinger. Five friends of Hitch spoke via satellite in New York: satirist Christopher Buckley and editor Lewis Lapham mused on Hitch's prowess as a journalist. 'Like a pot of gold', said Lapham. Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie and James Fenton delighted the audience with stories of Hitchens as a young man. Rushdie drew roars of laughter when he recounted a word game invented by Amis and Hitchens where the word 'love' is replaced with 'hysterical sex'. Particular favourites included Hysterical Sex in the Time of Cholera andHysterical Sex Is All You Need.
Watching the event with Hitch at his bedside in Texas, Hitch's wife Carol and novelist Ian McEwan provided an email commentary. 'His Rolls Royce mind is still purring beautifully', typed McEwan.
The event was watched live by 2500 at the venue, and by thousands more in UK cinemas and online.
If you missed it, don't worry. Scroll down to find out how you can watch again. For a full selection of Christopher Hitchens videos, please look at our home page tribute.
WAYS TO WATCH AGAIN
UK broadcast on Current TV
UK TV audiences can watch the full conversation on Current TV (Sky 183; Virgin 155), Friday 16 December at 10pm; Saturday 17 December at 2:30pm and Sunday 18 December at 6:30pm. See the Current TV schedule to see more information about the broadcasts.
Watch on our Google+ page (not available in the UK or Ireland)
A 45-mintue edit of the event is available on our Google+ page. Please note, this video is not available to UK and Ireland residents, but will be available within the UK and Ireland from late February 2012 onwards.
IQ² HISTORY: HITCHENS AND FRY
The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world - highlights
The last time Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry joined forces for Intelligence² was in our hugely popular 2009 debate 'The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world'.
They were pitted against Ann Widdecombe and Archbishop John Onaiyekan with Zeinab Badawi in the chair.
The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world - iq² Short
In this, our first ever iq² Short, we see Stephen Fry and Ann Widdecombe in a whole new light as they draw the battle lines over the motion 'The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world'.
The animation is adapted from a debate we staged in 2009 which also included Christopher Hitchens and John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Abuja.
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