Fry's English delightSeries 1

Stephen Fry hosts four programmes on the joys of the English language - as heard on BBC Radio 4. "Current Puns": Why does our language groan with the weight of puns?

What exactly is a pun? And who, or what, is the Thief of Bad Gags? "Metaphor": the English language is chock-full of maritime metaphors: cock up, taken aback, chip on your shoulder and show a leg. And, with the help of a Greek removals firm, we also find the origin of the word 'metaphor'. "Quotation": the uses and misuses of quotations are revealed, and there is also a frank confession from a quotation compiler, which we cannot divulge here. "Cliche": featuring sick parrots and the cliche crisis that affected the writing of Flaubert, Joyce and Eliot, and helped shape modern language and culture. '...this four-programme set is an utter delight and quite fascinating' - "South Wales Argus".