It’s hard to imagine Stephen Fry banged up in jail but, as he revealed in the first of his autobiographical chronicles, that’s exactly where he ended up at the end of his teens.
He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to deciding whether to reveal one’s sexuality or to keep it a secret when going into prison. Fry approaches the subject of being gay in a correctional institution with his usual intellectual vigour, but there is also a noticeable gentleness about his vocal delivery.
There are no ribald jokes or camp asides: this is Fry at his most earnest. One of the most interesting points made is that women are much more likely to experiment with homosexuality in jail than men. When a young female prisoner is asked if she would mind her boyfriend doing the same, she retorts “No! That’s wrong!”
TV presenter, actor and writer Stephen Fry explores what life is like for homosexual prisoners, discovering the extent to which some go to hide their sexuality from fellow inmates. He hears stories from individuals in HMP Brixton, London, HMP Styal in Cheshire and HMP Parc in Bridgend, south Wales, and shares his views on how far the country has come in tackling homophobia.
(Radio Times)
