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Stephen Fry to Host Documentary Special ’21st Century Firsts’ for U.K. Broadcaster ITV

Naman Ramachandran

British actor, awards compère and show host and Stephen Fry (“Wilde,” “QI”) will front “21st Century Firsts,” a one-off 90-minute documentary special for U.K. broadcaster ITV.

In the show, produced by independent production outfit Spun Gold TV, Fry will take viewers through his top 21 ‘firsts’ of the 21st century, exploring an era before smart-phones, satellite navigation and selfies.

He will focus on the day-to-day the services which have transformed contemporary lives and which people now take for granted, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tinder, Uber, Airbnb and food delivery apps. The special will also highlight some of the breakthroughs in medicine, technology, sport and culture.

Alongside Fry, the program interviews experts on the advances as well as the ordinary people who were involved in these firsts — such as the woman who was the voice of the first sat-nav.

“The last two decades have fundamentally changed the way we all live, work and relate to each other. This ITV special commemorates and celebrates 21 years of extraordinary advancement for humankind, in an entertaining, roller-coaster of a ride,” said Daniela Neuman, managing director of Spun Gold TV.

“21st Century Firsts” is directed by Christian Watt, produced by Louise Quayle and executive produced by Bridget Boseley. It was commissioned by Jo Clinton-Davis.

Spun Gold is currently producing content for a range of broadcasters in the U.K. and internationally, including The “Real Full Monty on Ice” for ITV, “Paul Merton’s Comic Heroes” for Channel 5 and “Great Canal Journeys” for Channel 4.

Fry will next be seen in Channel 4 and HBO’s “It’s a Sin,” an LGBTQ-themed series created by Russell T. Davies (“A Very English Scandal”).

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