Stephen Fry's Twitter fans to script big London show

Stephen Fry. Photo / Jane Ussher.

The idea that an entertainer would organise a 5000-seater solo gig with no script and only a hazy plan to amuse the crowd, brings to mind images of creeks and paddles.

But if that entertainer happens to be a wizard of digital technology with a sizeable Twitter following and a grand plan to crowd-source his material, the scheme may just float.

Stephen Fry, writer, comedian and raconteur, has announced that his solo show at the Royal Albert Hall in London next month will remain, for the best part, unscripted. Fry will rely on his Twitter fans to suggest topics for his monologue.

If the idea sounds like an entertainer's equivalent of a bungy jump, at least it's a tried-and-tested one, in Fry's case. Last month, he performed two sell-out shows at the Sydney Opera House based on the same Twitter principle, and blew the crowd away, according to Australian reviewers.

Yesterday, Fry admitted that while the idea held an element of risk, he had found himself riffing quite happily in Sydney. By popular demand, he performed a second show, and a Facebook campaign was set up urging him to do a turn in Melbourne, where he held an extra two shows.

"It was a little unnerving as I hadn't scripted it but Twitter followers asked me to talk about things like Oscar Wilde, PG Wodehouse and writing, so I began by talking about things beginning with 'w'.

"I enjoyed the experience, all [the shows] were different. I was on for about two hours; they couldn't get me off," he said.

For his Evening with ... show in London on September 20, Fry will put out the same request to his million-plus followers to tell him what they want to hear. Nothing would be off limits, he said, and he would take in serious discussions about depression, of which he has personal experience, as well as more whimsical material.

"I'm not going to move among the audience but I will ask people on Twitter if they have any questions or subjects, and I will respond accordingly," he said.

Fry is arguably the most high-profile of entertainers to have harnessed the power of digital media, with increasing numbers of comedians beginning to use Twitter to expand audiences.

Gary Delaney, performing at the Edinburgh Festival, said he often tested his one-liners on his Twitter followers, sometimes just minutes before a gig.

"You can use Twitter for crowd-sourcing but what I do is test funny ideas," he said. "People have come to see me, who haven't seen me before, because of Twitter. I have noticed in Edinburgh this year that more comedians are on Twitter, because they see it as a powerful tool."

- Independent