X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Fry's Planet Word

Fry's Planet Word sees Stephen Fry finding out more about linguistic achievements and how our skills for the spoken word have changed. He dissects language in many of its guises.

Loading. Please wait...

Content not available in your region? ExpressVPN can help you stay connected wherever you are. Get 4 extra months FREE with TV Guide's exclusive offer.

Cast & Crew See All

Stephen Fry
Self - Presenter
Brian Blessed
Self
David Tang
Self

Season 1 Episode Guide See All

Episode 1

Babel

60 mins

In this first episode, Stephen seeks to uncover the origins of human language and how and why we are the only species on the planet to have this gift. From attempts to teach chimps to speak to the so-called singing mice who have been given the human 'language gene', Stephen uncovers to what extent our brain is uniquely hard-wired for language. Watching how a child acquires language, Stephen hears from psycholinguist Steven Pinker how grammar is an innate quality, yet still has to be nurtured.

Where to Watch
Fry's Planet Word, Season 1 Episode 1 image

You May Also Like See All

Blue Planet II
D-Day: The Unheard Tapes
Planet Earth II
America to Me

Popular Shows See all shows

The Faithful

1 Season
Women from Genesis navigate love, marriage, motherhood, and faith as their descendants establish Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Their personal journeys reveal struggles with relationships, children, and belief.
50   Metascore
2026 Drama, Documentary

Band of Brothers

1 Season
This landmark miniseries based on Stephen E. Ambrose's best-seller, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, recounts the remarkable achievements of an elite team of U.S. paratroopers during World War II.
87   Metascore
2001 Action & Adventure, Drama, Documentary

The Crown

6 Seasons
This drama follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
78   Metascore
2016 Documentary, Drama

The Forsyte Saga

2 Seasons
The extended Forsyte family live a more than pleasant upper middle class life in Victorian and later Edwardian England. The two central characters are Soames Forsyte and his cousin Jolyon Forsyte. Soames is a solicitor, all proper and straight-laced. His love for the beautiful Irene is his only weakness as is his beautiful daughter Fleur. Jolyon is the opposite, a free-thinking artist who abandons his wife to live with his children's nanny. Their lives and their children's lives will intersect over 30 years bringing happiness to some and tragedy to others.
2002 Drama, Documentary

Samantha Brown's Places to Love

9 Seasons
Places to Love takes viewers on a discovery of the emotional heart of travel by highlighting the people who are changing, challenging and strengthening a destination to deliver a decidedly refreshing and enriching travel experience. The series encourages viewers to experience the passion of people and the soul of a place in a way that only traveling can do.
2018 Documentary, Action & Adventure, Reality

Love Story

2 Seasons
Explores the undeniable chemistry, whirlwind courtship and high-profile marriage of one of the most iconic couples of the 20th century, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
63   Metascore
2026 Documentary, Drama