Stephen Fry - in a word the perfect TV host

Fry's Planet Word

(BBC2)

With his infectious enthusiasm for life, Stephen Fry is the perfect host for a show that in someone else's hands may have been hard going.

He has a childlike engaging way of looking at subjects and making them accessible and interesting to anyone.

In QI he drip-feeds us a constant stream of fascinating titbits of information that it is virtually impossible to forget and in this latest TV venture, he brings to life the stories behind the language we use, abuse and take for granted every day.

Last night's episode concentrated largely on the use of bad language and how swearing is a hugely important tool for communication across the globe.

Fry quickly establishes the importance of swearing in our day to day life, how it can add power to a simple request and even alleviate pain and pressure.

He meets Jess, a Tourette's sufferer whose tics involve a near-constant stream of swear words, and discovers that the condition arises because a small part of the brain that inhibits bad language is not functioning correctly.

Fry undergoes an MRI scan to find out what happens to his brain when he tries to inhibit his own use of certain words.

The results show that his brain is functioning as it should, but the scary implication seems to be that were it not for this particular part of our brain that lets us know when bad language is and isn't appropriate, we could all be wandering round shouting random obscenities.

One of the most fascinating insights was when the programme went on to investigate the link between swearing and pain. A researcher, prompted to delve into the connection after hearing his wife swear during childbirth, persuaded Fry and actor Brian Blessed to undergo an experiment by holding a hand in a tub of icy water for as long as possible, once repeating an innocent word and once repeating a swear word of their choice.

Fry is amazed to discover that he has kept his hand in the water for around two minutes longer when swearing than when repeating the word 'functional' and admits that it felt a lot easier while he was swearing.

Blessed, however, throws a spanner in the works when he fails to keep his hand in the water while swearing for as long as when he repeats the word 'wooden'. Apparently, we are told, he is a much more frequent swearer and has become so accustomed to bad language that, for him, its power is diminished.

Later in the show, Fry goes on to delve into the use of euphemism, used globally to hide the true meaning of what is really being said. The reason for this can range from nurses using phrases to mean someone has died to lessen the blow of the bad news to relatives or fellow patients, to politicians seeking to imply something without actually saying it.

He also looks at the world of jargon and slang, used for centuries to bind communities and social groups, and finds that phrases and words that were once widely used by teenagers even a couple of years later are deemed out of date and old fashioned.

This point above any other illustrates the speed at which language evolves and changes, but rather than hark back to the good old days of 'proper English' Fry celebrates how the changes add to the richness of language and seems positively excited to see how we will be communicating in years to come.