Is English an innately playful language? Are word games good for you? Do
we divide into number and word players? And could Scrabble have been
invented in any other language? In this special programme, Stephen
examines many word games, and we'll hear some familiar voices playing
unfamiliar games - Sheila Dillon from 'The Food Programme' plays 'Font
or Cheese' against miscellanist Ben Schott. Phill Juptitus talks about
his personal word game habits, and we'll remember the late Humphrey
Lyttelton's scurrilous account of Una Stubbs on 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a
Clue'. We'll travel deep inside the mind of puzzle-setter Chris Maslanka
and visit the Comedy Store in London to experience the lightning
reflexes of some top word-athletes. Plus, we'll examine an extraordinary
claim - which the fashion for increasingly cryptic crosswords helped to
defeat Hitler. Stephen Fry celebrates the fun side of the English
language in this exclusive extended edition of a BBC Radio 4 special.