Stephen Fry explores the comic and linguistic legacy of the writer and prolific radio producer, Stephen Potter. Potter's short, witty book, Gamesmanship, comprising wry social observations, captured the public imagination and made him one of the most famous people in Britain in the 1940s and 50s. So much so that his definition of "gamesmanship" (defeating opponents by the use of cunning), has supplanted the original definition (skill at gamekeeping in the sense of shooting poachers. rearing game, and so on). This programme reveals the story behind the book's conception, with contributions from Potter's two sons, rare archives from his days as a radio producer, dramatisations from his books, and previously unheard extracts from his diary.
Producers Pete Atkin, Bruce Hyman and Jo Wheeler