Fry returns to West End stage

Stephen Fry is to return to stage drama 17 years after he famously walked out of a West End production and fled abroad.

The broadcaster has been cast in a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Globe Theatre later this year.

He will play Malvolio when the play opens for a three-week run on 22 September. Fry quit the West End run of Cell Mates in 1995 and headed to Belgium. He has since blamed the departure on bipolar disorder.

He has gone on to make some live stage appearances, including one-man shows and hosting numerous events including Sunday’s film Baftas.