On November 9th, Stephen Fry and friends came together in London to celebrate Christopher Hitchens’ life, loves and hates — all while Hitch watched from his hospital bed. Staged in London by Intelligence², the event brought together Richard Dawkins, Christopher Buckley, Salman Rushdie, Lewis Lapham, Martin Amis, poet James Fenton and actor Sean Penn, with some paying tribute in person, others via satellite.
Originally, the sell-out audience of 2,500 expected to see Hitchens and Fry talking together about politics, literature, and ‘the things that make life worth defending — foes like faith and false consolation.’ But at the last moment, Hitchens, already suffering from esophageal cancer, fell ill with pneumonia and plans changed. Now, instead of being an interlocutor, Fry became master of ceremonies, coordinating what oddly felt like a eulogy before the fact.
The program runs 45 minutes, and you can watch it for free. Also don’t miss a previous Intelligence Squared Debate where Fry and Hitchens take positions on the Catholic church and whether it’s a force for good.
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Christopher Hitchens: No Deathbed Conversion for Me, Thanks, But It Was Good of You to Ask
Not working for UK viewers. Noooooo!
As an iconolast Christopher Hitchens will go down, but not just yet, as a revolutionary commentator on our modern, and perhaps, not so modern times.
No watch video, what a surprise! You secret service people are melodramatic…..
Hey guys, sorry about the geo-restriction. Because of a UK tv deal with Current TV we’ve had to give them 3 months exclusivity in the UK. The YouTube will become available in the UK on Feb 20th 2012. It’s worth the wait though!
It’s only fair, since we don’t get to watch QI on the telly over here!
Yeah, he’ll go down in history as a fake liberal, a war-monger for neo-cons, and a commentator on Orwell who missed the point. Hope he suffered a tiny bit as much as the Iraqis he helped maim and kill.
He isn’t a warmonger, his point on Iraq was that while hundreds of thousands were starving, held to hostage by Hussein while he frittered money on palaces, that was not peace.
He isn’t to blame for religious extremists blowing up Iraqi’s either, so you can grow up Mr S.