In the beginning, there was the word

In England, where I went to high school and also acquired, among other things, my deep and abiding love for documentary television, there's still such a concept of "national treasure/broadcaster," and one mister Stephen Fry is pretty much it.

His latest project is a show about the history and future of language, Stephen Fry's Planet Word.

The entire series, like just about anything Fry touches* is ungodly brilliant, but as a media-type who's also incredibly fascinated** in both the social web an older, academic view of the world, the last half of the most recent episode is especially interesting.

The episode first teaches, in Fry's loving and engaging way, about the history of the written word, then on to the history and revolution of printing, then on, finally, to a celebration of libraries in the internet age.

The host's professorial tone eulogizes the institution of the library and the physical book, but also praises the web revolution's power to give the word to the "demos." The program gives as much time and weight to the development of cuneiform as it does to the founder of Wikipedia.

Journalism students, it's highly worth an hour of your time. In fact, I'd say it's pretty much "required entertainment" for all students of our age.

*The only other close contender for "Alex's all-time-favorite-TV-show-ever-made-ever" after Fry's wholly original, wholly entertaining half-hour tribute to general knowledge QI is the pinnicle of British awkward humor -- yes, more than The Office, friends, way more -- Peep Show. Just FYI, I suppose.

**How I so long for this not to be the only thing I have in common with Stephen Fry.