Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets - The Top 20

26 August 2011

In this special one-off programme, British comic, actor and gadget aficionado Stephen Fry chooses and presents his all-time 100 favourite gadgets. In a three hour countdown, Stephen will demonstrate his personal favourite devices and contraptions, all of which have revolutionised our individual and collective lives in some way. From the hi-tech to the historical, and the practical to the down-right dumb, this countdown lifts the lid on some of mankind's most brilliant and wacky gadgets that we can no longer live without.

Making the cut on Stephen's list are gadgets as diverse as their individual uses, from the tin opener and the trouser press, the answering machine and the apple peeler, to the iron and the IPod. Fellow gadget enthusiasts interviewed include Charlie Brooker, Jo Brand and Jon Snow.

Stephen Fry said: "I'm as happy as happy can be to be making 100 Greatest Gadgets for Channel 4. As people might know, there's little I like more than discovering a clever or quirky piece of technology: so being given the chance to play with and appraise so many weird and wonderful gadgets and gizmos from past and present was just too tempting to pass up"

The order of the top 100 is under wraps for now, but here is a list of Stephen's top 20 gadgets - in alphabetical order. You may be surprised by what ends up top of the list.

 

Apple Peeler

Desktop Computer

Digital Camera

Electric Kettle

Home Phone

iPad

iPod

Laptop

Lighter

Microwave

Nintendo Wii

Pen

Record Player 

Sewing Machine

Smartphone

Swiss Army Knife

Television

Transistor Radio

Typewriter

Wristwatch