Fry's Planet Word Babel (Season 1, Episode 1)
TV Episode | 60 min | Documentary

Fry's Planet Word

Babel (Season 1, Episode 1)

TV Episode | 60 min | Documentary

In this first episode, Stephen seeks to uncover the origins of human language and how and why we are the only species on the planet to have this gift. From attempts to teach chimps to speak to the so-called singing mice who have been given...See moreIn this first episode, Stephen seeks to uncover the origins of human language and how and why we are the only species on the planet to have this gift. From attempts to teach chimps to speak to the so-called singing mice who have been given the human 'language gene', Stephen uncovers to what extent our brain is uniquely hard-wired for language. Watching how a child acquires language, Stephen hears from psycholinguist Steven Pinker how grammar is an innate quality, yet still has to be nurtured. Written by Joyce M See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
14 cast members

Name	Known for
Stephen Fry Self - Presenter Self - Presenter See fewer	Gosford Park (2001)
Jean Berko Gleason Self Self See fewer	The Language I Speak
Zaha Bustami Self - Interpreter, United Nations Self - Interpreter, United Nations See fewer	Fry's Planet Word (2011)
John-Paul Davidson Dr. Itard Dr. Itard See fewer	The Man in the Hat (2020)
Joe Devlin Self - Wellcome Trust Self - Wellcome Trust See fewer	Fry's Planet Word (2011)
Wolfgang Enard Self - Max Planck Institute Self - Max Planck Institute See fewer	Nova (1974)
Wolfgang Klein Self - Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Self - Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics See fewer	Planet Wissen (2002)
Robert McCrum Self Self See fewer	The Story of English (1986)
Steven Pinker Self Self See fewer	Still Alice (2014)
Cathy Price Self - Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging Self - Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging See fewer	Fry's Planet Word (2011)
Deb Roy Self - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Self - Massachusetts Institute of Technology See fewer	Horizon (I) (1964)
d'Armond Speers Self - Klingon Language Institute Self - Klingon Language Institute See fewer	Earthlings: Ugly Bags of Mostly Water (2004)
Michael Tomasello Self - Max Planck Institute Self - Max Planck Institute See fewer	E.O. Wilson: Of Ants and Men (2015)
Hugh Laurie Various (archive footage) (uncredited) Various (archive footage) (uncredited) See fewer	House (2004)