The last time Fry starred in a stage play—Cell Mates, by Simon Gray—he walked out in the middle of a performance and disappeared for several weeks. He later said he'd left the stage and didn't stop going until he was in Belgium, where where he hid out, contemplating suicide.

The lore says he was unnerved by a bad review. (He has also explained that he was simply seized by a sudden and unquenchable desire for Belgian beer.)

Seventeen years later, he's back onstage as Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Critics are not invited to attend until the production is six weeks old, but Twitter is all lit up with good reviews:

If you are unfamiliar with the general genius of Fry's brain, start with this letter to his 16 year-old self.