Comedian and television writer Ben Elton has revealed a harrowing "near-death experience" involving his close friend, actor Stephen Fry, which occurred in the Nineties. According to Elton, he rushed Fry to University College Hospital in a taxi after a night of heavy drinking, smoking, and cocaine use, with doctors later stating that Fry was "minutes away from suffering permanent brain damage – and not many more minutes away from death."

The incident unfolded after Fry and Elton had dinner in London, followed by an afterparty at the Islington residence of the late author Douglas Adams, whose home Fry was looking after at the time. Elton recalled that the evening escalated with him and Fry, whom he affectionately calls 'Bing', consuming beer, copious cigarettes, and Fry ingesting cocaine. Elton noted that Fry has since been forthright about his past drug use in his memoirs, making it possible to share the details now.

As Elton prepared to leave, he noticed a drastic change in Fry's condition. "Had I decided to have another beer, Stephen almost certainly would have been dead in an hour," Elton confessed in his new book, *What Have I Done?* Fry's wheezing quickly turned into throaty gasping, his head began to roll, and his breathing became alarmingly hollow, indicating a severe medical emergency.

Elton's initial attempt to call 999 was thwarted as he didn't know the exact address and Fry was too incapacitated to provide it. Fortunately, their pre-booked taxi arrived, and Elton, with great difficulty, managed to get a semi-conscious Fry into the cab and to the hospital. Describing the scene upon arrival, Elton recounted virtually dragging Fry, who was a "dead weight," up the steps and into an empty reception area, where he shouted for help.

A nurse and doctor quickly responded, spiriting Fry away into the emergency room. At this critical juncture, Elton realized he needed to disclose Fry's cocaine use to the medical staff. Despite the social stigma and illegality of Class A drugs in the early Nineties, and the personal difficulty of implicating his friend, Elton bravely informed the doctor, believing it was crucial for Fry's treatment. He expressed concern about potential repercussions for himself but prioritized Fry's well-being.

Elton was later permitted to see Fry in the emergency room, describing him as looking like a "corpse – grey, translucent skin, seemingly no life left in his eyes, numerous tubes and wires attached to every part of him." It was then that the doctor confirmed the severity of Fry's condition, stating he had been moments from permanent brain damage or death. Elton then whispered to a still woozy Fry that he had told the medics about the cocaine. Fry, squeezing his hand, reassured Elton, saying, "Don't worry... I'll be writing an entire book about it in 20 years."

The two have remained close friends for decades, with Fry having appeared in Elton and Richard Curtis's penned *Blackadder* series. This revelation comes shortly after Stephen Fry's recent departure from the BBC programme *Celebrity Traitors*, which he described as a "remarkable experience" shaped by the game's rules and the diverse group of participants.