Fry's secret birthday bash

Actor and all-round national institution Stephen Fry chose to celebrate his fiftieth birthday last Friday in style - by having a quiet meal in a Norfolk pub.

The Norfolk pub's licensee said: "He just wanted to have a really relaxed time with a very private party. He just invited one or two to have a quiet dinner. Stephen is an old friend of mine."​

So private in fact that the licensee asked the Morning Advertiser not to reveal the pub's name for fear of being seen to reap publicity. Among the celebrities attending were former Have I Got News For You host Angus Deyton and illusionist Derren Brown.

Fry, who originally comes from a small village near Aylsham in Norfolk, still has a house in the county. He is currently filming the second series of Kingdom, the ITV series that was a surprise ratings hit in mid-evening Sunday slot when it was aired in the Spring. Filming of Kingdom was halted for a while on Friday to present Fry with a giant chocolate cake.

He said: "I didn¹t have a clue what was happening. The crew had disappeared.​

Then I discovered that everyone was outside standing around this huge box cheering.

"I thought they had bought me a fridge, it was so big!". "But I was really touched ­ the cake is a work of art and it tastes divine." Kingdom is filmed at Wells-next-the-Sea and Snettisham.