He has wowed quiz show fanatics with some snappy answers on the likes of Celebrity Mastermind and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? as well as his own show QI.
And now Stephen Fry has revealed the secrets of how to go far as a game show contestant - and it's not to study English at Cambridge or have a whopping IQ!
Speaking ahead of his arrival as the host of returning series Jeopardy! the broadcaster, 67, explained that the psychological side of quizzing is as important as any obscure fact.
He said: 'It's just that simple thing: stay calm. It's easy to say because a lot of people haven't been on television before.
'Even though there's no audience, people are nervous because they're on television, or worried about how they look and what they're wearing and they're nervous because they want to win.
'They're very excited, and that slight tension and strain is inimical.'
Stephen Fry has revealed the secrets of how to go far as a game show contestant - and it's not to study English at Cambridge or have a whopping IQ!
Speaking ahead of his arrival as the host of returning series Jeopardy! the broadcaster, 67, explained that the psychological side of quizzing is as important as any obscure fact
Stephen also explained the specific skills required for Jeopardy! which returns for the second season of its fourth stint on UK screens after first airing in 1983.
'Just because you're a good pub quizzer in a league, doesn't mean you're going to win,' he said. 'There are several skills you must have to play.
'Above and beyond, knowledge is obviously the most important. But on top of that is the speed of your reflexes. You need to be a bit Zen.
'It's like in sport. You know how to hit a ball, but if you try and concentrate on it, you'll miss somehow. If you don't know, don't buzz.
'And what's important is if you make a mistake, don't let that stay in your mind, because there's another question coming very quickly.
'It's one of the keys of all sport, isn't it? Put out of your head the failure of the last few seconds and just clear your mind and just get on with it.
'And then comes a bit of tactical nous, because the way you bet is risky. You can make a terrible mistake with your betting at the end. You might not be relaxed enough to use the buzzer as well as the other two contestants.
'And that's why it's called Jeopardy! On so many occasions, that title justified itself again and again.'
He said: 'It's just that simple thing: stay calm. It's easy to say because a lot of people haven't been on television before'
Stephen still looks back on his college's defeat in the 1980 University Challenge final at the hands of Merton College, Oxford, with more than a hint of regret
Stephen's reputation as a general knowledge whizz was established during his remarkable run to the University Challenge final with Queen's College, Cambridge, in 1980.
Despite the impressive performance, the actor still looks back on his side's defeat in the final at the hands of Merton College, Oxford, with more than a hint of regret.
He said: 'We got to the final, and I still say that thing that losers say. We got more points in the three games, but they won.
'That's the pathetic thing to say. And it's like, if in tennis, you know, because of the set structure, you can win more games but lose a match.
'In those days, the final was the best of three, and we were up against Merton College, Oxford. Boo! And we won the first one by about 280 to 50. We absolutely slaughtered them.
'But they kind of reassembled for the second one and won by 10 points. It was really close. In the final, it was a draw on the gong. So, there was a tie-break question, and they buzzed early and won.'
In January, Stephen took part in the first instalment of the new series of the celebrity version of ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - and went home with an incredible amount of money.
The star first appeared on the programme back in 2005, but decided to go back and see if he could bag some cash for MIND, of which he is president.
In January, Stephen took part in the first instalment of the new series of the celebrity version of ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - and went home with an incredible amount of money
The options for the question he passed on were: Tragedy by Steps, Fast Car by Jonas Blue and Dakota, Uptown Girl by Westlife and Killing me Softly by Fugees - and the answer was B
The broadcaster had to tap out after not knowing the answer to the question: 'Which of these cover songs entered the UK Top 40 the longest time after the original version first charted?'
The options were: Tragedy by Steps, Fast Car by Jonas Blue and Dakota, Uptown Girl by Westlife and Killing me Softly by Fugees - and the answer was B.
But it didn't really matter because Stephen had won an incredible total of £250,000.
Discussing his quizzing acumen, the former QI host said: 'I can't deny that I'm a fairly knowledgeable fellow. It's not a moral accomplishment. It's not even really an intellectual one. I just happen to have a sticky memory.
'I'm pretty sure I've inherited it from my parents. My father was a physicist. I see my mother as often as possible, like a dutiful son. And if I were to have a sort of laugh, I'll say to her, "Robert Browning," and off she'll go, reciting lines and lines and lines of poems in her head.
'When I ask her the last time she said that poem, she’d say it was likely when she was at school, claiming she can remember it because she liked it! And if you like something, you remember it. And that's a simple truth.
'She's a very modest person, but I do think I've inherited some of that stickiness of memory. That said, if I re-tell a story I’d heard, I won’t be able to recall where or when I heard it!'
