Companies fighting Sir Stephen Fry’s legal claim over his fall from a stage at the O2 Arena have said he failed to look where he was going, according to documents filed at the High Court.
The actor and presenter broke his leg, hip, pelvis and ribs after falling from a stage at the O2 following a talk at the CogX festival in September 2023.
The 69-year-old is now suing festival organiser CogX Festival Limited, production agency Blonstein Events and staff provider Sourced Global Ltd, seeking damages of up to £100,000.
His lawyers claim he fell around two metres onto a concrete floor because of the companies’ negligence. They allege there was a failure to ensure the stage and backstage area were safe, adequately lit and properly protected.
However, the companies have disputed his version of events in documents filed at the High Court. The claim has not yet gone before a judge for a hearing.
CogX: ‘Entirely obvious’ there was a drop
John Brown, representing CogX Festival Limited, said the company had no involvement in designing or constructing the stage.
He said Sir Stephen should be required to prove that the edge of the stage was not visible to him.
Mr Brown said: “The first defendant contends that it would have been entirely obvious to the claimant whilst on the stage that there would have been some drop to the venue floor beyond the edge of the stage.”
He claimed Sir Stephen failed to look where he was going and was not acting with “due care and attention”.
Blonstein: He passed the designated exit
Blonstein Events has also disputed the claim.
Daniel Tobin, representing the company, said Sir Stephen was “highly experienced in the simple process of getting on and off a stage”.
He claimed Sir Stephen had passed the designated exit point before attempting to “force his way between a small gap” at the rear of the stage.
Sourced Global: He ignored the briefing
Sourced Global Ltd has also argued that Sir Stephen failed to follow instructions given to him by the stage manager.
Tom Bourne-Arton, representing the company, said the briefing given before the incident was “short, succinct and easily understandable”.
What happens next
With the defences now filed, the case will proceed through the High Court’s civil process. No judge has yet considered the claim.
The fall itself happened more than three years ago, in September 2023. Today’s development is the companies’ formal response to the claim — the first detailed account of how each of the three defendants intends to fight it.
Sir Stephen, one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters and authors, was speaking at the CogX festival when the incident happened. The festival is held at the O2 in Greenwich, south-east London.
The claim seeks damages of up to £100,000. Any award would be decided by the court if the claim succeeds; the figure in the claim is the maximum sought, not an amount that has been agreed or ordered.
