Quote: Lee Henman @ September 13 2009, 12:50 PM BSTNo, I mean the population of the world. I'm saying Stephen Fry is more intelligent and talented than the majority of people on this planet. Of course there are people more intelligent, but he's obviously up there above the plebs. To suggest otherwise is stupid in itself, surely. The evidence speaks for itself. He's enormously well-read, a Cambridge graduate, he's been on University Challenge, he has acclaimed performances as Jeeves and Melchett under his belt, he's a columnist, he's written 4 novels, QI is loved by just about everyone, he's massively in-demand as a public speaker, and everyone I know who's met him has remarked on his cleverness as well as his niceness. And he described his IQ score as "approaching genius", which, knowing Fry's modesty will probably mean "genius".
So...yeah.
None of the things you list is an indicator of above-average wit or talent. Some of them are quite laughable as badges of intelligence: a columnist? Like Richard Littlejohn and Melanie Phillips? Written four novels? Danielle Steele has written 81. Been on University Challenge? You obviously never watch it. Cleverness isn't the same as intelligence is it? In fact clever is exactly what Fry is - with everything that implies - a savant's urge to bottle arcane trivia, like the waistband size of the fattest man in the world or the fact that the Koala bear isn't actually a bear.
As for graduating from Cambridge... That isn't a sign of being more intelligent and talented than 'the majority of the people on Earth', unless you consider Vanessa Feltz, Lloyd Grossman, Konnie Huq, Mel & Sue, Rachel Weisz, Tony Slattery, Terry Waite, Claire Balding, Richard Stilgoe, Carol Vorderman, Princes Charles and numerous other utterly average celebrity performers and public figures to meet the criteria as well.