For calling God an 'utter maniac'

Stephen Fry is facing a police investigation in Ireland for blasphemy.

Detectives have launched the probe over a 2015 interview on RTE in which he said that if there was a god, he was a 'maniac'.

If found guilty the former QI hosts faces a €25,000 (£21,000) fine.

Fry shocked host Gay Byrne when he appeared on his show, The Meaning Of Life, to discuss faith.

The presenter asked atheist Fry what he might say to God if he was proved wrong when he arrived at the gates of heaven.

Rather than being contrite, Fry raged: 'How dare you create a world in which there is such misery? It's not right. It's utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?'

He went on to say that 'the god who created this universe, if it was created by god, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish. We have to spend our lives on our knees thanking him. What kind of god would do that?’'

The Irish Independent reported a viewer complained to police at the time, but was only recently contacted by a detective to say they were now looking into his complaint. The viewer was not said to be offended himself but believed Fry's comments qualified as blasphemy under the law.

Here is the interview, which has attracted 7million views on YouTube:

Published: 6 May 2017