Stephen Fry is being investigated by Irish police over blasphemy claims more than two years after his outspoken comments about God on RTE's The Meaning of Life went viral.
Mr Fry described a hypothetical creator as “stupid” and an “utter maniac” for designing a world filled with undue suffering.
Asked in 2015 by the programme's host, Gay Byrne, what he would say to God if he arrived at the pearly gates of heaven, the actor and author replied: “I’d say, bone cancer in children? What’s that about?”
The committed atheist added: “How dare you? How dare you create a world to which there is such misery that is not our fault? It’s not right, it’s utterly, utterly evil.
“Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?
“We have to spend our life on our knees thanking him? What kind of god would do that?
“The god who created this universe, if it was created by god, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish.”
A Gardai spokeswoman told The Independent: “We're not commenting on an ongoing investigation.”
According to the Irish Independent the comment were originally reported to police in 2015. The complainant is said to have followed up last year, and to have received a phone call from a detective some weeks ago to discuss the case.
The paper quoted a source as saying a prosecution was unlikely.
World news in pictures
World news in pictures
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1/42 11 June 2017
Poland's Piotr Lobodzinski starts in front of the Messeturm, Fairground Tower, in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run
AP
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2/42 11 June 2017
A runner lies on the ground after arriving at the finish line in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run
AP
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3/42 11 June 2017
A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union
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4/42 11 June 2017
A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform on the tarmac at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union
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5/42 11 June 2017
French President Emmanuel Macron with his wife Brigitte Trogneux cast their ballot at their polling station in the first round of the French legislatives elections in Le Touquet, northern France
EPA
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6/42 11 June 2017
A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoist
EPA
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7/42 11 June 2017
A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoists
EPA
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8/42 11 June 2017
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem. An Israeli court has ordered a journalist to pay more than $25,000 in damages to Netanyahu and his wife Sara for libeling them. The magistrate court in Tel Aviv ruled Sunday that Igal Sarna libeled the couple for writing a Facebook post that claimed the prime minister's wife kicked the Israeli leader out of their car during a fight
AP
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9/42 10 June 2017
Parkour enthusiasts train on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Originally developed in France, the training discipline is gaining popularity in Brazil
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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10/42 10 June 2017
Volunteers spread mozzarella cheese toppings on the Guinness World Record attempt for the Longest Pizza in Fontana, California, USA. The pizza was planned to be 7000 feet (2.13 km) to break the previous record of 6082 feet (1.8 km) set in Naples, Italy in 2016
EPA
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11/42 10 June 2017
Jamaica's Olympic champion Usain Bolt gestures after winning his final 100 metres sprint at the 2nd Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica
REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy
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12/42 10 June 2017
Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships
Getty Images
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13/42 10 June 2017
Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships
Getty Images
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14/42 10 June 2017
Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack
EPA
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15/42 10 June 2017
Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack
EPA
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16/42 10 June 2017
Protesters stand off before police during a demonstration against corruption, repression and unemployment in Al Hoseima, Morocco. The neglected Rif region has been rocked by social unrest since the death in October of a fishmonger. Mouhcine Fikri, 31, was crushed in a rubbish truck as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season and his death has sparked fury and triggered nationwide protests
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17/42 9 June 2017
A man looks on at a migrant and refugee makeshift camp set up under the highway near Porte de la Chapelle, northern Paris
Getty Images
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18/42 9 June 2017
Damaged cars are seen stacked in the middle of a road in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood during ongoing battles to try to take the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters
Getty
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19/42 9 June 2017
Smoke billows following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa
Getty Images
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20/42 9 June 2017
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures next to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto during a welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico
REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
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21/42 9 June 2017
Soldiers and residents carry the body of a Muslim boy who was hit by a stray bullet while praying inside a mosque, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who has taken over large parts of the Marawi City, Philippines
REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
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22/42 8 June 2017
Opposition demonstrators protest for the death on the eve of young activist Neomar Lander during clashes with riot police, in Caracas
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23/42 8 June 2017
Neomar Lander, a 17-year-old boy was killed during a march in the Chacao district in eastern Caracas on Wednesday, taking the overall death toll since the beginning of April to 66, according to prosecutors
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24/42 8 June 2017
Former FBI director James Comey is sworn in during a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
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25/42 8 June 2017
Former FBI Director James Comey testifies during a US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
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26/42 8 June 2017
Usain Bolt of Jamaica trains at the University of West Indies in Kingston. Bolt says he is looking forward to having a party as he launches his final season on June 10 with what will be his last race on Jamaican soil. The 30-year-old world's fasted man plans to retire from track and field after the 2017 London World Championships in August
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27/42 8 June 2017
Acquanetta Warren, Mayor of Fontana, California, reacts after US President Donald Trump introduced himself before the Infrastructure Summit with Governors and Mayors at the White House in Washington, US
REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
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28/42 8 June 2017
Frenchman Alain Castany, sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug trafficking in the 'Air Cocaine' affair, leaves the prison in Santo Domingo, on his way to France, where he is being transferred for medical reason
Getty Images
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29/42 8 June 2017
A woman reacts at the place where 17-year-old demonstrator Neomar Lander died during riots at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, June 8, 2017. The sign reads: 'Neomar, entertainer for ever'
REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
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30/42 8 June 2017
Frenchman Alain Castany, sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug trafficking in the 'Air Cocaine' affair, leaves the prison in Santo Domingo, on his way to France, where he is being transferred for medical reasons
Getty Images
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31/42 8 June 2017
Queen Maxima of The Netherlands visits Tobroco Machines in Oisterwijk, Netherlands. The company is a manufacturer of machines for use in agriculture, road construction and field maintenance. Tobroco is winner of the 2016 Koning Willem 1 Award for entrepreneurship
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32/42 7 June 2017
A family member of an inmate tries to stop a truck used to transfer prisoners, outside a prison where a riot took place on Tuesday, in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico
REUTERS/Josue Gonzalez
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33/42 7 June 2017
An unconscious person is taken away on a motorcycle by fellow demonstrators after they clashed with riot police during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela
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34/42 7 June 2017
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's elementary teacher Sheron Seivwright poses with her students during a break at the Waldensia elementary school in Sherwood Content. Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter in history with eight Olympic golds, 11 world titles and three world records, will retire from international competition after the IAAF world championships in August
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35/42 7 June 2017
This 1916 photo provided by the Archdiocese of Denver shows Julia Greeley with Marjorie Ann Urquhart in McDonough Park in Denver. Greeley, a former slave, is being considered for possible sainthood. In a step toward possible sainthood, the remains of Greeley were moved to a Catholic cathedral in Denver
Archdiocese of Denver via AP
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36/42 7 June 2017
US President Donald Trump, flanked by the families of business people he says were harmed by Obamacare, high-fives a young boy as he arrives to deliver remarks on the US healthcare system at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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37/42 6 June 2017
Wellesley Bolt, the father of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, speaks during an interview with Agence France-Presse at his home in Sherwood Content
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38/42 6 June 2017
Overview of the United Nations Human Rights Council is seen in Geneva, Switzerland
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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39/42 1 June 2017
An artist's rendering showing two merging black holes similar to those detected by Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)
Courtesy of Caltech/MIT/LIGO Laboratory/Handout via REUTERS
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40/42 1 June 2017
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk to journalist Megyn Kelly on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) at the Constantine (Konstantinovsky) Palace, Russia
Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS
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41/42 1 June 2017
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi react while walking near the Constantine (Konstantinovsky) Palace during their meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia
REUTERS/Mikhail Metzel/TASS/Host Photo Agency/Pool
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42/42 1 June 2017
French riot police signal to a migrant who is on his knees as French authorites block their access to a food distribution point in Calais, France
REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
Under Ireland's 2009 Defamation Act, anyone “who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence” and liable to a fine of up to €25,000 (£21,200).
A spokesman for Mr Fry told the Daily Telegraph there was “nothing for us to say while this is under investigation”.
Tweeting about the story, the British Humanist Association said: “What is the world coming to?”
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