A comedy panel game in which being Quite Interesting is more important than being right. Sandi Toksvig is joined each week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia, and maybe answer s... Read allA comedy panel game in which being Quite Interesting is more important than being right. Sandi Toksvig is joined each week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia, and maybe answer some questions as well.A comedy panel game in which being Quite Interesting is more important than being right. Sandi Toksvig is joined each week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia, and maybe answer some questions as well.
- Nominated for 8 BAFTA Awards
- 3 wins & 12 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaStephen Fry and Alan Davies were originally cast as the leaders of the "clever" team and the "stupid" team, respectively. Michael Palin was asked to be the host, but he didn't feel he was right for the role. After Fry and Davies settled into their roles, the idea of having two teams was discarded.
- GoofsThe photograph of the piece of knitting with "I woolly love you" in Morse Code knitted into it is shown upside down. This is particularly noticeable because the O in you (dash dash dash) and the I (dot dot), are in the wrong places.
- Quotes
Stephen Fry: [quoting Albert Einstein] Only two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not so sure about the universe.
- Crazy creditsThe researchers who provide the questions and information for Stephen Fry are credited as "QI Elves" which is how they are referred to on the show. Occasionally they are also given other interesting titles like "Curator of Jack and Jill" These can be seen in the "Cast And Crew".
- Alternate versionsOccasionally the arrangement of the opening/end credits music would be modified slightly to match the theme of that particular show. So, for instance, when the given topic was something like "All things french", an accordion would be heard prominently in the mix. But perhaps the most obvious case of modification would be in the "Holiday Special", where in addition to jingle-bells being added, the first two lines from the song by that same name were cleverly integrated into the music - thus adding three more notes to the second line of the main melody.
- ConnectionsFeatured in TV's 50 Greatest Stars (2006)
QI - short for Quite Interesting - is hosted by the all-around intelligent Stephen Fry, who asks questions that are 'impossible to get right' to a panel of four, most of them comedians. One of his panelists, Alan Davies appears on every episode, while others rotate. Many, such as Bill Bailey, Rich Hall, Sean Lock, Phill Jupitus or Jo Brand make regular appearances, but none are ever-present as Davies is.
The goal of the quiz is to answer Fry's questions, but there's a catch. The answer needn't be correct, all it asks is that one is interesting along the way. Points are given for interesting answers, and points are taking away (usually to Alan) for answers that are both obvious and wrong. Such answers are accompanied by a klaxon and the wrong answer flashing on a screen behind the contestants.
Example - Fry: How many sheep were there on Noah's ark? - Most people would think the answer is two, but, as proved when Alan answers this and is klaxoned, the Bible states that in the case of clean animals, Noah would take them in sevens.
The questions aren't necessarily the main part of the quiz, however, as, more often than not, the panelists will go off on wild ramblings that have little to do with the original subject, often scoring them points for being interesting.
At the end of each episode is a quick-fire round called 'General Ignorance', where they ask questions that they know will provoke an obvious answer - once again, usually from Alan Davies.
The show has a truly intelligent feel to it, and, although the panelists aren't necessarily intelligent (Jo Brand) or interesting (Gyles Brandreth), they panel's banter and humorous routines are a great way to spend half an hour. My favourite by far is Rich Hall, and I hope you will enjoy him in the next season of QI, which starts next Friday on the BBC.
If you're a fan of useless facts, you'll love this show, and if you're a fan of panel shows, you'll adore it too.
- pjhoutman
- Sep 15, 2007
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