QI. Image shows from L to R: Alan Davies, Sandi Toksvig. Copyright: TalkbackThames
QI

QI

  • TV panel show
  • BBC Two / BBC One / BBC Four
  • 2003 - 2024
  • 312 episodes (21 series)

Panel game that contains lots of difficult questions and a large amount of quite interesting facts. Stars Sandi Toksvig, Stephen Fry and Alan Davies.

Episode menu

Series A, Episode 6 - Antidotes

Antidotes - Pliny the Elder

Topics

- When asked why he had a horseshoe on his door, physicist Niels Bohr answered, "Of course I don't believe in it, but I understand it brings you luck, whether you believe in it or not."

- When asked in a radio interview if she thought the barriers of the British class system had broken down, Barbara Cartland answered, "Of course they have, or I wouldn't be sitting here talking to someone like you."

- When asked by a priest, "Do you forgive your enemies," the dying Spanish general Ramon Blanco y Erenas answered, "No, I don't have any enemies. I've had them all shot."

- The antidotes of QI's patron saint - Pliny the Elder:

- To cure epilepsy, eat the heart of a black jackass, outside, on the second day of the moon. Alternatively, eat lightly poached bear testes, a dried camel brain with honey, or drink fresh gladiator's blood.

- Tangent: It is impossible to lick your own elbow. According to legend, if you can, you live for ever. Correction: This was proven wrong in Series H, Episode 3 (Hoaxes) when a member of the audience did lick their own elbows.

- To cure incontinence, touch the tips of the genitals with linen or papyrus. Alternatively, drink a glass of wine mixed with the ash of a burned pig's penis, or urinate in your or your neighbour's dog's bed.

- To cure haemorrhoids, use a cream made from pig lard and the rust of a chariot wheel. Alternatively, use swan fat or the urine of a female goat.

- To cure headaches, tie some fox genitals to your head.

- Tangent: The British bee died out during World War One. Modern bees come from bees introduced from Mexico.

- To cure choking on a piece of bread, take a piece from the same loaf of bread, and put it in each ear.

- Tangent: Pliny the Elder was killed when Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii. He went to investigate the eruption, wearing a pillow tied to his head to protect him.

- 24 people are killed every year by members of the Swiss army, due to the high availability of guns, and that Switzerland has national service.

- In the Vietnam War, U.S. medics prevented wounded soldiers from swallowing their own tongues by fastening them to their cheeks with safety pins.

- The army of Costa Rica is attractive because it does not exist. It was disbanded in 1949. The constitution forbids a national army - the only country in the world to do so.

- There are no Alsatians in the Spanish army because they have an IQ of 60, and the minimum IQ for the army is 70.

General Ignorance

- The largest frog in the world, the Goliath frog of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea is mute. (Forfeit: Ribbit)

- Tangent: Only one frog in the world goes, "Ribbit", - the Southern Pacific Tree frog. This is the frog that lives in Hollywood. Recorded locally, it has been used in hundreds of movies, leading people to think that all frogs make the same sound.

- An acre is 40 poles long by 4 poles wide. (Forfeit: The Polish army)

- The Chicago World's Fair of 1933 was opened by light from Arcturus, the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere.

Deleted Scenes

- Tangent: In China, there is a tribe called the Dong who sing to each other rather than talk. The government gave them a telephone box, but because everyone knew each other, it was used to keep chickens in.

- Tangent: The word "Hello" was decided to be the standard way to answer the telephone, after a New York Times competition. Before, the word used was, "Ahoy, hoy".

- George III's last words were, "I think I'll shall have another of Mr. Bellamy's pork pies." He, like Elvis Presley, died on the toilet.

Scores

- Danny Baker: 19 points
- Howard Goodall: 17 points
- Jo Brand: 13 points
- Alan Davies: 8 points

Broadcast details

Date
Thursday 16th October 2003
Time
10pm
Channel
BBC Two
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Sunday 26th December 2010 7:40pm Dave
Sunday 10th April 2011 8:20pm Dave
Wednesday 15th June 2011 10:20pm Dave
Thursday 16th June 2011 1:05am Dave
Monday 8th August 2011 7:20pm Dave
Wednesday 21st December 2011 11:20am Dave
Wednesday 21st December 2011 4:20pm Dave
Sunday 8th July 2012 9:40pm Dave
Tuesday 30th October 2012 5:20pm Dave
Wednesday 31st October 2012 1:20am Dave
Monday 17th December 2012 2:40pm Dave
Wednesday 13th February 2013 10:40pm Dave
Thursday 14th February 2013 1:40am Dave
Sunday 19th May 2013 2:20pm Dave
Sunday 19th May 2013 6:20pm Dave
Sunday 8th September 2013 2:45am Dave
Sunday 8th September 2013 3:20pm Dave
Monday 5th January 2015 11:35pm Dave
Thursday 12th March 2015 11:00pm Dave
Friday 13th March 2015 2:45am Dave
Monday 6th July 2015 11:40pm Dave
Tuesday 7th July 2015 9:40pm Dave
Monday 26th October 2015 11:30pm Dave
Tuesday 5th April 2016 12:50am Dave
Tuesday 5th April 2016 9:20pm Dave
Wednesday 20th July 2016 12:20am Dave
Wednesday 20th July 2016 9:20pm Dave
Wednesday 4th January 2017 3:20pm Dave
Tuesday 7th March 2017 2:00pm Dave
Wednesday 8th March 2017 12:20am Dave
Wednesday 10th January 2018 11:40pm Dave
Thursday 11th January 2018 1:40am Dave
Friday 23rd March 2018 1:00am Dave
Friday 23rd March 2018 11:00pm Dave
Tuesday 8th May 2018 12:00am Dave
Tuesday 8th May 2018 2:00am Dave
Tuesday 5th June 2018 8:00pm Dave
Wednesday 6th June 2018 12:00am Dave
Wednesday 6th June 2018 2:00am Dave
Tuesday 22nd January 2019 11:00pm Dave
Wednesday 23rd January 2019 1:00am Dave
Tuesday 28th May 2019 11:00pm Dave
Wednesday 29th May 2019 8:20pm Dave

Cast & crew

Cast
Stephen Fry Host / Presenter
Alan Davies Regular Panellist
Guest cast
Danny Baker Guest
Jo Brand Guest
Howard Goodall Guest
Writing team
Samantha Ball Researcher
Adam Jacot de Boinod Researcher
Sophie Johnstone Researcher
Molly Oldfield Researcher
Production team
Ian Lorimer Director
John Lloyd Producer
Phil Clarke Executive Producer
Nick King Editor
Jonathan Paul Green Production Designer
Howard Goodall Composer

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