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 7 - Arthropods

Arthropods - Harpaphe Haydeniana

Topics

- Australia was discovered by the Chinese. The Dutch were the first Europeans to discover it. William Dampier was the first Englishmen to discover it. (Forfeit: James Cook)

- Tangent: When James Cook arrived in Australia, he was only a lieutenant.

- The word "Aborigine" was first used to describe pre-Roman people.

- The word "Kangaroo" means "Horse" in the Begangi language. The word originates from the Guugu Yimithirr language for the animal we know today as the kangaroo. (Forfeit: "I don't know")

- Homo sapiens and apes both evolved from a common ancestor that has yet to be discovered, known as the "Missing link". (Forfeit: Apes)

- The Hehe tribe of Tanzania got its name from its war cry.

- Tangent: Jo Brand talks about a friend who gave stupid answers to "Trivial Pursuit" questions. These included, "What two countries can see from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro? - India and Spain," and, "What is the other name for the 'Northern Lights'? - Blackpool."

- Tangent: Alan Davies talks about a website featuring "True Answers from Family Fortunes".

- In Swaziland, it is bad manners to shield one's eye from the sun with one hand, and forbidden to point at the King's hut.

- The speaker of the Swazi Parliament was sacked in 2000 after he stole a cowpat belonging to the King, Mswati III.

- Henry VIII wiped his bottom using the hands of the Groom of the Stool, a servant.

- The word "Set" takes up more pages than any other word in the Oxford English Dictionary.

- An "Arthropod" is an animal with more than one joint in its legs.

- The male European earwig has a spare penis.

- A "Bug" is an insect that has sucking mouth parts.

- The highest amount of legs discovered on a millipede is 710, on the South African millipede. (Forfeit: 1,000) Correction: In Series K it was revealed that another millipede has been discovered with 750 legs.

General Ignorance

- Water is coloured blue. (Forfeit: Colourless)

- More people have been killed by ducks than atomic bombs, due to them spreading Spanish flu in 1918. The outbreak killed more people that military causes in World War One.

- No animals bury their heads in the sand. (Forfeit: Ostrich)

- Tangent: The myth that Ostriches bury their heads in the sand was invented by Pliny the Elder.

- Rubber boots were invented by Amazonian Indians, by stepping knee deep in liquid latex until it dries. (Forfeit: The Duck of Wellington)

- Tangent: Vulcanised rubber was invented by Charles Goodyear.

Deleted Scenes

- Tangent: The word "Arachnid" comes from a Greek myth, about a woman called Arachne, who challenges Athena in a weaving competition. She lost, and as punishment, shrivels into nothing is forced to weave for all her days.

Scores

- Jackie Clune: 5 points
- Alan Davies: 0 points
- Jimmy Carr: -1 point
- Jo Brand: -38 points

Broadcast details

Date
Thursday 23rd October 2003
Time
10pm
Channel
BBC Two
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Saturday 1st January 2011 8:20pm Dave
Saturday 24th December 2011 10:20am Dave
Saturday 24th December 2011 2:20pm Dave
Sunday 5th August 2012 2:40pm Dave
Sunday 5th August 2012 6:40pm Dave
Thursday 20th December 2012 2:40pm Dave
Thursday 20th December 2012 11:40pm Dave
Sunday 26th May 2013 2:20pm Dave
Sunday 26th May 2013 5:40pm Dave
Sunday 4th August 2013 3:00pm Dave
Sunday 4th August 2013 7:20pm Dave
Saturday 9th November 2013 7:00pm Dave
Sunday 10th November 2013 2:00pm Dave
Friday 27th December 2013 4:00pm Dave
Friday 27th December 2013 11:40pm Dave
Friday 9th January 2015 11:00pm Dave
Monday 23rd March 2015 11:00pm Dave
Monday 13th July 2015 11:00pm Dave
Tuesday 14th July 2015 9:40pm Dave
Thursday 19th November 2015 9:00pm Dave
Friday 20th November 2015 2:20am Dave
Thursday 28th July 2016 12:20am Dave
Thursday 28th July 2016 9:20pm Dave
Thursday 3rd November 2016 12:00am Dave
Thursday 12th January 2017 3:20pm Dave
Wednesday 15th March 2017 2:00pm Dave
Thursday 16th March 2017 12:20am Dave
Monday 15th January 2018 11:40pm Dave
Tuesday 16th January 2018 1:40am Dave
Thursday 29th March 2018 1:00am Dave
Wednesday 16th May 2018 12:00am Dave
Wednesday 16th May 2018 2:00am Dave
Tuesday 12th June 2018 8:00pm Dave
Friday 25th January 2019 11:00pm Dave
Saturday 26th January 2019 1:00am Dave
Monday 17th June 2019 8:20pm Dave

Cast & crew

Cast
Stephen Fry Host / Presenter
Alan Davies Regular Panellist
Guest cast
Jo Brand Guest
Jimmy Carr Guest
Jackie Clune 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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