Quote: Ian Wolf @ January 25 2010, 9:01 PM GMT

Actually, there's been a lack of penis related facts at the moment. Besides, I imagine the blue whale has the biggest penis of all, and I know that barnacles have biggest penis relative to their size of any animals (seven times the length of their shell).

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*RC resists urge to write 'What I is the biggest penis on BCG?'*

My complaint is more to do with the sheer predictability of the show, every week it's the same bunch of comedians with the same bunch of jokes and the same thick arse audience laughing at absolutely everything - it's beyond tedium.

I know that it has a massive appeal to a certain 'intellectually aspirational' demographic - the same group of bespectacled folk who get a raging stiffy for things like The Book Quiz, University Challenge or It's Only A Theory - so it does have it's place on television.

I just wish it was more than the sum of it's parts.

Quote: Ian Wolf @ January 25 2010, 9:01 PM GMT

If you already know the information, then it becomes less interesting.

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QI suffers from the same problem as that show Andy Hamilton did, a lack of confidence in its own premise. The idea that an audience might have sufficient intelligence to actually be interested in the subject under discussion is so alien to the BBC, that they have to employ someone like Alan Davies or Reg Hunter to pretend to be thick and make irrelevant comments in order to keep the punters entertained.

Quote: Griff @ January 25 2010, 6:09 PM GMT

On what basis did you consider Moving Wallpaper for the Editors Award? Series two was a massive disappointment after the cracking series 1. (Although obviously getting rid of Echo Beach was an improvement).

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Basically because it was ITV1 doing a 1/2 hour sitcom that actually had some jokes in it (the Editors' Award is all about something left field or different!). But, yeah, basically Moving Wallpaper 2 wasn't quite good enough really to deserve the award so we discounted it pretty quickly.

Quote: Kevin Murphy @ January 25 2010, 3:49 PM GMT

I'm no statistician, but it does seem a little odd that The Thick Of It can win overall, but not its own category. EDIT: Bit of an idiot thing to say, really. Having given it more than four seconds' consideration, it's pretty obvious how this result could have come about.

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Yeah, although to be fair to you, it does take a moment to work it out and I do worry about how confusing or otherwise the 'conflicting' results appear to a casual reader.

Basically: the people that voted for The Thick Of It obviously really love the show and also voted for it in the overall category, but the people that voted for Peep Show as best sitcom must have chosen a different overall favourite (a panel show or something), allowing The Thick Of It to gain more votes in the end category.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 25 2010, 4:44 PM GMT

I agree with the overwhelming majority of the award winners and losers. In fact the only one I didn't fathom was Best Panel Show - I'm getting tired of that unfunny smugfest that is QI and was much more entertained by Would I Lie To You?

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Yeah, I must admit it was quite a nice surprise to see the results all come out as pretty sensible choices and not far from what I'd have chosen either!

I definitely agree about Would I Lie To You? though - it was my favourite panel show of 2009, but doesn't seem to have quite the same impact as other shows like QI.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 25 2010, 4:44 PM GMT

Well done for organising the awards and maybe next year, voting will be less confusing.

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Cheers, and yes, we are taking away a couple of lessons from this year to make sure the 2010 awards are the biggest and best yet.

(One of the other things we'll be looking at, although I think this was actually mentioned in a different thread is how to better represent the three or four TV stand-up shows broadcast during the year, as although there's not enough of them for their own category really, I conceed they are popular and were a bit burried in the final screen this year)

I think one of the main problems with Series G (I should point out that most of the QI episodes in 2009 were from Series F and shown between January and March) is that it probably should not be in a pre-watershed slot. It works better after 9pm where it can be ruder (and where you can actually talk about animal penises, probably to Renegade), and even there are still quite a few people saying that QI should be moved back to BBC Two.

I do have to agree with you on the guest front. I would like there to be more new guests. The last time there was an episode in which all the guests were new was in Series A, back when the show started. I guess there is a worry that if all three of the guests are new, none of them might be funny, so they always have at least one regular as a kind of safety net.

It should be pointed out that there is quite a bit of talk on the QI forums that Series G is of poor quality.

Well, nothing I voted for either won or lost.

Quote: Mark @ January 26 2010, 12:40 AM GMT

I definitely agree about Would I Lie To You? though - it was my favourite panel show of 2009, but doesn't seem to have quite the same impact as other shows like QI.

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WILTY is definitely funnier, but if I had to cancel either show from the schedules it certainly wouldn't be QI. I'm a bit of a fact fan at heart.

Quote: Kevin Murphy @ January 26 2010, 2:21 PM GMT

WILTY is definitely funnier, but if I had to cancel either show from the schedules it certainly wouldn't be QI. I'm a bit of a fact fan at heart.

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I'm with you, and I agree that WILTY? is a good show as well. I can't remember much of the last series though, but luckily it is being repeated some time in the next few days.

I tell you one thing that got me thinking during the awards this year. The prize for best radio sketch show which went to That Mitchell and Webb Sound, which won by a clear margin. I was wondering how many people had heard it, and were not just voting for it because it starred Mitchell and Webb.

Quote: Kevin Murphy @ January 26 2010, 2:21 PM GMT

WILTY is definitely funnier, but if I had to cancel either show from the schedules it certainly wouldn't be QI. I'm a bit of a fact fan at heart.

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I know this is heresy but there are many things on QI that I don't believe to be "facts" yet they are presented as such and as a result get adopted as accepted truth. I don't think this is a particularly Reithian achievement.

Quote: Badge @ January 27 2010, 2:20 AM GMT

I know this is heresy but there are many things on QI that I don't believe to be "facts" yet they are presented as such and as a result get adopted as accepted truth. I don't think this is a particularly Reithian achievement.

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Well, they do acknowledge that they make mistakes. On their website there is a "Qibble Blog" which you can use to contact the researchers and correct any information you see as wrong.

Quote: Badge @ January 27 2010, 2:20 AM GMT

I know this is heresy but there are many things on QI that I don't believe to be "facts" yet they are presented as such and as a result get adopted as accepted truth. I don't think this is a particularly Reithian achievement.

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I agree with Badge, the number of times I've heard Fry say 'It was rumoured' or 'Some scientists now think', kind of detracts from the validity of the show.

I also agree with Ian that there needs to be a shake up of the guests, it desperately needs to new blood to move it forward. Even if they bring in a few 'thickos' from the world of showbiz, how much worse can they do then Alan Davis?

Quote: john lucas 101 @ January 26 2010, 2:05 PM GMT

Well, nothing I voted for either won or lost.

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Actually, I'm Sorry I Haven't Clue won it's category.

Apart from that, I've got nothing in common with any of you!

The results completely reflected my votes (where I did vote). I think Aaron just picked my votes - me being a sensible voice of reason - and used them to pick the winners.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 27 2010, 2:21 PM GMT

I also agree with Ian that there needs to be a shake up of the guests, it desperately needs to new blood to move it forward. Even if they bring in a few 'thickos' from the world of showbiz, how much worse can they do then Alan Davis?

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Well, I remember going to see Ross Noble once and he said he would like to do the show. He is friends with Alan so you never know.

Let's hope not.

Ross Noble is facking annoying.