Series H, Episode 1 - Hodge Podge

Further details

Theme

- This is the "General" show in Series H, covering a wide range of different topics beginning with "H".

Topics

- Forfeit: When Alan pressed his buzzer at the beginning the klaxon sounded and he lost 10 points.

- Bankers like long-haired men and women in short skirts because there is a direct correlation between them and the increase in stock prices during the 20th century. Whenever women have worn short skirts there has been a boom and whenever women have worn long skirts there has been a bust or a recession. This is known as "hemline theory". Similarly there is a negative correlation between longer-haired men and the stock market (the longer the hair, the better the stock market).

- The thing that starts with "H" and means you will always be the bridesmaid and never the bride is 'halitosis'. However, it does not actually exist. It was invented by Lambert Pharmacia, the makers of Listerine, so that they could sell mouthwash. Listerine, which is named after Joseph Lister, inventor of antiseptics, was originally sold as an antiseptic, but then without changing the formula the company began selling it as a substance for washing floors, a cure for gonorrhoea, and then as a mouthwash. As it was the first ever mouthwash, they decided to invent the idea of halitosis to shift Listerine, and it worked, expanding the size of their company greatly.

- XL: The sort of person who would use a left-handed motorbike would be an American policeman. It allows their right hand to be free and thus able to use a gun. They were designed by the Indian Motorcycle Company. Between the two world wars they were the biggest motorbike makers in the world.

- XL: Motorbikes do not pay the Congestion Charge in London because of the cameras. Motorbikes only have one licence plate, which is on the back. As a result the camera can only take a photograph of the driver from the back, so they cannot identify who the driver is.

- A hoplophobe would be nervous of a Sturmgewehr Vierundvierzig with a Krummlauf modification because it can fire over walls and around corners. A "hoplophobe" is someone with a fear of weapons. The Sturmgewehr Vierundvierzig or Sturmgewehr 44 used by the Nazis during World War Two, was the first modern assault rifle, and the Krummlauf was a bent barrel with a periscope which allowed the user to shoot around corners and over walls. It was invented by a washing machine manufacturer called Hans-Joachim Shayede. Such modifications were first used by the Australians during World War One and modern versions are used by the Israeli army.

- The reason why a bomb disposal expert would go into a joke shop is because silly string can be used to show where tripwires are without setting them off.

- You can make a square hole with a round drill by using a drill bit called a "Reuleaux". A Reuleaux is a triangle with bulbous circular sides. The central bit is placed just off-centre, into one corner, which makes it drill out a square.

- XL: The roundest thing in the universe is a neutron star. These are formed after a supernova has a gravitational collapse. The diameter is only around 15 miles and the highest mountain on it is about 5mm tall, but they are believed to have twice the mass of the Sun. A thimble full of neutron star would weight more than a mountain.

- The thing that is made of jelly and lives forever is turritopsis nutricula - better known as the immortal jellyfish. It does not die of old age, although it can die of disease or from being eaten. After it has sex it can then turn back into a child and it can do this time after time again.

General Ignorance

- Snakes are able to eat food which is bigger than their head because their jaws are double jointed. Snakes have a quadrate bone which allows them to stretch their mouths open much wider. In mammals, the quadrate bone became the ear bones. (Forfeit: They dislocate their jaw)

- When a judge wants order in his court he just shouts. British judges do not have gavels, unlike American judges. (Forfeit: Bangs his gavel)

- XL: If Blackbeard gave you a treasure map the "X" might be a signature because he could not write. There is no evidence to suggest that pirates buried their treasure or even used treasure maps. They preferred to spend what they stole. The idea of treasure maps and burying treasure comes from Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson. Correction: Blackbeard could read and write.

Scores

- Jack Dee: 2 points
- Ross Noble: -6 points
- Alan Davies: -8 points
- Phill Jupitus: - 10 points

Notes

Sean Lock was intended to be a guest on the show, but he was stranded on the Isle of Man due to the Icelandic volcano, so Jupitus took his place. (Source)

For details on corrections, see the QI Qibble Blog

Broadcast details

Date

Friday 17th September 2010

Time

8:30pm

Channel

BBC One

Length

30 minutes

Repeats

Cast & crew

Regular cast
Stephen Fry	Host / Presenter
Alan Davies	Regular Panellist

Guest cast
Phill Jupitus	Guest
Jack Dee	Guest
Ross Noble	Guest

Writing team
John Mitchinson	Question Writer
Justin Pollard	Question Writer
James Harkin	Question Writer
Molly Oldfield	Question Writer
Arron Ferster	Question Writer

Production team
Ian Lorimer	Director
Piers Fletcher	Producer
David Morley (as Dave Morley)	Executive Producer
Ruby Kuraishe	Executive Producer
Nick King	Editor
Jonathan Paul Green	Production Designer
Howard Goodall	Composer
Mat Coward	Researcher
Will Bowen	Researcher
Andrew Hunter Murray (as Andy Murray)	Researcher