The erudite and all-knowing Stephen Fry is both ringmaster and master of ceremonies as he presides over comic chaos in the “The World's Most Impossible Quiz”.
Asking impossibly difficult questions of a four-strong panel of guests from the cream of current comic talent, Fry is harried and hampered at every turn by regular panellist and resident losing contestant Alan Davies.
Points are awarded for answers that are “quite interesting”, regardless of whether they are right or even relevant. But heavy penalties are imposed for those that are “obvious” but wrong. No place for common misconceptions or urban myths here.
Packed with surprising information, you will discover all the answers to questions you didn’t even know existed. QI is the sort of show that may cause viewers to wonder why they ever bothered going to school in the first place…
More from the comedy quiz.
A-Z of Erudition
QI's producer reveals 26 things you never knew about the show.
QI Quiz
Put your intelligence to the test with the QI Quiz.
Classic laugh-out-ruddy-loud moments...
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Stephen Fry
How many moons does earth have?
Watch video and vote[Clip contains language some may find offensive] When we think of Stephen Fry, we think of the affable, urbane and erudite gentleman of letters. It is a delight, therefore, to see Stephen lose his normal cool with the panel of doubters on QI and let rip in spectacular fashion as he rails against their disbelief of Cruithne, Earth’s second moon.
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Stephen Fry
'Your name, sir?'
Watch video and voteThis Bit of Fry and Laurie has Stephen Fry as a policeman taking a statement from Hugh Laurie, a man with a particularly difficult surname to spell. The clip shows Fry and Laurie as the true inheritors of the Monty Python comedy-skit crown with a sketch that is hilarious, madly eccentric and ever so slightly violent.
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Stephen Fry
Alan Davies Takes Over the Show!
Watch video and vote[Clip contains language some may find offensive] It is a Festive edition of QI and there’s never been an episode quite like it. All his Christmases have come at once when Alan Davies swaps his panellist chair and sits in the quizmaster’s seat. Turning the tables on Stephen Fry, this is Alan’s big chance to expose some ignorance of his “smarty-pants” host.
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Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry puts Alan in his place
Watch video and voteQI as the home of obscure knowledge and almost-redundant information is a platform for the guests to display their brainpower for trivia and boldly to dispel urban legends. Comedy actor Alan Davies as the resident panellist is also the regular loser. In this clip, Alan tries to defend his (wrong) answers and quizmaster Fry shoots him down in flames
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Stephen Fry
Hugh Laurie interviews Michael Jackson
Watch video and voteIn a classic A Bit of Fry and Laurie sketch, Hugh Laurie interviews pop superstar Michael Jackson, who despite denying the crazy accusations of plastic surgery, still manages to look a lot like the be-tweeded Stephen Fry. The king of pop’s performance of his latest single, entitled ‘Move It On Out, Girl’ is a sight to behold
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Stephen Fry
Welcome to the smug hour
Watch video and voteHugh Laurie and Stephen Fry affectionately lampoon the affable but ever-so-slightly smug British TV quizmaster Robert Robinson, host of Ask The Family and Call My Bluff – that much is certain!
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Stephen Fry
How many senses do you have?
Watch video and voteThe random yet all encompassing leaps of connection make QI one of the most entertaining and delightful panel shows – marvel at this clip in which quizmaster Stephen jumps from how many senses there are to hilarious lawnmower accidents without missing a beat
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Stephen Fry
What can't remember anything?
Watch video and voteGoldfish viewing Eastenders and a rapping researcher are the mere starting points on this QI flight of fancy. Stephen reveals his less than firm grip on the natural world unlike Sean Lock’s relationship with a koala. This clip makes it into Stephen’s Top 10 as Stephen is tickled by Alan Davies’ joke from the internet.
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Stephen Fry
Don't Be Dirty Quiz
Watch video and vote[Clip contains adult themes] Stephen takes a break from chairing QI to hosting an altogether different quiz in this A bit of Fry & Laurie sketch in which the participants are keen to be clean and try to avoid anything suggestive or ridden with innuendo – that’ll be hard...
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Stephen Fry
Difference between A Cake and A Biscuit?
Watch video and voteA classic moment from QI where a discussion of flatulence and biscuits via the Dutch language and the arcana of VAT leads Stephen to make his own exploration of the cultural difference between the United Kingdom and the United States
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A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Stephen Fry's Singing Hippie
Watch video and voteA typical Fry and Laurie sketch (if any can be described as typical!) might feature bizarre characters in bizarre situations, saying (or in this case singing) something absurd – and quite often one of the boys dressed in drag. In which case, this parody of elderly hippie singing nonsense, with Hugh Laurie providing ‘female’ backing vocals, might just fit the bill as a ‘standard’ sketch.
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A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Street Interviews Part I
Watch video and voteMore costumes and disguises, plus another excuse for Hugh Laurie to dress as a woman, as the pair take on the parts of some rather colourful street interviewees. More absurdity ensues, and the boys show they were never ones to shy away from political or risqué humour, as demonstrated by Hugh’s Daily Mail reading woman and Stephen’s Oscar Wilde worshipping vicar.
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A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Ampersand Tribute
Watch video and voteWhat other comedians would think up a sketch paying homage to the humble ampersand? Fry and Laurie show that virtually any small detail can be a jumping off point for their particular brand of bizarre comedy by taking us on an interactive tour through the on screen history of the hitherto unacknowledged ‘&’.
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A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Hugh's jobs
Watch video and voteHugh Laurie, for once not dressed in women’s clothing, embarks on a curious monologue in which he expounds upon his character’s entire employment history to date, featuring some rather unusual jobs to say the least - from slave trader, to travelling loss adjuster to assistant to Princess Anne, there’s not much this bloke hasn’t done.
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A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Street Interviews Part II
Watch video and voteFry and Laurie show off even more of their extensive range of weird and wonderful characters with more street interviews, including a Monty Python-esque policeman, Stephen Fry’s saucy vicar again, and yet another appearance from a transvestite Hugh Laurie, making an eerily convincing woman. I bet he wishes they would let him wear women’s clothes on House.
