Tuesday
Mar082011
A Question of Ignorance
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 7:30AM
This time I'm not talking about Governor Walker. I am referring instead to a wonderful TV quiz/comedy show in the UK, hosted by one of my favourite actors, comedians and all round entertainer- Stephen Fry. I am talking about QI.
I came across a special show they were filming of QI for Comic Relief-or Red Nose Day-, and was fortunate enough, due to the time difference, to be able to watch it live. Comic Relief occurs every year in March, and is a day when mostly comedians, but other celebrities now too, gather together for an evening of entertainment in order to raise funds to help children in the UK and Africa. Nicole did make a very good point- why just Africa, why not Asia or anywhere else? My best guess- tradition, and because Comic Relief began in the 1980's when Africa was on everyone's radars.
It's tradition on Comic Relief to wear a red nose! Like a clown. They're redesigned every year, so you'll spend £1 to buy a new one, and thus contribute to a fantastic cause. Many schools and individuals often do silly, comical things for Red Nose Day in order to raise money.
Anyway, in anticipation of Comic Relief, David Walliams- the genius behind Little Britain and various other shows- hosted a marathon 24 hour panel, which featured a variety of classic BBC comedy quiz shows.
A true education in British humour! If you're reading this from the US or anywhere outside of England, I thoroughly recommend you check out either the whole session, or at least some select segments. Most notably, Blankety Blank was always hilarious, and the Generation Game was classic Saturday night viewing. Just a minute- talking for a minute on a random subject without hesitation or repetition- is incredibly difficult and always good for a laugh. If you think you're a smart one, you could always have a go at Mastermind!
But my favourite of all, a show which combines wit, crude humour and interesting facts, is QI. A true comedy quiz show, which always turns out to be incredibly informational. Sadly this episode was without regular Alan Davis who is always a verbal punching bag, but David Walliams filled in very aptly. Fry was on top form, despite demonstrating the limits of his knowledge on a number of occasions. I particularly liked his multiple hand demonstrations!
Not only do you laugh at this show a lot, but you also learn some incredible facts. For example, during this last episode, I learnt that:
A blue whale's tongue weighs the same as an elephant;
the natural colour of an Orange is actually green;
Starbucks is called Starbucks because in Moby Dick, the first mate on the Pequod likes to drink coffee, and his name is Starbuck;
That the best colour to wear in warm climates to keep cool is actually black, not white- black allows your body to radiate heat outwards better- that one could be useful!;
The ruby shoes in the Wizard of Oz were originally silver, but changed to red to show off the wonders of technicolor- Oz being only the second movie filmed that way;
And that the Duck-Billed Platypus has the most dreams of any animal, even compared to humans. About what, we don'tknow!
Finally, I also learnt about the origins of the Hokey-kokey. From that, I learnt from Nicole that in the US, it's called the hokey-pokey- which also makes sense. BUT!- Americans sing a slightly different version-more concise than ours- and they don't do the classic ooooohhhhhhh the hokey-kokey *running into the centre of the circle* knees bent-arms stretched rah rah rah! Can you believe that!?
Well, if you have learnt something today, then I want a share of the quiz money you win at the local pub quiz if you use one of these facts. Better yet, if you have learnt something interesting, get onto the comic relief website and donate some money to a great cause.
I came across a special show they were filming of QI for Comic Relief-or Red Nose Day-, and was fortunate enough, due to the time difference, to be able to watch it live. Comic Relief occurs every year in March, and is a day when mostly comedians, but other celebrities now too, gather together for an evening of entertainment in order to raise funds to help children in the UK and Africa. Nicole did make a very good point- why just Africa, why not Asia or anywhere else? My best guess- tradition, and because Comic Relief began in the 1980's when Africa was on everyone's radars.It's tradition on Comic Relief to wear a red nose! Like a clown. They're redesigned every year, so you'll spend £1 to buy a new one, and thus contribute to a fantastic cause. Many schools and individuals often do silly, comical things for Red Nose Day in order to raise money.
Anyway, in anticipation of Comic Relief, David Walliams- the genius behind Little Britain and various other shows- hosted a marathon 24 hour panel, which featured a variety of classic BBC comedy quiz shows.
A true education in British humour! If you're reading this from the US or anywhere outside of England, I thoroughly recommend you check out either the whole session, or at least some select segments. Most notably, Blankety Blank was always hilarious, and the Generation Game was classic Saturday night viewing. Just a minute- talking for a minute on a random subject without hesitation or repetition- is incredibly difficult and always good for a laugh. If you think you're a smart one, you could always have a go at Mastermind!
But my favourite of all, a show which combines wit, crude humour and interesting facts, is QI. A true comedy quiz show, which always turns out to be incredibly informational. Sadly this episode was without regular Alan Davis who is always a verbal punching bag, but David Walliams filled in very aptly. Fry was on top form, despite demonstrating the limits of his knowledge on a number of occasions. I particularly liked his multiple hand demonstrations!
Not only do you laugh at this show a lot, but you also learn some incredible facts. For example, during this last episode, I learnt that:
A blue whale's tongue weighs the same as an elephant;
the natural colour of an Orange is actually green;
Starbucks is called Starbucks because in Moby Dick, the first mate on the Pequod likes to drink coffee, and his name is Starbuck;
That the best colour to wear in warm climates to keep cool is actually black, not white- black allows your body to radiate heat outwards better- that one could be useful!;
The ruby shoes in the Wizard of Oz were originally silver, but changed to red to show off the wonders of technicolor- Oz being only the second movie filmed that way;
And that the Duck-Billed Platypus has the most dreams of any animal, even compared to humans. About what, we don'tknow!
Finally, I also learnt about the origins of the Hokey-kokey. From that, I learnt from Nicole that in the US, it's called the hokey-pokey- which also makes sense. BUT!- Americans sing a slightly different version-more concise than ours- and they don't do the classic ooooohhhhhhh the hokey-kokey *running into the centre of the circle* knees bent-arms stretched rah rah rah! Can you believe that!?
Well, if you have learnt something today, then I want a share of the quiz money you win at the local pub quiz if you use one of these facts. Better yet, if you have learnt something interesting, get onto the comic relief website and donate some money to a great cause.
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