Rob Brydon is known for his comedic acting and hilarious anecdotes, but one TV set he admitted to feeling uncomfortable with was that of hit BBC show QI. The Gavin and Stacey actor admitted that he had nothing to offer the game show unless they wanted a fact on Elvis or a “stupid” take on the news.
The format of the show focuses on the panellists answering questions that are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given.
To compensate, the panellists are awarded points not only for the correct answer, but also for interesting ones, regardless of whether they are correct or even relate to the original question.
Speaking out on his appearances on the show, Rob shared: “You know, as an adult, you can never know too much – the number of conversations I can’t join in.
“I’ll be on a TV show and someone will be talking about a historical event and all I’ve got to offer… It’s a bit like when I used to go on QI…all I have to offer, unless it’s about Elvis (Presley), was a stupid jokey take on it.
“Which is why I stopped doing QI because all I can do here is flip it around and make a very predictable joke,” he added while speaking with Ronnie Corbett’s daughter, Sophie Corbett, on her podcast Rockwater In Conversation With.
Since 2003, QI, which stands for Quite Interesting, has been a trivia show of a different kind.
Not just concerned with basic trivia, QI has asked its comedy panellists questions that have “obvious, but wrong” answers as part of its General Ignorance round.
These questions rely on answers that are generally accepted as true, but are factually incorrect (one famous example is that the largest living organism is not a blue whale but a miles-long fungus).
Presented first by Stephen Fry and currently by Sandi Toksvig, with Alan Davies as a permanent panellist, the show’s long run has produced many interesting facts of its own.
Since QI’s very inception, each series has been based around a letter of the alphabet, beginning with A.
Episode titles and themes reflect this alliterative approach, as evidenced by episodes such as Levity, Lovely, Lying, and even a Christmas episode titled No-L during the twelfth series.
The show is currently on Series T, with nearly twenty years on the air.
As a permanent panellist, Alan Davies boasts the most appearances on the show of anyone.
However, he is missing from one episode in Series D as a result of a clause in his contract that he be allowed to miss filming if Arsenal was in the Champions League final.
As a result of Arsenal making the final in 2006, Alan is mostly absent from the “Divination” episode.
Owing to the nature of most panel shows, many comedians and other expert guests have appeared as panellists multiple times.
The two who have appeared the most include Bill Bailey and Phil Jupitus, at 46 appearances each.
Many other regular hosts have also presented their own shows or been team captains, including Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock, Clive Anderson, Noel Fielding, and David Mitchell, amongst others.
Every once in a while, a non-comedian manages to sneak onto the show.
One star with plenty of appearances is Sir Gyles Brandreth, a TV presenter, writer, and former Tory politician, who has appeared 14 times on the program.
Source: Read Full Article
