What do the letters
QI stand for? Quiet Interlude? Quack Intellectual? Quaint Idea? Actually it's the name of a Quirky, Imaginative panel show and QI stands for Quite Interesting. The producers of the highly successful BBC TV series have developed a world-first, live version of the show and have decided somewhat surprisingly to launch it in Australia in October. I wonder if Australia is more interesting than Britain or if it's just a burst of goodwill towards their antipodean friends.
From the QI website
The show is the intellectual lovechild of John Lloyd, whose other production credits include Blackadder, Not the Nine O'Clock News and Spitting Images, so even if you're not familiar with the show you probably get the general drift.
The QI manifesto is that "everything in the Universe is interesting if looked at closely enough, for long enough, or from the right angle". And omniscient host Stephen Fry, regular panellist Alan Davies and a shifting crew of British comedic talent including Bill Bailey, Rich Hall and Ross Noble, set about proving it in their own inimitable style. Guests are not expected to know the answers to the largely impossible questions, but are awarded points for being funny or interesting. Points are deducted if an answer merely repeats old wives' tales or popular myths.
Fans of the show will know that QI has been serving up fascinating facts and intellectual curiosities garnished with comedy since 2003. Each series focusses its questions around a letter of the alphabet, and the trusty troupe of researchers, otherwise known as
QI Elves, have so far worked methodically from the letter A to the letter J. One can only speculate about the fun they might have with kangaroos and koalas if they decide to move on to K for the Australian shows.
Tickets are on sale for Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane shows. Australian comedians will appear as guest panellists throughout the tour, with their names released prior to each show. Booking details are below.
PerthBurswood Theatre
Friday 21 & Sunday 23rd October 2011
www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849
MelbourneHer Majesty's Theatre
Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29th October 2011
www.ticketek.com.au or 1300 795 012
BrisbaneQPAC Concert Hall
Monday 31October to Wednesday 2 November 2011
www.qpac.com.au or 136 246
Trivia geeks of Australia unite. While tickets are a tad expensive (ranging from $139 to $199 plus a booking fee), with Alan Davies in the line-up you'll never get a better chance to prove your superior knowledge of quite interesting (but often ultimately useless) bits of information.
If you're a fan of Alan Davies you might also want to check out his
Life is Pain Tour, heading around Australia a few weeks after the QI Live tour wraps up.