Top 10 QI Moments

Before QI, the question of how many moons this planet of ours has was a simple one: it's one. One moon. But after QI... The first series twisted many a melon with its reveal that there are, in fact, two moons orbiting Earth. So when the question comes up again in Series B, wiping boy Alan Davies answers with confidence... to klaxons. Yes, in the time since the first series went out and the second series was researched, even more moons were found revolving around our humble planet, making the “old” fact obsolete, and Alan the hapless victim of the show's trademark, cruel scoring system.

This moment begins innocently enough, with Stephen making the mental leap from finding a rhyme for orange to recalling his prep school tailor, Gorringe. It's a fact so in tune to the very essence of Stephen Fry that Sean Lock can't resist engaging in a bit of guerrilla class warfare. In fairness, it's actually Bill Bailey that sights the target, but it's Sean that pulls the trigger, opening fire with “were you born in the 1850s?” Bill and Alan then follow suit, and the three lob grenade after grenade at Stephen and this seemingly other-half posh upbringing.

As if often the way with QI, there’s a seemingly obvious, yet wrong answer concerning when the First World War earned its name, which was so kindly offered up without second thought by Bill Bailey. As it turns out however, there were many wrong answers, and David Mitchell hit upon every one of them while trying to clarify how each previous wrong answer wasn't what he said. What ensues is a battle between the pedantic, precise angry logic of David Mitchell and the cold, detached judgement of the QI scorers. Mitchell's logic may have been sound, his thinking may have even been correct, but no one outsmarts the QI klaxon.

If things had gone to plan and Michael Palin hosted QI, Stephen Fry and Alan Davies would have been on equal footing as team captains. Unfortunately for Alan, that wasn’t to be. When he can't quite accept the idea that an American would choose to write about the very un-American topic of chariot racing, Stephen comes down on him like the fist of an angry, but liberal minded, god. At the height of his rage, it's unclear if Stephen calls Alan a wanker, or if Stephen impersonating Alan calls the very dead Lew Wallace a wanker. What is clear, just by looking at him, is that Alan wishes he'd never said anything.

With a rare 50 percent female panel, fan favourite Ronni Ancona and future host Sandi Toksvig versus Jack Dee and Alan Davies, this episode became a battle of the sexes. When the question of why so few female guests appear on the show came up, Ronni and Sandi both go for it. Sandi provides some deep sociological and psychological reasons, but Ronni dives into a bizarre, surreal and long-winded explanation about a female comedian farm, and ignores Jack's attempt to interject. While this allows the female-led discussion to reach critical mass, it also provides Jack with perfect comedic timing for his admittedly chauvinistic put down.

During a discussion of old timey firefighting practices, Rob Brydon attempts to weigh in with an important distinction: it's not fire that kills people. When Clive Anderson begins to cross-examine him, Brydon shuts him down with gusto. Clive is further chastised in the form of a silencing courtesy of Lord Fry, allowing Rob to step into the chairman role, suddenly grabbing control of the show to give an impromptu lecture on smoke vs fire, via the Socratic method. With Stephen offering no resistance, Rob leads the panel to conclude that it’s smoke inhalation, not flames, that kills. It’s a payoff that, on any other show, wouldn't have gotten quite as many laughs.

Given that both are actors, comedians, and associates of Steve Coogan, it’s likely this wasn't the first time someone noted the resemblance between Rob Brydon and Ben Miller. But with the pair on the same panel, Brydon and Miller were forced to address the confusion as the issue reaches its unexpected apex. With Rob riding Ben's scientific-coattails, the two become increasingly like-minded until their celebration of sameness makes way for narcissistic curiosity. Post embrace, the Bry-ller twins ignore the implication of notions like sexuality, incest, or romance, and instead praise themselves for their above average kissing skills.

In classic QI form, Alan is led into a trap involving the disproved spelling rule “i before e except after c”. But while it's Alan that takes the dive, Lee Mack is the one who winds up bearing the brunt of Fry’s fury. As Stephen explains there are more examples of English words not conforming to the rule than those that do, Lee offers up “ceiling”- a word which does conform. But the more Stephen tries to explain the faultiness of the rule, the more fixated on “ceiling” Lee becomes, presenting it with everything from blind hope to sheer desperation. Stephen finally shuts the comedian down with disdain and finality.

Fittingly, this discussion on why it took 300 years for the giant tortoise to get its scientific name builds slowly. Sean Lock meekly suggests they thought “giant tortoise” was already pretty good, while David Mitchell works out a joke about distance perception in real time, Alan suggests the tortoises would sue, and Jo Brand remains silent. But, when it's finally revealed that the setback was that the creature is delicious, the panel irrupts. Led largely by Alan and David, the idea of gluttonous researchers having an unrestrained nosh on their tortoise specimens is taken to its absurdist limits, and Stephen's attempts to contextualize things only derails the discussion further.

Before we unveil our top pick here are a few honourable mentions.

“In England We Live in Houses”
The Rings of Saturn/Jesus's Foreskin
Standardized Health Quiz

This off-cut from the E series opener on “Engineering” starts strong out of the gate, with a low hanging observation from Rob Brydon. Brydon goes on to dominate the laughs by agreeing with and repeating snippets of Fry's notes in a knowing manner, but this clip changes direction completely when Stephen loses the plot while trying to introduce the next fact. Stumbling through the wording multiple times only to forget the rest of his sentence, Stephen is pounced on by Jimmy Carr and Bill Bailey who quickly turn the botched line into a multi-part musical number. It turns into a four-man sing-song pile up that leaves Stephen (and the viewers) breathless and in tears.