QI E01 Recording Review

*This is episode E02 in the Autumn transmission order.

The first recording in a new series is always an exciting experience, even if the cast and crew are a little anxious about the performance. Last night's recording was no exception, but everyone had a brilliant time.

My suspicions have been confirmed. People are queuing even earlier this series. I arrived at five to five (an hour and fifty minutes before doors open) and the queue was already from the gates to the front of the building. Stephen Grant announced that more than 300 people had to be turned away. Applause store really are overbooking these shows. Applause store received more than 23,000 applications for that single recording of QI. It is their most popular show by a long way. Obviously demand is far outstripping supply.

New arrangements for entering the studio appear to have been introduced. The audience entered the studio through the back door instead of the side door. This may have been something to do with the HIGNFY recording that was taking place at the same time. It is something to take into consideration if you're planning to meet someone in the queue as this may not be possible when they have been moved in through the gates. There was one small benefit. You can find your seat before you go to the toilets!

Stephen Grant did a brilliant warm up as per usual. He was aided by the presence of Sarah (aka Minerva Moon, who writes the transcripts for the show) since the fact that she is American gave him plenty of material to work with. Another member of the audience (known as Mandibles to forum members) was given the opportunity to show off the QI logo tattooed on her left arm. This included a trip onto the stage to show Stephen Fry!

Alan Davies (as so many of you want to know), now has shorter hair compared to the last series. It is reminiscent of his Jonathan Creek days. We also learnt before the recording started that he has an intolerance of almonds. However, he has no problem with marzipan!

For these reviews, I am going to be including some "spoilers". However, they are going to be "whited out" so as not to spoil the TV show for readers. In order to read this part (should you wish to) you need to highlight the text. The following includes details of the guests and the subjects discussed.

The guests were Sean Lock, Jo Brand and Rich Hall. This is (to my knowledge) the first time that the same three guests from a previous show have all appeared together. Sean Lock, Jo Brand and Rich Hall all appeared together in C05.

Electricity was the theme for the episode. The subjects discussed included: Lightning, Monks, a Bed, an Inventor, Eels, a Strange Picture, Termites, Elections ships and Russian Names. I wont elaborate any more than that. You'll have to wait until the series airs to find out more.

The Elephant In The Room Card is going to be a recurring feature in the whole series. In every episode there will be an answer that involves an elephant. Whoever plays their card at the correct time will earn themselves 10 points.

Overall the recording stood out as a good mix of QI and comedy. There was an ample volume of extremely funny jokes but also some intensely interesting facts and discussions. One that probably won't make the edit was Fry's comparison between Pascal's Wager and global warming but it was certainly an interesting and engaging debate.

Tonight is the second recording. I wont be there but Andrew will be so look forward to his review when he's around.