Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #821 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-06
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Widescreen, PAL, Subtitled
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 360 minutes

DVD Description
The complete first series plus the original unbroadcast pilot.

"It is easily the best show on television". Jeremy Clarkson, The Sun.

"It is a show bursting with intelligence, originality and fun, as refreshing as a line of Colombians in an ice-cold shower- and perfect for smart-arses like myself who think they know everything". Dominik Diamond, Daily Star.

The comedy quiz that refreshes the parts other shows don’t even have names for.

Here is the first, ground-breaking series of the programme that won Stephen Fry the Golden Rose of Montreux for the world’s best game-show host. BBC2’s smash-hit comedy, now in its fourth season, is also the most popular programme of any kind on BBC4. It’s a 26-year project, each series dealing with a different letter of the alphabet, and this is the one that started it all off. Here is an avalanche of askings on astronomy, anteaters, apples, Africa, aeroplanes, atoms, antelopes, anchovies, Antarctica and Azerbaijan all of it absolutely astonishing to Alan Davies (QI’s resident loser and Stephen Fry’s favourite stud-muffin).

The friendliest show on British TV is graced by the cream of world-class comedy talent including Bill Bailey, Hugh Laurie, Rich Hall, Jo Brand, Meera Syall, Rob Brydon, Jeremy Clarkson, Jimmy Carr, Phill Jupitus, Sean Lock, Clive Anderson, Danny Baker, John Sessions, Jeremy Hardy, Linda Smith and Dave Gorman.

Discover the definitive answers to the questions you didn’t even know existed.Why don’t pigeons go to the movies? Why are there no Alsatians in the Spanish army? What flavour is the oldest known soup? How do otters kill crocodiles? And what is the name of the 23rd tallest tree in the world?

SPECIAL FEATURES Out-takes and extra bits. Dozens of extra factoids. Production team’s audio commentary. Concealed elf-banter. Hidden Easter Eggs.

Synopsis
Stephen Fry presents this comedy panel game where artistic licence is king. Fry is joined by four others each episode and the point of the game is to come up with the most elaborate answer, as opposed to actually being right.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic (of course!)
Well, being a QI fan I'd been waiting for this to come out since I first heard about it a few months ago. I was very much looking forward to seeing Eddie Izzard in the pilot and I wasn't disappointed. It was good to see, as well as the pilot, the various goofs and out-takes from the series - it feels somehow like getting "behind the scenes" because you've seen stuff that didn't make it to the original show.
Although QI is, technically, a panel game show with questions and points and such, it feels more like a group of mates sitting round having a chat and laughing with/at each other. It's very funny, and you do learn stuff from it...and wasn't the BBC's original mission statement thing to "educate, inform, and entertain"? QI certainly does that! I look forward to whenever they bring out the other series on DVD.
I'm not very good at writing reviews, but I don't have much to say about this DVD except that I think it's brilliant, funny, entertaining, and, of course, Quite Interesting!

What British TV needs more of...
If you have never seen this show before here is the basic premise. Steven Fry (bless his Gieves and Hawkes socks) asks questions about... well practically anything (each series is linked to a letter of the alphabet, series one unsurprisingly is the letter A) Alan Davies + 3 other panelists try to answer those questions not only correctly; but interestingly, avoiding the pitfalls of urban myth (for example: no centipede has ever been found to have 100 legs the closest is 96)

The great thing about Qi is that those taking part are of a higher calibre than the usual panel game, they never appear to be there just because they have a book to flog or have just left the Big Brother house and are tenuously clinging to the dying seconds of their fame. People like John Sessions (rarely seen on TV these days) and Clive Anderson are genuinely very clever bunnies and the whole thing plays out like a dream dinner party conversation.

I can't recommend this DVD highly enough to anyone, just because it isn't pandering to the lowest common denominator doesn't mean it's snobbish or for "the few", it's just funny, warm and surprising. Try it, I guarantee you'll be hooked.

I hope that further series become available soon.

Knowledge is a wonderful thing
I have always been on a quest for the truth, but when it is presented to me in such a way as to cause fits of laughter, I am more than receptive.
To be told things in a condescending manner can have an adverse effect on me, so to discover such wonderful truths whilst at the same time being entertained to such a high degree, is like a breath of fresh air.
I would recommend this DVD to anyone, especially those who believe they know something.
9/10