About QI

The activities of Quite Interesting Ltd are organised around a central concept or set of attitudes - those of curiosity, discovery and humour. These, we believe, are what make us human and they should therefore be nurtured.

The QI television series

If you've heard of QI, the chances are that you've heard of the BBC2 comedy panel quiz of the same name, hosted by Stephen Fry. Unlike any other quiz show you will have failed to avoid catching, QI's questions are impossible to answer, but at least the guest panel of top-shelf comedians can laugh at themselves (and the universe in general) while trying.

Eight full series of QI have been broadcast across BBC1 and BBC2. The ninth series (all things 'I') is currently being shown on BBC2 on Friday nights, cementing our place as one of the top comedy shows in the UK. At its core, QI enshrines the original view of Lord Reith that the BBC should 'educate, inform and entertain', all three of which duties are carried out to the great enjoyment of panel and audience alike.

An extended, post-watershed, version of QI is shown on BBC2 on Saturday nights, and repeats are shown regularly on Dave where they regularly top the channel's ratings.

QI in other media...

Twitter

QI has a Twitter feed, which feeds 211,016 followers (at the last count) a feast of the fascinating every day of the year. Follow us here:
twitter.com/#!/qikipedia

The Book of General Ignorance...

In 2006, QI entered the world of publishing with our first title: The Book of General Ignorance which first introduced the truism that 'everything you know is wrong.' Having noticed that lots of the world's best-known facts were dubious at best, John Lloyd and John Mitchinson brought this information together in a comprehensive and humiliating catalogue of misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings. It will make you wonder why anyone ever bothers to go to school.

The book has sold over 1.2 million copies in 26 languages and has spawned the sequels: The Noticeably Stouter Book of General Ignorance, The Sound of General Ignorance and, even more excitingly, The Second Book of General Ignorance.

Further Ignorance and Knowledge...

With help from our publishers, Faber and Faber, the QI bibliography has continued apace, with The Book of Animal Ignorance, containing little-known secrets of the natural world; The Book of the Dead which concentrates on the most interesting Homo Sapiens Sapiens to ever live; and Advanced Banter which provides the world's wittiest and wisest quotes without resorting to the usual suspects. The books have been published around the world and can be seen in more detail in our QI shop section.

Each year, we bring together all of the research from the television show to create the highly visual QI Annuals: they combine QI's wealth of knowledge with some of the most talented illustrators in the country. The 'E', 'F', 'G' and 'H' annuals are all available, and the first three can be bought in the 'EFG' bumper edition.

The Museum of Curiosity

QI impresario John Lloyd is the presenter of the BBC Radio Four show "The Museum of Curiosity" which brings together some of the greatest minds and most talented raconteurs to fill an enormous virtual museum. We have filled three entire floors of our museum with exhibits such as the big bang, a yeti and a gallery of animals dressed in human clothes. The fourth series is currently hitting the airwaves.

John is ably assisted in his work as the Professor of Curiosity by a curator. The curators for each series have so far been Bill Bailey, Sean Lock, Jon Richardson and Dave Gorman all of whom have brought their unique spin on, and tried to make sense of, some of the most unbelievable of exhibits. The show is produced by former QI Elf Dan Schreiber and Richard Turner and is researched by current elves James Harkin and Molly Oldfield. The show even has its own website and can be followed on Twitter as @Curiositwitty.

The People Behind QI

QI was created by long-established comedy producer John Lloyd and publishing impresario John Mitchinson, when they both realised that more needed to be done to address the lack of interestingness in the world. Or rather the general lack of awareness that everything is interesting if looked at in the right way.

Working alongside the two Johns are a small group of 'quite interesting' people, who share in this philosophy. Read on for more details...

Contact details

Please use the information below to contact QI:

• QI general enquiries: Sarah Lloyd (sarah [at] qi [dot] com)
• QI Quibbles: elves [at] qi [dot] com
• QI website: Please email the webmaster [at] qi [dot] com.