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LoveReading is thrilled to announce the launch of The Very Short Story Award 2019! If you think you have a story we'll love, click here to find out more and how to enter:
Find out moreJohn Lloyd has a broadcasting background. As a radio producer he devised The News Quiz and To the Manor Born before moving to television to start Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image, Blackadder and, of course, QI.
Being a small “instant” humour book there is no bibliography telling you where these facts originate but we now have google so can read up on such things as why Horatio Nelson’s pension continued to be paid to 1947. Harris Hawks standing on each other’s shoulders to get a better view was quite flabbergasting although I was more horrified to read that slugs have about 27,000 teeth. It is, of course, a book designed to entertain and it certainly does that in fine style. ~ Sue BakerLike for Like ReadingFascinating Footnotes from History, Giles MiltonThe Ultimate Book of Heroic Failures, Stephen Pie
What is truth and what is hogwash? This is the question that The Book of General Ignorance asks. Did Henry VIII have six wives, does Earth have only one moon? If you still think so, then you badly need this book to right your wrongs. Thomas Edison stated that we know less than one millionth of one percent about anything; Mark Twain thought it would take 8 million years to master mathematics alone; Woody Allen said that some drink deeply from the river of knowledge, but others only gargle. A comprehensive and humiliating catalogue of all the misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings in 'common knowledge', which will make you wonder why anyone ever bothers to go to school.
QI is the smartest comedy show on British television. Here creator John Lloyd and QI elves James Harkin and Anne Miller bring together 2,024 brain-tickling brand new facts to stop you in your tracks... Humans glow in the dark. The Pope drives a blue Ford Focus. One of the moons of Uranus is called Margaret. Scottish football referees are sponsored by Specsavers. Dogs visiting US National Parks can be certified as Bark Rangers. The world's smallest computer is smaller than a grain of sand. Candyfloss was invented by a dentist. Nobody knows who named the Earth.
Join Professor John Lloyd and Curators Noel Fielding, Jo Brand, Romesh Ranganathan and Sally Phillips as they plunge down the badger hole of ignorance in a search for the universe's most mind-boggling oddnesses.The Museum of Curiosity is BBC Radio 4's monumental comedy edifice, and the only one with gargoyles in the foyer. It allows nothing inside that doesn't make you scratch your head, stroke your chin or, at the very least, go 'Hmm'. Fortunately, helping to fill its almost vacant plinths is a gathering of the world's most original minds. The guests bearing donations to the museum in this collection include Howard Goodall, Corey Taylor, Vic Reeves, Ross Noble, George Monbiot, Lucy Porter, Deborah Frances-White, Stephen K Amos, Konnie Huq, Rory Bremner and Phil Jupitus.
The sock-blasting, jaw-dropping, side-swiping phenomenon that is QI serves up a sparkling new selection of 1,342 facts to leave you flabbergasted. Trees sleep at night. Google searches for 'How to put on a condom' peak at 10.28pm. There is no word for time in any Aboriginal language. Scotland has 421 words for snow. Emoji is the fastest growing language in history. Astronauts wear belts to stop their trousers falling up. The name Donald means 'ruler of the world'. Tanks are exempt from London's Congestion charge. The anti-spam industry is worth more than the spam industry. Florida has more bear hunters than bears. Selfies kill more people than sharks. Two-thirds of deaths in the world go unrecorded. On each anniversary of its landing on Mars, the Curiosity rover hums 'Happy Birthday' to itself. Nostalgia was classified as a disease by the Royal College of Physicians until 1899. 1 in 3 children pretend to believe in Santa Claus to keep their parents happy. Black coffee drinkers are more likely to be psychopaths. When you blush so does the lining of your stomach. Quidditch, Digestive biscuits and overdrafts were all invented in Edinburgh. The world's only Cornish pasty museum is in Mexico. Nobody knows why the Oscars are called the Oscars. Las Vegas hosts an awards ceremony for people who make awards. In 2015, America's 'National Hero Dog Award' was won by a cat. A group of unicorns is called a blessing. If there are any facts you don't believe, or if you want to know more about them, all the sources can be found on www.qi.com
The eye-popping, gob-smacking, rib-tickling phenomenon that is QI serves up a brand new selection of 1,423 facts to bowl you over. Iceland imports ice cubes A group of ladybirds is called a loveliness It is illegal in Saudi Arabia to name a child Sandi Eight billion particles of fog can fit into a teaspoon People who read books live longer than people who don't Prince Philip was born on a kitchen table in Corfu No human beings have ever had sex in space Netflix's biggest competitor is sleep Mice sigh up to 40 times an hour
The eye-popping, gob-smacking, rib-tickling phenomenon that is QI serves up a brand new selection of 1,423 facts to bowl you over.Iceland imports ice cubesA group of ladybirds is called a lovelinessIt is illegal in Saudi Arabia to name a child SandiEight billion particles of fog can fit into a teaspoonPeople who read books live longer than people who don'tPrince Philip was born on a kitchen table in CorfuNo human beings have ever had sex in spaceNetflix's biggest competitor is sleepMice sigh up to 40 times an hour
The QI team have blown your socks off, made your jaw drop and knocked you sideways. Now they return with 1,234 brand-new mind-blowing facts that will leave you speechless. - Flowers get suntans. - Denmark imports prisoners. - Bees can fly higher than Mount Everest. - The Republic of Ireland first got postcodes in 2015. - Martin Luther King Jr got a C+ in Public Speaking. - No one in the UK dies of 'natural causes'. - Penguins can't taste fish.
The Museum of Curiosity is BBC Radio 4's monumental comedy edifice, and the only one with gargoyles in the foyer. It allows nothing inside that doesn't make you scratch your head, stroke your chin or, at the very least, go 'Hmm'. Fortunately, helping to fill its vacant plinths is a gathering of the world's most original minds.Among the guests bearing donations to the museum in these 25 episodes are Neil Gaiman, Sarah Millican, Clive James, Kate Adie, Sir Terry Pratchett, Ronni Ancona, Jon Ronson, Bettany Hughes, Ben Elton, Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Alain de Botton, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Alistair Fothergill, Ruth Padel, Jonathan Miller, Lucie Green, Marcus du Sautoy, Sara Wheeler, Brian Eno, Shappi Khorsandi, John Hodgman, Chris Addison, Roger Law, Tim Minchin, Philip Pullman, Richard Wiseman, Victoria Finlay, Simon Singh, Jimmy Carr, Graham Linehan, Sarah Bakewell, Robin Ince, David Eagleman, Natalie Haynes, Brian Blessed, Alan Davies, Gareth Edwards, Martha Reeves, Harry Enfield, Helen Scales, Admiral Alan West & many more.In addition to all the episodes from the first four series, a previously unbroadcast pilot episode, The Professor of Curiosity, is also included. Running time: 12 hours approx.
Join Professor John Lloyd and Curators Jimmy Carr, Humphrey Ker, Phill Jupitus and Sarah Millican as they plunge down the badger hole of ignorance in a search for the universe's most mind-boggling oddnesses. The Museum of Curiosity is BBC Radio 4's monumental comedy edifice, and the only one with gargoyles in the foyer. It allows nothing inside that doesn't make you scratch your head, stroke your chin or, at the very least, go 'Hmm'. Fortunately, helping to fill its almost vacant plinths is a gathering of the world's most original minds. Among the guests bearing donations to the museum in these 25 episodes are Al Murray, Jo Brand, Pamela Stephenson-Connolly, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Sara Pascoe, Mark Watson, Richard Ingrams, Richard Herring, Cleo Rocos, Paul Sinha, David Frost, Richard Osman, Sandi Toksvig, Rich Hall, Clive Anderson, Neil Innes, Ken Dodd, Henry Blofeld, Tim Smit, Rufus Hound, Matt Lucas, Susan Calman & many more. In addition to all the episodes from Series 5-8, the 2015 'Coding Special' is also included. Duration: 12 hours approx
Being a small “instant” humour book there is no bibliography telling you where these facts originate but we now have google so can read up on such things as why Horatio Nelson’s pension continued to be paid to 1947. Harris Hawks standing on each other’s shoulders to get a better view was quite flabbergasting although I was more horrified to read that slugs have about 27,000 teeth. It is, of course, a book designed to entertain and it certainly does that in fine style. ~ Sue BakerLike for Like ReadingFascinating Footnotes from History, Giles MiltonThe Ultimate Book of Heroic Failures, Stephen Pie
The Third Book of General Ignorance gathers together 180 questions, both new and previously featured on the BBC TV programme's popular 'General Ignorance' round, and show why, when it comes to general knowledge, none of us knows anything at all. Who invented the sandwich? What was the best thing before sliced bread? Who first ate frogs' legs? Which cat never changes its spots? What did Lady Godiva do? What can you legally do if you come across a Welshman in Chester after sunset?
1,227 QI Facts blew your socks off. 1,339 QI Facts made your jaw drop. Now the QI team return with this year's groaning sack of astonishment. Prepare to be knocked sideways... Orchids can get jetlag. Lizards can't walk and breathe at the same time. There are 177,147 ways to tie a tie. Ladybird orgasms last for 30 minutes. Traffic lights existed before cars. Sir Bruce Forsyth is four months older than sliced bread. The soil in your garden is 2 million years old. If there are any facts you don't believe, or if you want to know more about them, all the sources can be found on qi.com.
Did you know that: cows moo in regional accents; the entire internet weighs less than a grain of sand; the dialling code from Britain to Russia is 007; potatoes have more chromosomes than human beings; the London Underground has made more money from its famous map than it has from running trains; Tintin is called Tantan in Japanese because TinTin is pronounced 'Chin chin' and means penis; the water in the mouth of a blue whale weighs more than its body; Scotland has twice as many pandas as Conservative MPs; Saddam's bunker was designed by the grandson of the woman who built Hitler's bunker; Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, it is explicitly illegal in Britain to use a machinegun to kill a hedgehog. 1,227 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off will make you look at the universe (and your socks) in an alarming new way.
The Museum of Curiosity is BBC Radio 4's monumental comedy edifice, and the only one with gargoyles in the foyer. It allows nothing inside that doesn't make you scratch your head, stroke your chin or, at the very least, go 'Hmm'. Fortunately, helping to fill its vacant plinths is a gathering of the world's most original minds. Among the guests bearing donations to the museum in these 25 episodes are Neil Gaiman, Sarah Millican, Clive James, Kate Adie, Sir Terry Pratchett, Ronni Ancona, Jon Ronson, Bettany Hughes, Ben Elton, Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Alain de Botton, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Alistair Fothergill, Ruth Padel, Jonathan Miller, Lucie Green, Marcus du Sautoy, Sara Wheeler, Brian Eno, Shappi Khorsandi, John Hodgman, Chris Addison, Roger Law, Tim Minchin, Philip Pullman, Richard Wiseman, Victoria Finlay, Simon Singh, Jimmy Carr, Graham Linehan, Sarah Bakewell, Robin Ince, David Eagleman, Natalie Haynes, Brian Blessed, Alan Davies, Gareth Edwards, Martha Reeves, Harry Enfield, Helen Scales, Admiral Alan West & many more. In addition to all the episodes from the first four series, a previously unbroadcast pilot episode, The Professor of Curiosity, is also included. Running time: 12 hours approx.
The QI team have blown your socks off, made your jaw drop and knocked you sideways. Now they return with 1,234 brand-new mind-blowing facts that will leave you speechless. - Flowers get suntans. - Denmark imports prisoners. - Bees can fly higher than Mount Everest. - The Republic of Ireland first got postcodes in 2015. - Martin Luther King Jr got a C+ in Public Speaking. - No one in the UK dies of 'natural causes'. - Penguins can't taste fish.
1,411 Quite Interesting Facts to Knock You Sideways is a gold mine of wide-ranging, eye-opening, brain-bursting nuggets of trivia that's impossible to put down, another treasure trove of factoids (National Public Radio, Weekend Edition). Did you know? Orchids can get jet lag Lizards can't walk and breathe at the same time Frank Sinatra took a shower 12 times a day Ladybug orgasms last for 30 minutes There are 177,147 ways to tie a tie Traffic lights existed before cars The soil in your garden is 2 million years old
Who invented the sandwich? What was the best thing before sliced bread? Who first ate frogs' legs?
Join QI's expedition into the animal kingdom to encounter 100 of its most remarkable subjects. Marvel at the elephants that walk on tiptoe, pigs that shine in the dark, and the woodlouse that drinks through its bottom. Albatrosses can fly non-stop for ten years without touching the ground Box jellyfish have twenty-four eyes Geese mourn their dead Koalas don't drink Monkeys pay to look at porn Lobsters live for a century Mice sing while having sex Spiders can fly
Just when you thought it was safe to start showing off again, the bestselling authors of The Book of General Ignorance and 1,277 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off are back. With a foreword by Stephen Fry, this parcel of unimaginable information is here to solve a few common misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings. Octopuses have six legs, oranges aren't orange, bats aren't blind, napoleon wasn't short, vikings didn't wear horned helmets, there is no such thing as a fish. QI: The Second Book of General Ignorance is the essential set text for everyone who's proud to admit that they don't know everything, and an ideal stick with which to beat people who think they do. John Lloyd and John Mitchinson are the bestselling authors of QI: The Book of General Ignorance and 1,277 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off. Here they present a wonderful collection of astonishingly interesting facts, perfect for pub quiz lovers, trivia buffs and general knowledge experts alike.
An indispensable compendium of popular misconceptions, misunderstandings and common mistakes culled from the hit BBC show, QI. From the bestselling authors of The Book of General Ignorance comes a noticeably stouter edition, with 26% extra facts and figures perfect for trivia, pub quiz and general knowledge enthusiasts. The QI team sets out again to show you that a lot of what you think you know is wrong. If, like Alan Davies, you still think the Henry VIII had six wives, the earth has only one moon, that George Washington was the first president of the USA, that Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, that the largest living thing is a blue whale, that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, that whisky and bagpipes come from Scotland or that Mount Everest is the world's tallest mountain, then there are at least 200 reasons why this is the book for you. The researchers at QI have written many bestselling books including such titles as The QI Book of General Ignorance and 1,277 Facts To Blow Your Socks Off. They now present a noticeably stouter edition, an indispensable handbook for trivia lovers, pub quiz enthusiasts and general knowledge experts alike. And remember - everything you think you know is still wrong.
The ultimate compendium of crisp one-liners, knockout jokes, droll asides and universal truths collected over the years by the creators of QI. 'You know 'that look' women get when they want sex? Me neither.' Steve Martin 'You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from nesting in your hair.' Chinese proverb 'The Beatles are dying in the wrong order.' Victor Lewis-Smith 'Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education.' Mark Twain 'Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember: it didn't work for the rabbit.' R.E. Shay 'If it were not for quotations, conversation between gentlemen would be an endless series of 'what-ho's!'' P.G.Wodehouse
Public relations and journalism have had a difficult relationship for over a century, characterised by mutual dependence and - often - mutual distrust. The two professions have vied with each other for primacy: journalists could open or close the gates, but PR had the stories, the contacts and often the budgets for extravagant campaigns. The arrival of the internet, and especially of social media, has changed much of that. These new technologies have turned the audience into players - who play an important part in making the reputation, and the brand, of everyone from heads of state to new car models vulnerable to viral tweets and social media attacks. Companies, parties and governments are seeking more protection - especially since individuals within these organisations can themselves damage, even destroy, their brand or reputation with an ill-chosen remark or an appearance of arrogance. The pressures, and the possibilities, of the digital age have given public figures and institutions both a necessity to protect themselves, and channels to promote themselves free of news media gatekeepers. Political and corporate communications professionals have become more essential, and more influential within the top echelons of business, politics and other institutions. Companies and governments can now - must now - become media themselves, putting out a message 24/7, establishing channels of their own, creating content to attract audiences and reaching out to their networks to involve them in their strategies Journalism is being brought into these new, more influential and fast growing communications strategies. And, as newspapers struggle to stay alive, journalists must adapt to a world where old barriers are being smashed and new relationships built - this time with public relations in the driving seat. The world being created is at once more protected and more transparent; the communicators are at once more influential and more fragile. This unique study illuminates a new media age.
In recent years, media coverage of the European Union has faced its most serious test. The interlinked crises in the Union have severely tested the expertise of the EU press corps, many of whom have struggled to cope with its complexities, and have thrown into sharper relief the differences among the national coverages. At the same time, the crises have deepened trends towards euro scepticism in many EU member states - thus putting pressure on correspondents to be more sceptical, analytical, argumentative and even hostile, in their reporting. This development has revealed a greater gulf between reporters - who are now more sceptical than their predecessors - and the press service and officials of the EU, who remain strongly committed to the narrative of an 'ever-closer union'. Yet - in contrast to the rising euro scepticism - the crises have emphasised the need perceived by European officials and many European politicians for deeper integration, at least among Euro currency members, to cope with the crisis. This book, based on extensive interviews with EU correspondents, editors, public relations and other EU executives, will reveal for the first time how this powerful group of institutions at the heart of the Union are covered - or are not covered. The analysis and critique of the present coverage also carries a series of recommendations on how it might be made to better serve the citizens of the EU members. The authors highlight the structural and historic difficulties in covering a multinational institution, and the struggle - generally unsuccessful - to develop a journalism which can fully hold the institutions to account, and find an audience which goes beyond the narrow circles of professionals and politicians who are closely concerned with the business of the Union.
1,227 QI Facts blew your socks off. 1,339 QI Facts made your jaw drop. Now the QI team return with this year's groaning sack of astonishment. Prepare to be knocked sideways...Orchids can get jetlag. Lizards can't walk and breathe at the same time. There are 177,147 ways to tie a tie. Ladybird orgasms last for 30 minutes. Traffic lights existed before cars. Sir Bruce Forsyth is four months older than sliced bread. The soil in your garden is 2 million years old.
Not the Nine O'Clock News is one of the great classics of British television comedy, with co-writers including Richard Curtis, John Lloyd, Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin, Colin Bostock-Smith and Howard Goodall. Politicians, entertainers, world powers, members of the Royal Family, pop stars and even Barry Manilow fans were all fair game in this wickedly funny satirical sketch series. Highlights include 'McEnroe's Breakfast', 'Game For A Laugh', 'Question Time', 'The Return of Constable Savage' and musical manglings including 'Bloody Typical', 'Nice Video (Shame About the Song)', 'The Two Ninnies Song' and the mini-musical 'Laker!' But be warned: there is strong language and adult humour which reflects the era in which it was first performed. Vintage Beeb: classic albums first available as BBC LPs, now on CD for the first time ever. 2 CDs. 2 hrs 2 mins.
I first came across this splendid way of reassigning some of Britain’s splendid place names as words in a couple of Paul Jennings’ pieces written for The Observer. Now sadly forgotten he was a past master (none of your Bovey Tracey ways here Miss, being my particular favourite). In Afterliff, the humour comes from the words that John Lloyd and Jon Canter find the need for more than the aptness of the place-name chosen. However large the vocabulary of the English Language there is obviously always room for more!Like for Like ReadingThe Meaning of Liff: The Original Dictionary of Things There Should be Words for, John Lloyd The New Uxbridge English Dictionary, John Naismith
Imagine an incredible edition of Guinness World Records created by Stephen Fry, Alan Davies, Jo Brand, Bill Bailey and other regular guests on the QI show... The QI Annual 2011 features original contributions from stand up comedians and presents a whole heap-full of QI's weird, wonderful and really quite interesting facts. Holy Horology!! By the Hoary Horsefeathers of Hoggoth!! Here's the Heroic H Annual!! The Heroic H Annual is a Humungous Haul of Honey, Halves, Hipsters, Hats and Health & Safety from those Highbrow Homunculi at QI! Heaving with Hippos, Heraldry, Hot-dogs, Hermaphrodites and Houdini! From the bestselling authors of The Book of General Ignorance and 1,227 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off, comes a hilarious and incredibly informative selection of the QI team's most interesting facts. Featuring contributions from Stephen Fry, Alan Davies and many other QI guests, the is a perfect gift for pub quiz experts, fans of Guinness World Records and lovers of all things QI.
QI is the smartest comedy show on British television, but few people know that we're also a major legal hit in Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Africa and an illegal one on BitTorrent. We also write books and newspaper columns; run a thriving website, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed; and produce an iPhone App and a sister Radio 4 programme. At the core of what we do is the astonishing fact - painstakingly researched and distilled to a brilliant and shocking clarity. In Einstein's words: 'Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler.' Did you know that: cows moo in regional accents; the entire internet weighs less than a grain of sand; the dialling code from Britain to Russia is 007; potatoes have more chromosomes than human beings; the London Underground has made more money from its famous map than it has from running trains; Tintin is called Tantan in Japanese because TinTin is pronounced 'Chin chin' and means penis; the water in the mouth of a blue whale weighs more than its body; Scotland has twice as many pandas as Conservative MPs; Saddam's bunker was designed by the grandson of the woman who built Hitler's bunker; Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, it is explicitly illegal in Britain to use a machinegun to kill a hedgehog. 1,227 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off will make you look at the universe (and your socks) in an alarming new way.
Just when you thought it was safe to start showing off again, the bestselling authors of The Book of General Ignorance and 1,277 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off are back. With a foreword by Stephen Fry, this parcel of unimaginable information is here to solve a few common misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings. Octopuses have six legs, oranges aren't orange, bats aren't blind, napoleon wasn't short, vikings didn't wear horned helmets, there is no such thing as a fish. QI: The Second Book of General Ignorance is the essential set text for everyone who's proud to admit that they don't know everything, and an ideal stick with which to beat people who think they do. John Lloyd and John Mitchinson are the bestselling authors of QI: The Book of General Ignorance and 1,277 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off. Here they present a wonderful collection of astonishingly interesting facts, perfect for pub quiz lovers, trivia buffs and general knowledge experts alike.
VIVE LA REVOLUTION!Dolphins shed and replace their skin every two hoursPluto was named by an eleven-year-old schoolgirlA donkey's personality is called its donkeyshipFreud didn't lose his virginity until the age of 30The bastion that was QI has been stormed, elves have been put to the guillotine, the readers are in charge.After nine and a half years of cumulative reading time, readers of the QI App have selected the definitive QI collection.With a new introduction by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, and packed full of handsome images, these ten chapters form the best-of to end all best-ofs.
Just when you thought it was safe to start showing off again, the bestselling authors of The Book of General Ignorance and 1,277 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off are back. With a foreword by Stephen Fry, this parcel of unimaginable information is here to solve a few common misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings. Octopuses have six legs, oranges aren't orange, bats aren't blind, napoleon wasn't short, vikings didn't wear horned helmets, there is no such thing as a fish. QI: The Second Book of General Ignorance is the essential set text for everyone who's proud to admit that they don't know everything, and an ideal stick with which to beat people who think they do. John Lloyd and John Mitchinson are the bestselling authors of QI: The Book of General Ignorance and 1,277 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off. Here they present a wonderful collection of astonishingly interesting facts, perfect for pub quiz lovers, trivia buffs and general knowledge experts alike.
The QI Annuals are the nearest things to having the hit BBC1 TV show live in your living room. Top comedians and brainiacs, from Stephen Fry and Alan Davies to guests such as Phill Jupitus, Jo Brand, Clive Anderson, Jeremy Clarkson and Rowan Atkinson, have joined top cartoonists and illustrators, and the estimiable QI elves themselves in the first three QI Annuals, covering the letters E, F and G (starting at A is so overrated). Collected by the writers of the BBC show, QI, and authors of the worldwide bestsellers The Book of General Ignorance and 1,227 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off, here is a hilarious and informative selection of the QI team's fun facts. Featuring the likes of Stephen Fry, Alan Davies and many other QI guests, this bumper paperback edition is the perfect Christmas gift for pub quiz experts, fans of Guinness World Records and lovers of all things QI.
Join Professor John Lloyd and Curator Bill Bailey as they plunge down the badger hole of ignorance in a search for the universe's most mind-boggling oddnesses. 'The Museum of Curiosity' is BBC Radio 4's monumental comedy edifice, and the only one with gargoyles in the foyer. It allows nothing inside unless it makes you scratch your head, stroke your chin or, at the very least, go 'Hmm'. Secondly, it is almost completely empty. Fortunately, helping to fill its vacant plinths is a gathering of the world's most original minds. So listen in as Sean Lock, Brian Blessed, Alastair Fothergill, Ben Elton, Fran Beauman, John Gribbin, Alan Davies, Ronald Hutton, Jonathan Miller, Victoria Finlay, Arthur Smith, Richard Fortey and many more agglutinate an exhibition of the wondrous and impossible that includes the beginning of the universe, the entire Battle of Waterloo, the real Father Christmas and a quite interesting, relatively new way of knotting a scarf. 'Like a headmaster who, having been locked up in a lunatic asylum, has clambered over the wall and set up a rival establishment down the road... The whole thing works beautifully' - Philip Pullman 'If you or I pitched this idea, we'd hardly have time to eat our free BBC biscuits before being shown the door' - Independent
The News Quiz, 'the finest topical comedy panel game known to radio', has been providing headlines and punchlines since it first aired in 1977, and spawned the hit television panel game Have I Got News for You. In these four episodes, panellists including Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy and Francis Wheen take a wry, sideways look at the news, interpreting events big and small in their own unique ways. With guest stars including Sue Perkins, Hugo Rifkind and Mark Steel, they face questions on topics as diverse as obesity, the US Federal Reserve, Derek Conway's suspension and fuel duty protests - as well as Jeremy Paxman's pants, naked flights for nudists, the broken toilet on the International Space Station, and why 44 isn't the answer to life, the universe and everything. As ever, Sandi Toksvig is in the chair, while newsreaders Chris Aldridge, Harriet Cass and Corrie Corfield read a selection of humorous cuttings. Re-live the highlights of this smart, silly and satirical game show, in the company of the very wittiest and brightest commentators. The news has never been so much fun!
Imagine an edition of Guinness World Records created by a panel of stand-up comedians... The QI Annual 2008 features original contributions from Stephen Fry, Alan Davies, Jo Brand, Bill Bailey and other regular guests on the show. It's packed full of fun games to play at home, puzzles, cartoon strips, mini-encyclopedias, how-to diagrams and masses and masses of QI's weird, wonderful and incredibly interesting facts. If you want to read Julian Clary's poetry about the Queen, Roger Law's musings on flatulent kangaroos, or have often wondered how you might make a waterproof apron out of a whale's foreskin, your Christmas gift dilemma has just been solved. WARNING: very silly indeed. Will offend dullards, whales and parents in no particular order. From the bestselling authors of The Book of General Ignorance and 1,227 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off, comes a hilarious selection of the QI team's most interesting facts. Perfect for pub quiz experts, fans of Guinness World Records and lovers of all things QI.
The News Quiz, 'the finest topical comedy panel game known to radio', has been providing headlines and punchlines since it first aired in 1977, and spawned the hit television panel game Have I Got News For You. These four episodes see the plucky panellists, including Alan Coren, Andy Hamilton, Phill Jupitus and Jeremy Hardy, tackling the biggest news stories (and some of the smallest) with their inimitable wit and wisdom. With guest stars such as Clive Anderson, Jo Brand, Phil Hammond and Carrie Quinlan, they face questions on a variety of topics, from Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Iraq and the NHS to baffled hedgehogs, feisty female chimps, Jose Mourinho's dog and the shocking discovery that mice don't like cheese. Sandi Toksvig is at the helm, whilst newsreaders Harriet Cass, Corrie Corfield and Rory Morrison read a selection of the funniest cuttings. So sit back and enjoy the highlights of 2006 and 2007 from this smart, silly and satirical game show, distilled by the very best and wittiest commentators.
This book provides a detailed history of Plymouth Argyles fifty most memorable events
The News Quiz, one of Britain's funniest and quirkiest panel games, has been providing headlines and punchlines since it first aired in 1977. In these four episodes, among the panellists offering wit and wisdom on both national and parochial events are Alan Coren, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Fred MacAulay and Francis Wheen. Together with guest stars including Phill Jupitus, Linda Smith, Sandi Toksvig and Fi Glover, they wade through the biggest news stories (and some of the smallest) and face questions on topics as diverse as David Cameron, giant Japanese jellyfish, loans for peerages, Blue Peter badges and rollerblading policemen. Chairman Simon Hoggart presides over the proceedings, whilst newsreaders Harriet Cass and Peter Donaldson read a selection of the funniest cuttings. Now you can enjoy the highlights of 2005 and 2006 from the finest topical comedy game show known to radio, distilled by the very best and wittiest panellists.
This book proposes a series of reforms that could improve the media and politics, and the interaction of the two, in Britain. * This book makes an important contribution to public debate in Britain about the relationship between the media and politics. * Contributors include academics, journalists and political commentators. * Topical issues covered include regulation, public service broadcasting, managing the news, and training journalists. * The focus is on Britain, but key commentators from America and Europe put the British problems into perspective.
Since 1977, BBC Radio 4's funniest and quirkiest game show has been answering questions and offering wit and wisdom on global happenings, national news and quite frankly pathetic parochial events. In this annual highlights edition, a selection of 2005's most entertaining news stories and current events are given a satirical twist by top comedians and journalists. Panellists include Alan Coren, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Armando Iannucci, Linda Smith and Francis Wheen. 'The cleverest, wittiest, best programme in any medium in the story of the world ever' - Chris Campling, The Times.
Nothing more grimly highlights the terrible state of relations between the British press and the Government than the autumn 2003 Hutton Inquiry into the tragic death of weapons expert David Kelly. Indeed, as John Lloyd argues in this timely and deeply controversial book, the media are now no longer functioning as an inquiring check on the excesses of the political class. Instead they have become an alternative establishment, one supremely dedicated to a theatrical distrust of individual politicians and a furious and calculated indifference to the real-life intricacies of world policy-making. That the media have emerged today as a powerful and largely unaccountable force in British public life is undeniable. But here Lloyd takes things further and puts forward the case, persuasively and aggressively, that the composition and background of the media elite, and the growing emphasis on profit in the companies for which they work, have created an idol that takes as its sacrifice justice and balance, and deprives the public of the information they need in order to act as responsible citizens.
These are the voices of Home Park; stories and memories from fans who have followed Argyle through thick and thin over the years. Supporters recall the relegations and promotions, epic Cup runs and crushing defeats which have marked Argyle's hundred years as a professional club.
These are the proceedings of the First International Conference on Compu- tional Logic (CL 2000) which was held at Imperial College in London from 24th to 28th July, 2000. The theme of the conference covered all aspects of the theory, implementation, and application of computational logic, where computational logic is to be understood broadly as the use of logic in computer science. The conference was collocated with the following events: { 6th International Conference on Rules and Objects in Databases (DOOD 2000) { 10th International Workshop on Logic-based Program Synthesis and Tra- formation (LOPSTR 2000) { 10th International Conference on Inductive Logic Programming (ILP 2000). CL 2000 consisted of seven streams: { Program Development (LOPSTR 2000) { Logic Programming: Theory and Extensions { Constraints { Automated Deduction: Putting Theory into Practice { Knowledge Representation and Non-monotonic Reasoning { Database Systems (DOOD 2000) { Logic Programming: Implementations and Applications. The LOPSTR 2000 workshop constituted the program development stream and the DOOD 2000 conference constituted the database systems stream. Each stream had its own chair and program committee, which autonomously selected the papers in the area of the stream. Overall, 176 papers were submitted, of which 86 were selected to be presented at the conference and appear in these proceedings. The acceptance rate was uniform across the streams. In addition, LOPSTR 2000 accepted about 15 extended abstracts to be presented at the conference in the program development stream.
Series 75 of the show which takes a satirical look at the week's news. Chaired by Sandi Toksvig. Episodes include Bills, Blair and Belhadj; Ghettos, Gap Years and the God Particle; Weirdos, War Games and Website Dating; Conferences, Catfights and Cuts and Cuts, Conservative Revolts and Charity Shops. Panellists include Dominic Lawson, Jeremy Hardy, Fred Macaulay, Andy Hamilton, Susan Calman, Marcus Brigstocke, Hugo Rifkind, Julia Hartley-Brewer, Laura Solon, Phill Jupitus, Bob Mills, Sarah Millican, Paul Sinha and Matthew Parris. Newsreaders are Rory Morrison, Neil Sleat and Charlotte Green. Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
The Museum of Curiosity is, as ever, hosted by the Professor of Ignorance from the University of Buckingham John Lloyd. For this fourth series, he is joined by the intensely curious comedian Dave Gorman as his Curator. The Museum of Curiosity has a unique method for collecting exhibits. Once a week it welcomes three luminaries from widely different specialist fields and asks them to bring with them their most treasured items to donate. In this series, John and Dave are joined by Jimmy Carr; Francesca Stavrakapoulou; Alex Bellos; Alain de Botton; David Crystal; Gareth Edwards; Harry Enfield; Lucie Green; Natalie Haynes; Roger Highfield; Alex Horne; Robin Ince; Graham Linehan; David McCandless; Helen Scales; Rory Sutherland; Admiral Alan William John West, Baron West of Spithead GCB DSC and Sara Wheeler.
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