Weird question. On QI, Fry said something ordinary, Toksvig said she didn't know what it was, Fry told her, with no fuss or drama. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

[SleepwalkingThroughLife]

Years ago, Stephen Fry said blah blah, something really ordinary, that everyone knows, then Sandi Toksvig said she didnt know what it was, then Stephen told her, and there was no embarrassment at not knowing nor was there any shame or superiority or anything, it was just a sharing of information. But it was something that was quite a normal thing to know, not a difficult thing. Anyone know what im talking about?

PS I'm not drunk

I can't imagine SF explaining it like that, he comes across as a massive know it all to me

Or, in some cases, a massive know fuck-all . His "explanation" of how GPS works on QI was hysterical in how wrong it was. Something I don't believe has ever been corrected subsequently ...

www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/18/stephen_frytard/

and

www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/25/stephen_fry_not_upset_you_twat/

she lost The News Quiz gig

Well, no, she resigned having done it for a long time.

I always loved her relationship with Alan Coren - they were obviously very close friends and really sparked off each other in terms of humour. There's a nice Chain Reaction interview between her and Victoria Coren-Mitchell where she talks about him: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0738kq0

People just think Stephen Fry is clever because of his cards. I've seen him talking out of his arse a few times in real life.

Cards???

His QI question cards, although I wouldnt be suprised if he carried them around with him everywhere

On youtube theres a channel that says it has all the episodes so if you have some time....

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOuz6sspzEGNa2q7_9FuhTYuknH-cj73C

Thank you @Patroclus, find SF a bit much in large doses so have never seen it.

His QI question cards, although I wouldnt be suprised if he carried them around with him everywhere

You do know he stopped doing QI quite a long time ago, don't you?

Not this one (I think), but on one episode of (I think) QI there was a mention of an oxbow lake.
Cue the only non-British born saying he didn't know what one was, and everyone else immediately getting out their pencils and explaining it.

Of course it could have been the one you are looking for?

You do know he stopped doing QI quite a long time ago, don't you?

As I said ...

Dave

I don't even watch QI but I'm enjoying this thread. And I could sketch an oxbow lake too - one of the few things I remember from GCSE Geography

Sometimes you can find full episodes on stuff like this on YouTube, might be worth a try x

@Dangerfloof

I remember the episode and being surprised at ST not knowing what it was. I also remember SF's completely polite explanation for her. No idea what it was though!!!!!

One of the things I love about QI is that it is a show for know-it-alls that does not patronise or belittle those who don't know. Apart from Alan Thingy with the curly hair (sorry, I'm rubbish at names), who appears to be the scripted comic feed/fall guy. And TBH even he isn't mocked in the sense of "How could you be so stupid? Everyone knows that!"

Knowledge is celebrated and the buzzer is met with groans of commiseration. It seems a quintessentially British show.

.... What's an oxbow lake?

It is also a good reminder sometimes that we take culturally-situated knowledge for granted - and for someone (Rich Hall / Sandi Toksvig / whoever) to say they have never heard of something points up that there is no reason why someone born and educated outside the UK should have! Sandi is Danish, grew up in the US. She consciously adopted her posh English accent at boarding school in the UK to prevent bullying.

oxbow lake = when a big meander (snakey curve) of a river cuts through its own short cut so the curvey bit is left over as a lake (shaped like an oxbow I presume)

An oxbow lake is one of the few things that people remember from secondary school geography.

Doncha love wiki. I never knew that a billabong is an Australian oxbow lake!

Thanks genuinely never heard of it..

I'm agog to know what ST didn't know!

Stephen Fry was wrong about a lot of stuff on QI. He and ST both irritate the hell out of me. But yes most of the episodes are on Youtube if you want to watch them.

I used to work in a shop in a shopping centre. Outside our shop were the chairs and tables of a cafe. Sandi was sat right outside, with a broken leg, one day. She was there most of the morning. Her voice is so distinctive it was like having radio 4 on.