# Q.I. coming to BBC America! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643 "2015-02-02T22:05:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/1 "2015-02-02T22:05:27Z")
[Squirt!](http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2015/02/01/Stephen-Frys-QI-comedy-quiz-show-to-air-in-the-United-States/2451422826888/) So far its just season J, hopefully the rest will follow. It’s a great time to be alive! ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/2 "2015-02-02T22:08:27Z")
I’ll be interested to hear how it goes down over there. Have you seen any before? Funnily enough I’m watching season “L” on BBC iPlayer as I type. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/3 "2015-02-02T22:23:09Z")
Yippee! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/4 "2015-02-02T22:27:52Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > I’ll be interested to hear how it goes down over there. Have you seen any before? > > Funnily enough I’m watching season “L” on BBC iPlayer as I type. I’ve watched the entire series on Youtube. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/5 "2015-02-02T22:49:26Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > I’ll be interested to hear how it goes down over there. Have you seen any before? > > Funnily enough I’m watching season “L” on BBC iPlayer as I type. Like **Mahaloth** I’ve watched almost the entirety of the show on Youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/6 "2015-02-02T23:16:29Z")
Oboyoboyoboy! I love it, but with my poor hearing I have trouble following it. Huzzah for subtitles! ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/7 "2015-02-02T23:17:39Z")
Good news: yay! Bad news: I bet it’s not the XL so I will still have to YouTube them. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/8 "2015-02-03T02:20:34Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ve watched the entire series on Youtube. Me too. They say of the Acropolis, where the Parthenon is… ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/9 "2015-02-03T05:36:30Z")
What do they say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is? ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/10 "2015-02-03T12:55:04Z")
_“fight, fight, fight, fight…!”_ I’ve also watched the entire series on youtube. Once I discovered it I could not stop. Eventually I decided to start from the pilot and go through it in sequence, and I’ve recently pulled back somewhere near the end of series K because I just can’t bear to run out of episodes and be forced to wait for the next one. (I’ve since done the exact same thing with WILTY and I’m in desperate need of another British panel show that grabs me this way). Interestingly just yesterday I was listening to Simon Amstell on WTF with Marc Maron and they briefly discussed Never Mind the Buzzcocks which Maron actually hosted for a brief time in an attempt to bring it to the US. Maron basically admitted he didn’t get the format (specifically he couldn’t get his mind around a game show where there are no real stakes). Somehow this made me wonder if there’s something there in his view that’s generalizable to the US audience. I dunno. I’m an American who’s totally in love with the panel show format in general, but I can imagine it just not catching on in the US for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/11 "2015-02-03T14:43:35Z")
But in the US, we have _Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!_, which is scored, but no one really cares about the score. So I see no reason why something like _Never Mind the Buzzcocks_ or _QI_ couldn’t make it here. Now, _QI_ is pretty highbrow, so I doubt an American version would work. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/12 "2015-02-03T15:33:20Z")
Very excited that it’s coming to the US. Unfortunately none of my friends have cable so I can’t make them watch it but I did recommend it to my parents, who seem quite intrigued. My dad asked if I could remember any questions from the show and while I literally watch it every week I just couldn’t remember anything. But then I explained that sometimes answers change between series and sometimes there is one moon and sometimes more. 🙂 I am slightly disappointed that they are starting with the J series. I sort of feel like it’s gotten more loose as the series goes on. While it’s still immensely enjoyable it seems like it would not be as enjoyable now for someone just coming in as it would be for someone who has experienced the entire series. Now it seems like there’s a lot more gab and science experiments than there used to be. Used to be more questions and quips. So, I hope they start throwing old series up there as soon as possible! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/13 "2015-02-03T15:36:16Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But in the US, we have _Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!_, which is scored, but no one really cares about the score. So I see no reason why something like _Never Mind the Buzzcocks_ or _QI_ couldn’t make it here. Now, _QI_ is pretty highbrow, so I doubt an American version would work. Well… they talk about complicated subjects. I don’t think I’d call it highbrow. And all to the better! ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/14 "2015-02-03T16:16:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But in the US, we have _Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!_, which is scored, but no one really cares about the score. So I see no reason why something like _Never Mind the Buzzcocks_ or _QI_ couldn’t make it here. Now, _QI_ is pretty highbrow, so I doubt an American version would work. Well the NPR audience is different from the mainstream TV viewing audience. And they apparently _did_ try NMtB and it failed after a few episodes (though I never saw it and of course it could’ve failed for any number of reasons). On the other hand Whose Line is it Anyway worked which is sorta in the same genre. I’m hopeful in any case. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/15 "2015-02-03T17:27:10Z")
I don’t have cable or satellite, so I guess I’ll keep watching it on YouTube. God bless Nick from Fulham! My wife bought me a season on DVD, but the region or some damned thing won’t let me play it on my DVD machine. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/16 "2015-02-03T18:41:08Z")
Sounds fun! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/17 "2015-02-03T19:57:46Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > (I’ve since done the exact same thing with WILTY and I’m in desperate need of another British panel show that grabs me this way). I’ve enjoyed _Mock the Week_ and _8 out of 10 Cats_. Also _The Unbelievable Truth_, if you don’t mind radio programs. > [@](#): > > Interestingly just yesterday I was listening to Simon Amstell on WTF with Marc Maron and they briefly discussed Never Mind the Buzzcocks which Maron actually hosted for a brief time in an attempt to bring it to the US. Maron basically admitted he didn’t get the format (specifically he couldn’t get his mind around a game show where there are no real stakes). Somehow this made me wonder if there’s something there in his view that’s generalizable to the US audience. I dunno. I’m an American who’s totally in love with the panel show format in general, but I can imagine it just not catching on in the US for some reason. Jimmy Carr was a guest on Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist podcase a year or two back, and Chris mentioned that he’d tried to pitch some panel format shows to US networks, and the suits had exactly the same problem with the idea of a game show with no prizes and no real winners. He must have found someone who gets the concept, though, since he just got an Emmy for _@midnight_. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/18 "2015-02-03T21:42:45Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’ve enjoyed _Mock the Week_ and _8 out of 10 Cats_. Also _The Unbelievable Truth_, if you don’t mind radio programs. Couldn’t really get into MtW. Too UK-centric for me to get many of the references. I like 8 out of 10 Cats. I totally eat up podcasts like candy, but from a quick search is The Unbelievable Truth _not_ available as a podcast? ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/19 "2015-02-03T23:19:25Z")
> [@Moe](#): > > Couldn’t really get into MtW. Too UK-centric for me to get many of the references. I like 8 out of 10 Cats. I totally eat up podcasts like candy, but from a quick search is The Unbelievable Truth _not_ available as a podcast? I listen to it via the TuneIn Radio app (which I don’t much like, TBH, but haven’t come across a workable alternative yet) or on YouTube, where they’re regularly uploaded by aforementioned hero, NickFromFulham. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643/20 "2015-02-04T02:55:03Z")
I love QI but I am afraid that it would be censored and bleeped so much for American audiences that it would be pretty much meaningless and unfunny. Bob [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-i-coming-to-bbc-america/711643.md?page=2)