# There's a ventriloquist on QI this week **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725 "2011-10-15T10:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/1 "2011-10-15T10:17:31Z")
There isn’t enough :rolleyes: in the world. They’re as bad as mimes. A mime would be quiet though. They’re worse than mimes. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/2 "2011-10-15T10:42:07Z")
First answer. Gottle o’ gear. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/3 "2011-10-15T13:30:55Z")
Have you ever heard of Terry Fator? Granted he’s the only ventriloquist who should be allowed to perform. But no mimes can be tolerated. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/4 "2011-10-15T14:02:51Z")
I watched it last night. It was hilarious; even more so than usual. Stephen Fry had given the other guests - Alan Davis, Bill Bailey and Sean Lock - dummies to play with. The actual ventriloquist, [Nina Conti](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Conti) was suitably amusing too with her Scottish Granny doll. [Link](http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/p00kzvr8/qi_ventriloquist_dummies/). ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/5 "2011-10-15T14:05:05Z")
The ventriloqiust didn’t add much. However, once they handed dummies to the _actual_ comedians, it got hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/6 "2011-10-17T05:43:51Z")
For me it would have been a lot more interesting without Granny. It just seemed too much like an act rather than a panel show. I’ve only watched the XL version though so I don’t know what was edited out for the regular show. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/7 "2011-10-17T05:50:43Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > It just seemed too much like an act rather than a panel show. I really am not a fan of ventriloquists, and she was not especially good at it, let alone funny. The subject was inventions and innovation, which should’ve been filled with fascinating facts, but they were overshadowed by the messing about. Sometimes I don’t mind, but this time it ruined it for me. It really wasn’t a good episode. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/8 "2011-10-17T06:05:20Z")
It had its moments. “Pussy hound… is that like a liger?” ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/9 "2011-10-17T06:14:51Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#): > > I watched it last night. It was hilarious; even more so than usual. Stephen Fry had given the other guests - Alan Davis, Bill Bailey and Sean Lock - dummies to play with. The actual ventriloquist, [Nina Conti](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Conti) was suitably amusing too with her Scottish Granny doll. [Link](http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/p00kzvr8/qi_ventriloquist_dummies/). I enjoyed it too, especially since the other panelists seemed to be enjoying it so much. In particular, Alan Davies has seemed a bit disengaged from the show so far this season, and it was fun to see him really getting back into it again. Looking forward to the XL version to see what else happened! (I have no particular enthusiasm for ventriloquists but I’m surprised to see them automatically lumped in with mimes as a popular stereotype of enjoyment-destroying unfunniness. That must be a new development in popular stereotypes since I last ran across ventriloquism in the _Zeitgeist_. I mean, hell, Edgar and Charlie even got a stamp in their honor.) ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/10 "2011-10-17T06:50:21Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > There isn’t enough :rolleyes: in the world. They’re as bad as mimes. A mime would be quiet though. They’re worse than mimes. > > That is all. I keel you! ---
**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:** [October 18, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/11 "2011-10-18T01:57:58Z")
Watching it now. Wow, this is bad. I am looking forward to it getting better, though. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/12 "2011-10-18T02:21:20Z")
I think there were good parts, but they weren’t the ventriloquism-centric. Don’t get me wrong, I like that they’re trying more new panelists this series, but I guess they can’t all be winners. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/13 "2011-10-18T03:01:30Z")
Well, it sucked, but only compared to good QI. It was OK TV in general. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/14 "2011-10-18T08:52:08Z")
To be honest, I much preferred her as a guest to John Bishop the other week (who is the least funny man on British TV, if you ask me). ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/15 "2011-10-18T09:18:56Z")
Hmmm…I turned it off after about 10 minutes. Did it get better? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/16 "2011-10-18T10:12:22Z")
It’s a shame, because Nina Conti’s ventriloquism standup act is actually pretty good - not to mention [disturbing and obscene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL7O9O3M1pI). ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/17 "2011-10-18T10:39:03Z")
I never thought there’d be a worse guest than John Sessions. Johnny Vegas came close, Sarah Millican came nowhere near, but we now have an outright new leader for Worst QI Guest Ever. The actual show, when focussed away from Nina/Gran had some funny moments though. ---
**Author:** ![spanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@spanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spanna)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/18 "2011-10-18T10:56:04Z")
On that showing I wouldn’t go to see her live One of the worst QI’s I’ve seen ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/19 "2011-10-18T11:13:14Z")
Well I liked her, although I thought it looked she wasn’t quite sure what the hell she was doing there as it’s not a normal gig for a ventriloquist. And please note that she and Granny scooped the top two places. I also like Sarah Millican but she’s on \*every freaking BBC show \*at the moment. Do they have to book comedians in block bookings covering every TV and radio show, or is she sleeping with Mark Thompson? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725/20 "2011-10-18T11:43:53Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Well I liked her, although I thought it looked she wasn’t quite sure what the hell she was doing there as it’s not a normal gig for a ventriloquist. And please note that she and Granny scooped the top two places. > > I also like Sarah Millican but she’s on \*every freaking BBC show \*at the moment. Do they have to book comedians in block bookings covering every TV and radio show, or is she sleeping with Mark Thompson? The scoring seems to have absolutely no correlation with how “Quite interesting” someone is. New guests invariably win regardless of contribution. Alan Davies, who 90%\* of the time is the best one on the panel, comes 4th (or 5th in the case of an extra guest/ the audience getting points) 95% of the time. \*Estimated figures. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-ventriloquist-on-qi-this-week/599725.md?page=2)