Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry to take part in pub quiz for The One Show

He is the man with the questions as the quizmaster of BBC show QI, and tonight some Norwich pub-goers are hoping actor Stephen Fry will be the man with the answers as he joins them for a quiz in a city pub.

Stephen Fry on language and identity

The QI host explains his belief that language is what makes us individual.

Tonight's line-up of guests is terrific: the ridiculously hunky Hugh Jackman, the sainted Stephen Fry and the peerless Peter Kay. So make the most of them, Jonathan, get them all out at once, chatting together on the sofa.

That's what makes Graham Norton's show such fun; rather than having painful or strained little individual interviews, he just flings the guests together and watches as something wonderful emerges. Come on, who wants to see Fry flirt with Jackman? I do, I do.

Jackman, an action hero and a highly accomplished song-and-dance man, is in town to plug his new film, Real Steel, a shiny, butch-looking thing about boxing and robots. Fry is on the show just to be himself while Kay, whose staggeringly successful comedy career spawned a similarly staggeringly successful brace of jokey autobiographies, is here to talk about his new book.

Drawing a respectable 4.3 million viewers in its first episode, Jonathan Ross's new show has precisely the same format as his old one, minus the Four Poofs and a Piano. You can hardly blame ITV for not tinkering too much, though: even when Ross was in the grips of "Sachsgate", his show managed to attract decent audiences. Tonight the loud-mouthed presenter welcomes Stephen Fry, comedian Peter Kay and Australian actor Hugh Jackman, who'll be discussing his new big-budget sci-fi movie, Real Steel.

This week QI returned to its original home on BBC Two. As part of a special night devoted to the world's most interesting (and personally I think the greatest) panel game a documentary covering the making of the show was broadcast.

Speaking as someone who knows QI back-to-front and inside-out, I already knew about much of the information mentioned in the documentary, although to most viewers it did include stuff which will of no doubt be of interest. The fact, for example, Michael Palin was to be the original host (Stephen Fry and Alan Davies were going to be team captains, with Fry the head of the clever team and Davies head of the stupid team) and that two questions were created by reading an entire Albanian dictionary cover-to-cover is interesting.

However, there were some things that even I was surprised about. While I know that the show has popular demand, I didn't know that it was the TV show with the second biggest demand for tickets in Britain (after Top Gear), thus making it the most demanded comedy show in Britain. No wonder I've only been able to see one recording at the time of writing.

The main area of interest to me is the work carried out by the show's researchers or "Elves". For me, being a QI elf would be my dream job. Just trying to find anything that would be of interest, coming across a glorious chunk of information that hardly anyone else knows about, would be a joy to behold. That's why I spend so much time on the QI forums, trying to contribute information in the hope of recognition. One day maybe I'll get that job... one day... a man can dream.

Last night QI returned to BBC2 for another series of the incredibly intelligent quiz show hosted by the extremely knowledgeable Stephen Fry. Last night Mr Fry was joined by Lee Mack, Jimmy Carr, Sandi Toksvig and the ever-present Alan Davies. The subject was I-Spy.

To list the amount of interesting facts would take longer than watching the show itself and to list the amount of jokes, gags or hints of amusement would take almost as long. A few key points on last night's episode that ticked both boxes were the plastic mould of Einstein's face that tricks the mind and making the Queen happy or sad on a five pound note. Without giving it away I think you definitely have to watch the show in order to get the point of each.

QI is a very unique programme on the old telebox these days as it educates whilst entertaining. Maintaining the balance and keeping an audience who have flicked on for either is a tricky thing to master, but QI has mastered it with flying colours I do believe. I did learn a few things that I did not know before watching and I although most of it may be useless I do feel more confident going into next week's pub quiz.

Star of the show last night would have to go Lee Mack who isn't the cleverest of men, but is damn funny. Catch it on the iPlayer and expand your intelligence whilst having a chuckle.

The versatile Lee Mack pops up again here to bolster the return of QI - giving Alan Davies a run for his money in the dunderhead stakes, opposite the other team of Sandi Toksvig, Jimmy Carr and his very strange giggle.

Thanks to Stephen Fry, it's possible to learn more in a single episode of QI than in an entire year at school and tonight you'll come away with your head stuffed with generally useless but quite interesting facts about lobsters, insect matter, Ye Olde Pie Shoppes and one very unlucky chap nicknamed the Durable Mike Malloy.

There are some very cool optical illusions too, much semi-intelligent banter and a bizarre moment that inspires Sandi to gasp: "I never thought I'd see Einstein in that position."

After a flirtation with BBC1, QI is back for its 9th series and in its old slot. Expect the same blend of surrealism, wit and satire, thrilling and baffling in equal measure.

Stephen Fry hosts as the panellists aim to score as many points as possible by going off the beaten track to comic effect.

Sandi Toksvig, Lee Mack and Jimmy Carr star tonight.

Fans of the whimsical quiz show QI can look forward to a long night on the sofa tonight, with a run of four repeated episodes (the first of which is at 9.00pm) sandwiched around this jolly documentary about the making of the series. Featuring clips from the archives as well as interviews with Stephen Fry, Alan Davies, Jo Brand et al, it goes back to the genesis of the series - which was originally conceived as a radio show - and includes a rare glimpse of the bashful research team affectionately known as the "QI Elves".

Stephen Fry: 100 Greatest Gadgets

On Bank Holiday Monday Channel 4 are screening one of those '100 top' programmes they like to make and this year I had the pleasure of being allowed to choose my 100 favourite gadgets.