QI XL last night.

[Hilldodger]

Oh dear, yet another lazy tv researcher.

The Giraffe bicycle was NOT invented for lamplighters they were initially built for publicity stunts.

The Penny Farthing was NOT called an Ordinary until after the invention and success of the Safety bicycle.

The Dwarf Safety was NOT the first bicycle with equal size wheels and a rear chain drive.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

get a stern letter written…

(quite) interestingly the bike question was not on the original, shortened version of the show…

 

[montage]

Definately send a letter in with angry words written all over it

 

[justAl]

Since when has tv told the truth? Be peaceful with yourself knowing you are right!!

 

[Noodley]

tweet Fry

 

[Mr Pig]

I've got two of the QI books. They're funny, worth the read, but there are lots of mistakes in them. The 'researchers' obviously have a very shallow knowledge of the facts. You can't take these things too seriously, it's glorified pub banter.

I remember years ago talking to a friend about something that had been reported in the news papers that we knew was wrong and he said "Have you ever seen something in the papers that you know about that was reported correctly?". And he was right. I can't think of one. A guy I knew was killed at the Knebworth concert and I remember the papers reporting how distraught his girlfriend was. Except that the girl they named was going out with me at the time and he was going out with someone completely different! It's all just chewing gum.

 

[wafflycat]

Definately send a letter in with angry words written all over it

In green ink!

 

[Hilldodger]

I spoke with a BBC One Show researcher a while ago (I was being asked to travel to London at my own expense to appear on TV!) and I mentioned that the piece their so called Historian Dan Snow had done on Dunlop and the invention of the pneumatic tyre was largely bullshit.

She asked in a hurt voice "How do you know so much about the subject?"

I asked "Why have you just called me?"

"Because you were recommened to me as a cycling historian with a good knowledge of the subject"

Guess who had 'researched' the Dunlop piece.

However they had little interest in broadcasting the truth.

 

[Mr Pig]

I think the problem is that a lot of people do simply believe what they read, and perhaps to an even greater extent what they see on TV. I'm forever telling the kids that the people on TV and the people who write books are just normal human beings like them, and they all make mistakes.

It is worse though when, as Hilldodger says, they have little interest in getting it right. They either just want to produce something that looks good or puts across their personal point of view. Sadly I think most 'factual' media falls into one or the other category.

 

[jeltz]

I do remember that they took the pi$$ out of David Mitchell over errors made in his radio show "The Unbelievable Truth" so maybe sent the info to him instead

 

[Bman]

You have to start the letter with "Darling fascist bully boy,"

 

[skids]

The BBC have always come across to me as being very informative apart from the times their output has been regarding anything I know about.

 

[longers]

I'm going to watch this later and can shout at the telly if that'll help at all.

 

[philipbh]

I think the problem is that a lot of people do simply believe what they read, and perhaps to an even greater extent what they see on TV.

But wasn't this the original premise (one of?) that QI would provide the right answer (from thorough research, courtesy of the elves) - hence the Klaxon sounding when the "common knowledge" answer was proffered?

 

[Mr Pig]

But wasn't this the original premise, that QI would provide the right answer

I guess so, but then the news papers would have us believe that they too are conveyors of truth. But they're not.