No L QI


No L

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Transcript


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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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Goooood evening, good evening, good evening, good evening, good

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evening, good evening, good evening, good evening and welcome to QI.

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As you may have noticed, if you've been paying attention,

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the rest of the series has been devoted to the letter L.

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But tonight's an exception, because it's No-L.

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GROANS

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Let's look at my lovely decorations. A big bauble, Bill Bailey.

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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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A big...?

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A jolly cracker, Jimmy Carr.

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-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-I'm happy with that.

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A Christmas fairy, no less than Carrie Fisher.

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Yeah!

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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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And either my chocolate log has melted,

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or the reindeer have diarrhoea, Alan Davies.

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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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There's no need for that!

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There is no need.

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Let's hear their jingle bells. Bill goes...

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# Ding dong merrily on high

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# In heav'n the bells are ringing. #

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Jimmy goes...

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MUSIC: Troika From Lieutenant Kije-Suite, Op. 60 by London Symphony Orchestra & Andre Previn

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Oh, that sleighs me. And Carrie goes...

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-Audience: Aw!

-Thank you.

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MUSIC: Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes

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Phil Spector's still in prison. And Alan goes...

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# Silent night

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# Holy.... BARKING

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RINGING

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# Ding dong merrily on high... #

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RINGING

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BELLS RING

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BIG BEN CHIMES

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Now, I've got a little something for each of you under this tree.

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Isn't that lovely? But first, can you tell me what's special,

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indeed unique, about this tree?

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Can you see it? There you are.

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-It's small.

-It's small.

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-Imperfectly formed.

-Imperfectly formed.

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Is it a vintage one?

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-It is, it's been valued by Christie's.

-Oh.

-Uh-oh.

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-Oh, hello. Is it a Christie-mas tree?

-Hey, hey.

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APPLAUSE

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I'm playing the... I'm playing the joker!

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-It doesn't quite work as lavatorial, but you're on fire.

-Ah, thank you.

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When you say it was valued by Christie's, that sounds very

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impressive, but maybe they went, "That's worth a pound."

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Four-figure sum.

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-Four-figure sum.

-10.99.

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-Does it belong to someone famous?

-No.

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Has it... Is it one of these things that's been to the moon?

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No, it hasn't. These are all good answers.

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-Yeah.

-Really?

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You don't know the kind of answers they usually give.

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Oh, great answer.

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-Jesus' personal tree.

-Jesus' personal tree, no.

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Was that what the gold, frankincense and myrrh was under?

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Somebody kind of suggested it earlier on, and that's to do with its age.

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It's the oldest Christmas tree.

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-Oldest what Christmas tree?

-Oldest one in the room?

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-Fake.

-Fake. Oh.

-An artificial tree.

-A tinsel...

-It's the first...

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The original artificial tree.

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-It's the first ever. It's in the Guinness Book of Records.

-Wow.

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Christie's have validated it, it was bought for sixpence,

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that's 6d, which is two and a half pence, in 1886.

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-What?!

-Yeah.

-This particular one?

-This actual one.

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And someone made note of that so that we can now...?

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It's been in the same family, that's how we know.

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And they keep all their receipts.

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-It was bought by Lou Hicks and her great-great-niece, Janet...

-Oh, Auntie Lou.

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There's Lou Hicks on the left, and her great-great-niece, Janet.

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She died in 2008, and her son, Paul Parker,

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who's a mathematician, from Bath, is here in the audience.

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Paul, hello.

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APPLAUSE

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Oh, my God!

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-Paul, you grew up with this Christmas tree?

-That's right.

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-Who took it to Christie's, was that your mother?

-That's right.

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And what value did they put on it?

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They put a value of about 1,000 on it,

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but the thing is, it's anyone's guess, because it's unique.

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If you're watching,

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if you give your address, there may be a burglar watching.

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-No, that would be, that would be irresponsible.

-Bound to be some burglars watching.

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Yeah.

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-Odds are...

-Chances are...

-Yeah.

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APPLAUSE

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You have Christmas trees in America, obviously.

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I have a year-round Christmas tree, actually.

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-Well, you have a house that is just the most...

-It's year-round also.

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It is bizarre, it is the most bizarre... An extraordinary house.

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My house is 100 years old!

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-And in America that's like prehistoric.

-Wow.

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So... But Bette Davis lived there, and Robert Armstrong,

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-who was in King Kong.

-Yeah, and your mother lives there, Debbie Reynolds.

-We're neighbours.

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She lives in your garage, let's be honest.

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-I'm using the American pronunciation of "garage".

-Some nights, yes.

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-Debbie Reynolds was in Singin' In The Rain.

-She was?

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Did she never tell you that?

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She doesn't come up, no.

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-No. How old was she...

-I can't stop thinking about it.

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She was 19 years old. You'd better stop thinking about it.

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-She was 19 in that film?

-Yeah.

-What were you doing when you were 19?

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-Nothing, that's right.

-Yes.

-I was...

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She says that Gene Kelly rehearsed until her feet bled.

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Yes, and she also said that Gene Kelly French-kissed her

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and she vomited.

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-During? During or after?

-So romantic. Yeah.

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-Was that part of the film?

-No.

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-That's in the blooper reel at the end.

-Oh.

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They did not... Donald O'Connor

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-and my mother were not wild about Gene Kelly.

-No.

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-Oh, wow. I love this, more of this.

-It's great.

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Well, but apparently he's not a good kisser

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and he didn't have a good sense of humour...

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But was Donald O'Connor nice? Was Donald O'Connor a nice chap?

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Yes, he was great.

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Because he's... I love him.

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What's...what's Chewbacca like?

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MAKES CHEWBACCA GROWL

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MAKES CHEWBACCA GROWL

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-He also...

-Try and ignore Stephen.

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-AS HARRISON FORD:

-"Laugh it up, fuzzball!"

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You must get this everywhere you go, you're going to get it everywhere.

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I've gotten used to it, you know. It'll take a couple

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of minutes for the navi computer to calculate the coordinates.

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Yes. No, that's exactly it.

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That wasn't even my line and I get... We all started saying those things.

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You started to say it, that's right. For the jump into hyperspace. And it goes...

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MAKES CHEWBACCA NOISE

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I remember you with Harrison Ford where

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he said he had a problem with the dialogue.

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-He said, "You can write this stuff, but you can't say it."

-You can type it.

-You can type it.

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It's very specific. Yeah, no, you cannot say...

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"I have placed a couple..."

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I can't say mine. "I've placed a couple..." No, no, I can't remember it.

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Come on, come on, come on.

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What is that, what is that speech that I did?

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-You'd know it.

-I'll tell you what we've done, we've brought 300 nerds.

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Look that way.

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Oh, I know. "I've placed information vital to the

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"survival of the rebellion into the memory system of this R2 unit.

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"My father will know how to retrieve it."

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-That's it!

-Control, alt, delete.

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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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"But can you explain to me, please, why is it that C-3PO can speak two

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"billion languages but not English without a proper intonation?"

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-It's all up here.

-"It's so wrong, all the way he talks."

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Anyway, we've to thank, of course, Paul, for his fantastic, trusting

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nature, in letting us look after his exceptionally valuable tree.

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The oldest artificial tree in the world. Authenticated.

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Thank you, Paul.

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APPLAUSE

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Now you'll notice...

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You'll notice that like any tree, it has presents around it. Carrie, I have a present for you.

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And I want to know which imperial princess was responsible for it.

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So you can open it, literally on camera.

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It's from an imperial princess.

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Well, see, I've taken my glasses. Does...

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-Do you want... You can put your glasses on for this moment, if it really...

-Thank you.

-Ah, poor you.

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I've no idea where I am. Oh!

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I thought we were alone!

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All right.

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Oh!

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Can you see the picture of it there? We've got a video slide, so...

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M&Ms?

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-The original tin.

-Shall I open it now?

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The original tin. The oldest M&M tin in the world.

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Do you want to show the audience what you've got there?

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"With our best wishes for Christmas 1914.

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"May God protect you

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"and bring you home safe."

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So what could that be, Christmas 1914, 100 years ago?

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Are these care packages sent to the troops?

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They are indeed. On the left, she's less well known than...

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The guy on the right was George the...?

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You aren't to know, it's not your business.

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You think of George the Tyrant before George III.

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-No, George Lucas.

-Yeah, George Lucas!

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I stand by what I said, George the Tyrant.

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No, I'm sure he was a darling.

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That's George V, as it happens, who looks exactly like his cousin,

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-Nicholas of Russia, who was killed by Lenin.

-Right.

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Well, not personally. And his daughter, Mary,

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wanted to send the troops at the front a present.

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She wanted to pay for it herself, out of her own allowance, to send

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all the troops at the front a brass box with a Christmas card, signed

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-by her mother and her father, George RI, Rex Imperator, King Emperor.

-Oh.

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And there was tobacco for those who smoked pipes

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and cigarettes for those who smoked cigarettes. And there were sweets

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and spices for those who were in the Indian army. Sweets and, rather

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unpleasantly, a silver pencil in the shape of a bullet, for boys who

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were not old enough to smoke, and for those who were non-combatants.

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Do they have this, like, in a museum somewhere, of the...?

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Well, its rarity is not enormous, because originally

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she wanted everyone of the British Empire's armed services

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afloat or at the front to have this present at Christmas.

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And that was 355,000 boxes successfully

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delivered by the deadline.

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But then the eligibility was extended to include everybody

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who was wearing the King's uniform on Christmas Day in 1914.

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Which is a huge increase. Which was 2,620,019 servicemen.

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-That's a lot of uniforms.

-A lot of uniforms, but a lot of brass.

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-So there was a brass shortage.

-Buttons, a lot of buttons.

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Well, yeah, buttons, of course, but the actual box that Carrie's got

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is made of brass, so they had to make over two million of them,

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-and there was a brass shortage, and...

-Oh!

-Yeah.

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Also there was a war on.

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And there was a war on, so brass was needed for the casing of bullets and for other things.

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There was a huge extra order of brass made from America

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and Canada, and one of the largest consignments was the Lusitania,

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which was sunk.

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So that held up production of these boxes.

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Now, here's a rather more individual present.

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What did St Bernard get from the Virgin Mary that wasn't

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just for Christmas?

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Er, a St Bernard dog, I'm going to say.

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Come on! KLAXON

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Oh!

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-KLAXON

-It's actually rather weirder.

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And with all the deepest respect to the Romish church,

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it's not untypical of some of their oddest moments of saint worship.

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-Oh...

-She was a virgin, if we accept that she was a virgin, and gave birth.

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It seems a bit unbelievable now, doesn't it?

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I believe in miracles, you sexy thing...

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-..you may remember was a line from Hot Chocolate.

-Fine.

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-You can't make hot chocolate without...? Chocolate and...?

-Milk.

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-Milk.

-And a kettle.

-Milk.

-Milk.

-Milk.

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She's a virgin, she's given birth.

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-Oh, she gave him milk.

-Breast milk.

-She lactated right into his mouth.

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But she was a virgin.

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-And there was a painter present!

-Wow!

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-She's a hell of an aim.

-Look at that!

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-What a shot.

-Phewee.

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And the milk is supposed to represent...wisdom.

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Wait a second. I just want to get this as a Christmas card.

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APPLAUSE

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Stay where you are, stay where you are.

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-Lovely, thank you very much.

-Add that to your photos.

-Christmas sorted.

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I mean, you know, next Christmas.

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She's giving a gift to the priest?

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He's not a priest, he's got the halo, that strange little spinning disc about him,

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-which means that he's already been sanctified. He's a saint.

-Ah.

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Why is he dressed as a Jedi Knight then?

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They were basically a prophecy of what was to come, the saints.

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-There will come after us...

-A movie...

-A movie, exactly.

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-..that you'll want...

-A franchise.

-A franchise.

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Mass merchandising.

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Any old way. That's St Bernard. He was pretty odd.

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But there were other opportunities that painters had to paint breasts.

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Because the painters were pretty limited, they wanted to paint

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religious paintings. You couldn't get that sexy with Christianity.

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-This was one example where you could.

-I was going to say.

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Well, that, exactly. And then there was of course a myth. Whoo!

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And this is a peculiar myth, because it gets weird.

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-It doesn't look like the milk is really doing him any good.

-Well, no.

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-I'm just saying.

-No, you're right.

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Rubens, Vermeer and Caravaggio,

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three of the greatest names in all art, all painted

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the legend of Roman Charity, as it was called, Caritas Romana, which

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was a fashionable theme for painters in the 17th and 18th century.

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And it tells the story of Chi-mon, or Cee-mon, C-I-M-O-N,

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who was sentenced to death by starvation.

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And he's visited in prison and secretly breast-fed by Pero,

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-his daughter.

-Ugh.

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AUDIENCE GROANS

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-Yeah.

-Well, that's a bit creepy.

-It is a bit.

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Although, could be worse, you could have got off with your brother.

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-APPLAUSE

-Just saying.

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I hope you're not feeling bullied, Carrie.

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-Not at all. This is...

-You know

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how much into every single cell of our body your work is stitched.

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This is actually a scene cut from Star Wars,

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where...

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..Leia breast-feeds a Wookiee.

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MAKES WOOKIEE NOISE

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So, St Bernard's Christmas tipple was the Virgin Mary's nipple.

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Now, let's have a look under the Tannenbaum for another present.

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And it's Bill's turn.

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Oh, my goodness, Bill, you'll be so excited.

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Here you go, can you pass that to Bill?

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A lot of men like getting tools for Christmas, don't they, Bill?

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Where are you going with this? Come on.

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No, your present is the most popular tool ever made.

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Oh, Piers Morgan.

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-All right, let's see your tool.

-OK.

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Yeah, Bill, let's see your tool.

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I'm really looking forward to this tool,

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and it's been beautifully wrapped as well, with a snowflake design and...

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Don't, oh, no, don't do that!

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No, we have to save that for a present for next year.

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-Whoo ho, ho, ho!

-Put your tongue in?

-Do you know what that is?

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-It's only a flipping stone axe.

-Yeah.

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Head, isn't it? Or a...

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-It is a genuinely ancient...

-A flint.

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Not even made by a human being, made before we were a species.

0:15:380:15:41

Wow! By some sort of early hominid.

0:15:410:15:43

-Exactly.

-Homo...erectus?

-Erectus is exactly right.

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-Homo erectus.

-So this is a stone cutting tool, some sort of axe?

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Yes. It's called an axe, but you're right, it's a cutting tool.

0:15:510:15:54

It's certainly not for stabbing, it's for cutting.

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-That is a beautiful...

-It is absolutely gorgeous.

-That is amazing.

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They're called Acheulean, or Acheu-layin.

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Yeah, they... Is it working?

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-It's really good for anything.

-No, it doesn't work.

-It's good for chopping garlic.

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Oh, yeah, garlic, yes. Actually, yeah, go on.

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BANGING

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Oh, look at that.

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APPLAUSE

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It's unfortunate...that they didn't invent cardboard for another

0:16:180:16:21

-5,000 years.

-Yeah, they had to wait for cardboard, you're right.

0:16:210:16:25

-Do you know what, I love this, thank you.

-Oh, I'm really pleased.

-I love it.

0:16:250:16:28

-I thought you might. It is...

-I will treasure it always.

0:16:280:16:31

That's a Mode 2, a more sophisticated one.

0:16:310:16:33

The Mode 1 was called Oldowan, from the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania,

0:16:330:16:37

which is where all the hominids started,

0:16:370:16:40

although similar hand axes have been found in Clacton, in Essex

0:16:400:16:43

-which originate from about...

-The '70s.

-20 years ago, exactly.

0:16:430:16:48

MAKES CHEWBACCA NOISES

0:16:480:16:51

We're talking about a people who bleach their anuses

0:16:510:16:53

and they're very sophisticated.

0:16:530:16:56

-Have you not watched TOWIE?

-No.

0:16:560:16:58

Oh, yes. No, I have watched that, yes.

0:16:580:17:00

-They do bleach or...

-They bleach their anuses.

-They do.

-What is it?

0:17:000:17:03

-Anus bleaching is a popular thing amongst...

-Yeah.

0:17:030:17:06

-Amongst what?

-It's so you don't have a rusty sheriff's badge.

-Oh!

0:17:060:17:11

Argh! Alan Davies!

0:17:110:17:14

Alan Davies. Merry Christmas, everyone! Merry Christmas, everybody!

0:17:140:17:17

-Merry Christmas!

-Hey!

-Merry Christmas!

0:17:170:17:20

# Wants me for a sunbeam... #

0:17:210:17:25

-Gather round the fire.

-When I said Homo erectus...

0:17:250:17:29

We all know what Alan's an anagram of anyway. So...

0:17:310:17:35

-Yeah, Nala.

-Nala, yeah, Nala.

0:17:350:17:38

An old Peruvian Inca word for anus.

0:17:380:17:41

All right, moving on.

0:17:430:17:44

Everyone likes a little luxury at Christmas, but what little

0:17:440:17:47

luxury did the Sybarites bring along to dinner parties?

0:17:470:17:50

-Ferrero Rocher.

-Ferrero...

-Oooh!!!

0:17:500:17:53

KLAXON

0:17:530:17:55

APPLAUSE

0:17:550:17:58

Pleased with that one.

0:18:030:18:05

There we are. You've heard the word sybaritic, I'm sure,

0:18:050:18:08

meaning luxury-loving,

0:18:080:18:10

hedonistic, lotus-eating sybaritic lifestyle.

0:18:100:18:13

-Luxury-loving.

-Luxury-loving. Yeah.

-OK.

0:18:130:18:16

A very L word. So they're very known for that.

0:18:160:18:18

You can see elephants, there's a camel,

0:18:180:18:20

they're all the signs of luxury. Gold, drinking...

0:18:200:18:24

All the signs of luxury. We live very different lives.

0:18:240:18:26

Elephants, camels, you know.

0:18:260:18:28

If you came from southern Italy, which is where they came from,

0:18:280:18:31

these were exotic, very expensive and very amazing things.

0:18:310:18:35

Would it be spice, would it be salt?

0:18:350:18:37

-No, it was actually chamberpots.

-No!

-Yes.

0:18:370:18:41

They gave the world chamberpots. Because they so loved dining,

0:18:410:18:44

they wanted not to have to leave in order to poo and pee.

0:18:440:18:48

So they invented something you could poo and pee into while eating.

0:18:480:18:51

-Oh!

-And then presumably someone would...

0:18:510:18:53

Someone else would take it and bring back a clean one.

0:18:530:18:55

They invented the person that would take it away.

0:18:550:18:58

They also invented the... They had slavery, I'm afraid.

0:18:580:19:01

They were a Greek peoples, who lived in southern Italy,

0:19:010:19:03

known for their luxury-loving lifestyle.

0:19:030:19:05

Also, one of their greatest and most luxuriant leaders,

0:19:050:19:10

Smyndirides, was said to be so,

0:19:100:19:12

so in love with luxury that he slept on rose petals and could tell

0:19:120:19:17

and was not able to sleep if one of the rose petals was folded over.

0:19:170:19:21

-Oh!

-What a big girl.

0:19:210:19:23

You're not going to take that, are you?

0:19:240:19:26

-I'm not going to take that.

-There, you see.

0:19:260:19:28

-I'm going to bleach your anus!

-Ho, ho, ho!

0:19:280:19:31

APPLAUSE Yes!

0:19:310:19:33

Help me, someone...

0:19:340:19:36

-So they... So yeah. So...

-"I'm going to bleach your anus!"

0:19:360:19:39

So, despite their reputation for luxury,

0:19:390:19:42

the Sybarites' most lasting invention was the chamberpot.

0:19:420:19:44

I can't resist another peek under the tree.

0:19:440:19:46

Jimmy, there's a present for you, of course there is.

0:19:460:19:49

-Oops-a-daisy, I nearly broke the most valuable Christmas tree in the world.

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

0:19:490:19:53

-Holy moly, Paul! Paul!

-Oh! The thing is, though...

0:19:540:19:58

Paul... Paul's got his hand to his mouth.

0:19:580:20:00

Go to a break!

0:20:000:20:03

You spoilt Christmas!

0:20:030:20:04

It's not my fault, it was leaning on the present.

0:20:040:20:07

Paul, are you OK?

0:20:070:20:08

# It's beginning to look a lot like disaster... #

0:20:080:20:13

Paul, at least you can say Princess Leia has handled it.

0:20:140:20:17

Could you pass that to Jimmy?

0:20:190:20:21

Jimmy, open your present, it's very exciting.

0:20:210:20:24

Yeah, that...

0:20:240:20:25

Now...

0:20:250:20:27

Well, you...

0:20:270:20:28

What I'm going to ask you to do is stand up,

0:20:280:20:30

and if you can, on a box, or at least as high as you can.

0:20:300:20:32

Well, I didn't get you anything and I think my gift's better.

0:20:320:20:36

No.

0:20:360:20:37

You know the principle of siphoning liquid,

0:20:370:20:40

where you put a tube into a petrol tank and you slightly suck

0:20:400:20:43

and then it's got to be higher than the bucket that you siphon into.

0:20:430:20:46

-Sure.

-You can siphon a chain.

0:20:460:20:48

So stand as high as you can.

0:20:480:20:50

And you see there's an end coming out of the beaker.

0:20:500:20:52

-As high as I can, hang on.

-Out of the cup.

0:20:520:20:54

Shall I go on the desk?

0:20:540:20:55

-If you feel comfortable on the desk, that's great.

-Yeah, why not?

0:20:550:20:58

And if you could just jerk out the...the leading...

0:20:580:21:00

LAUGHTER

0:21:000:21:02

Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!

0:21:020:21:04

Stephen, just tell me what you need me to do.

0:21:040:21:06

Jerk it out?

0:21:060:21:07

Just jerk it out.

0:21:070:21:09

And with any luck you'll see a rather astonishing effect

0:21:090:21:12

-that seems to defy gravity, in the words of Wicked.

-So jerk that out.

0:21:120:21:15

Yeah, out, up and down. As high as you can.

0:21:150:21:17

Oh!

0:21:170:21:18

Wow!

0:21:180:21:20

-BILL:

-Look at that, that's amazing!

0:21:200:21:22

Dude!

0:21:220:21:23

It's going up, it's going up, it's going up.

0:21:230:21:26

Oh!

0:21:260:21:28

Oh, it's magic.

0:21:280:21:30

Whoo!

0:21:300:21:31

That's pretty impressive.

0:21:350:21:38

And that's actual magic?

0:21:380:21:40

That is, isn't it? It's the magic of science.

0:21:400:21:42

-That was fantastic.

-That's incredible.

0:21:420:21:44

What's lovely about that, and we love this particularly on QI, is

0:21:440:21:46

that it's a phenomenon that's only recently been discovered, in 2013.

0:21:460:21:50

Because the beads are close together they act as

0:21:500:21:52

if they were a sequence of little rods, rising out of the pod.

0:21:520:21:55

It tries to rotate around its centre of gravity, but it can't,

0:21:550:21:57

because the bottom of the pod is in the way

0:21:570:22:00

and so it has nowhere to go but upwards.

0:22:000:22:02

At least that's the scientific explanation.

0:22:020:22:04

That's in real time, that's not speeded up.

0:22:040:22:06

It's quite astonishing.

0:22:060:22:07

I thought mine was special, there's another one.

0:22:070:22:10

I thought mine was enchanted.

0:22:100:22:11

The beautiful thing is, everyone now can give it to their children.

0:22:110:22:15

That's the thing, you see?

0:22:150:22:17

Now to that evergreen highlight of Christmas telly,

0:22:170:22:19

it's not A Wonderful Life, it's General Ignorance.

0:22:190:22:22

And there's no Great Escape. Fingers on buzzers, please.

0:22:220:22:25

And so, when should you take down your Christmas decorations?

0:22:250:22:28

BELLS, BARKS AND SILENT NIGHT

0:22:280:22:31

January the sixth.

0:22:310:22:33

January the sixth?

0:22:330:22:35

KLAXON BLARES

0:22:350:22:36

Oh, dear!

0:22:360:22:37

I think it's...

0:22:370:22:39

-What?

-I think it's after the first fight on Christmas morning, you go,

0:22:390:22:43

"It's all ruined, it's over!"

0:22:430:22:45

12th Day.

0:22:450:22:47

-Well, the 12th day of Christmas.

-The 12th day of Christmas.

0:22:470:22:50

What is the 12th day of Christmas?

0:22:500:22:52

My true love gave to me...

0:22:520:22:53

January the sixth.

0:22:530:22:55

Some people think it's January the fifth.

0:22:550:22:58

No, well, you see, the tradition is that it's Candlemas Eve.

0:22:580:23:01

ALAN SIGHS

0:23:010:23:02

And Candlemas... You know.

0:23:020:23:04

It's the first of February. Candlemas Day is the second of February.

0:23:040:23:07

The whole idea is Christmas is a gigantic feast.

0:23:070:23:09

-The first of February?!

-Yeah. Christmas was a huge winter feast.

0:23:090:23:12

And you kept the holly and the ivy

0:23:120:23:14

and all your things up all the way through.

0:23:140:23:16

Nowadays we have central heating and things like that, we don't really think about how

0:23:160:23:20

amazing it was to have pickles and jams and preserves

0:23:200:23:23

and dried fruit and all the things that kept you through winter. And it was a great celebration.

0:23:230:23:27

So, Christmas was actually all the way from Martinmas,

0:23:270:23:30

which was 11th November, to Candlemas Eve.

0:23:300:23:32

But what, explain to the ladies and gentlemen,

0:23:320:23:35

because, you know, we know that there is a separation of church

0:23:350:23:38

and state in America, and what that means, of course,

0:23:380:23:40

is that Christmas Day is not a particularly special day.

0:23:400:23:43

It's illegal. In some states.

0:23:430:23:45

Inasmuch as that's a big day for people to go to the cinema,

0:23:450:23:48

-isn't it?

-Well, I don't think it's a special day any more

0:23:480:23:50

-and also stores are still open.

-That's what I mean.

0:23:500:23:53

That's the point, because in American law you can't have a

0:23:530:23:55

religious festival being a commercial holiday.

0:23:550:23:58

So all your holidays are secular.

0:23:580:24:00

It's a really interesting thing, though, it is quite a secular culture, America.

0:24:000:24:03

Although Americans,

0:24:030:24:04

over 60% believe that angels walk amongst us.

0:24:040:24:07

That's in America?

0:24:070:24:08

SHE LAUGHS

0:24:080:24:10

Why would they walk?

0:24:100:24:12

LAUGHTER

0:24:120:24:14

Hold on, hold on, are they cockney, these angels?

0:24:180:24:20

-COCKNEY VOICE:

-"Cor blimey, it's a right...it's a right result, this earth, isn't it?"

0:24:220:24:26

"Hello, Raphael."

0:24:260:24:28

"Hello, mate. How are you doing, all right?"

0:24:280:24:31

"Yeah. You're an archangel, you are."

0:24:310:24:33

"I'm infused with the holy spirit, I tell you what..."

0:24:330:24:36

"Fancy coming down and walking among them?"

0:24:360:24:38

Who makes up that test though?

0:24:380:24:40

Who even thinks up that question?

0:24:400:24:42

I know.

0:24:420:24:44

"Where is Copenhagen", for example, was asked to

0:24:440:24:46

a group of Americans and most of them thought it was in Canada.

0:24:460:24:49

You mean...it isn't?

0:24:490:24:53

No.

0:24:530:24:54

LAUGHTER

0:24:540:24:56

This is really such a shock to me.

0:25:000:25:03

Also, do you know where the rebel base is?

0:25:030:25:05

Will you tell us where the rebel base is?

0:25:050:25:08

In your pants, right there.

0:25:080:25:10

LAUGHTER

0:25:100:25:12

Hey! Whoo!

0:25:120:25:14

Ow!

0:25:160:25:18

That's why you have to keep it bleached.

0:25:180:25:20

That would be a great pair of underpants,

0:25:200:25:22

just have "Rebel Base" across there.

0:25:220:25:24

-On the waistband.

-They're patented...!

-Write that down.

0:25:240:25:28

"These are the pants you want."

0:25:280:25:30

Copyright Alan Davies. Yeah, well done.

0:25:300:25:33

So you can leave your Christmas decorations up

0:25:330:25:37

until the first of February, for all I care.

0:25:370:25:39

So, having reinstated the full 38 days of Christmas,

0:25:390:25:43

we now have plenty of time to mull over the scores, and my goodness me,

0:25:430:25:46

how fabulous they are.

0:25:460:25:48

In first place, with astonishing scoring, five points,

0:25:480:25:51

that's a plus five, Jimmy Carr.

0:25:510:25:53

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:25:530:25:55

Oh, yes!

0:25:550:25:57

Come on, five! Five points!

0:25:570:25:59

But imagine on your debut to have a plus score, plus three,

0:25:590:26:02

Carrie Fisher!

0:26:020:26:04

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:26:040:26:06

Three, brilliant. Three is a lot.

0:26:060:26:09

Bill, in third place with a respectable minus six.

0:26:090:26:11

Minus six!

0:26:110:26:13

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:26:130:26:15

There are only 40 days in advent,

0:26:190:26:21

but Alan manages minus 46!

0:26:210:26:23

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:26:230:26:25

It only remains for me to thank Carrie, Jimmy, Bill and, oh,

0:26:320:26:36

wait a second, wait a second,

0:26:360:26:38

there's one little boy here who still hasn't had a present.

0:26:380:26:41

ALL: Aw!

0:26:410:26:43

But here's Santa!

0:26:430:26:45

Hello, Santa!

0:26:450:26:46

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:26:460:26:47

So, Santa, what have you got for Alan?

0:26:490:26:53

Have a feel in Santa's sack, Alan.

0:26:530:26:55

What can you... Have a feel. What can you... What's in there?

0:26:560:26:59

Ping-pong balls.

0:26:590:27:01

Ping-pong balls.

0:27:010:27:02

I know a very exciting thing you can do with ping-pong balls,

0:27:020:27:05

but it's quite loud and quite dangerous.

0:27:050:27:07

So, can you all put your ear defenders on?

0:27:070:27:09

Look at Carrie's ear defenders.

0:27:090:27:11

Carrie's ear defenders are very special.

0:27:110:27:13

Ah, you don't know, but you got me through some very difficult years.

0:27:150:27:19

I only said that when you had the ear defenders on.

0:27:190:27:23

You go in a safe place. Jimmy, Carrie and Bill.

0:27:230:27:28

Sorry? What, what?

0:27:280:27:30

And ear defenders on in the audience, if you would.

0:27:300:27:32

Good luck!

0:27:320:27:33

Alan, you and I are going to the extremely dangerous place.

0:27:330:27:37

I mean kind of suicidal.

0:27:370:27:38

-So put the goggles on before the...

-Yeah, all right.

0:27:380:27:42

And I've got gloves, which you don't need to have.

0:27:420:27:45

Right, OK. So here we have the ping-pong balls.

0:27:450:27:47

We are going to pour in liquid nitrogen, which is

0:27:470:27:50

196 degrees...minus, that is.

0:27:500:27:53

Really, really cold. We're pouring it into this bottle.

0:27:530:27:56

And it's fine in the bottle,

0:27:560:27:58

but if you put it in really hot water, obviously this is gas,

0:27:580:28:02

which is in liquid form, and when it heats it'll go back to gas.

0:28:020:28:05

But there's so much of it, it'll expand and expand and expand

0:28:050:28:08

and the bottle will explode, really rather violently.

0:28:080:28:11

So, if you put it in, there's hot water in there,

0:28:110:28:14

we're going to add these ping-pong balls.

0:28:140:28:16

And the moment the bottle goes in... Alan, pop in yours, all of them.

0:28:160:28:20

And I'll pop in all of mine.

0:28:200:28:22

And then we've got about five seconds!

0:28:220:28:24

Wow, let's go.

0:28:240:28:26

Oh, gosh!

0:28:270:28:28

ALL: Whoo!

0:28:280:28:30

Oh!

0:28:300:28:32

It's snow!

0:28:320:28:33

Well, ladies and gentlemen...

0:28:350:28:39

That is just great.

0:28:390:28:42

That was genuinely like all our Christmases came at once.

0:28:420:28:46

Ding dong, merrily on high.

0:28:460:28:50

And a very happy Christmas to you all!

0:28:500:28:52

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:28:520:28:54

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