A special edition of QI will be performed live at the Canterbury campus on Monday 9 February 2015 to mark Kent's 50th anniversary celebrations.
Regular panellists Alan Davies, Sandi Toksvig, Jo Brand and Phill Jupitus will be taking part, as well as QI creator and producer John Lloyd. Completing the line-up will be the University’s Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre, Dr Oliver Double.
QI (or ‘Quite Interesting’) is a comedy game show whose guiding principle is that everything is interesting if looked at in the right way. The host poses a series of impossibly hard questions, and the panellists – while rarely knowing the right answer – are awarded points for providing interesting or amusing ones.
Launched in 2003, the show (currently airing on BBC2 on Fridays at 10pm) is watched all over the world and has spawned publications such as the ‘General Ignorance’ series, a ‘Museum of Curiosity’ radio show on BBC Radio 4 and weekly podcasts by QI Elves (or researchers).
All profits from ticket sales for the ‘QI Live at Kent’ show will go towards the Kent Opportunity Fund, which supports scholarships and projects for students’ extracurricular activities and bursaries for students in financial hardship.
Producer John Lloyd said: ‘I genuinely can’t wait to put this on. We’ve got an unbeatable line-up of panellists, a fabulous venue, the whole QI research team behind us and it’s all for an excellent cause. What’s not to get excited about? It’s going to be an absolute hoot.’
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Mander commented: ‘We’re delighted to host a special performance of such a popular show– especially as all the panellists have a strong connection with the University. It promises to be an entertaining, informative evening for everyone involved, with the money we raise going towards the Kent Opportunity Fund.’
‘QI Live at Kent’ will take place from 7pm to 8.30pm. Seats in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall have sold out but you can still see this exciting event by joining a special live screening show in the Woolf Lecture Theatre, with tickets priced £10 each. In addition, tickets for an exclusive after-show buffet are available, priced £20 per person. Book in person from Gulbenkian Box Office or online at: www.thegulbenkian.co.uk.