Notes on Audience Pleasures In QI

In class we watched the QI episode 11: Nonsense, season N dated 19^th of January 2017 with the new presenter sandy Toxvig. There were certain audience pleasures that we as a classed looked out for. Firstly in this episode (but also shown in the series in general) there is constant repartee. This is the fact that all the panellists are able to quickly and wittily respond to statements made by other panellists. This is an audience pleasure because its verbal humour and the quick yet funny responses of the contestants makes it a lot more enjoyable for the audience to watch. In this specific episode Phill Jupitus is reading out a poem that he considers to be a ‘load of nonsense’ and after he finishes reading Sandy Toxvigs quick response is that the poem is ‘ half poem, half weather report’. 

There was slapstick humour shown in the episode as well which is an audience pleasure because it is physical humour in which people are moving around and doing things. In this episode the contestants are all trying out objects that are said to make the worst noises: Styrofoam on a mirror/glass; nails on a black board; recorder etc. This is an audience pleasure because it is something in which the audience can see and them relate to their own opinions as well as sharing weather they like that sound or not: active audience/audience participation. 

Alan Davies used a good example of platitude when he turned himself into a class clown. This is something that audiences like and can be classed as an audience pleasure because people are laughing at somebody else’s mistakes or wrong doings. In this episode Alan talks about how he had hit a beeping machine in his hotel room with his shoe because it wouldn’t stop beeping before complaining to the reception who then told him that that was a fire alarm and that he should evacuate immediately. This is amusing for the audience because it is showing Alan as being slightly stupid and giving us reason to laugh at him. 

In the episode a video of a worm sneezing was shown to the panellist and although it is disgusting it can be classed as an audience pleasure. It is shared disgust: the audience  will all see it and be disgusted or find it funny which means the audience or viewers will come together either being grossed or laughing about it. It gives people something to talk about and share their opinions of the video while also being taught something interesting about the different types of worms.