DSTV TOP SERIES
QI: Season 9 BBC Entertainment, Channel 120, Tuesday, 20:30
The addictive factor in most quiz-type game shows is trying to get the right answer before the contestant does. My old man, for instance, is a huge fan of Weakest Link — and, annoyingly, he gets most of the answers right. They serve as a pretty good indicator of our levels of general knowledge, leaving some of us feeling like insufferably smug know-it-alls, and some of us like ignorant dumb-asses.
That’s probably one of the reasons why QI (which stands for Quite Interesting, in case you didn’t know) has done so well since its inception in 2003. The questions are so difficult, obscure or just plain misleading, that often even the show’s creators don’t know the right answers. There are frequent retractions and corrections made in the DVD releases to some of the answers presented in the show.
But that’s beside the point. The celebrity panelists and contestants are there, first and foremost, to have some fun, with winning being only an incidental outcome.
If you’ve never seen the show before, it’s not as simple as correct answers get points, incorrect answers get nothing. Because of the likelihood of the contestants not getting the correct answers, more points are awarded for interesting or funny answers. Only a handful of points are awarded for correct answers, whereas huge amounts are deducted for obviously wrong answers or common misconceptions. Exactly how many points are added or deducted seem entirely arbitrary — and host Stephen Fry reportedly said that nobody in the world understands how QI’s scoring system works.
Always present is the aforementioned Fry, who can extract comedy from just about anything, and panelist Alan Davies, whose main job seems to be to sit there and get ragged on or steer the conversation in a funny direction.
This is the ninth season, also called Series H, because each of the episode topics begin with H, such as Hodge Podge, Health and Safety, Happiness and Hoaxes.
My 600lb Life TLC Entertainment, Channel 172, Friday, 20:55
I remember looking for shows on this channel and coming away quite put off — but in an amused, you’ve-got-to-be-kidding kind of way.
Why? How about, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, or My Big, Fat American Gypsy Wedding? Or The Man with the World’s Biggest Testicles. Really? TLC seems to be populated with trashy reality shows. Brain poison. But, once in a while, it’s fun to dip a toe in unexplored waters, purely for reference and research purposes.
This show follows the struggles of eight people, who all weigh around 270kg. Morbidly obese. They know their lives could be in danger if they don’t change something soon, so they’ve resolved to lose as much weight as possible, through whatever means necessary — diet or gastric bypass surgery.
I’m not a skinny guy, and I should probably find a physically active hobby at least, but to let yourself get this large — I don’t know how it’s even possible. Is it medical? Psychological? What? Hopefully this show will delve into those issues and not just showcase the amazing sights like a carny freak show.
Saint Hoods Discovery Channel, Channel 121, Thursday, 21:00
This isn’t the first time enterprising American docu-reality trash men have tried to make a series out of the rough-and-tumble lifestyle of South Boston. Southie Rules and Wicked Single approached the subject from different angles and both were miserable failures.
This show takes a look at South Boston life from an organised crime point of view. I’m already intrigued — not by the show itself, but by the concept. How much crime can they actually put on camera? You’d think real organised crime is something gangsters wouldn’t want to have broadcast.
Anyway, the area is owned by the Southie Crew, who, judging from the looks of them (left) and by their names, are an old-school Irish gang. They prefer to sort out problems in their community without involving the authorities and they hold the monopoly on illegal sports betting.
Their main adversaries are the Rozzies, who operate in the southwest of Boston and are getting a little tired of paying their mandatory tribute. Apparently there’s a smaller Dorchester gang in the middle, who might have to pick a side or be forcefully annexed at some point.
Is this show as mean as it sounds, or will it be toothless reality bunk soon relegated to an afternoon slot?