In this week's Box-Eyed column at Newslite.tv, I look at US comedian John Hodgman's toecurling appearance on QI, and defend (sort of) BBC sitcom Big Top starring Amanda Holden's hotpants.
"Put simply, Hodgman was one of QI's worst guests -- although not as bad as scruffy Scotsman Phil Kaye. It didn't help that his presence (not just as a rare guest from overseas) was highlighted by the unfair decision to stick him in the middle of teammates Sandi Toksvig and Sean Locke for the show's first ever three-person team. It felt very much like Hodgman had been crowbarred into the episode, and the show thus felt unbalanced. It also brought too much attention to Hodgman, who was suddenly given a weight of expectation -- after all, why else would they upset the delicate balance of QI if he wasn't going to be comedy gold?" Continue reading...
