It's like how historians always kind of leave out the "Copper Age" or Chalcolithic Period in the discussion of technological development. They also leave out the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to hunter-gatherer-prostitute-ventriloquist societies.
I love Alan's joke in the end. It's an amazing feeling when you have the perfect setup and exact response in a situation like that. Stephen's right - Alan has the devil's luck sometimes.
Barry's ability to come up with a hilarious joke as soon as he found out the profession was absolutely incredible, but Alan was on fire that night too - that punchline at the end...
I saw Barry Cryer on the Met line heading to Harrow. He was sitting across from me and talking to other passengers. No airs and graces, just a lovely down to earth gentleman. R.I.P. Barry. Your legacy will live on.
I'll stand corrected but I think this was the only episode which Barry Cryer was on QI. A comic genius whose influence over British comedy goes so much deeper than many realise.
Sad that both Jeremy Hardy and Barry Cryer are no longer with us. RIP. (Edit: Full names added as it’s been noted that there are two Jeremys in the clip)
@@dorkarama3135 yes, and both (in different ways) were lightening wits and clever as heck. Barry was pure old school joke and wordplay clever while Jeremy was subtle burn clever.
Lol, the way you worded it, make it seems that both Jeremy are dead. I was shocked because how could Clarkson's death not bring any news whatsoever until I finished reading it.
Ohhh 😅 I thought Alan was saying it must be a welcome break for him not to be the one offering the services in the service station bathroom hahaha insinuating usually he’s the prostitute
I once saw Peter Brough and 'Archie' on stage. I think it was at Weston-super-mare. We were right at the back of the Circle (only seats we could get) and I could STILL see Peter's lips moving from right up there. Archie, the doll, well, his mouth also moved, but not quite so much! (no kidding)
A physician, an engineer, and an attorney were discussing who among them belonged to the oldest of the three professions represented. The physician said, "Remember, on the sixth day God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making him the first surgeon. Therefore, medicine is the oldest profession." The engineer replied, "But, before that, God created the heavens and earth from chaos, and thus he was the first engineer. Therefore, engineering is an older profession than medicine." The lawyer smiled and said, "And who do you think created all the chaos?"
But the first day of creation was a Sunday. It must have been a divine creation because there's no chance in Heaven he got an electrician to show up on that day.
In the USA when I was a kid, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop et al. had a show on Saturday mornings. Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney appeared on various shows occasionally, as well as Señor Wences on Ed Sullivan. Jimmy Nelson and Farfel the dog did commericals for Nestlé's Quik.
Probably why I'm still traumatised by them! I bloody hate ventriloquists...it was the dolls I hated, especially that Lord Charles....was that it's name? Ugh! That thing belonged in Hammer House of Horrors! I did however like Emu....but he didn't speak and made me laugh. My absolute favourite was Lamb Chop omg I used to get tears in my eyes as a little girl from pure love and cuteness overload! 💕 However, I take offense to *JimFC Gregg's* reply to you... "How dare you claim that Lamb Chop was merely a puppet! She was REAL I tell you, REAL! Shari Lewis was her Mummy not a ventriloquist!" 😜.... For such a mean comment you deserve punishment! Here it is..... ..... 🎵 This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because......🎵 😂🤣😅
@@tamielizabethallaway2413 Look out for return fire! It's a world of laughter, a world of tears It's a world of hope and a world of fears There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware It's a small world after all It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all It's a small world after all, it's a small, small, small, small world! It's a world of laughter... 😆
Reminds me of the old saying regarding tight fitting jeans on girls being referred to as 'mumble pants'. "I can see her lips moving but can't hear what she is saying"
@@mikefurlong8025 He said he never saw *her* lips move. I assume he is implying that he was too busy looking a little bit lower down than her lips at something else other than lips that he could see that she had a pair of, although I didn't figure that out until after the video had ended, because my first instinct was to think he was talking about the other kind of lips, which didn't seem that witty.
You just reminded of an old joke. A man goes to a brothel and asks how much? He’s told £5. for a fifteen minute job. £100 for 12 hours or a for a £1000 he can stay as lng as he wants. So he hands over £1000 and throws his clothes out the window. The prostitute asked “why do you throw your clothes out the window” and the man says “by time I’ve finished with you they’ll be out of fashion.
@@grf15 no, it really isn't that, I find quite a bit of Dunham's stuff hilarious, but Conti just rubs me the wrong way, I've only ever found her funny once and that was when she had Fabio as her dummy on catsdown
All the time talking about ventriloquists whose lips moved; Edgar Bergen is not mentioned, all the while, a picture of Charlie McCarthy is in the background.
Barry Cryer's gag an about the topless ventriloquist really had me howling, reminded me of his time on Joker's Wild, he could pull them out of a hat at the drop of said hat, it must have been a massive honour for Alan to get such a great reaction from him to his own comments.
Great to see Ken Campbell getting a namecheck. I saw his “gastromancy” show, which was great. He also inspired the brilliant Nina Conti, one of the UK’s 15 working ventriloquists, to take up the profession. Catch her show if you ever get the chance; it’s mindboggling.
yeah, I've tried to look up the incident, but Hercules doesn't seem to be the bear that person's thinking about. I can't even find a documented case of a trained bear "mauling a tv presenter".
Didn't he get cut off half way through though by Alan's joke? It was probably setting up his own joke that was never told. They cut off his topless joke a moment later too.
I'm American. I've known quite a few people named Jeremy. It's certainly less common now, but its popularity peaked in 1976 at #14 for boys names and only fell out of the top 200 in 2018. It's more popular here than it is in the UK, despite being an English name! The name Jeremiah, from which it derives, is more popular in both places now, but is still more popular in the US.
The "how many piano tuners....?" question is an example of questions that have been used by interviewers to test a candidate's ability to think logically. It's not about the answer (which nobody knows anyway) but about how you would go about trying to work out the answer. It is attributed to the physicist Enrico Fermi.
Ventriloquist? Is it really possible to be a "professional" ventriloquist, registered ventriloquist? I am very confident that amateurs make up the nearly totality of ventriloquists in every country on this planet. With an extremely wide range of skill.
@@tomrowell1558 I imagine it is people who are signed up to the Showbiz union here in the UK, EQUITY. I believe every Professional entertainer here is a member, and therefore only 15 have put that as their specific craft. The Census is only once a decade, and isn't really much good for that kind of data.
"Professional" just means that you're paid to do it and it's a significant source of your income. If people paid me to come to their houses and clean their spoons, I'd be a professional travelling spoon washer, regardless of whether anyone else had any idea that that was a thing. As for "registered", that just requires here be some kind of trade association or professional body that one can join. Stephen's pointed out that, in this case, it's probably membership of Equity, the UK trade union for entertainers, but it's possible that there's a specific UK ventriloquism sociey.
@@stephenpalmer9375 Probably not all professional entertainers, but probably most. Membership of Equity used to be required for any professional entertainer but that kind of union membership requirement has been illegal in the UK since the late 1980s.
Wow, I don't think I've ever heard Clarkson say anything about the United States or its citizens that wasn't derogatory. Jeremy isn't an uncommon name in the US. I've known several besides myself.
Jeremy is just awful. Truly awful. I cannot believe he has a successful career in media. I suppose it explains the Tories - Boris, in power. Trump being President. There really needs to be a filter system for voters. If you cannot tell you are self harming - and you repeatedly do it, then for your own welfare, you should be discouraged from voting.
I suspect there are many ventriloquists who are registered simply as entertainer, children's entertainer or variety artist. There must be more than 15.
Wait, so this series aired in 2004, during which time Jeremy Clarkson was married. Dude admitted to extramarital relations on national TV? No issue with it so long as all parties in the relationship consent, but it's a weird thing to mention, especially in 2004
@@gravysamich You're missing the point. They act like they're the final authority on everything. They take it seriously and really believe they're delivering facts. Occasionally they admit they made a mistake, but it's rare.
Stephen never clarified where these 15 people are registered (with the Equity union?) , and why he assumes that anyone doing ventriloquism without being registered must be an amateur.
I would guess they mean ones who publicly advertise for paid performances. A quick google found me a few sites that show ventriloquist acts for hire in the UK, but there were never more than eleven listed.
@@barneylaurance1865 Based on what? I'm willing to accept that there are more than the 15 that this ten-year old episode claims. But you have to admit that this isn't exactly a thriving art.
@@HermanVonPetri I found two pages that have lists of vents, between them they list 17 different names. There are three different names of living vents in the UK listed on the Wikipedia list page. I expect there'd be at least as many again who only advertise on their own individual websites. The Spotlight directory would probably be the best place to look for more but it's not open to the public. Maybe I'm also biased because my dad is a magician and ventriloquist.
@@barneylaurance1865 That's about what I found too. Consider though that there's plenty of wiggle-room in the definition of "professional." You could say that anyone who is paid to do that, no matter how rarely, is technically a professional. But also, it could be assumed to mean that a professional is someone who makes the majority of their income at that skill. I'll grant you that there are certainly more than 15 of whichever definition you choose.
Indeed, they were long term colleagues as well. He didn't get much in this clip but from one of his radio shows, Jeremy Hardy has one of my favourite bits ever. He gives the definition of camping as 'loitering with intent'. It's not laugh out loud funny but I've always loved that one.
Ive always thought if prostitution was the oldest profession, how did the punter pay for services? Id say hunting is probs the oldest profession if it can be called a profession?
It was probably in stuff. 'Give me two dead herrings for a blowy' and all that kinda business. It's probably not THE oldest, but it's probably damn near close
Yeah it would have been bartering of goods in exchange for services. In a world where men probably owned (or at least claimed to own) most things of any value it would have been difficult for a woman to get by if she, for whatever reason, had neither a father nor a husband to provide for her. So presumably one enterprising woman was the first to come up with the idea of offering blowies and the like in exchange for the food or other resources she needed. In fact that enterprising 'woman' could easily predate modern humans, since I'd imagine even female apes probably know how to flirt with the highest ranking males in their social group to get to share their food, and it isn't a huge leap from flirting to being more erm.. hands on.
@@MrDannyDetail Well then I can imagine a hunter bartering food for clothes/weapons/carpentry. Chances are he probably has to barter for the lack of a particular skill.
Jesus - Seems such an unlikely idea but Peter Brough was perfect for it, he was, as is said in the show, pretty useless, in fact all he did was operate another dummy.
At a time there were only prostitutes and Ventriloquists. Me to myself.... "Ventriloquist Prostitutes must have been really popular." A profession where only the other lips moved... I feel so bad for thinking that...
i would guess one of the earliest recorded cases would have been the person hiding behind a rock at the top of a mountain where they tricked an old man into believing that a burning shrub was talking to him..................
Graham is the one that always gets me with Americans, in that you pronounce it Gram. Tara was another one from Buffy The Vampire Slayer as it also sounded like Terra. Then again, given how you pronounce car brands like Nissan and Jaguar, it's hardly surprising. 🙂
Prostitution was not only the first but it is also the most successfully evolving profession. In fact, marriage evolved into modern day marriage, with the caveat that it is just payment with bad or no sex. Where else can a man enter a legal contract and get financially ruined for the other party breaking the terms & conditions? At least prostitution is somewhat legalized with sugar arrangement websites now, but brothels need to come back.
There can't be that many space ship captains either. How a about mussel tamer? Fart artist? UFO customs officer, or better yet UFO covid-Stasi offizier.
![[Full] 4 ต่อ 4 Celebrity EP.920 | 3 พ.ย. 67 | one31](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KwiW2M_kAg4/mqdefault.jpg)
It's like how historians always kind of leave out the "Copper Age" or Chalcolithic Period in the discussion of technological development. They also leave out the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to hunter-gatherer-prostitute-ventriloquist societies.
It is hard to explain to a university that you need funds to explore the conection between prostitutes and other lip related activities on history
I love Alan's joke in the end. It's an amazing feeling when you have the perfect setup and exact response in a situation like that. Stephen's right - Alan has the devil's luck sometimes.
What did he say? I couldn't make it out.
@@Enfors I think it was "I bet that was a welcome break"
I'm not sure I even get it.
@@therhinosnake6938 Welcome Break is a company that manages Motorway service stations in the UK
@@PianoKwanMan Now I get it. But it's not nearly as funny as people seem to respond to it. Maybe it was just another day in age.
0:18 To make Barry Cryer crack up like that over the quick as a flash "and he's here tonight" shows how really good Alan Davies is.
Barry's ability to come up with a hilarious joke as soon as he found out the profession was absolutely incredible, but Alan was on fire that night too - that punchline at the end...
I just can't get past the fact he bit a homeless man's ear off
@@liquidtvafternoons5315 he didn't
@@liquidtvafternoons5315 Terrible business.
@@andrewwilliams7501 you can just Google it.
There's some great examples in this clip of how quick and brilliant Alan is
I saw Barry Cryer on the Met line heading to Harrow. He was sitting across from me and talking to other passengers. No airs and graces, just a lovely down to earth gentleman. R.I.P. Barry. Your legacy will live on.
His autobiography is a fascinating read. Again, shows how down to earth he is.
RIP Barry Cryer. If you asked me who could match his wit, charm and wholesomeness, I'd always say the same thing....
....I'm sorry, I haven't a clue.
My goodness yes. And even though most of the old crew have passed over the show still has an edge. Funniest panel show ever imho
"And as the old charwoman of time shakes out the battered rug of destiny....."
Very clever!
I'll stand corrected but I think this was the only episode which Barry Cryer was on QI. A comic genius whose influence over British comedy goes so much deeper than many realise.
You are correct.
How must it feel, getting such a laugh from such a legend... Well done, Alan!
That's what I thought. And he gave Barry two good belly laughs!
@@adamthorntonillustration9281 I've noted that most of the real pros are also great audiences - and Cryer was definitely a pro!
Sad that both Jeremy Hardy and Barry Cryer are no longer with us. RIP.
(Edit: Full names added as it’s been noted that there are two Jeremys in the clip)
Both seemed really sweet.
@@dorkarama3135 yes, and both (in different ways) were lightening wits and clever as heck. Barry was pure old school joke and wordplay clever while Jeremy was subtle burn clever.
Lol, the way you worded it, make it seems that both Jeremy are dead. I was shocked because how could Clarkson's death not bring any news whatsoever until I finished reading it.
@@MrAgLi ahh. Yes. My bad. Jeremy Hardy (so one whole team!)
@Teamgeist he was but a clever comedian.
One of the best teams & definitely one of my favourite clips. Thank you 😊
Ah the late great Barry Cryer and Jeremy Hardy RIP
Q: What job do only 15 people in Britain do?
A: Panelist :)
1:37 - 1:44 What absolute filth
...brilliant joke, he was a genius.
Barry Cryer AND Jeremy Hardy?? ***scurrys off to watch episode***
Uhhmmm... What does Alan say there in the end? Pls? I can't figure out what it is.
Welcome break is a chain of service stations in the UK
Ohhh 😅 I thought Alan was saying it must be a welcome break for him not to be the one offering the services in the service station bathroom hahaha insinuating usually he’s the prostitute
@@ArtyMars Yes, only the Poms would get that.
@@fins59 Im Aussie, so innuendo doesn't get past us either hahah
I once saw Peter Brough and 'Archie' on stage. I think it was at Weston-super-mare. We were right at the back of the Circle (only seats we could get) and I could STILL see Peter's lips moving from right up there. Archie, the doll, well, his mouth also moved, but not quite so much! (no kidding)
Jings!! What's Hamish and the Laird doing on an episode of QI???!!!! (Bazza and Jezza, you are missed more than words can say...)
They'll be having their tea.
I think Barry Crier was great, and such a nice man. But Alan Davies was on FIRE!
Alan was on fire!
RIP both Barry and Jeremy
You should probably make it clear that it's not Clarkson lol, as people will assume
"I bet that was a welcome break" Only in the UK would you find top banter like that 🤣🤣🤣
Not as rare as a professional radio mime-artist!
Electrician is the oldest job. On the first day our Lord said "Let there be light" Who do you think drew the wires?
Certainly not a sparks, he/she was still moaning about having to do builders work.
A physician, an engineer, and an attorney were discussing who among them belonged to the oldest of the three professions represented. The physician said, "Remember, on the sixth day God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making him the first surgeon. Therefore, medicine is the oldest profession."
The engineer replied, "But, before that, God created the heavens and earth from chaos, and thus he was the first engineer. Therefore, engineering is an older profession than medicine."
The lawyer smiled and said, "And who do you think created all the chaos?"
But the first day of creation was a Sunday. It must have been a divine creation because there's no chance in Heaven he got an electrician to show up on that day.
Nope, the first job was Lawyer. Remember, the universe was created out of chaos . . . And who do you think created that?
@@madisntit6547 Contingency fees. 😆
I'm convinced they made the end card where they shut the laptop to hint that we should take a break from binge watching QI clips
I think it's that so many more people watch Stephens clips to get away from Sandy
Not that she's bad just that people miss him
Oh dear, Stephen. Just as well that joke didn't land, but boy it was clever. That is peak Fry
When I was a kid, Ventriloquists were on TV all the time. It was practically mandatory to have a ventriloquist act on Saturday night TV.
In the USA when I was a kid, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop et al. had a show on Saturday mornings. Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney appeared on various shows occasionally, as well as Señor Wences on Ed Sullivan. Jimmy Nelson and Farfel the dog did commericals for Nestlé's Quik.
I was thinking that as I was watching it, there was even a few local acts and I grew up in a small town.
Fairly standard on the BBC news nowadays their lips are that far out of sync.
Probably why I'm still traumatised by them! I bloody hate ventriloquists...it was the dolls I hated, especially that Lord Charles....was that it's name? Ugh! That thing belonged in Hammer House of Horrors!
I did however like Emu....but he didn't speak and made me laugh. My absolute favourite was Lamb Chop omg I used to get tears in my eyes as a little girl from pure love and cuteness overload! 💕
However, I take offense to *JimFC Gregg's* reply to you... "How dare you claim that Lamb Chop was merely a puppet! She was REAL I tell you, REAL! Shari Lewis was her Mummy not a ventriloquist!"
😜.... For such a mean comment you deserve punishment! Here it is.....
.....
🎵 This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, some people, started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because......🎵 😂🤣😅
@@tamielizabethallaway2413 Look out for return fire!
It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hope and a world of fears
There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all
It's a small world after all, it's a small, small, small, small world!
It's a world of laughter...
😆
My first thought was piano tuners, because of the job interview question.
Reminds me of the old saying regarding tight fitting jeans on girls being referred to as 'mumble pants'. "I can see her lips moving but can't hear what she is saying"
Blinding line from Barry Cryer about the top ventriloquist never seeing the lips move.
Bit of casual filth flying under the radar
OMG… Alun Davies was really funny in this episode… even making Barry Cryer laugh!!
Clarkson with a joke about Americans. How fresh.
Considering this clip is from 2004, I don’t think it’s meant to be fresh…
The topless ventriloquist joke didn't get the credit it deserved.
That's because no one heard the punchline as it got stepped on by the other panelists. What was the conclusion to the joke?
@@mikefurlong8025 He said he never saw *her* lips move. I assume he is implying that he was too busy looking a little bit lower down than her lips at something else other than lips that he could see that she had a pair of, although I didn't figure that out until after the video had ended, because my first instinct was to think he was talking about the other kind of lips, which didn't seem that witty.
Just scoured the comments to check someone picked up on this. Great joke :)
2:45 "Here we have the group with their hands inside another body.... and over here we have the ventriloquists!" 🤣🤣🤣
When Jeremy mentioned that he went into a brothel on Saturday, I kind of expected him to say that he didn't leave until Monday.
You just reminded of an old joke.
A man goes to a brothel and asks how much?
He’s told £5. for a fifteen minute job. £100 for 12 hours or a for a £1000 he can stay as lng as he wants.
So he hands over £1000 and throws his clothes out the window.
The prostitute asked “why do you throw your clothes out the window” and the man says “by time I’ve finished with you they’ll be out of fashion.
Nina Conti.
Bloody hilarious and absolutely gorgeous.
Uh, nope, and not really, in either order
@@wich1 Matter of opinion, I find her very easy on the eye, and a great deal funnier than many who purport to be comedians...
But can't "vent" without a very strained facial expression.
People either love or hate ventriloquists. I've read some horrible comments on Nina Conti and Jeff Dunham videos. Others find them highly amusing.
@@grf15 no, it really isn't that, I find quite a bit of Dunham's stuff hilarious, but Conti just rubs me the wrong way, I've only ever found her funny once and that was when she had Fabio as her dummy on catsdown
All the time talking about ventriloquists whose lips moved; Edgar Bergen is not mentioned, all the while, a picture of Charlie McCarthy is in the background.
Barry Cryer's gag an
about the topless ventriloquist really had me howling, reminded me of his time on Joker's Wild, he could pull them out of a hat at the drop of said hat, it must have been a massive honour for Alan to get such a great reaction from him to his own comments.
Great to see Ken Campbell getting a namecheck. I saw his “gastromancy” show, which was great. He also inspired the brilliant Nina Conti, one of the UK’s 15 working ventriloquists, to take up the profession. Catch her show if you ever get the chance; it’s mindboggling.
I really can’t stand Nina Conti!
(Her act I mean; I’m sure Nina is a lovely lady.)
Hercules the Bear was local to me - I have no recollection of him mauling a TV presenter.
It's QI, so it may not have actually happened.
yeah, I've tried to look up the incident, but Hercules doesn't seem to be the bear that person's thinking about. I can't even find a documented case of a trained bear "mauling a tv presenter".
Didn't he get cut off half way through though by Alan's joke? It was probably setting up his own joke that was never told. They cut off his topless joke a moment later too.
Could someone kindly explain Alan's joke at the end? What did he mean by "a welcomed break"?
"Welcome Break" are a group of service stations on Britain's motorway system.
@@himagain803 Cheers, friend.
I'm American. I've known quite a few people named Jeremy. It's certainly less common now, but its popularity peaked in 1976 at #14 for boys names and only fell out of the top 200 in 2018. It's more popular here than it is in the UK, despite being an English name! The name Jeremiah, from which it derives, is more popular in both places now, but is still more popular in the US.
Pronouncing Jeremiah must be difficult for you and your fellows then, with it having 4 syllables? 😁
Nowadays the name 'Jeremy' might suffer from being the surname of a famous porn star.
Well done on proving Clarkson's point
I assumed from watching so many British panel shows that the answer to the title question was going to be "panel show guests".
Barry Cryer was a national treasure
I watch a lot of British TV on TH-cam. I assume the answer is comedians that star on British game shows.
And one of them was on QI - Nina Conti! For some reason I thought the answer was 'Piano Tuner'
This was quite an early episode of QI, was she a ventriloquist when this was recorded?
And she was the worst ventriloquist ever.
@@hjt091 yes
I thought it was too! I must’ve seen something about piano tuners on QI before
The "how many piano tuners....?" question is an example of questions that have been used by interviewers to test a candidate's ability to think logically. It's not about the answer (which nobody knows anyway) but about how you would go about trying to work out the answer. It is attributed to the physicist Enrico Fermi.
My maternal grandfather was a talented ventriloquist in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s.
I swear British shows are just so much funnier in general
So there's more ventriloquists than lighthouse keepers.
Crying shame that 50% of the panellists are no longer with us.
Ventriloquist? Is it really possible to be a "professional" ventriloquist, registered ventriloquist? I am very confident that amateurs make up the nearly totality of ventriloquists in every country on this planet. With an extremely wide range of skill.
True but I guess they’re only counting people who would put ventriloquist on a census as their profession
@@tomrowell1558 I imagine it is people who are signed up to the Showbiz union here in the UK, EQUITY. I believe every Professional entertainer here is a member, and therefore only 15 have put that as their specific craft. The Census is only once a decade, and isn't really much good for that kind of data.
"Professional" just means that you're paid to do it and it's a significant source of your income. If people paid me to come to their houses and clean their spoons, I'd be a professional travelling spoon washer, regardless of whether anyone else had any idea that that was a thing. As for "registered", that just requires here be some kind of trade association or professional body that one can join. Stephen's pointed out that, in this case, it's probably membership of Equity, the UK trade union for entertainers, but it's possible that there's a specific UK ventriloquism sociey.
@@stephenpalmer9375 Probably not all professional entertainers, but probably most. Membership of Equity used to be required for any professional entertainer but that kind of union membership requirement has been illegal in the UK since the late 1980s.
'professional' means you are paid to do the thing, not that there is any sort of accreditation/registering body.
Wow, I don't think I've ever heard Clarkson say anything about the United States or its citizens that wasn't derogatory. Jeremy isn't an uncommon name in the US. I've known several besides myself.
Jeremy is just awful. Truly awful.
I cannot believe he has a successful career in media. I suppose it explains the Tories - Boris, in power. Trump being President.
There really needs to be a filter system for voters. If you cannot tell you are self harming - and you repeatedly do it, then for your own welfare, you should be discouraged from voting.
@@georgielancaster1356 cry about it lmao
@@georgielancaster1356 Just listen to yourself Georgie . Spoken like a true Fascist .
I suspect there are many ventriloquists who are registered simply as entertainer, children's entertainer or variety artist. There must be more than 15.
Most of them are locked up in the nonce wing
I expected it to be the Queen's Swan Wardens.
Only 15 in the history of Test Cricket that could play the game properly?
Full time professional tuba players in the UK.... give or take?
This was before Darcy Lynn won AGT right?
Q: What job do only 15 people in Britain do?
A: Appear as a panelist on British panel shows.
Double Jeremys. The only other Jeremy I encountered was when I was 9. The neighbours had a 2 year old son Jeremy.
Wait, so this series aired in 2004, during which time Jeremy Clarkson was married. Dude admitted to extramarital relations on national TV?
No issue with it so long as all parties in the relationship consent, but it's a weird thing to mention, especially in 2004
I think he just has too much power and popularity back then 🤔
He visited a brothel, doesn't mean he was actually partaking. He could be on a stag 'do'. Maybe he was holding the camera for a friend.
Going to a brothel in Amsterdam doesn’t necessarily mean any sex was involved, still odd to mention it on national tv
@@tomrowell1558 I would say that if that's the case, it's quite odd phrasing at 3:13
On the continent it's quite normal for couples to go to sex shops, sex shows and brothels. It doesn't mean you end up having sex.
QI is one of my favorite shows, but they need to add a disclaimer: For entertainment purposes only.
Certainly not for education or facts. They get a lot wrong.
if anyone is taking a comedy show for anything other than entertainment, they are probably also riding a short bus...
@@gravysamich You're missing the point. They act like they're the final authority on everything. They take it seriously and really believe they're delivering facts. Occasionally they admit they made a mistake, but it's rare.
Stephen never clarified where these 15 people are registered (with the Equity union?) , and why he assumes that anyone doing ventriloquism without being registered must be an amateur.
I would guess they mean ones who publicly advertise for paid performances. A quick google found me a few sites that show ventriloquist acts for hire in the UK, but there were never more than eleven listed.
@@HermanVonPetri I think there must be a lot more than 15 who do that.
@@barneylaurance1865 Based on what?
I'm willing to accept that there are more than the 15 that this ten-year old episode claims. But you have to admit that this isn't exactly a thriving art.
@@HermanVonPetri I found two pages that have lists of vents, between them they list 17 different names. There are three different names of living vents in the UK listed on the Wikipedia list page. I expect there'd be at least as many again who only advertise on their own individual websites. The Spotlight directory would probably be the best place to look for more but it's not open to the public.
Maybe I'm also biased because my dad is a magician and ventriloquist.
@@barneylaurance1865 That's about what I found too.
Consider though that there's plenty of wiggle-room in the definition of "professional." You could say that anyone who is paid to do that, no matter how rarely, is technically a professional.
But also, it could be assumed to mean that a professional is someone who makes the majority of their income at that skill.
I'll grant you that there are certainly more than 15 of whichever definition you choose.
Is it people who repair pot holes?
Bet that was a Welcome Break LOL
Okay I feel really dumb, but I don't get the joke haha
@@drewmagoo1 "Welcome Break" is a chain of motorway services
@@TehDMBfan thank you for explaining, non-UKers appreciate it!
First they require ventriloquist to be registered, then they take them away completely.
Well, that goes without saying.
“A cheap shot is better than no shot at all”- Dan O’Neill
Barry Cryer got it wrong, Hercules the bear never mauled anyone. Quite the opposite, he was so domesticated he would only eat cooked food.
Indeed en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(bear)
I was thinking wainwright or basket weaver.
0:55 Did he say "teenagers"?
He said "Teachers".
RIP Barry & Jeremy a great loss to comedy
Indeed, they were long term colleagues as well. He didn't get much in this clip but from one of his radio shows, Jeremy Hardy has one of my favourite bits ever. He gives the definition of camping as 'loitering with intent'. It's not laugh out loud funny but I've always loved that one.
They've all SO YOUNG!
I saw the title and immediately thought "dentist"
What a gorgeous hand, that is. Our saviour.
Lots of Jeremiah in America
People say Lee Mack is fast but Alan is a tad faster.
Jeremy is a common name in America. I know two personally. Pearl jam have a very famous song called "Jeremy".
Ive always thought if prostitution was the oldest profession, how did the punter pay for services? Id say hunting is probs the oldest profession if it can be called a profession?
It was probably in stuff. 'Give me two dead herrings for a blowy' and all that kinda business. It's probably not THE oldest, but it's probably damn near close
Yeah it would have been bartering of goods in exchange for services. In a world where men probably owned (or at least claimed to own) most things of any value it would have been difficult for a woman to get by if she, for whatever reason, had neither a father nor a husband to provide for her. So presumably one enterprising woman was the first to come up with the idea of offering blowies and the like in exchange for the food or other resources she needed. In fact that enterprising 'woman' could easily predate modern humans, since I'd imagine even female apes probably know how to flirt with the highest ranking males in their social group to get to share their food, and it isn't a huge leap from flirting to being more erm.. hands on.
@@MrDannyDetail Well then I can imagine a hunter bartering food for clothes/weapons/carpentry. Chances are he probably has to barter for the lack of a particular skill.
A RADIO ventriloquist …🤔?
It actually works quite well, it's essentially a series of comedic duologues, but with the same comedian playing both parts.
@@gwishart Oh, interesting! Thanks!
Jesus - Seems such an unlikely idea but Peter Brough was perfect for it, he was, as is said in the show, pretty useless, in fact all he did was operate another dummy.
Wow! Everybody looks so young.
Lighthouse operators?
I've known several men/boys named Jeremy in my life.
Clay pipe making. Only six people in the world still making it. Mostly for films and TV
At a time there were only prostitutes and Ventriloquists. Me to myself.... "Ventriloquist Prostitutes must have been really popular." A profession where only the other lips moved... I feel so bad for thinking that...
There are plenty of American Jeremies and Jeremiahs. Heck, I've met three Melchizedeks.
Aww, Barry... 😔
i would guess one of the earliest recorded cases would have been the person hiding behind a rock at the top of a mountain where they tricked an old man into believing that a burning shrub was talking to him..................
God knows how they managed that
I do enjoy Clarkson making a stumbling attempt at some tiresome "how'd they know then" empiricism and Davies just rolls over it with a great joke
The irony of Jeremy insulting someone's intellect...
I would expected ocularist ( sp?)
0:38 As an American, I can confirm we pronounce Jeremy with two syllables. Jerrrrr-meeeee.
Graham is the one that always gets me with Americans, in that you pronounce it Gram. Tara was another one from Buffy The Vampire Slayer as it also sounded like Terra. Then again, given how you pronounce car brands like Nissan and Jaguar, it's hardly surprising. 🙂
I live in Michigan, I’ve never heard it said in two syllables and I’ve known several of them
Ya mean the 15 that kept their jobs after the coopy? ...probably saving up for the winters heating bill if they have any sense
I was gonna guess fax machine makers
Is Nina Conti one of them I wonder.
Is it none corrupt politicians?
I bet they sold some ‘top gear’ in that establishment?
Prostitution was not only the first but it is also the most successfully evolving profession. In fact, marriage evolved into modern day marriage, with the caveat that it is just payment with bad or no sex. Where else can a man enter a legal contract and get financially ruined for the other party breaking the terms & conditions? At least prostitution is somewhat legalized with sugar arrangement websites now, but brothels need to come back.
Silly me. I thought it was going to be full time GP's.
RIP Barry. Well done at putting Clarkson in his place 😀
I have the feeling that these people are very funny but I don’t understand a word they’re saying. Captions might help.
Dentists.
Hoopers, or steeplejacks, or beafeaters.
There can't be that many space ship captains either. How a about mussel tamer? Fart artist? UFO customs officer, or better yet UFO covid-Stasi offizier.