QI, Series One [A]

Stephen Fry:
Now, why... Hugh?

Hugh Laurie:
Yes?

Stephen Fry:
Why does the actor Edward Woodward have 4 Ds in his name?

[There’s a long pause until John Sessions hits his buzzer.]

Hugh Laurie:
Well... No! What are you doing?

John Sessions:
I'm sorry!

Hugh Laurie:
What are you doing?

Hugh Laurie:
He can’t do that!

John Sessions:
I'm sorry. It was a spasm.

John Sessions:
I’ll put it out. Just carry on.

Alan Davies:
Did you know, this is quite interesting...

Stephen Fry:
Yes, good. That’s what we’re here for.

Alan Davies:
Did you know, kiwi fruit uses more than its own weight in aviation fuel to get from New Zealand to Europe?

Stephen Fry:
Another 5 points. It sounds mad, but is of course true. Absolutely.

Alan Davies:
And regarding the Edward Woodward...

Stephen Fry:
Yes?

Alan Davies:
That’s how you spell it!

Stephen Fry:
Oh, no, let Hugh... Poor Hugh.

Hugh Laurie:
No really, that’s fine. I was gonna say exactly that. It’s got that many Ds in it, cos that’s his name! If you took the Ds out, it would be a different name.

Alan Davies:
Ewar Woowar!

Hugh Laurie:
Ewar Woowar.

Stephen Fry:
Exactly. It would be Ewar Woowar. It’s a sort of structural device, like a joist, which stops his name collapsing into the sort of spongey mass of Ewar Woowar.