Stephen Fry needs these guys to keep him coherent, it's a great system.

QI has a lot of stuff that's new if you're not a Brit. I'd never heard of the Wombles or the Clangers before, that's for darn sure.

This is why John Hodgman didn't fare too well. It also didn't help that he was a "fifth guest" and the usual witty-and-cunning Brit comedians wouldn't let him get a word in.

Counterpoint: Rich Hall is repeatedly the funniest motherfucker on this show.

Rich Hall is basically an Englishman. Despite his accent, he's lived in London for most of his career.

I noticed Rich Hall uses his nationality as a comedic foil when it can be riffed on, plus he's a stand-up and improv veteran. Hodgman's exaggerated New England Intellectual character doesn't quite work in QI context. He's best when condescending and icily passive-aggresive, declaring intellectual superiority with smarmy hostility. So he seemed quietly polite and really out of his element amongst the all the ribbing and wisecracks.