No. 261.

In 2008, the Panel Prize of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards went to 'every comedian on the Fringe for making it happen'.

(Source: http://www.comedyawards.co.uk/panelprize.asp.)

No. 260.

There were riots when the fez was banned in Turkey in 1925.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed.)

No. 259.

One of the working titles for Citizen Kane for John Q.

(Source: IMDB.)

No. 258.

Casablanca was adapted from a play called Everybody Comes to Rick's.

(Source: IMDB.)

No. 257.

Olympian gymnast Beth Tweddle has had a train named after her.

(Source: Alan Carr's Summertime Specstacular 2. Verified by http://www.heart.co.uk/wrexham/news/local/beth-tweddle-train/.)

No. 256.

In November 1997, Desperate Dan, the Dandy comic book character, struck oil, then sailed off with The Spice Girls.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/13/oldest-comic-the-dandy-faces-closure.)

No. 255.

The longest Olympic marathon finishing time is fifty-four years, eight months, six days, thirty-two minutes and 20.3 seconds. The Japanese runner Shizo Kanakuri fell asleep after taking a break close to his nineteenth mile during the 1912 Stockholm games, then woke up the next day. He was invited back to complete it in 1976 when he was sixty-seven.

(Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/qi/9472902/QI-Quite-interesting-facts-about-the-Olympics.html.)

No. 254.

Princess Anne was the only person not be gender-tested at the 1976 Olympics.

(Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/qi/9472902/QI-Quite-interesting-facts-about-the-Olympics.html.)

No. 253.

The collective noun for a group of apes is 'a shrewness' or 'a troop'.

(Source: Yahoo answers.)

No. 252.

Each of Nina Conti's Monkey puppets last about a year. She has to bid for replacements online because they are from a discontinued line of toys, and her fans are buying them in order to have one like her.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 251.

The last private owner of Stonehenge, Sir Cecil Chubb, allegedly bought it as a present for a wife. She wasn't impressed, so he gave it to the nation.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 250.

Lucy Porter was a researcher on Catchphrase. Her job was to ask the contestants for funny anecdotes that the host could prompt and then joke about it in the beginning of the show.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 249.

Stewart Lee sent a song he wrote to Fry and Laurie because he and Richard Herring weren't too impressed by the quality of the music featured on the show.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 248.

Lucy Porter was a researcher for Richard and Judy.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 247.

To amuse each other between takes, the cast of The Thick of It would perform impersonations of Darth Vader saying mundane things.

(Source: Chain Reaction interview with Chris Addison.)

No. 246.

Dr. Seuss died when he was 108.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/interactive/2012/aug/04/infomania-dr-seuss?intcmp=239.)

No. 245.

The creative team behind the London 2012 Opening Ceremony used the codename 'Betty' when refering to the Olympic cauldron. They named it after the executive producer's dog.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/29/frank-cottrell-boyce-olympics-opening-ceremony.)

No. 244.

Richard Herring features in Bridget Jones' Diary. In the book, the protagonist is up in Edinburgh and considers whether to see his show.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 243.

John Milton invented the word 'pandemonium'. He uses it to describe Hell in Paradise Lost.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony.)

No. 242.

The People's Republic of China have had a basketball player serve as their flag bearer in every Olympics since 1984.

(Source: 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony commentary.)

No. 248.

Lucy Porter won a Time Out competition to be on the judging panel for the Perrier Award.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 241.

Paraquay have the only flag which has a different design on the front and back.

(Source: 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony commentary.)

No. 240.

2012 marks the first Olympics in which Great Britain has entrants competiting in all 25 sports.

(Source: 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.)

No. 239.

As of 2012, London is the only country to host the Summer Olympics thrice.

(Source: 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.)

No. 238.

The motorbike riden by Henry Winkler in Happy Days is the same one used by Steve McQueen in The Great Escape.
(Source: Twitter - somebody asked Winkler if the fact was true.)

No. 237.

Robert Powell met his wife, Babs of dance troupe Pan's People, in the BBC bar. He saw them come in, but didn't have the courage to ask her out, so he took the whole group out for a drink instead.

(Source: Tales From Television Centre.)

No. 236.

Once there was no show set to go out at 11pm, so a few comedy people, including Johnny Speight, Marty Feldmen, and Spike Milligan were asked in the BBC bar whether they would talk about their writing process. They said they would and suddenly the slot was filled.

(Source: Tales of Television Centre.)

No. 235.

One BBC director was trying to shoot a final scene before the television centre studioes closed at 10pm and came down from the gallery to instruct them from the floor. He ran downstairs, got into the room, and shouted 'will you fucking stop messing around?' It was only then he realised he was in the Newsnight set.

(Source: Tales of Television Centre.)

No. 234.

One of the directors in a BBC meeting said that the presenter on the Film programme appeared to have worn a wig and that he wouldn't stand for it. Barry Norman had in fact simply been having a bad hair day.

(Source: Tales of Television Centre.)

No. 233.

The BBC were so used to Michael Bentine destroying, and staging raids on, BBC television centre as the climax to each series of his television show that five men were able to steal £16,000 and be let out the back gate by the current commisioner who greeted them with  'Good to see you again Mr Bentine'.

(Source: Tale of Television Centre.)

No. 232.

The BBC once broke the world record for largest troupe of tap dancers. They staged a routine with five hundred and one performers in the circular quad in television centre.

(Source: Tales of Television Centre.)

No. 231.

The English novelist, William Makepeace Thackeray, is the great-great-great-grandfather of Al Murray.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 230.

Barry Cryer had a number one single in Finland with a cover of Purple People Eater, quite possibly because the original hadn't been released there for contractual reasons.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 229.

When Richard Herring was hired to collate the West London phone directory, he changed Stewart Lee's name to Stewart Wee.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 228.

One of Richard Herring's jobs when he moved to London was for a company that made lighthouse parts.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 227.

Shappi Khorsandi was proposed to on Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 226.

Shappi Khorsandi wanted to call her first book English People Smell of Milk. Her publishers got her to change it to A Beginner's Guide to Acting English.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 225.

Richard Herring once expanded a stand up routine about yoghurt into an hour's show.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 224.

Until special laws were passed, the pistols used in the shooting events at the 2012 Games were illegal in Britain.

(Source: http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/07/fact-or-fiction-twentytwelve-or-2012.)

No. 223.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, it is illegal in Britain to use a machine gun to kill a hedgehog.

(Source: Qikipedia Twitter feed.)

No. 212.

Comedian Dave Gorman has both a Paul Daniels trick, and a character in Neighbours, named after him.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 211.

Susan Calman is such a fan of Prime Suspect that she has edited footage so that she could produce a recording in which it appears she is having a conversation with Helen Mirren's Jane Tennison.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 210.

Sweden has it's own Twitter account, @sweden. Random citizens get to "curate" it for a week each.

(Source: http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2011/12/16/sweden-lets-citizens-take-over-its-official-twitter-account-this-is-either-genius-or-insanity/)

No. 209.

To publicise a student revue they were in at the Edinburgh Fringe, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, and Emma Kennedy posed as a church group, handing out leaflets insisting their show be banned. They were successful - in that nobody came.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 208.

Matthew Crosby was so nervous when Ross Noble walked in to watch his first Edinburgh stand up show that he brought him onstage. Noble obliged and did fifteen minutes of material.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 207.

Zach Braff's pet fish is called Cornelius Goodyear.

(Source: Twitter.)

No. 206.

Linda Robson was crossing the road with a bag of her dog's excrement to put in a skip when a mugger cyclist drove by and took it.

(Source: Do The Right Thing podcast from www.comedy.co.uk)

No. 205.

The ghosts in Pacman are called Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 204.

Bill Murray only signed up to Garfield because he mistakenly thought writer Etan Cohen was one of the Cohen brothers.

(Source: http://www.totalfilm.com/news/bill-murray-admits-garfield-goof)

No. 203.

Pepsi was originally released as 'Brad's Drink'. This is presumably a reference to its creator, Caleb Bradham.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 202.

Gromit, of Wallace and Gromit fame, was designed to be a talking cat. Nick Park changed him to a mute dog when it became apparent that this would be easier to animate.

(Source: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-07-10/nick-park---wallace-needed-an-assistant-so-i-drew-a-cat-called-gromit)

No. 201.

Daniel Radcliffe, upon being presented with a picture of Elijah Wood to sign at a Japanese premiere, wrote 'I am not Elijah Wood. Love Daniel Radcliffe.'

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 200.

During his stint in What the Butler Saw, Ewan McGregor was in a scene in which he had to hide his genitals with a police helmet. Once he almost didn't cover it and shocked a bunch of elderly women in the front row. He enjoyed the reaction so much that he never completely covered up again.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 199.

There is a Mad Men range of Barbies.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 198.

Disney, besides from feature films and cartoons, also produced educational films on subjects ranging from war bonds to how children can protect themselves from the sexual advances of adults.

(Source: The Disney Studio Story by Richard Holliss and Brian Sibley.)

No. 197.

In 1931 Disney short, The Moose Hunt, Pluto is referred to by name for the first time. The cartoon is also notably for being the only time he speaks, or achieves flight by flapping his ears.
(Source: The Disney Studio Story by Richard Holliss and Brian Sibley.)

No. 196.

Rhod Gilbert has a tattoo of a flaming battenberg on a cushion. He got it because his producers suggested he get one whilst he was working as a tattoo artist so he devised the most pointless he could think of. His girlfriend hates it on the grounds that she dislikes marzipan.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 195.

Danny DeVito once asked every passenger on a plane whether he could smoke a cigar because the pilot would only allow him if he had everyone's permission.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 194.

Danny DeVito did his own German, Italian, Spanish and Russian dubs for The Lorax. He even did the Spanish one twice, so there was a version for Latin America.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 198.

Rob Brydon once threw a frisbee at his eldest son, but had forgetten to tell him to catch it. Tragedy inevitably ensued.

(Source: Would I Lie To You.)

No. 193.

Helena Bonham Carter is related to Florence Nightingale.

(Source: Wikipedia. Verified by http://www.buriton.org.uk/bhb/infosheet05.htm.)

No. 192.

Helena Bonham Carter pays her psychotherapist mother to deliver her verdict on the psychological motivations of her characters in scripts.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 191.

Whilst filming Sleepless in Seattle, the crew discovered a neat little coffee shop called Starbucks. Director Nora Ephron liked it so much that she immediately bought stocks in it.

(Source: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/06/27/nora-ephron-a-life-of-voice-and-detail/)

No. 190.

C. S. Lewis' middle name was Staples.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 189.

Actor Jimmy Stewart achieved the military rank of Brigadier General.

(Source: Talking Pictures by Barry Norman. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 188.

BMW (which, incidentally, is my intials) stands for Bavarian Motor Works.

(Source: Wikipedia. Googled because I was curious.)

No. 187.

Will.I.Am's first rap name was M.C.Will. It stood for Move Cos Will Is Living Large.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 186.

Despite being an only child, Nina Conti slept in a bunkbed when she was young.

(Source: Make Me Happy: A Monkey's Search For Enlightenment.)

No. 185.

In The Social Network, Sean Parker buys several round of appletinis. In reality, Mark Zuckerberg had not even heard of the cocktail prior to the film's release, but, once sampling one, liked it enough to make it Facebook's official drink.

(Source: The Internet Movie Database.)

No. 184.

David Baddiel's cat is called Chairman Meow.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 183.

In Newman and Baddiel's big Wembley gig (which allowed them to become the first comedians to play the stadium), Richard Herring and Sally Phillips are in the front row. Baddiel spent a significant proportion of his time talking to Richard.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 182.

During one of his ten stand up gigs, Nick Frost had a fist fight with a man in the front row.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 181.

During some of the time they lived together, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg shared a single bed.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 180.

Nick Frost was reknowned at his waitering job for being able to spin a pile of thirteen trays on his finger.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 179.

Jerry Springer was once Mayor of Cincinnati.

(Source: Documentary commemorating twenty years of The Simpsons. Verified via Wikipedia.)

No. 178.

Grover Cleveland is officially both the 22nd and the 24th President of the United States. He served non-consecutive terms, but somehow is counted twice.

(Source: QI.)

No. 177.

Gordon Brown's mother-in-law took some of his ties and trousers in order to make them into a quilt.

(Souce: Have I Got News For You.)

No. 176.

Sharks will die if they stop moving. They need to keep air going through their gills.

(Source: Brother, who was reading The Blind Watchmaker, told me. Verified by Yahoo.)

No. 175.

Ross Noble convinced his audience to all phone into the local radio station to report sightings of an alligator in Manchester's Heaton Park. This "news" made the papers.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 174.

Simon Cowell didn't want anyone to know it was his 52nd birthday, so Cheryl Cole hired a plane to fly around his house, trailing a banner behind it congratulating him on the occasion.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 173.

Bananas can prevent, and cure, hangovers.

(Source: Twitter feed UberFacts. Verified by http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/do-bananas-cure-hangovers.html.)

No. 172.

The idea for the Beach Boys' song 'Good Vibrations' came from Brian Wilson's mum suggesting that dogs bark when they pick up 'bad vibrations' from people.

(Source: http://uk.omg.yahoo.com/news/anatomy-song-beach-boys-explain-origins-good-vibrations-011657291.html.)

No. 171.

Charlie Brooker once included an anatomically correct picture of a heart in a Valentine's Day card. He thought it would be construed as funny.

(Source: So Wrong It's Right.)

No. 170.

Whilst he was a teenager, Danny DeVito and a few of his friends staged a murder. They chased one of their number down the street, "shot" him with a staring pistol, and then threw him in the back of their car before driving off.

(Source: Empire magazine.)

No. 169.

Christopher Nolan's brother, Jonathan, prefers to be known as Jonah.

(Source: Empire magazine.)

No. 168.

Vampires suffer from arithmomania - they are obsessed with counting. Consequently, you could sufficiently distract them by throwing a pile of seeds in front of them.

(Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/qi/9312067/QI-Quite-interesting-facts-about-vampires.html.)

No. 167.

Sarah Millican's kitten is named Chief Brody, after the character in the movie, Jaws.

(Source: Sarah Millican's Twitter feed.)

No. 166.

When offered to appear in adverts for McDonalds, Steve Coogan repeatedly pushed up the possible fee to see how much they would offer, despite not actually wanting the job. The highest figure they were willing to pay was two million pounds. Only then did he turn it down.
(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 165.

River Phoenix's birth name is River Bottom.

(Source: Have I Got A Bit More News For You. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 164.

Despite the fact that the front door of Number Ten Downing Street cannot be opened from the outside , and you can not enter the building without passing through a scanner and a set of security gates manned by armed guards, in the first five years after Tony Blair became prime minister, 37 computers, four mobile phones, two cameras, a mini-disc player, a video recorder, four printers, two projectors and a bicycle have been stolen from the building.

(Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9297300/QI-Quite-interesting-facts-about-10-Downing-Street.html.)

No. 163.

Ex-Prime Minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, died in No. 10 Downing Street. He had technically resigned, but was too ill to be moved.

(Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9297300/QI-Quite-interesting-facts-about-10-Downing-Street.html.)

No. 162.

Charlie Brooker once fell asleep at the wheel during a driving lesson.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.) 

No. 161.

Charlie Brooker submitted cartoons to the letter page of Oink magazine. As a result, they then offered him a job. He was fifteen at the time.
(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 160.

Tequila is made from a cactus-like plant.

(Source: Friend told me.Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 159.

Kathy Burke has a dog called Shenanigans.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 158.

Charlie Higson's brothers were named in alphabetical order, from A to D. Consequently, as the third child, his name begins with C.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 157.

Charlie Higson completely reinvented himself at university by dressing as a punk and giving himself the nickname 'Switch'.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 156.

Jonathan Ross got so bored interviewing Barbara Windsor that he couldn't think of another question, so played for time by pretending to pop out his contact lenses. When she started looking for it, he realised he had to get it out for real.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 155.

Jonathan Ross once fell asleep whilst interviewing Charlie Higson.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 154.

The Solids, the band that provides the theme song for How I Met Your Mother, was founded by the show's creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 153.

In Minnesota's Mall of America, (the United States' biggest shopping centre) a couple were married
in a shark tank. The bride and groom were in full wedding wear, albeit with the addition of scuba tanks.

(Source: The Mighty Mississippi with Sir Trevor McDonald.)

No. 152.

Ronald Regan, Franklin Roosevelt, and George W. Bush were all once cheerleaders.

(Source: The Mighty Mississippi with Sir Trevor McDonald.)

No. 151.

Cheerleading was once an exclusively male pursuit.

(Source: The Mighty Mississippi with Sir Trevor McDonald.)

No. 150.

During a screening of Ali, Prince Charles was tapped on the shoulder in order to know when to bow his head to avoid watching a sex scene.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 149.

It was Alfonso Ribeiro, who plays Carlton in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, who suggested that the protagonist be called Will. He told Smith, who played the titular "prince", that it was best to pick something that he didn't mind being shouted at him by fans for the rest of his life.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 148.

Jonathan Ross used to wear his OBE whilst watching Big Brother.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Podcast.)

No. 147.

Out of boredom, Jonathan Ross and his family amended Neil Gaiman's Wikipedia page to suggest that he wrote the 'Lepracaun' film series

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Podcast.)

No. 146.

Ex-Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Belursconi, allegedly bought all of his mistresses and concubines the same car because he got a deal for buying in bulk.

(Source: http://soundcloud.com/colin-anderson/international-waters-episode-2.)

No. 145.

Tom Jones was considered for the role of James Bond.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/30/tom-jones-james-bond.)

No. 144.

Muhammad Ali was rumoured to have dedicated his Rumble in the Jungle victory to Christopher Lee.

(Source: Told by friend. Also noted here: http://commanderbond.net/2440/you-want-to-put-bond-in-a-gorilla-suit.html.)

No. 143.

The French word for paperclip is 'trombone'.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed.)

No. 142.

In The Godfather trilogy, whenever a scene features an orange, a character dies, or has a close call with death.

(Source: The Unbelievable Truth.)

No. 141.

Goats with horns are known as 'buttheads'.

(Source: The Unbelievable Truth.)

No. 140.

In the 1931 film version of Dracula, Bela Lugosi, playing the titular count, never blinks.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/interactive/2012/may/05/infomania-universal-studios?intcmp=239.)

No. 139.

Every Star Wars film was released on May 21st, one week exactly after George Lucas' birthday.

(Source: http://9gag.com/gag/4061136.)

No. 138.

According to Romanian legends, vampires don't come out on Saturday.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed.)

No. 137.

Richard Bacon donated a trowel to the British Lawnmower Museum.

(Source: Would I Lie To You.)

No. 136.

According to Clare Balding, to save on remembering a lot of names, sound engineers call each other Percy or Perce whilst on outside broadcasts.

(Source: Would I Lie To You.)

No. 135.

According to Richard Bacon, who previously worked at the chain as a youth, McDonalds meat goes from frozen to cooked in just forty-four seconds.

(Source: Would I Lie To You.)

No. 134.

Critic A. A. Gill's full name is Adrian Anthony Gill.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 133.

There has been no scientific experiment to prove the existence of time.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed.)

No. 132.

Zac Efron was taught how to drive a motorcycle by Tom Cruise.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 131.

The dot on the letter i is called a tittle.

(Source: BBC Radio Two Factoids)

No. 130.

Heath Ledger and his sister, Kate, were named for the central duo in Wuthering Heights.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 129.

The front cover of the first Captain America comic depicts him punching Hitler.

(Source: http://halloweenjackconnell.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/all-night-i-want-young-american-captain.html.)

No. 128.

Morgan Freeman is part owner of Blues club, Ground Zero, in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

(Source: The Mighty Mississippi with Trevor McDonald.)

No. 127.

A 1990 film version of Captain America saw the hero played by the son of author J.D. Salinger. The movie was not shown in cinemas in the US, but was released there on VHS.

(Source: http://halloweenjackconnell.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/all-night-i-want-young-american-captain.html. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 126.

One lingistics professor, as an experiment, decided to speak to his child entirely in Klingon. He eventually stopped when it became clear that his son only used it in his presence.

(Source: Planet Word, by J. P. Davidson)

No. 125.

In Powerpuff Girls episode 'Meet the Beat-Alls', there are sixty-five references to Beatles songs made in its runtime of twenty-two minutes.

(Source: The Guardian. Verified by Google.)

No. 124.

There is no full trailer for the film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Frank Oz was not satisified with those created, so none were ever screened.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 123.

All the numbers on a roulette wheel add up to 666.

(Source: QI. Verified using Google.)

No. 122.

Albert Brooks's real name is Albert Einstein.

(Source: http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-geekiest-movie-facts/cameo-a-go-go)

No. 121.

Die Hard with a Vengeance's Simon Gruber and The Simpsons' Mr. Burns share the same fictitious phone number: 555-0001.

(Source: Total Film - http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-geekiest-movie-facts/cameo-a-go-go)

No. 120.

Danny Devito, alongside his sister, originally trained as a hairdresser.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/apr/15/danny-devito-interview-sunshine-boys)

No. 119.

Mary Steenburgen's first ever movie scenes were with Christopher Lloyd. The pair reunited for Back to the Future part III, which, incidentally, provided Lloyd with a milestone of his own - his first screen kiss.

(Source: Today Show interview with the cast.)

No. 118.

In the first draft of Back to the Future, the time travel device was a fridge.

(Source: Today Show interview with the cast.)

No. 117.

Tom Conti is directly related to Napoleon. One of his ancestors was Giovanni Buonaparte, who established the family line that produced Napoleon.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/apr/14/tom-conti-napoleon-bonaparte-genes)

No. 116.

Pharaoh translates as 'great house'.

(Source: Horrible Histories game show, Gory Games.)

No. 115.

The E number of gold is E175.

(Source: Twitter feed QIkipedia.)

No. 114.

The country with the most universities is India.

(Source: Coffee shop quiz. Verified by http://www.aneki.com/universities.)

No. 113.

Automobile company Jaguar was originally called Swallow Sidecars. The name was changed following World War Two to avoid negative associations with the initials S.S.

(Source: Coffee shop quiz. Verified by Wikpedia.)

No. 112.

The only country with an English name to end in H is Bangladesh.

(Source: Coffee shop quiz.)

No. 111.

At least one colour of the Olympic rings can be found on every national flag in the world.

(Source: Coffee shop quiz/told by friend. Verified by http://www.janecky.com/olympics/rings.html.)

No. 110.

Nepal is the only country with a non-rectangular flag.

(Source: Coffee shop quiz/The Big Bang Theory. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 109.

To make a jar of congealed honey runny again, simply put it in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.

(Source: Mother's tip via Good Housekeeping.)

No. 108.

In The Big Bang Theory, Penny's apartment is 314. This is a reference to Pi, which is commonly rounded up to 3.14.

(Source: Internet Movie Database.)

No. 107.

Kaley Cuoco got turned down twice for the role of Penny in The Big Bang Theory before finally getting the part upon a third audition.

(Source: The Big Bang Theory: It all started with a Big Bang, an E4 behind the scenes look at the show.)

No. 106.

When playing golf, the Japanese would rather not get a hole in one as tradition dictates that they should distribute the wealth, and send gifts to their friends and family.

(Source: The Unbelievable Truth.)

No. 105.

The Crown Jewels are uninsured.

(Source: The Unbelievable Truth.)

No. 104.

50% of koalas currently have Chlamydia.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed. Verified by http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-09/aids-virus-decimating-koala-population.)

No. 103.

Graham Norton adopted a rescue dog that the shelter had named Madonna. He simply calls her Madge.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 102.

New Zealand is named after Zeeland (or Zealand), a province in the Netherlands.

(Source: Friend looked it up. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 101.

During his stint as a waiter, between serving tables, Graham Norton would put a tea towel on his head and pretend to be Mother Theresa. This formed the basis of his first live act.

(Source: Mark Lawson Talks To... Graham Norton.)

No. 100.

Horror director Wes Craven and special effects guru Rick Baker were amongst those that walked out of a Barcelona film festival screening of Reservoir Dogs. The latter told Tarantino it was a compliment - he had found the realism unnerving.

(Source: Learnt in lecture. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 99.

After cooking pancakes, put a chocolate from a variety box on them whilst they're still warm. This will cause it to melt, and create a sauce.

(Source: Own experimentation.)

No. 98.

In the film Withnail & I, Paul McGann's character, only credited as '& I', is identified in the script as Marwood.

(Source: The Internet Movie Database.)

No. 97.

The episode titles of excellent radio comedy series Cabin Pressure were intended to run in alphabetical order (i.e. the first is Abu Dhabi, the second Boston, the third Cremona, and so on.). However, they have not been broadcast in the order they were intended, so the pattern has been broken.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 96.

Ray Winstone lost out for a part in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menance when he turned up to the audition drunk.

(Source: http://uk.omg.yahoo.com/news/winstones-drunk-star-wars-audition-194900850.html.)

No. 95.

If you see a rainbow, you have your back to the sun.

(Source: Twitter feed of BBC Radio 2 Factoids.)

No. 94.

Jo Brand holds an international rally licence.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 93.

Joanna Page once performed in a school production of 'As You Like It' for a royla gala held in Buckinham Palace.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 92.

Jo Brand once bet on a horse called 'J Brand'. It didn't get far before falling over.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 91.

One of Clint Eastwood's sons, Kyle, is an acclaimed double bass player who has contributed music to several of his father's films.

(Source: Told by friend. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 90.

One of Hugh Grant's friends, when they were an adolescent, made a pubic wig out the hair from a stuffed armadillo.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 89.

The German word for 'glove', rather quaintly, sounds like 'hand shoe'.

(Source: Told by friend. Verified by translation website.)

No. 88.

At no point during Return of the Jedi does anyone refer to the small teddy bear-esque creatures as 'ewoks'. They are only identified as such in the end credits.

(Source: Cracked.com. Verified by various sources.)

No. 87.

Jesus had a half-brother, James.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 86.

Every expiry date on a packet of crisps falls on a Saturday.

(Source: Friend told me. Verified via Google.)

No. 85.

Singer Olly Murs, before gaining fame on The X Factor, appeared on Deal or No Deal. He won just £10.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 84.

It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. This legislation is in place because, should someone do so in the premises, they would be entitled to a state funeral.

(Source: BBC Radio Two Factoids Twitter feed. Verified by http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7081038.stm.)

No. 83.

The Finnish word for 'pedant', pilkunnussija, translates as 'comma fucker'.

(Source: QI Elves Twitter feed: Qikipedia.)

No. 82.

Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated a children's version of the Lady Godiva story.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/mar/06/dr-seuss-book-nudes-adult.)

No. 81.

During the 2012 Brits ceremony, best band winners, Kasabian, kissed Jackie Mason's face.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 80.

During hurricanes, some helicopters are designated to fly through them, and drop special monitors, so their path can be tracked.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 79.

Marcus Brigstocke had a prosthetic leg thrown at him during a gig. When a repeat incident occured it, he kept it.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 78.

There are apparently no advertisements for children's toys on television before 10pm in Greece.

(Source: The Mad Bad Ad Show. Verified by http://www.ppu.org.uk/chidren/advertising_toys_eu.html.)

No. 77.

Madonna dated Nick Cayman, the star of the Levis jeans laundrette advert.

(Source: The Mad Bad Ad Show.)

No. 76.

Ridley Scott directed the famous Hovis advert in which a young boy trundles up a cobbled hill. Said boy had to go up the slope up and down sixty times.

(Source: The Mad Bad Ad Show.)

No. 75.

The word 'essay' comes from the French 'essayer', which means to 'try'.

(Source: Lecturer. Verified by Googling.)

No. 74.

Ducks only lay eggs in the morning.

(Source: BBC Radio 2 Factoids Twitter feed.)

No. 73.

During World War II, Oscar trophies were made of plaster due to a shortage of metal. When the conflict ended, they were exchanged for ones made of gold.

(Source: Wikipedia. Verified by http://web.archive.org/web/20070927134712/http://www.oscars.com/legacy/?pn=statuette&page=2.)

No. 72.

Mark Wahlberg has kept his prosthetic penis from Boogie Nights.

(Source: Graham Norton Show.)

No. 71.

Minnie Driver once considered getting a tattoo of a tiger scratching her bottom.

(Source: Graham Norton Show.)

No. 70.

It's not surprising that Peep Show co-writer Sam Bain has a career in sitcoms - his mother was Beattie in Terry and June, his grandmother was Miss Gatsby in Fawlty Towers, and his cousin was one of the RAF airman in 'Allo 'Allo!.

(Source: Sam Bain's Twitter feed: @sambaintv.)

No. 69.

The Weinstein brothers named their film distribution company, Miramax, after their parents, Miriam and Max.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/feb/23/harvey-weinstein-oscars-as-god.)

No. 68.

Rather appropriately, Pumba's, the warthog from The Lion King, name is Swahili for 'silly'.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed.)

No. 67.

Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, named most of the titular characters after members of his own family, but did not wish Homer's father to share his own grandfather's name, Abraham. Consequently, he left the writers to choose what the character should be called. Unwittingly, they picked Abe.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 66.

Lily from How I Met Your Mother was based on the wife of co-creator Craig Thomas. She allowed him to base a character on her on the condition that the role be played by Alyson Hannigan.

(Source: Wikipedia. Verified by http://www.whedon.info/Alyson-Hannigan-How-I-Met-Your,14745.html.)

No. 65.

The Muppet Show classic song 'Mahna Mahna' was first heard on the soundtrack to Italian soft-core movie Sweden: Heaven and Hell.

(Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2011/11/_
mahna_mahna_how_a_ditty_from_a_soft_core_italian_movie_became_the_muppets_catchiest_tune_.html)

No. 64.

Comedian Jimmy Carr previously worked at the advertising department at Shell.

(Source: Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask.)

No. 63.

Cuba Gooding Jnr has forbidden his father from visiting him during jobs. This was deemed a necessary precaution when, on the set of Jerry Maguire, his dad asked Tom Cruise if he was gay.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 62.

Author Douglas Adams died whilst using a treadmill.

(Source: University lecturer told me. Verified from several websites.)

No. 61.

To hide the shame of writing a clip show, the writer and director of The Simpsons' '138th Episode Spectacular' choose to be credited under the pseudonyms Penny Wise and Pound Foolish.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 60.

Steven Spielberg directed the second ever episode of detective show Columbo.

(Source: Told by university lecturer. Verified by IMDB.)

No. 59.

The parents of Atonement director, Joe Wright, make puppets.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/12/revenge-muppets-puppets-kermit-war-horse)

No. 58.

Oscar hopeful The Artist took thirty-five days to shoot.

(Source: Lead actor, Jean Dujardin, from the BAFTA red carpet.)

No. 57.

Dame Judi Dench gave the kiss of life to one of her fish. Said pet was subsequently renamed 'Lazarus'.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 56.

When one of her teeth fell out during the filming of television series Cranford, Dame Judi Dench had to visit a dentist whilst dressed in full period drama wear.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 55.

Spike Milligan once voiced a Muppet. In his appearance on The Muppet Show, an international special, he can be heard as Australian, Jim.

(Source: http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/the-forgotten-muppets.html.)

No. 54.

The first recorded use of the word 'nerd' is attributed to Dr. Seuss. It appears in his book If I ran the Zoo.

(Source: Twitter feed WTheFFacts.)

No. 53.

The opposite of 'hey presto' (the magician's call to make something disappear) is 'hey jingo', which makes something disappear.

(Source: Qikipedia, the Twitter feed for the QI elves.)

No. 52.

Musician Ed Sheeran has named his four small guitars Felix, Nigel, Lloyd, and Cyril.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 51.

Patrick Stewart went bald at the age of 19. He says his hair fell out in only a matter of months.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 50.

Alex Kingston started out as a life model for her mother's art classes.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 49.

One of Reese Witherspoon's ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 48.

Slyvester Stallone's oldest son is called Sage Moonblood.

(Source: Podcast Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 47.

The world's first regular thirty minute sitcom was BBC show Pinwright's Progress. Its ten episodes aired from 1946 to 1947.

(Source: Told by lecturer. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 46.

Father Ted director, Declan Lowney, named one of his children Ted as a tribute to the lead actor Dermot Morgan, who died the day after Lowney learnt his wife was pregnant.

(Source: Told by lecturer. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 45.

The vultures in The Jungle Book were originally intended to be voiced by the Beatles. This is evident from their mop haircuts and Liverpudlian accents.

(Source: Twitter feed WTFFacts.)

No. 44.

We have Steve Jobs to thank, not only for the various Apple products, but for co-founding Pixar.

(Source: Pixar quiz by university Film Society. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 43.

Despite having been in close contact with them for War Horse, Emily Blunt is still scared of horses.

(Source: http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/watson-im-scared-horses-174639694.html.)

No. 42.

From February 3rd, Disneyland employees will finally be allowed to have beards. They previously were banned from the parks since the first one was opened in 1955.

(Source: http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120129/GJLIFESTYLES/120129766/-1/SANNEWS.)

No. 41.

The world's shorter war is the 1986 Anglo-Zanibar War. It lasted thirty-eight minutes.

(Source: Historian Dan Snow's Twitter feed. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 40.

The Beauty and The Beast held the distinction of the only animated film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar for eighteen years. In 2009, Up became the second.

(Source: Told by friend. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 39.

M&Ms are named for business partners Mars and Murray, the pair who brought Smarties to America only to discover there was already a brand of that name.

(Source: The Unbelievable Truth.)

No. 38.

In Japan, the character Tintin is known as 'Tantan'. 'TinTin' is Japanese for 'penis'.

(Source: @qikipeida - the official Twitter feed of the QI elves/researchers.)

No. 37.

In 1981, the most watched programme on television in Britain was a showing of Jaws.

(Source: BBC article - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16671101)

No. 36.

Battle in East Sussex is named for the Battle of Hastings, which occured near there.

(Source: Told by friend. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 35.

Sherlock star, Benedict Cumberbatch, spent his gap year in a Tibetan monastery.

(Source: Wikipedia - it verifies this with a link to an interview with the star.)

No. 34.

There are no mentions of cats in the Bible.

(Source: Radio 2 Factoids Twitter feed.)

No. 33.

Gatwick literally means 'farm where goats are kept'.

(Source: @qikipeida - the official Twitter feed of the QI elves/researchers.)

No. 32.

A Simon Callow theatre production is sufficiently long enough so that you can walk out of, see a full film at a nearby cinema, and return to find the show is still going.

(Source: Lecturer anecdote.)

No. 31.

Actor Mark Wahlberg used to rap under the name 'Marky Mark'.

(Source: Lecturer explaining reference in the Bill Hicks routine famously cut from David Letterman's show.)

No. 30.

In Tibet, tea is served mixed with salt and butter.

(Source: dailyinfographic.com. Spotted link on friend's Facebook page.)

No. 29.

In a college production of A Christmas Carol, Dustin Hoffman, playing Tiny Tim, for a bet, changed the last line from "God bless everyone!" to "God bless everyone, goddamn it!". He was subsequently suspended.

(Source: IMDB.)

No. 28.

The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn.

(Source: Radio 4's News Quiz. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 27.

According to researchers in Finland, if the doll Barbie was life size, she would be too thin to menstruate.

(Source: BBC News.)

No. 26.

Forty-eight piglets were used in the making of the film Babe.

(Source: Yahoo article on animals stars post-films - http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/what-happened-to-these-famous-movie-animals.html.)

No. 25.

A clause in the Treaty of Versailles (an agreement signed following the First World War) dictated that only sparkling wine made in the eponymous French region of Champagne could be marketed under this name. However, as the U.S. senate never ratified it, some manufacturers have got away with labelling their product as such.

(Source: Told by friend. Verified by http://www.worldsstrangest.com/mental-floss/bubble-trouble-the-not-so-sweet-history-of-champagne/.)

No. 24.

Despite making his name in Westerns, Clint Eastwood is allergic to horses.

(Source: The Guardian.)

No. 23.

In the film Forrest Gump, the protagonist's eyes are closed in every single image or photograph he is in.

(Source: IMDB.)

No. 22.

That really is Vernon Kay's mother in the Flora Cuisine cooking oil adverts.

(Source: Multiple Google results. Investigated when somebody wondered aloud whether it was.)

No. 21.

The word 'sadistic', as well as its variations, derives from the Marquis de Sade. His life, and written works, were filled with depraved acts of debauchery. Consequently, they are 'sade-istic'.

(Source: Introduction in Oxford World's classics edition of Sade's The Misfortunes of Virtue.)

No. 20.

Kangaroos have three vaginas and two wombs.

(Source: QI, episode 2.6 Beavers.)

No. 19.

DVD is an abbrieviation of Digital Versatile Disc.

(Source: The small print on the back of any DVD.)

No. 18.

Christine Bleakley has a phobia of birds.

(Source: Dancing on Ice website.)

No. 17.

The most common baby name to be accepted by New Zealand registrars in the last ten years is 'Justice'. Others rejected included Sex Fruit, Keenan Got Lucy and Yeah Detroit.

(Source: The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/06/new-zealand-justice-baby-names.)

No. 16.

In Morris dancing, specifically the Cotswold dance style, a 'baldrick' is the strap upon which you hang a sword.

(Source: A flyer entitled Morris Dance/The Differences'.)

No. 15.

The Wizard of Oz's full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. He dropped the latter seven because they spelt out 'Pinhead'.

(Source: Wikipedia. Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum.)

No. 14.

Out of all the babies born in Britain in 2011, only three were named Ethel. One was Lily Allen's daughter.

(Source: Yahoo.)

No. 13.

Stephen Hawking was born exactly three hundred years after Galileo, who is often hailed as the father of modern physics, died.

(Source: Radio 4's Dear Professor Hawking.)

No. 12.

In 1975, students from the University of Manchester protested against the dominance of Oxbridge teams on University Challenge by answering each of the questions in the first round with the name of a revolutionary.

Their institution was banned from the programme for the rest of its ITV run.

(Source: www.ukgameshows.com)

No. 11.

Mufti, a word now meaning casual clothing, originally was an Arabic term for a scholar of Sharia Law. It gained its current definition via the British Army - mufti was the vaguely Eastern clothes worn by off-duty officers.

(Source: Wikipedia. Researched as curious to the ethnic origins of the word.)

No. 10.

Although renowned for being Holmes' arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty only appears in two of Conan Doyle's stories. The character was initially created solely to kill off Sherlock in The Final Solution.

(Source: Wikipedia. Researched out of curiousity.)

No. 9.

When you have finished cooking cookies in the oven, get them onto a cooling rack as soon as possible or they will stick to the tray.

(Source: Mother's advice.)