Stephen Fry quit QI due to exhaustion from gruelling schedule, Alan Davies says
QI panellist Alan Davies has revealed the real reason that Stephen Fry quit as the host.
The out TV legend announced earlier this year that he would be leaving the quiz show after 13 years, with comedian Sandi Toksvig stepping into the host chair for the most recent series.
Speaking to the Mail, regular panellist Alan Davies revealed that Fry had struggled to keep up with the gruelling work schedule.
He said: “For budget reasons, they ended up making him do three shows in 24 hours.
“Sometimes he’d go upstairs and have a vodka and tonic and a lie down, then come back and say, ‘I don’t want to do this’.
“I sympathise, because I felt exactly the same way. It’s not fair.
“It’s absolutely right he’s stepped down. He didn’t want to do it any more. It’s a new era.
“We have a really good replacement. There’s a good atmosphere around the show. Sandi Toksvig is really good at it.
“I had a great time making the show [with Sandi]. I was funny. I actually have a bit more room.”
He added: “I’d be an idiot to jump ship… it’s one of the best jobs on the telly.
“I offered to go if they wanted a total clearout and I’m sure they thought about it, but they kept me there.”
Paying tribute to his former colleague, he said: “People have no idea just how good he was.
“You see what a mess other shows are, how long they take to record and how the audience is in torment.
“Then you go to a QI recording with Stephen in the chair and the two hours fly by – there are no pauses, barely a fluff on the autocue. Up-tempo, funny, sharp.”
