Harry Potter beheaded on QI christmas special

December 29, 2010 11:05 AM

"You'll live on in films forever!" Daniel Radcliffe beheaded on QI christmas special (SLYT)
posted by sarastro (36 comments total)

I enjoyed that, and some dumb people seem to think it was real, which is even better. Way to go internet people.
posted by djduckie at 11:10 AM on December 29, 2010

we just watched this episode the other night!

Pretty good overall - young Radcliffe did surprisingly well in the quiz portion. I think a lot of what made the beheading so funny was Graham Norton's showmanship.

Even though I was mostly certain that they weren't REALLY going to lop off the head of D. Radcliffe, (although they are done filming the Harry Potter movies, right?) the setup was pretty good, and I definitely had to rewind and watch it again...
posted by dubold at 11:14 AM on December 29, 2010

I don't understand even a little bit.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:24 AM on December 29, 2010

Yay! I love QI, even though I only get to watch it through, um... let's call them "underground means". I wish the BBC would get their licensing issues (largely having to do with the images used on the large screens) squared away and start running this show on BBC America. I know it would find a rabid following. It sure has in our household.
posted by hippybear at 11:28 AM on December 29, 2010 [6 favorites]

Even though I was mostly certain that they weren't REALLY going to lop off the head of D. Radcliffe

Ooh, no fooling you is there?
posted by jontyjago at 11:28 AM on December 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

This was great fun, cheers.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:29 AM on December 29, 2010

IS HARY PORTER GOING TO BE ALRIGHT?
posted by dirtdirt at 11:30 AM on December 29, 2010 [8 favorites]

even though I only get to watch it through, um... let's call them "underground means". I wish the BBC would get their licensing issues

Ironic that their concern over licensing promotes IP piracy and undermines said licenses.
posted by fuq at 11:32 AM on December 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

I wish the BBC would get their licensing issues (largely having to do with the images used on the large screens) squared away and start running this show on BBC America

Or even better, Netflix Instant.
posted by Think_Long at 11:36 AM on December 29, 2010

How was this done? I must be an idiot because I can't really figure it out.
posted by angrycat at 11:39 AM on December 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

There can be only one Harry Potter!

And I would do my happy dance for a week if BBC America got hooked up with Netflix Watch Instantly.
posted by smirkette at 11:40 AM on December 29, 2010

They say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is...
posted by inturnaround at 11:41 AM on December 29, 2010 [15 favorites]

Ralph Fiennes just jumped out of his chair and ran around the room, pumping his fist and screaming, "YES! YESSSS!!!"
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:43 AM on December 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

How was this done? I must be an idiot because I can't really figure it out.

It's an illusion!

(Whether this particular instance of the trick was done exactly in this way, I cannot say. Alice Cooper has been getting beheaded onstage during his concerts for decades. It's always a treat to see him come out from behind the guillotine and pick up his own severed head and sing the next song to himself. Grand Guignol indeed.
posted by hippybear at 12:00 PM on December 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

Oops. Forgot the closing ).
posted by hippybear at 12:03 PM on December 29, 2010

Love QI. And yes I keep waiting for some "over-the-counter" outlet to carry it.
posted by gallois at 12:18 PM on December 29, 2010

The QI quibblers blog.
posted by smackfu at 12:28 PM on December 29, 2010

I renew my objected to "beheading": it should be deheading (q.v. "decapitation").
posted by kirkaracha at 12:43 PM on December 29, 2010

After watching the how-it's-done video that hippybear linked, and then rewatching the clip, you can see the particulars of this illusion a lot clearer. That's a great resource, by the way, I think it'd make a good FPP.
posted by codacorolla at 12:53 PM on December 29, 2010

Ooh, no fooling you is there?

nope, it is not possible. Hundreds of thousands have tried, tens of thousands have perished in the attempt - cities razed to the ground, crops trampled, the ground watered with the tears of children, the lamentation of the bereaved loud enough to crack the marble dome of heaven! The streets have filled with blood! Mountains have toppled! The trees have uprooted themselves and fled in terror! A hundred civilizations, broken on my anvil of unfooling, now worship me as their god-king.

so, good of you to notice.
posted by dubold at 1:13 PM on December 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

.
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:13 PM on December 29, 2010 [12 favorites]

Beheading was too good for the little swot. I haven't been that annoyed by a QI panelist since Rory "ooo look what a big brain I've got" Bremner.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:16 PM on December 29, 2010

I renew my objected to "beheading": it should be deheading (q.v. "decapitation").

Be- is perfectly cromulent. It's Old English, as it the whole word (beheafdian); and be- in this case mean's, essentially, "with great force," like bespatter and, um, bethwack. If you want to go with a Latin suffix, you might as well make the whole word Latin and say decapitate.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:30 PM on December 29, 2010 [4 favorites]

Be- is perfectly cromulent.

I read that sentence as "Be- is perfectly be-cromulent" somehow. Is there a word for using a rhetorical device when talking about that rhetorical device?
posted by marginaliana at 1:55 PM on December 29, 2010

Retoridundant.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:06 PM on December 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

Unheading. That's what I'm going with.
posted by quin at 2:35 PM on December 29, 2010

.
posted by arto at 3:24 PM on December 29, 2010

How was this done? I must be an idiot because I can't really figure it out.
posted by angrycat at 11:39 AM

Finally, a comment on YouTube where there is more useful than offensive:

Definitely NO CAMERA TRICKS. He pushes his head down through the 'wood' into the basket, you can see the thin black line going from the hole down towards the basket where the 'wood' is disjointed. Its likely made of foam or rubber. The blade, as it hits just before the back of his neck is pushed into the block to which it is attached. Stop being retards.
WholeWideWorld 21 hours ago

Infact...at 1:15, when Radcliffe is laughing, you can see the foamy bit under his chin move.
WholeWideWorld 21 hours ago 3

posted by blueberry at 3:59 PM on December 29, 2010

Benoggin, undoming, ofpating, deskulling.
posted by Pendragon at 4:02 PM on December 29, 2010

QI is a splendid show, now in it's eleventieth season or thereabouts. Well worth the time to find it, even if illicit means are your only avenue.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:09 PM on December 29, 2010

inturnaround: "They say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is..."

What do they say?! What do they say?!

Whaaaat dooooo theyyyy saaaaaaaayyy.... ♪♪♪

about the Acropoliiiiiiiis... ♪♪♪

where the Parthenon iiiiissss.... ♪♪♪

(Confused? Watch this clip from QI.)

(And yes, I really wish the Beeb would get their acts together on this because America needs QI. They're only on season H! We can catch up easily! It's English--there aren't that many episodes to a season, after all.)
posted by tzikeh at 4:25 PM on December 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Chump had it coming.
posted by mazola at 6:04 PM on December 29, 2010

Why was Daniel Radcliffe beheaded? Even by QI standards, that seems quite unusual.
posted by lukemeister at 9:16 PM on December 29, 2010

Why was Daniel Radcliffe beheaded? Even by QI standards, that seems quite unusual.

It looks like they split one of the other guests too. It looks like the episode topic is magic, so magic tricks make sense.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:37 PM on December 29, 2010

Why was Daniel Radcliffe beheaded? Even by QI standards, that seems quite unusual.

It looks like they split one of the other guests too. It looks like the episode topic is magic, so magic tricks make sense.

Yes - they're currently in Series H, and the topic was "Hocus Pocus."
posted by tzikeh at 11:22 PM on December 29, 2010

My wife and I love this show, especially the XL version. Thanks be to Bittorrent. Blessings upon the houses of Stephen Fry and Alan Davies.

QI channel on Youtube.
posted by crunchland at 5:16 AM on January 5, 2011