Quirky facts of the year

The No Such Thing As A Fish podcast is to publish its first book.

The team of James Harkin, Andrew Hunter Murray, Anna Ptaszynski and Dan Schreiber are all researchers on QI, which regularly publishes books of facts.

But now, after what’s been described as ‘a hotly contested auction’, Random House Books acquired the UK rights to their own Book Of The Year.

The publishers say: ‘The Book of the Year will be precisely what its title promises: an entertaining, fact-filled journey into the more bizarre reaches of the past twelve months. Among many, many other things, it will establish:

• Who has played the greater number of golf rounds since the turn of 2017: Rory McIlroy or Donald Trump

• Precisely how many members of Britain’s Parachute Regiment aren’t actually qualified to use parachutes

• Why a parliamentary inquiry into why parliamentary inquiries take so long has been delayed?’

In a statement, the  No Such Thing As A Fish team said: ‘We promised Penguin Random House we’d write the book of the year and we think the title is a very strong start.

‘ Right now the world is full of news that is believable but fake. This book will be packed with news that’s unbelievable but true.’

Nigel Wilcockson, Publishing Director at Random House Books: ‘With their blend of inspired humour and encyclopaedic knowledge, the No Such Thing As A Fish team have created the best podcast around. Now they’re set to pen a Christmas best-seller. Is there no limit to their talents?’

The book will be out in hardback, audio and ebook editions on November 2 – preorder here.

Harkin is the head writer on QI, and has also appeared on TV quiz shows 15-1 and Only Connect, reaching the semi-finals of the latter. 

Murray is a writer and comedian, who, among other things, contributes to Private Eye magazine, is a member of the hit improv troupe Austentatious, and has staged his own one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe and in London’s Soho Theatre. 

Ptaszynski  previously worked for an MSP in the Scottish Parliament and dabbled in marketing for a Melbourne theatre company, while Schreiber, who is also a comedian, co-created Radio 4’s The Museum of Curiosity and presented his own Channel 4 documentary on UFO conspiracies.

Published: 11 May 2017