How many hills was Rome built on? - QI: Series O Overseas - BBC Two

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Watch the BBC first on iPlayer 👉 bbc.in/iPlayer-Home Programme website: bbc.in/2H2qyvj Sandi corrects a popular myth, with very little help from Bill Bailey and Alan Davies.
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[@julianbeldham8684]

I like to imagine someone in rome was asked to count the hills of the city, and then they forgot to include the hill they were standing on

[@TykusBalrog]

That's as good an answer as any. You can only imagine people realized pretty quickly the mistake, but i'm guessing they thought it was a funny joke to celebrate the festival of 7 hills when there's 8.

[@joebleasdale5557]

"Argentina, that's really hilly..." "SHUT UP!" 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@samreid8910]

I lost it when Alan and Bill both said the same thing and Alan burst out laughing 😂😂

[@TheBlackDemon1996]

I like to compare Sandi to a student becoming a teacher and realising how difficult it is.

[@paulallen579]

Copenhagen, Sandi’s home town, is not hilly at all. She’s just jealous.

[@MegaFortinbras]

Neither is New York City, where Sandi spent her youth. Well, there is Brooklyn Heights but most people ignore that.

[@mission101]

Did they reuse a shot? Or is Alan just really good at making that expression? 1:41 2:52

[@dersatic9994]

Wow that’s interesting and a good spot

[@ANWRocketMan]

First time I've watched QI after Stephen left and I have to say Sandi is very good at filling his shoes.

[@rookygaming6968]

Bad wording im afraid. She is half the sieze of Stephen xD

[@jessicalee333]

Filling his shoes with what?

[@khymaaren]

Oh, no, this is a hornet's nest. Be careful. Some people will feign stupidity, even, just to make a point on how unfunny they think she is compared to Stephen.

[@ReegusReever]

Sandi wears her own shoes.

[@JimFortune]

Rocket Man I have to disagree. The show is still excellent, but her performance is not much like Stephen's. She brings her own qualities to it.

[@India.H]

*"When I'm in the company of men like this I feel happy about my life choices."* I can't 😂

[@KarstenOkk]

I like the idea of hill-based field of vision encouraging crime.

[@IvoTrausch]

Luxembourg's quite hilly, we got a new funicular railway too!

[@tiamta]

I want Stephen on as a guest

[@blueriver.]

Sandi's final comment is just brilliant :D

[@izurlis]

Blue River I just rolled my eyes

[@lesserwhovian6175]

Life 'choices'?

[@gemstonerose4648]

Lesser Whovian she's gay

[@lesserwhovian6175]

I know but that's not a choice

[@Xipheas]

Lesser Whovian course it is

[@mocthezuma]

Bergen has a funicular railway and is surrounded by seven hills. Not Oslo. -10 for Alan.

[@komfyrion]

Relative to Amsterdam I'm sure you could call Oslo hilly, though. Still no funicular, of course.

[@MrRoelrc1]

What youre referring to is mountains and Bergen is surrounded by more than seven "hills". Reason why people think it has seven hills is because some scribe from Bergen wrote that Bergen was built on seven mountains so that people might consider it in the same league as Rome. There are 8 mountains in Bergen that are considered a part of the seven mountains.

[@jonnyaxelsson9940]

Oslo counts 30 hills (defined as at least 400 meters over the sea and at least 50 meters above surrounding ground), but no funicular, no. no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjell_i_Oslo When cities are said to have seven hills, like Bergen, that is the seven they choose to count. I believe Bergen too has far more than seven.

[@eleSDSU]

-10 for Bill too, Argentina is neither hilly nor a capital, actually most of Argentina is really really really flat.

[@xTheUnderscorex]

But there ARE 7 that were considered the Seven Hills of Rome (Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal). There were several other hills that Rome eventually covered (like Vatican, Pincian, and Janiculum), but no-one was confused at any point about how many Hills Rome was built on.

[@rin_etoware_2989]

the shadow eighth one referred to probably relates to the Septimontium festival. There, the Quirinal, Viminal, Capitoline, and Aventine are completely excluded; the Esquiline's Oppian, Fagutal, and Cispian spurs got named; Cermalus got split from the Palatine; and a saddle between the Palatine and the Fagutal spur got named Velia.

[@sophiefrancis8295]

Now if anyone asks me if I know anything about Portugal, I can say: Lisbon’s very hilly. It’s got a funicular railway.

[@Zonyxe]

It's cool to see the show still being brilliant, even though Stephen was always quirky humor, and Sandis is dry humor.

[@azzyclark3860]

Cant imagine that Copenhagen is particularly hilly

[@fds7476]

Or New York, for that matter...

[@saoirsedeltufo7436]

It’s not

[@sorin7481]

never seen this person before, but i would like to see much more of her.

[@yvonnewinters9699]

As a dutchie I appreciate the Amsterdam/Holland part of the joke

[@fenhen]

Sheffield’s hilly. San Francisco’s hilly.

[@kenlyneham4105]

It should be noted that there is a '7 hills' in Sydney. Matthew Pearce (1762-1831) was granted 160 acres (65 ha)) in 1795, which he named after Kings Langley and the suburb of the same name is still there. A section of his grant bounded by Toongabbie Creek where he had his farm, became known as Seven Hills from about 1800, because his farm was situated near the seventh hill along the road west from Parramatta.

[@JorryGT]

I love this clip so much 😂

[@DNAblue2112]

Maybe they were programmers and counted from 0

[@RAFMnBgaming]

Rome wasn't built in a day you know. They tried, but halfway through the first compilation the palatine through a null reference exception and they had to start again from the beginning.

[@jessicalee333]

Roman numerals don't have a 0.

[@DLTyrus]

I don't mean to be pedantic but this is a QI video. Programmers don't *count* from 0, they index from 0. So Hills.count() would return 8, but the 8th hill would be at position Hills[7]

[@flicnerdy4385]

@@jessicalee333 The had a word for nothing "Nilhil" which is often counted as their word for zero in translation. so maybe?

[@eddievhfan1984]

@@DLTyrus 10 points and a homoerotic come-on from Phill Jupitus for you. *applause*

[@TotallyNotElPresidente]

*LOUD BUZZING, SIRENS, AND BELLS, AND WHISTLES* Actually the Servian Wall encompassed the seven traditional hills of Rome, and you can argue that "the city proper" is encompassed within the walls. Also, if you really want to be technical, Rome is built on TEN hills: the hills Vatican, Janiculum, and Pincian are the three that you won't see amongst The Seven.

[@dampfoxes]

Auckland is rather hilly. Volcanoes, mostly.

[@Falkano]

True. Not a capital either tho

[@Falkano]

But welly is a little hilly aswell

[@JackMellor498]

SOMEONE get on that! A laugh a minute sitcom starring Alan Davies as a lovable old man in a old people’s home, bantering delightful nonsense with the other folks. XD

[@MukulApple]

Mumbai was built out of seven islands.

[@zbr76]

It's odd to see Bill Bailey in a different seat.

[@ballantynemoyes8019]

At high school many, many years ago, we were taught a mnemonic for the seven hills - Queen Victoria Eats Chicken And Pork Chops, so Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, Aventine, Palatine and Capitoline.

[@gabespiro8902]

Johannesburg where I grew up was fairly hilly. Well maybe not so much hilly as angular. No funicular railway though

[@camfunme]

7 is the correct answer! Ancient Roma was divided by Servius Tillius (Rome's 6th King) into 4 regions inside the Pomerium (city limits) and 2 'areas beyond the walls'. The first 3 regions included the 7 hills (titled Mons) originally settled by the tribes united under Romulus: Reg I. Suburana (Mons. Caelius, and Fagutal); Reg II. Palatina (Mons. Palatium, Velia, and Cermalus); and Reg III. Esquilina (Mons. Oppius, and Cispius). These are the 7 hills Rome was settled on, and the 7 (Sept) hills (Mons) remembered in the Septimonium. The last region included the hills (titled Collis) originally settled by the Sabine tribe which had been assimilated into Rome by the time of Augustus: Reg IV. Collina (Collis. Viminalis, Quirinalis, Salutaris, Mucialis, Latiaris). There were also 2 settled regions of Roma not considered within the city limits a.k.a. outside the Pomerium (Extra Pomerium Relictis): Capitolio (Mons. Capitolium, and Arx) which was a military base and armed soldiers weren't allowed inside the Pomerium; and Aventino (Mons. Aventinus, and Murcus later known as Aventine Minor) which was an district of resettled Latin peoples from the town of Politorium which Ancus Marcius defeated (Rome's 4th King). N.B. The following 7 hills are typically listed as the 7 hills of Rome, because they have monuments on them in the modern day which tourists can visit: Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal Hill.

[@mattp.158]

Denver's somewhat hilly. It's flat one way and hilly the other way.

[@MegaFortinbras]

For Colorado in general, the western half is very hilly, the eastern half is flat.

[@davidmaxwaterman]

Holland is quite hilly in the south east.

[@VinnySlouth]

gotta love how the klaxon splits your ears then they mumble the explanation.

[@CANNIBoy]

Ramsgate is hilly

[@LachlanFountain]

whatever home he's in i'll love to be in

[@dielfonelletab8711]

Definitive proof that Sandi is as funny as Stephen Fry

[@Alucard-gt1zf]

Dielfon Elettab said no one ever

[@BrandonTheCommando]

Dielfon Elettab - absolutely not. But if it helps you cope...

[@IronResistance]

Honestly I prefer Stephan but I think Sandi is pretty PogChamp too

[@SamuelKristopher]

SameSoup have you never heard of opinions or subjective thought?

[@shurdi3]

She rarely goes along though. When the panel went on a wild tangent, stephen added to it, and had some back and forth about it. Sandi usually just stays there and often acts holier than thou

[@weatherman1978]

Parts of Vienna are hilly, too.

[@discflame]

this is one of the most hilarious clips from QI.

[@BrandonTheCommando]

Diskflame - you need to watch more QI

[@discflame]

SameSoup Oh I forgot we all must share the exact same opinion on the best parts of this television show and any deviancy from SameSoup's preferences are frowned upon. Forgive me.

[@jamesg6660]

Diskflame Oh the classic "I'm allowed my opinion" response. Guess what, sometimes people have shit opinions and are non-subjectively wrong. It happens. Don't hide behind the convenient "It's my opinion" shield, when people try to tell you you're just flat out wrong.

[@discflame]

James G My statement was 100% subjective in every way. You can disagree and be just as valid as I am. The problem comes when you start treating subjective things objectively. If I am evidently wrong about this, where are the hard statistics on this that it is in fact *not* one of the funniest segment on the show? If it were completely objective, would it not be supported by hard facts? Where are the facts, James?

[@jamesg6660]

Diskflame How about the fact that this isn't funny at all?

[@moramento22]

Warsaw's pretty flat

[@joaov.m.oliveira9903]

Very few crime there, eh?

[@leehollings79]

It depends on which ranking you look at, but it's apparently the 13th in the list of polish cities most affected by crime, which I guess is not bad for the biggest city in the country

[@zapkvr]

Geelong is pretty flat. It's pretty boring if you are a runner like me. Unless you live near the beach. Or the river.

[@shurdi3]

Poland in a lot of slavic has a name affiliated with fields and flatlands Like Полски can mean both Polish, and from the fields

[@moramento22]

I actually didn't knew that. The history is that name Poland came from a name of a tribe from those lands, but I don't know from where the name of the tribe came from.

[@U2QuoZepplin]

Way to win the argument for Sandy. Stephen would’ve just burst in to tears or something.

[@Gooberpatrol66]

They say of the acropolis where the parthenon is....

[@stevevasta]

@@Gooberpatrol66 I just saw that clip! 🤣🤣🤣

[@loucooper6753]

Tell you what Gloucestershire is really hilly, great for walks

[@FringePrincess]

*Does this qualify as entertainment?*

[@miriamspringett3797]

Yes.

[@zapkvr]

FringePrincess well to be fair you need an IQ of at least 100. If you are stupid it will go over your head

[@XxC0dProsxX]

No. They're just naming places. It's hardly entertainment. Plus she's quoting the video and I think that went over your head

[@luufia]

Yes it absolutely dies!

[@zapkvr]

Well you need to have a sense of wit and wonder. So maybe you kind of missed the point. Don't feel bad. It's not your fault you are stupid. Some times it just happens. Maybe you could change your circle of friends.

[@Pfisiar22]

Vatican hill and Janiculum are not usually counted among the traditional Seven Hills.

[@violentinstincts]

my everyone from rome wants a word with the elves

[@mathewfullerton8577]

Bailey's comment about Argentina isn't correct as applied to its capital. Buenos Aires isn't very hilly at all.

[@ZondaFRoadster]

Kathmandu, surprisingly not as hilly as you'd expect!

[@SomeRandomGuy164]

Istanbul is quite hilly too.

[@happilyhadesbound]

Technically, in order to have been built on eight hills, it had to be built on seven hills as well.

[@aaronpaul9188]

I dont think shes right... the original walls of rome went around seven hills so far as i can tell. Nothing west of thr tiber was enclosed.

[@mortenu.5606]

One - it was called Benny

[@lukessummerguitar]

Have none of them ever watched "Bullitt"... ?

[@timsplanet2]

Is there a funnicular railway in Oslo? Or is Alan thinking of Bergen. That's hilly

[@-_James_-]

There is no funicular in Oslo. Plenty of hills though.

[@ParviPaparazzi]

A warm greeting to all the other 74 cities built on seven hills. Albeit, not from Rome...

[@zapkvr]

Theres a 7 hills in NSW.

[@RAFMnBgaming]

New South Wales?

[@BlueFury2577]

It's a bloody hole tbh

[@zapkvr]

@@RAFMnBgaming yes Sir

[@snapdragon606]

The Peak District's very hilly. Clue's in the name really.

[@ThenameisNiels]

And don't deny it! xD

[@NekoInk13]

Like trying to wrangle hyperactive toddlers 😂

[@anotheraccount7637]

Quebec City is hilly and has a funicular railway.

[@JohnMoseley]

I didn't even know it was supposed to be seven - and I was born there.

[@wierdalien1]

Thats all most people know

[@SidBonkers51]

Could it be argued that it was built on one hill? At a time perhaps.

[@crazygrainger2006]

Where's Woodley?

[@LilySaintSin]

Istanbul's hilly.

[@timclark1218]

Sheffield is on 7 hills

[@jeffdallama5431]

San Francisco’s very hilly

[@andyevans5551]

I have to much spare time

[@azzyclark3860]

Andy Evans too

[@danielgriffiths9191]

not enough time for grammar

[@Pebble_Collector]

Grammar nazis. FeelsBadMan boolies PunOko

[@U2QuoZepplin]

Andy Evans me too.

[@TristanMorrow]

All wrong. Romulus killed Remus over wanting to build on a different hill-Rome was founded on Romulus's hillock.

[@zapkvr]

Tristan Morrow nice. Id forgotten that for 45 years

[@RAFMnBgaming]

That sounds pretty dirty.

[@Maerahn]

...and he's walked with a limp ever since. 😜

[@wierdalien1]

Depends on the version of myth

[@Falkano]

They got the wrong aussie for the subject. Should have been adam hills 🌚

[@redel37]

One.

[@potterpotty01]

Brighton very hilly, lots of steps!

[@adampage73]

Barcelona's hilly.

[@mikegermain8015]

QI provided no evidence that there is an 8th hill, nor does any reputable sources such as Encyclopedia Britannica support the claim. I swear about 10% of QI's answers are completely wrong.

[@jcortese3300]

OMG she's f*cking awesome. :-) And, "If you have enough intention behind it." O:-)

[@eleSDSU]

Argentina is not hilly...

Istanbul was built in the same way. There are different names and stories on about 7 hills. Thinking the same way, romans used to live in Istanbul. I guess they never changed their minds about 7 :)

[@therascal8120]

They say that when Istanbul was originally built by the Romans, the one who was ordering it was trying to make a second Rome. Maybe they realized they had built on 8 hills the whole time, and all the conquest was to try and find another 7-hilled place.

[@KhanivoreQniba]

Damon is Hilly, so is Benny....

[@lonnwy]

Hehe I want to marry Alan davies, xxxx

[@Genevieve1023]

The Bronx is very hilly.

[@ZachsMind]

Austin Texas is rather hilly. Come to think of it most of my home state is filled with "rolling plains" which is another way to say it's rather hilly. This is because a long time ago Texas used to be under water and not over it. It's all sedimentary rock until you get up to Oklahoma where you can find some metamorphic and igneous rock. Which is rocky. None of that down here, cuz it's hilly. Well. Lubbock's not very hilly. San Antonio's pretty flat. But Dallas and Houston are hilly. Probably more than seven of em.

[@eoinh1]

Cork is very hilly

[@WiseWeeabo]

The 8th hill would be Hill[7].

[@RgW00D]

Lisbon is very hilly. LOL

[@Ohfishyfishyfish]

Sandi prefers mounds to hills.

[@MichaelSHartman]

She should know the more she objects, the worse they become.

[@RasPutintheGreat]

An American in QI? How did she manage?

[@Nilsy1975]

Ras Putin there's been several Americans on QI

[@NUTTY-nw4ed]

Rich Hall was popular

[@bartonez123]

Let's pump the brakes here, does Oslo have a funicular railway?

[@hudsonoliver5437]

Please stop booking Colin Lane for this show. He is simply not funny nor worthy.

[@zapkvr]

Hudson Oliver Oh I agree. He is an arse

[@zapkvr]

Hudson Oliver about as funny as Rory Mcgrath or Julia Morriss

[@vanillaslice1945]

dude, chill aha

[@davidedwards3361]

Colin Lane is about as funny as a broken leg. When you see him on Australian TV doing an act, it is very American, that is, repeat everything several times and putt funny faces. On the other hand, his old partner Frank Woodly IS funny. He can come up with some very witty comments, while Colin Lane can pull faces.

[@2411509igwt]

Uh, no, it's clearly seven. There are other hills, like the Vatican's hill, but they aren't traditionally counted. Heck, just look at a map on wikipedia for crying out loud.

[@jessicalee333]

Maybe they count that other little knob that's clearly visible on the map on Wikipedia. Also, she's talking about the list the Romans used in their own celebrations of their hills, and there are eight on that list. How is that not "traditional"?

[@TheTwitchdog]

Hiroshima is quite flat

[@tristanridley1601]

I loved Sandi as a guest, but a clip like this reminds me why I stopped watching new episodes. She just doesn't deal with their tangents and distractions in a way I find funny at all. Did anyone ever tell her that the questions aren't the point really?

[@ceesduck2933]

You are right but im afraid in todays society you have to pretend that she's equally if not more funny and better than Stephen Fry as a host - automatically as a woman she has to claim all that respect.

[@kristian9955]

Or, And I know this sounds mad, people might find her to be funny in her own right, without it having a SJW conspiracy behind it. She's replacing someone who has been there for.. 15 years? No matter who they picked people wouldn't like it, and out of all the guests they've had on she's the best substitute for stephen, in my opinion.

[@sophiefrancis8295]

Yes. It's like when there's a new doctor. Lots of people are sceptical and feel like they know they won't be good because they love the old doctor. People just hate change.

[@alexmackay7454]

98

[@andyevans5551]

Jeremy Clarkson hit the director

[@morganylong5555]

Andy Evans he's not even in this video

[@iz723]

looks like james may

[@morganylong5555]

It's Alan Davies it's not jeremey or james may

[@gaynebula6439]

He's fairly hilly

[@specialized29er86]

Without Stephen its not QI.

[@khymaaren]

But the title of the show says so. Now, I'm confused. Or maybe you are.

[@jpaxonreyes]

I think it's slightly better.

[@xonxt]

And of course another 'men' and a 'I am a lesbian' joke at the end... I was fine with Sandi hosing Q.I. at first, but now I'm starting to agree with people who desperately want Stephen back

[@maru-zee]

Because Stephen Fry never made "I am gay" jokes... >.>

[@oenrn]

"When I'm in the company of women in a group like this I feel happy about my life choices." Somehow I can't imagine Stephen Fry making that comment...

[@Gooberpatrol66]

Stephen Fry's gay jokes were always about himself, not putting down others.

[@lesserwhovian6175]

But Sandi does it every episode or so as a punchline (as though we needed reminding or something). Stephen would use it as a joke too but it was few and far between and not at the expense of others.

[@hellemller8448]

Steven put others down all the time. Sandi never does.

[@deraemiller2941]

#BringbackStephen

[@RAFMnBgaming]

That's about as likely as Frankie Boyle returning to mock the week. which is to say you can post all the youtube comments you like but it's not gonna happen.

[@andyevans5551]

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