Stephen Fry. Room 101 - "AQI" - 2001

Stephen Fry talking about the "Australian Question Internation" on BBC's "Room 101" in 2001.

[@stenoch]

My AQI theory: people have gotten used to saying "You know?" after each sentance, to make sure they're being understood. Now they have stopped saying it, but the question remains in the voice inflection. You know?

[@loodlebop]

David Henderson sounds reasonable

[@BaddaBigBoom]

It's a bit like Brummies and Scousers going "EH" after each sentence.

[@TheTaterTotP80]

Very possible. But I haven't heard it up North but only from Southerners. But up North we always ask "Know what I mean?" etc. Albeit questions like that in a Northern accent are rarely intonated like questions anyway. It often all sounds like a statement. The opposite of AQI.

[@Knappa22]

Oh where’s the rest? I loved this episode. He also put in naff antiques

[@malcolmdale]

I am now hearing a lot of English people saying "Noee" the Australian way Stephen says it at 2:52

[@BaddaBigBoom]

It's usually little girls that speak like this in my experience also "No-ahhh!", usually said to add emphasis when frustrated ...highly irritating.

[@TheTaterTotP80]

Really? Up North atleast that isn't a thing thankfully. Neither is AQI.

[@ginge641]

TheTaterTotP80 Yeah, instead we have people saying "ner" instead of "no".

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Fabulous upload!

[@simontaylor2319]

Love it, there is nothing more irritating than listening to someone speaking like this

[@joeyflubbermuffin7227]

I know, right? I see this all the time ya know what I mean?

[@Misteryowl]

That doesn't work.

[@lewisner]

I was in a pub a while ago and there was a young guy on the phone to a friend. Every other word was Facebook or Twitter. I swear some people couldn't even exist without social media.

[@yaserthe1]

It's now called up talk.

[@simontaylor2319]

My gmother was always saying "You see" at the end of a sentence. Nowadays particularly men of a certain race say "yeah" at the end of each saying or response, presumably to enforce the remark

[@aurelie-annegilly8018]

intonation

[@JimFortune]

Aurelie-Anne Gilly Unless they're drafting Australians to do all the shit jobs for little or no pay while pretending to be acquiring skills necessary to future success...

[@bobmetcalfe9640]

It usually NZ that describes itself as Godzown?

[@MrJohnnyWalker2001]

Several good points. Two bad haircuts.

[@tr3vk4m]

Haven't seen it.

[@andrewmorrice9139]

OYYY NOYYY!

[@jackdavids2723]

Oi Noiii!!!!

[@t0k1d0k1]

Annoys the hell out of me.

[@a2zpaul766]

THE most annoying way of talking, bar none.

[@TheTaterTotP80]

It's far from a good thing to have a generation of non assertive individuals. That's a death knell of any society. You need assertive, strong individuals to have a strong, assertive society and civilisation.

[@eppiehemsley6556]

Nicely said Taterpot , you must be right because I thought the same thing myself.

[@toadfaceass]

agreed

[@tobyjones205]

Must have had a few aussie rentboys

[@atri-us]

Toby Jones it takes one to know one.

[@eppiehemsley6556]

Steady on Toby that's rather near the mark. Although it doesn't invalidate his opinion.

[@Quentin-queerly]

Things are getting personal in the, uhh, *checks notes* intonation discourse!

[@deedee-tc4fh]

Can I put Stephen Fry into Room 101..his voice overs for the flu vaccine and on CBBC Big Bro Co sycophant give me the creeps..Not to be trusted imo

[@sexobscura]

do not reverberate my intention

[@TheTaterTotP80]

Haven't hard AQI up North, but we also rarely intonate for questions as much as Southerners. Sort of the opposite of AQI.

[@hopeatkinson4790]

We used to say 'Whatever!' in high school... I'm 40 now.

[@vyrnmn]

A colleague of mine is forever turning around and telling people things. Oddly enough everyone she speaks to turns round to tell her things, too.

[@bicolouredprawn]

"Oi noi!"

[@jaymcd8577]

fucking..hate it! good on ya Fry

[@georgiaearnshaw1431]

I agree completely. Makes me want to throttle someone if they speak this way!

[@irishredhead14]

Canadians do the same thing when they say Canada, every time.

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Will hoo aboot that then?

[@tribalpeacock]

I don't have any comments?