No Such Thing as a Fish is produced by researchers behind the BBC panel show QI. Those researchers are collectively known as the QI Elves, a team that gathers, checks, and develops the unusual facts used by the television programme.
The podcast began on March 8, 2014, after the researchers decided that too many interesting facts were being left unused in the QI office. In each episode, the presenters take turns sharing a favourite fact they discovered that week, then discuss its history, scientific background, or surprising connections.
The regular presenting team includes James Harkin, Andrew Hunter Murray, Anna Ptaszynski, and Dan Schreiber. The show’s title comes from a fact used on QI: the common idea that “there is no such thing as a fish” reflects the taxonomic complexity of grouping all fish-like animals into one scientific category.
The other options are unrelated BBC panel shows. QI is the key connection because the podcast grew directly out of its research operation, rather than being a spin-off from a general comedy or current-affairs programme.