QI Elves behind No Such Thing As A Fish podcast land own BBC show

As with the theme of the weekly podcast – which sees the researchers discuss the interesting facts they've recently discovered - the presenters (aka Stephen Fry's 'Elves') will discuss the most fascinating things they’ve found in the news that week.

The regular podcast presenters are on board - Anna Ptaszynski, Andrew Hunter Murray and James Harkin - plus host Dan Schreiber.

"It aims to do for the news what QI does for the universe at large: making the apparently dull interesting, the obscure clear and the frightening comprehensible," a spokesman for QI told Chortle.

The series will be produced by John Lloyd who, was well as creating QI, was behind Not the Nine O’Clock News, Spitting Image and produced all four Blackadder series.

“The last time I started a topical TV comedy show with four exceptionally talented but completely unknown stars was Not The Nine O’Clock News in 1979,” Lloyd said. “No Such Thing As The News is radically different but equally exciting – and 37 years younger.”

“This is news for people who don’t watch the news – as well as those who do. We’ll give viewers a sideways look at the big stories of the week,” added director of BBC News James Harding. “John Lloyd is a comic talent second to none, and we’re delighted to have him on board.’

As well as being named Best New Podcast in 2014 by Apple, the series has earned 715,000 subscribers.

Five episodes of No Such Thing As The News are currently planned, with the series set to air after Newsnight later this month.