No Such Thing As A Fish · No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As An Eton Oyster

December 18, 2025·53 min·4 clips

The Chicago River once sparkled with methane bubbles from thousands of floating animal carcasses.

This Christmas episode of No Such Thing As A Fish features a special guest: John Lloyd, the producer of QI and co-author of the reissued book *The Meaning of Liff*. The hosts—Dan Schreiber, James Harkin, Andrew Hunter Murray, and John—share unusual facts as usual. Andy's fact details how a section of the Chicago River, called Bubbly Creek, once fizzed from methane released by animal carcasses from nearby slaughterhouses. James explains that London's "bubble boats" can inject 30 tons of oxygen daily into the Thames to help fish breathe during sewage overflows. Dan reveals that Hawaiian slack-key guitar involves unique, secret family tunings originating from Spanish cowboys who left guitars behind in the 19th century. James recounts how the historic La Peregrina pearl was momentarily lost down a sofa at Windsor Castle in 1874 by the Duchess of Abercorn. John shares that ship worms, which are actually clams, possess evolved shells with teeth used to bore into wood. The conversation touches on Upton Sinclair's book *The Jungle* exposing Chicago's stockyards and his later interest in telepathy documented in *Mental Radio*. A surprising claim is that physicists at the University of Hawaii only recently discovered the secret of how washing machines clean clothes. The hosts note that the recipe for Chartreuse liqueur is known by only two monks, and a rabbi had to learn Coca-Cola's secret formula in 1935 to certify it as kosher. They also discuss the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii, delayed because the governor couldn't access his social media accounts. The tone is conversational and humorous, filled with witty banter and playful tangents between the hosts and their esteemed guest. Listeners who enjoy eclectic trivia, historical anecdotes, and lighthearted comedy will appreciate this episode. Those seeking a tightly focused, single-topic narrative might find the rapid fact-switching less engaging.

As heard by us

John Lloyd, odd words, and a secret-album detour keep the conversation moving.

The episode moves at a brisk Christmas clip, led by John Lloyd, who is introduced as the producer of QI and the co-writer, with Douglas Adams, of The Meaning of Left, reissued after 42 years.

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Why you'd press play

You get John Lloyd, a one-copy album, and Christmas chat that keeps wandering off the rails.

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