- when you get asked questions which YOU, out of all the people on your team, should know the answer to ?
I know its not just me who feels this way about being asked 'home' questions. Case in point. One of the finest quizzers in South Wales plays in our Monday night team in Newport every few weeks. He was originally a Devonian, but he categorically hates any question about his native county. I feel the same way about questions about London. John, being a former Police Superintendent , dislikes anything regarding the Law, or the police. On the Thursday team our retired assistant manager of the Pioneer supermarket hates questions about retailers and retailing.
I mention this because I watched "The Book Quiz" on BBC4 last night, after "University Challenge". A quarter of a century ago I studied for my BA in English Literature at Goldsmith's College of the University of London, and so, whether I like it or not, Literature is seen as my subject when I play in a quiz. To have a whole half hour programme devoted to it was a little like purgatory.
Which is not to say that the programme isn't any good. If you haven't seen it, two teams of two (sometimes) well known writers take part in a number of different rounds, but all answering questions on books and writers. Chaired by the delicious Kirsty Wark ( heellllooo ) the tone is highbrow, but lighthearted. Think Radio 4 panel show and you've got it. Granted, its all a little bit cosy, but its very watchable, although its not appointment TV like "Only Connect " was. But the problem with the show is this. Playing along at home, if I get a question right - which is by no means a foregone conclusion - then there's not a great deal of satisfaction in it, since I probably should have got it right. However the fact that I get so many wrong is a little humiliating.
This is why I think we hate to get 'home' questions in a quiz. I'm an English teacher, so if I answer a question about, for example, how you define a pangram, or what OFSTED stands for, the attitude of my team mates is an understandable -
"So what - you're an English teacher so you bloomin' well ought to have got them right. "
If I should fail to answer a question like this - well, they don't actually say anything, but I don't half feel guilty. So that's why we hate a 'home' question, because there really is nothing in it for us. Now, looking at the other side of the coin, lets take, for the sake of argument, cricket. Now I don't dislike cricket. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the 2005 Ashes series was possibly the most absorbing sporting contest that I have ever seen - certainly in the top 5 - and the 1981 Ashes would be in the top 10 as well. But I don't follow any county , and I certainly don't have that all consuming interest that all of my cricket-watching friends , colleagues and acquaintances have. So when I actually manage to answer a cricket question in a quiz, then I get a rare sense of achievement, because I know just how unlikely I am to do this, and how long it will probably be before I do it again.
So actually, maybe Mastermind has it right, in actively discouraging people from taking as a specialist subject anything connected with their occupation and/or their field of study. Between ourselves, in the two or three years leading up to my first application to the go on the show I had several times thought about using the Life and Work of William Makepeace Thackeray for my first specialist. Thackeray is only remembered really now for "Vanity Fair " and no wonder, being as it is possibly the funniest novel in the English language IMHO. However he wrote a lot of other things as well. But at my audition I was told not to do it because of my occupation, and the fact that I had studied Eng Lit at University. The rest is history, as they say.
I'd never have watched the Book Quiz last night anyway, if it hadn't been a case of adverse weather conditions stopped quiz. Well, I'm sure that the quiz went on in Newport last night, but I'm afraid with a 45 minute journey down the M4 to get to it, and another one to get home again, there was no way we were going to risk it last night. Possibly no bad thing either. I can only think that we would have been caned by the handicaps after winning the previous week. That would have left me grumpy all day today, whilst I am at the moment in the very best of moods, since my school was closed today due to snow. I enjoy large portions of my job, and I work hard to do it to the very best of my ability, but I have to say that when an unexpected day off is put in my path, it would be the action of a complete churl not to go out of my way to enjoy it !
Before I sign off as well, I'd like to share with you something from last Thursday night's quiz in the Aberavon rugby club. Question master was Reg, who is our resident Malaprop. Two of his more memorable slip ups in the past were : -
Which American hero, who died at the Alamo, was famous for wearing a raccoon-skin hat ?
Answer - Davy Rocket
and
What is the name of the stretch of water that seperates Portsmouth from the Isle of Wight ?
Answer - The Solvent
Its not just Reg's malapropism which make his quiz a voyage into the unknown.For one thing, he uses a lot of the same questions in every quiz. For another thing, I can't swear to it, but I think that he makes up some of his questions without ever verifying whether his answer is correct. Either that or he uses a very inaccurate book to get his questions from. Case in point. He asked the question last week : -
The Republic of Ireland have won the Eurovision Song Contest more than any other country. They have won it four times, Once with Dana - twice with Johnny Logan, and once with which other act ?
Now, there's a very basic flaw with this question. The fact is that Ireland have won it 7 times . So far from being one other act, there are no less than FOUR other acts that have won the Eurovision for the republic. To cover our backs, we wrote down
Linda Martin
Niamh Kavanagh
Eimar Quinn
We knew that the other act was two blokes who sang a song called "Rock and Roll Kids", but we couldn't remember the names. They were, of course, the answer that Reg was looking for - for the record they are : -
Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan
Ok - we can all make mistakes. Suppose Reg had a book which only went as far as 1994 when they won ? Well, in that case, he should still have had Linda Martin and Niamh Kavanagh, since they won in 1992 and 1993 respectively ! Its a bad, bad question, whichever way you look at it. And the ironic thing is - he could have asked it giving all the detail in the question - eg
" What were the names of the two male singers who won Ireland's third Eurovision Song Contest in a row, in 1994, with a song called "Rock and Roll Kids ? "
and still no one would have got it right ! Which he knew , because he actually said that he knew no one would have got it right when he gave us the answer. Which begs the question, why ask something you know for a fact that nobody will be able to answer ?
So people, what is the lesson to learn from this ? Don't make up questions off the top of your head - or if you do, then always check that your answer is right, because there will probably be someone in the audience who knows a lot more about the subject than you do.
I digress. Reg, as I say, is the club's pet Malaprop, and he favoured us with this one on last Thursday night : -
Which socialite was elected President of France in 1981 ?
Actually, thinking about it, I'm not sure that you couldn't make out a case for saying that Francois Mitterand was actually more of a socialite than he was a socialist.
Have a good week.
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
University Challenge Quarter Final 4
University Challenge - 4th Quarter Final
My tip for the top, St. John's Cambridge took on City University in a very good, keenly contested and enjoyable match. St. John's you recall scored 345 last time out , the highest score of the second round of matches, but they were made to work for their victory in this match. City's highest score of this series might only be 230, but no mugs ever get to this stage of the competition, and they impressed with some fine answers on the starters, although they failed to convert some of the bonuses into points when they were sorely needed. Still, Paxman paid tribute to the fact that they did actually lead the match at a couple of stages, and also asked St. John's how they had ever managed to lose their first round match. Simple answer - the other team - Lincoln College as it happens - were better on the day.
St. John's then won the match by a 130 point margin, 265 to 135. Still, you have to say that they showed a little vulnerability - a couple of gettable starters were claimed by neither team. You have to say that their semi final against Corpus Christi looks a bit of a tall order, but then anything can happen in a two horse race.
For the record, here's the stats for the teams
On these stats you'd be foolish to bet against an all Oxford final. However, there's not a huge amount to choose between the average scores of Manchester and Lincoln College - less than one starter and its bonuses. There's less than 10 points between their average winning margins either, so though you might just give the edge to Lincoln College, Manchester are still very much in it.
On the other hand, although Corpus Christi's average score is only 45 points more than St. John's, their average winning margin is more than 100 points better. Having watched the last 2 quarter finals you'd be a very brave man to bet on St. John's now. So I'm afraid that its Corpus Christi who are going to be lumbered with the burden of bearing the Clark tip for the top from now on.
My tip for the top, St. John's Cambridge took on City University in a very good, keenly contested and enjoyable match. St. John's you recall scored 345 last time out , the highest score of the second round of matches, but they were made to work for their victory in this match. City's highest score of this series might only be 230, but no mugs ever get to this stage of the competition, and they impressed with some fine answers on the starters, although they failed to convert some of the bonuses into points when they were sorely needed. Still, Paxman paid tribute to the fact that they did actually lead the match at a couple of stages, and also asked St. John's how they had ever managed to lose their first round match. Simple answer - the other team - Lincoln College as it happens - were better on the day.
St. John's then won the match by a 130 point margin, 265 to 135. Still, you have to say that they showed a little vulnerability - a couple of gettable starters were claimed by neither team. You have to say that their semi final against Corpus Christi looks a bit of a tall order, but then anything can happen in a two horse race.
For the record, here's the stats for the teams
| Team | ---1st Round--- | ---Play Off--- | ---2nd Round--- | ---Quarter Final--- | Average Score | Average win margin |
Manchester | 285 | n/a | 280 | 210 | 258 | 153 |
Lincoln, Oxford | 220 | n/a | 280 | 335 | 278 | 160 |
Corpus Christi, Oxford | 330 | n/a | 295 | 350 | 325 | 243 |
St. John's,Cambridge | 185 | 325 | 345 | 265 | 280 | 132 |
On these stats you'd be foolish to bet against an all Oxford final. However, there's not a huge amount to choose between the average scores of Manchester and Lincoln College - less than one starter and its bonuses. There's less than 10 points between their average winning margins either, so though you might just give the edge to Lincoln College, Manchester are still very much in it.
On the other hand, although Corpus Christi's average score is only 45 points more than St. John's, their average winning margin is more than 100 points better. Having watched the last 2 quarter finals you'd be a very brave man to bet on St. John's now. So I'm afraid that its Corpus Christi who are going to be lumbered with the burden of bearing the Clark tip for the top from now on.
Saturday, 31 January 2009
The Weekend Mini-Quiz
The Weekend Mini-Quiz
A friend of mine discovered the blog last week, and he asked me whether I ever put quizzes into it. I said that I didn't, but it got me thinking, and so that's why I've decided that I'm going to try to share a few tricky ( well I think they are ) questions with you every weekend , if I can. If you're ready then, away we go.
Two Round Mini Quiz Number 1
Themed round - 5 questions on Quizzes and Quiz Game Shows
1) In the 1994 film "Quiz Show" what is the name of the TV show on which Charles van Doren - played by Ralph Fiennes - defeated Herb Stempel after being fed answers by the production team ?
2) Which ITV quiz show of 1982 offered a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost as the prize ?
3) What was the very first quiz show to air on ITV ?
4) Who holds the record for the highest ever score in a single round of "Mastermind" ?
5) Who was Bob Johnson, and why is he remembered with affection by Game show afficionadoes ?
Round Two - 5 General Knowledge questions
1) Which irish athlete, famed for his abilities on indoor tracks was nicknamed The Chairman of the Boards ?
2) Following Edward VI , who was the next male heir to the throne to be born to a reigning British King ?
3) Architect Charles Holden is probably best remembered for which particular set of buildings ?
4) Oscar Diggs was the real name of which eponymous character from a perennially favourite children's book of 1900 ?
5) What was the first species of dinosaur to be described in scientific literature ?
There we are - 10 questions, no prizes. I'll print the answers with the next set of questions next weekend. If you can't wait, drop me an email , together with your answers, and I'll let you know how you did. Alternatively, if you're too shy to want to email me, then I'm sure that Google, wikipedia etc. can help you out.
A friend of mine discovered the blog last week, and he asked me whether I ever put quizzes into it. I said that I didn't, but it got me thinking, and so that's why I've decided that I'm going to try to share a few tricky ( well I think they are ) questions with you every weekend , if I can. If you're ready then, away we go.
Two Round Mini Quiz Number 1
Themed round - 5 questions on Quizzes and Quiz Game Shows
1) In the 1994 film "Quiz Show" what is the name of the TV show on which Charles van Doren - played by Ralph Fiennes - defeated Herb Stempel after being fed answers by the production team ?
2) Which ITV quiz show of 1982 offered a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost as the prize ?
3) What was the very first quiz show to air on ITV ?
4) Who holds the record for the highest ever score in a single round of "Mastermind" ?
5) Who was Bob Johnson, and why is he remembered with affection by Game show afficionadoes ?
Round Two - 5 General Knowledge questions
1) Which irish athlete, famed for his abilities on indoor tracks was nicknamed The Chairman of the Boards ?
2) Following Edward VI , who was the next male heir to the throne to be born to a reigning British King ?
3) Architect Charles Holden is probably best remembered for which particular set of buildings ?
4) Oscar Diggs was the real name of which eponymous character from a perennially favourite children's book of 1900 ?
5) What was the first species of dinosaur to be described in scientific literature ?
There we are - 10 questions, no prizes. I'll print the answers with the next set of questions next weekend. If you can't wait, drop me an email , together with your answers, and I'll let you know how you did. Alternatively, if you're too shy to want to email me, then I'm sure that Google, wikipedia etc. can help you out.
Friday, 30 January 2009
The Return of Mastermind
Mastermind First Round Heat 15/24
Good grief, but it seems like a long time since heat 14 was shown. And in fact, it is a very long time indeed, some 8 weeks by my reckoning. Would the BBC treat any other show in this fashion, I wonder ? I mean, it was bad enough when they did it to my series last year, but at least there were only another 4 heats or so to be shown after the midwinter break before the semis. There's still another 9 heats after tonight. I honestly don't think that it does the series as a whole any favours. Still, I should probably stop moaning, and get on with reviewing tonight's show.
4 newcomers took to the chair in tonight's heat. A pleasingly mixed bag saw a rather hearty but down to earth vicar answer questions on british punk, a retired teacher take on the 1902 Ashes series, a historian answer on A. E. Houseman,and a much travelled young teacher expound on the Trans Siberian Railway. I was impressed with Robert Collard's knowledge of the trans Siberian Railway, but he was rather found out on the GK. John Rigby needn't be at all ashamed of his 21.In the Humphrys era, anything over 20 is a decent enough score. Reverend Duncan Swann spoke engagingly about his love of punk, and then produced the best GK round of the night, scoring 13 to finish on 26, a good performance overall, which might well have won him an easier heat. It didn't quite win this one though. Edward Pearce scored a fine 16 on A.E.Houseman. He started like an express train in his GK, but hit a bit of a pass spiral in the mid section of the round. As happens so often, he who holds his nerve can win the day, though, and he steadied the ship and scored the 11 needed to take the win. Boy, didn't he look relieved when John Humphrys told him his score ! I like that. There's nothing wrong with showing that the win means something to you.
Its been a few weeks since I've had the opportunity to say this, so I'm going to say it again now. First round form is such an unreliable guide to semi final performance that its very difficult to make any predictions. However I'd venture to say that Mr. Pearce wouldn't be one of my favourites to reach the final. I don't think there's much room for improvement in his specialist score, and there are a number of qualifiers for the semis already who have seemed more impressive on GK. 11 is a fair score for GK, but he did show some areas of weakness. However, as last year showed, anyone can win a semi if they pull out their best form, so you never know. I wish him good luck.
The Details
Good grief, but it seems like a long time since heat 14 was shown. And in fact, it is a very long time indeed, some 8 weeks by my reckoning. Would the BBC treat any other show in this fashion, I wonder ? I mean, it was bad enough when they did it to my series last year, but at least there were only another 4 heats or so to be shown after the midwinter break before the semis. There's still another 9 heats after tonight. I honestly don't think that it does the series as a whole any favours. Still, I should probably stop moaning, and get on with reviewing tonight's show.
4 newcomers took to the chair in tonight's heat. A pleasingly mixed bag saw a rather hearty but down to earth vicar answer questions on british punk, a retired teacher take on the 1902 Ashes series, a historian answer on A. E. Houseman,and a much travelled young teacher expound on the Trans Siberian Railway. I was impressed with Robert Collard's knowledge of the trans Siberian Railway, but he was rather found out on the GK. John Rigby needn't be at all ashamed of his 21.In the Humphrys era, anything over 20 is a decent enough score. Reverend Duncan Swann spoke engagingly about his love of punk, and then produced the best GK round of the night, scoring 13 to finish on 26, a good performance overall, which might well have won him an easier heat. It didn't quite win this one though. Edward Pearce scored a fine 16 on A.E.Houseman. He started like an express train in his GK, but hit a bit of a pass spiral in the mid section of the round. As happens so often, he who holds his nerve can win the day, though, and he steadied the ship and scored the 11 needed to take the win. Boy, didn't he look relieved when John Humphrys told him his score ! I like that. There's nothing wrong with showing that the win means something to you.
Its been a few weeks since I've had the opportunity to say this, so I'm going to say it again now. First round form is such an unreliable guide to semi final performance that its very difficult to make any predictions. However I'd venture to say that Mr. Pearce wouldn't be one of my favourites to reach the final. I don't think there's much room for improvement in his specialist score, and there are a number of qualifiers for the semis already who have seemed more impressive on GK. 11 is a fair score for GK, but he did show some areas of weakness. However, as last year showed, anyone can win a semi if they pull out their best form, so you never know. I wish him good luck.
The Details
| Duncan Swann | British Punk of the late 1970s | 13 - 2 | 13 - 0 | 26 - 2 |
| John Rigby | The Ashes Series of 1902 | 12 - 0 | 9 - 3 | 21 - 3 |
| Edward Pearce | The Life and work of A.E.Houseman | 16 - 1 | 11 - 4 | 27 - 5 |
| Robert Collard | The Trans Siberian Railway | 13 - 3 | 5 - 2 | 18 - 5 |
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Reasons to be cheerful - 1 - 2 - 3
You know, sometimes it really doesn't take a lot to turn you aside, at least for a short while, from the slippery path to grumpy old manhood. Since Sunday alone three things have brought a little unseasonal sunshine to the sometimes wintry corner of my life that is forever Quizdom. So - in order of occurence , here they are : -
One
Last week's "Weaver's Week" gave this very blog a namecheck, and a link to my entry regarding the Mastermind / Brain of Britain Double winners. If you haven't yet sampled the weekly delight that is "Weaver's Week", then do yourself a favour. If you're reading this blog, then you'll absolutely LOVE Weaver's Week. Follow this link
Weaver's Week,
and add it to your bookmarks. Quite simply it is the essential companion to your week's viewing of quizzes and game shows. To the best of my knowledge I haven't met Iain Weaver, but he knows the world of quizzes and game shows inside out, and he writes superbly. So you can imagine that to have been deemed worthy of notice gave me a great thrill.
Two
We won on Monday, handicaps notwithstanding. Too easily if truth be known, and so the win wasn't necessarily quite as satisfying as it might have been. yes, I suppose I am moaning again. Out of interest I hear that the Sunday quiz which John and I abandoned back in July has adopted its own handicap system, although this is the altogether more sensible one whereby the winning team one week gets penalised by the margin of its victory the next week. Bet the team who used to moan about us still moan about it.
Three
This evening I received an email from Jacob Funnell. If you've been watching University Challenge this year you might recognise Jacob as a member of quarter finalists Exeter University. Jacob was decent enough to email me about my comments about Exeter's match against Corpus Christi, Oxford, broadcast on Monday, January 27th. I gather that certain sections of the media have been less than fair about Exeter's performance, and he just wanted to say that he thought my summing up of what happened was a fair one. Thanks Jacob ! It gives me an excuse to say once more that Exeter's performance in getting as far as the quarter final really was an achievement, and their performance on the show itself nothing to be ashamed of. Be honest. We've all been in a quiz when stronger opponents have hit absolute top form against us. You can either go into your shell, or you can go down fighting. That's what happened to Exeter in my view. They could see that the only way they were going to start beating Corpus Christi to the starters was by gamble buzzing. Be honest . Would you have done anything different in their position ?
So thank you Jacob, and thank you Iain. Between the two of you, you have made my week.
One
Last week's "Weaver's Week" gave this very blog a namecheck, and a link to my entry regarding the Mastermind / Brain of Britain Double winners. If you haven't yet sampled the weekly delight that is "Weaver's Week", then do yourself a favour. If you're reading this blog, then you'll absolutely LOVE Weaver's Week. Follow this link
Weaver's Week,
and add it to your bookmarks. Quite simply it is the essential companion to your week's viewing of quizzes and game shows. To the best of my knowledge I haven't met Iain Weaver, but he knows the world of quizzes and game shows inside out, and he writes superbly. So you can imagine that to have been deemed worthy of notice gave me a great thrill.
Two
We won on Monday, handicaps notwithstanding. Too easily if truth be known, and so the win wasn't necessarily quite as satisfying as it might have been. yes, I suppose I am moaning again. Out of interest I hear that the Sunday quiz which John and I abandoned back in July has adopted its own handicap system, although this is the altogether more sensible one whereby the winning team one week gets penalised by the margin of its victory the next week. Bet the team who used to moan about us still moan about it.
Three
This evening I received an email from Jacob Funnell. If you've been watching University Challenge this year you might recognise Jacob as a member of quarter finalists Exeter University. Jacob was decent enough to email me about my comments about Exeter's match against Corpus Christi, Oxford, broadcast on Monday, January 27th. I gather that certain sections of the media have been less than fair about Exeter's performance, and he just wanted to say that he thought my summing up of what happened was a fair one. Thanks Jacob ! It gives me an excuse to say once more that Exeter's performance in getting as far as the quarter final really was an achievement, and their performance on the show itself nothing to be ashamed of. Be honest. We've all been in a quiz when stronger opponents have hit absolute top form against us. You can either go into your shell, or you can go down fighting. That's what happened to Exeter in my view. They could see that the only way they were going to start beating Corpus Christi to the starters was by gamble buzzing. Be honest . Would you have done anything different in their position ?
So thank you Jacob, and thank you Iain. Between the two of you, you have made my week.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Old shows for New - or vice versa
What Would you Bring Back ?
I think it was on Sunday that I was idly listening to the radio during quite a long car journey, when I heard an item on Absolute Radio, discussing which quiz/game shows people would really like to see back on television. I didn't catch the whole item, so I don't know whether this was brought on by such recent revivals as "Going for Gold " or "The Krypton Factor", neither of which I have yet seen, or by the rumour currently doing the rounds that the old Hughie Green show, "Take Your Pick" is about to be revived.
To be honest, what I heard of the item wasn't all that riveting, but then that's mass entertainment radio for you. Believe it or not I think that the show the host most wanted to be revived was Fred Dineage's "Gambit " ! But the idea behind the item was very interesting. So here, after due thought and deliberation, are the shows that I think I would most like to see brought back.
Fifteen to One
There cannot be a serious quizzer in the land, or many not serious quizzers either, who would not love to see Fifteen to One return to our screens. Since it ended in late 2003 there really has been nothing to replace it. It was a show that satisfied on pretty much every level. Yes, its true that if you were unlucky you might get a couple of real stinkers for your first two questions, and that would be that. But then just look at the list of winners of each series. There are no mugs there at all, and you can't make out a case that luck had anything to do with their success in any way. Look at the number of questions you'd get through in a half hour show - a half hour show with an ad break in the middle, at that. No messing about making us get to know the contestants, and a really simple format. If there was ever a quiz show that more perfectly delivered just what you'd want, then I for one would love to know what it was.
Here's another thing too. Alas, I never applied for Fifteen to One. My first ever audition for a show was in 2004, after it ended. But with the number of contestants who took part in each series, lets be honest, almost anyone had a chance of appearing on it. For example, all three of the other contenders in my first round heat of Mastermind in 2007 had appeared on Fifteen to One - although not at the same time !
I don't know who owns the rights to the format, and how feasible bringing the show back would be. But it would surely be a success.
TV Top of the Form
Don't laugh. There is actually method in my madness. Whereas with "Fifteen to One" I'd just like to see the show back on our screens, just as it was, I'm not suggesting that we resurrect dear old Geoffrey Wheeler, in all his brillianteened glory, with his teams of suburban grammar schoolites. No. But I am suggesting that a genuine general knowledge team quiz competition between schools might actually be a bloomin' good idea. Let me explain.
Although quizzers come in all shapes and sizes, and all ages, the majority of people that I meet in that corner of my life devoted to quizzing are people in their forties, like me, or older. Sometimes I've been amazed that a particular person might know the answer to a specific question, and I'll ask them how they knew it. You can get quite a number of responses if you try this, but I can guarantee that two answers will be far, far, far more common than any of the others. The first is: -
I heard it in another quiz
and the second is
I remember it from school
That's the thing. The way that we were taught , way back in the dark ages that were the 1970s and earlier, you couldn't help acquiring a decent amount of General Knowledge through school. Rightly or wrongly there was a certain body of knowledge that a person of average intelligence could have been expected to accumulate by the time they reached the age of 16.
Certainly from at least the latter half of my teaching career the emphasis in education has been switched to the acquisition of skills, rather that knowledge. Now I'm not criticising that. But somewhere along the line our view of what general knowledge a child of 16 might reasonably be expected to have accumulated has contracted. Perhaps I am just exercising the right of the middle aged to begin to moan that things now are nowhere near as good as they were in our day. But I don't think so. In my experience, children today are every bit as intelligent as they were when I was at school, if not more so. But I do think that somewhere along the line we are failing to show them the importance, and above all else, the enjoyment of knowledge. I don't think its just school, either. I mentioned Fred Dineage earlier. Can you imagine ITV ever giving airtime now to a show like How ? Or for that matter, can you imagine them putting anyone either as old or hairy as Jack Hargeaves on children's TV now ? Albeit that he was surely the inspiration for Bob Fleming on The Fast Show.
Would a TV show to find the most knowledgeable school team in Britain make a difference ? Probably not. But on the other hand, possibly so. You can't turn the clock back, but it doesn't mean that you can't take a good idea from the past and update it to make it meaningful for the present and the future. Don't think for one minute that people wouldn't be prepared to watch a two teams of , lets say, fifteen year olds battling it out in a University Challenge style quiz - for the sake of argument. Should any producer reading this see the makings of a good idea, I am always available for advice and consultancy - just drop me an email.
I think it was on Sunday that I was idly listening to the radio during quite a long car journey, when I heard an item on Absolute Radio, discussing which quiz/game shows people would really like to see back on television. I didn't catch the whole item, so I don't know whether this was brought on by such recent revivals as "Going for Gold " or "The Krypton Factor", neither of which I have yet seen, or by the rumour currently doing the rounds that the old Hughie Green show, "Take Your Pick" is about to be revived.
To be honest, what I heard of the item wasn't all that riveting, but then that's mass entertainment radio for you. Believe it or not I think that the show the host most wanted to be revived was Fred Dineage's "Gambit " ! But the idea behind the item was very interesting. So here, after due thought and deliberation, are the shows that I think I would most like to see brought back.
Fifteen to One
There cannot be a serious quizzer in the land, or many not serious quizzers either, who would not love to see Fifteen to One return to our screens. Since it ended in late 2003 there really has been nothing to replace it. It was a show that satisfied on pretty much every level. Yes, its true that if you were unlucky you might get a couple of real stinkers for your first two questions, and that would be that. But then just look at the list of winners of each series. There are no mugs there at all, and you can't make out a case that luck had anything to do with their success in any way. Look at the number of questions you'd get through in a half hour show - a half hour show with an ad break in the middle, at that. No messing about making us get to know the contestants, and a really simple format. If there was ever a quiz show that more perfectly delivered just what you'd want, then I for one would love to know what it was.
Here's another thing too. Alas, I never applied for Fifteen to One. My first ever audition for a show was in 2004, after it ended. But with the number of contestants who took part in each series, lets be honest, almost anyone had a chance of appearing on it. For example, all three of the other contenders in my first round heat of Mastermind in 2007 had appeared on Fifteen to One - although not at the same time !
I don't know who owns the rights to the format, and how feasible bringing the show back would be. But it would surely be a success.
TV Top of the Form
Don't laugh. There is actually method in my madness. Whereas with "Fifteen to One" I'd just like to see the show back on our screens, just as it was, I'm not suggesting that we resurrect dear old Geoffrey Wheeler, in all his brillianteened glory, with his teams of suburban grammar schoolites. No. But I am suggesting that a genuine general knowledge team quiz competition between schools might actually be a bloomin' good idea. Let me explain.
Although quizzers come in all shapes and sizes, and all ages, the majority of people that I meet in that corner of my life devoted to quizzing are people in their forties, like me, or older. Sometimes I've been amazed that a particular person might know the answer to a specific question, and I'll ask them how they knew it. You can get quite a number of responses if you try this, but I can guarantee that two answers will be far, far, far more common than any of the others. The first is: -
I heard it in another quiz
and the second is
I remember it from school
That's the thing. The way that we were taught , way back in the dark ages that were the 1970s and earlier, you couldn't help acquiring a decent amount of General Knowledge through school. Rightly or wrongly there was a certain body of knowledge that a person of average intelligence could have been expected to accumulate by the time they reached the age of 16.
Certainly from at least the latter half of my teaching career the emphasis in education has been switched to the acquisition of skills, rather that knowledge. Now I'm not criticising that. But somewhere along the line our view of what general knowledge a child of 16 might reasonably be expected to have accumulated has contracted. Perhaps I am just exercising the right of the middle aged to begin to moan that things now are nowhere near as good as they were in our day. But I don't think so. In my experience, children today are every bit as intelligent as they were when I was at school, if not more so. But I do think that somewhere along the line we are failing to show them the importance, and above all else, the enjoyment of knowledge. I don't think its just school, either. I mentioned Fred Dineage earlier. Can you imagine ITV ever giving airtime now to a show like How ? Or for that matter, can you imagine them putting anyone either as old or hairy as Jack Hargeaves on children's TV now ? Albeit that he was surely the inspiration for Bob Fleming on The Fast Show.
Would a TV show to find the most knowledgeable school team in Britain make a difference ? Probably not. But on the other hand, possibly so. You can't turn the clock back, but it doesn't mean that you can't take a good idea from the past and update it to make it meaningful for the present and the future. Don't think for one minute that people wouldn't be prepared to watch a two teams of , lets say, fifteen year olds battling it out in a University Challenge style quiz - for the sake of argument. Should any producer reading this see the makings of a good idea, I am always available for advice and consultancy - just drop me an email.
University Challenge - Quarter Final 3
University Challenge - Monday 26th January 8pm
Quarter Final number 3, and after this there are just 4 shows to go in the series ( sob ) . For the first time in the quarter finals we have an Oxbridge college against a non-Oxbridge college - Corpus Christi Oxford against the University of Exeter.
Hopes for the University of Exeter weren't raised by Paxman's revelation that, going into this show, Corpus Christi have scored an aggregate total of 625 in their two matches, while Exeter have scored 370 in theirs. However, even allowing for that, what followed was beyond all expectation. Poor Exeter didn't really get a look in at all. It seemed like Gail Trimble of Corpus Christi had her hand glued to the buzzer. She ate up starter after starter in a breathtaking performance, and was ably supported by the rest of the team.
I would say that Exeter's performance was made to look worse than it was because they were forced to jump to the buzzer far too early to beat Corpus Christi to the starters, so for every time they got one right, they'd get two wrong, losing points in the process. So while Corpus Christi racked up an amazing 350 points, Exeter managed just 15, despite having answered enough questions correctly to have scored quite a bit higher than this.
Paxman seemed almost apologetic afterwards, and said that it would be "beastly" to pass any comment about their score. As I recall this hasn't stopped him in the past. He did make a point of saying that they had nothing to be ashamed of, since making the quarter finals is an achievement in itself. I couldn't agree more. However he did rather let himself down by suggesting that the team stay away from the student bar when the show was broadcast.
You may remember that St. John's College Cambridge were my tip for the top after all the second round matches were played. Next week they have to overcome City University for the dubious privilege of playing Corpus Christi in the semi. What a match up that might be.
Quarter Final number 3, and after this there are just 4 shows to go in the series ( sob ) . For the first time in the quarter finals we have an Oxbridge college against a non-Oxbridge college - Corpus Christi Oxford against the University of Exeter.
Hopes for the University of Exeter weren't raised by Paxman's revelation that, going into this show, Corpus Christi have scored an aggregate total of 625 in their two matches, while Exeter have scored 370 in theirs. However, even allowing for that, what followed was beyond all expectation. Poor Exeter didn't really get a look in at all. It seemed like Gail Trimble of Corpus Christi had her hand glued to the buzzer. She ate up starter after starter in a breathtaking performance, and was ably supported by the rest of the team.
I would say that Exeter's performance was made to look worse than it was because they were forced to jump to the buzzer far too early to beat Corpus Christi to the starters, so for every time they got one right, they'd get two wrong, losing points in the process. So while Corpus Christi racked up an amazing 350 points, Exeter managed just 15, despite having answered enough questions correctly to have scored quite a bit higher than this.
Paxman seemed almost apologetic afterwards, and said that it would be "beastly" to pass any comment about their score. As I recall this hasn't stopped him in the past. He did make a point of saying that they had nothing to be ashamed of, since making the quarter finals is an achievement in itself. I couldn't agree more. However he did rather let himself down by suggesting that the team stay away from the student bar when the show was broadcast.
You may remember that St. John's College Cambridge were my tip for the top after all the second round matches were played. Next week they have to overcome City University for the dubious privilege of playing Corpus Christi in the semi. What a match up that might be.
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