Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. Francesca Pascale
2. Dr. Derek Keilloh
3. Carlos Molina
4. Yasmin Nakhuda
5. Dishonoured
6. Karima El-Mahroug
7. Max Chilton
8. Ephraim Mirvis
9. Mr. Justice Bodey
10. Instagram
11. Nick Pollard
12. Richard Hickock and Perry Smith
13. Tom Odell
14. Ian Watkins
15. Park Guen-Hye
16. Bethan Jenkins
17. Scott Johnson
18. Justice Collective
In Other News
1. Who is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ?
2. Which party were returned to power in the Japanese General election ?
3. Who said that he would refuse a knighthood ?
4. Who is the BBC Sports personality Coach of the Year ?
5. What was the score in the Spurs v. Swansea match ?
6. Which team defeated Chelsea in the final of the World Club Cup ?
7. Who presented the trophy for Sports Personality of the Year ?
8. Why is the inquest into the death of Amy Winehouse to be reheard ?
9. Which hunt were fined last week for illegal hunting ?
10. What was the score between Arsenal and Reading ?
11. What was the result in the Fourth Test v. India ?
12. Which premier League football club cancelled their Christmas party as a response to poor results ?
13. Which Wales international rugby union player was revealed to have a serious back injury last week ?
14. A Salvation Army has been selected to represent which country in the Eurovision Song Contest ?
15. Part of Antarctica is to be renamed what ?
16. Which 78 year old actor will be joining the cast of Coronation Street ?
17. It was announced that the Lindt Gold Bear has been banned for infringing which company’s copyright ?
18. What has happened to the Dead Sea Scrolls this week ?
19. Which 4 sports lost all of their funding last week ?
20. Who attended a cabinet meeting for the first time last week ?
21. Which airline came bottom of a Which? consumer satisfaction study ?
22. Who was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year ?
23. Who lectured students at the Harvard Business School ?
24. What was the score in the Chelsea v. Leeds capital one cup ¼ final ?
25. Which verdict was quashed by the Lord Chief Justice this week ?
26. Who is Middlesex CCC new batting coach ?
27. How much are Thalidomide survivors to be awarded in damages ?
28. What first marks out this year’s Queen’s Christmas message ?
29. What was hailed as Scientific Breakthrough of the year ?
30. Who will Man Utd. play in the last 16 of the Champions League ?
31. – and Celtic ?
32. – and Arsenal ?
33. What was the result of the first England v. India T20 international ?
34. Who has been nominated as US Secretary of State ?
35. Who lost a High Court Battle to get his union to pay his London rent for life ?
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Mastermind Round One - Heat 18
This week’s Mastermind didn’t necessarily bring us quite as much excitement as last week’s, but it was not without interest, nonetheless. First of the 4 Mastermind virgins in last night’s heat to take on the specialist round was Allan Nicholas. Allan offered the first of two popular culture subjects, in the shape of the BeeGees. I was pleased to be able to take 7 of these myself. Kevin seemed to be doing well, but became just a little becalmed in mid round. 11 and 2 passes is a perfectly respectable score, but I suspected that it wouldn’t be the highest one we’d see in this show.
Mark Cooper was answering on the second popular culture subject of the week, the Life and Films of Kevin Smith. I have to come clean, I’m not familiar with Kevin Smith or his work, so I couldn’t do much with this round. Well, I couldn’t do anything with it actually. Again, Mark, like Allan, looked as if he really did know his subject, but as such 10 points wasn’t quite the return he might have expected. Again, it’s perfectly respectable, but it can end up giving you a lot to do in the GK round.
Now, our third contender was Tony Ryan, and in John’s introduction I’m sure that he said that Tony comes from Neath. OK, I live in the neighbouring town of Port Talbot, but I’m proud to work in Neath, I played in the late lamented Neath Quiz League for a number of years, and I’ve played in many many pub quizzes in Neath. I don’t recall ever meeting Tony – which shouldn’t come as a surprise since it’s a fairly sizeable place – but the local connection was enough to guarantee him fairly vocal support from the Clark sofa. Which as we know can be the real kiss of death to a contender’s prospects. Tony was answering on the Falklands Conflict, and he managed to avoid the curse of the sofa enough to score his own 11 points and 2 passes. Whatever happened now he couldn’t be worse than joint second at half time.
Which brings us to the final contender of the night, Rob White. Rob was answering on what should have been my ‘banker’ subject of the night, the Life and Work of Thomas Hardy. To be fair I had 6 of these, but that pales into insignificance compare to what Rob did with his round. 15 questions came, and 15 were despatched over the boundary rope. However the last just prevented him from a perfect round. Nonetheless 15 was enough to give him a 4 point lead at the halfway stage, and that, as we know, is an advantage which is not to be sniffed at.
Mark returned to the chair to initiate the GK round. My first thought as he rattled off answers to his first few questions was – hmm , he’s not bad at all. Of course, one of the things we’ve noticed about the 2 and a half minute GK rounds in the last few years is that it’s important to maintain momentum throughout the round, and that’s not easy. Mark did maybe just lose a little, but his 14 was a good performance. In my heart of hearts I though his total was 2 points short of what would be a challenging target for Rob, but nonetheless it was a good Gk performance. Allan, sadly, couldn’t match Rob’s efforts. Bearing out my comments about maintaining momentum, Allan never really managed to get going. The questions didn’t really fall for him, and he looked as if he might be dwelling on some of the answers – although this might just have been my imagination. He was clearly off the pace with a fair amount of the round still to go, and in the end he finished with 18 points.
I think that the point I was getting at earlier with Tony was that I haven’t any evidence to suggest whether he is a regular quizzer or not. At first, when he set a pace which seemed to match Mark’s, I thought that yes, maybe he is. He fell just a little bit behind the clock mid round, though, and though he gritted his way through to the end of the round, his total of 23 was one short of Mark’s. All of this made Rob’s task quite clear. 9 and no more than 2 passes would bring him victory. Anything more would make it an outright win. Anything less , and his score would not get him through as a high scoring runner up. 9 isn’t a huge total, but it took Rob a little while to establish any momentum. However establish it he did, and by the buzzer he had added another 12 points to his total to take him to 27. Well played there. Alright, if I’m honest, purely on the evidence of this show then Rob wouldn’t seem to have the kind of GK which would threaten some of the contenders we’ve already seen, but then funny things can happen in the semis.
The Details
Mark Cooper was answering on the second popular culture subject of the week, the Life and Films of Kevin Smith. I have to come clean, I’m not familiar with Kevin Smith or his work, so I couldn’t do much with this round. Well, I couldn’t do anything with it actually. Again, Mark, like Allan, looked as if he really did know his subject, but as such 10 points wasn’t quite the return he might have expected. Again, it’s perfectly respectable, but it can end up giving you a lot to do in the GK round.
Now, our third contender was Tony Ryan, and in John’s introduction I’m sure that he said that Tony comes from Neath. OK, I live in the neighbouring town of Port Talbot, but I’m proud to work in Neath, I played in the late lamented Neath Quiz League for a number of years, and I’ve played in many many pub quizzes in Neath. I don’t recall ever meeting Tony – which shouldn’t come as a surprise since it’s a fairly sizeable place – but the local connection was enough to guarantee him fairly vocal support from the Clark sofa. Which as we know can be the real kiss of death to a contender’s prospects. Tony was answering on the Falklands Conflict, and he managed to avoid the curse of the sofa enough to score his own 11 points and 2 passes. Whatever happened now he couldn’t be worse than joint second at half time.
Which brings us to the final contender of the night, Rob White. Rob was answering on what should have been my ‘banker’ subject of the night, the Life and Work of Thomas Hardy. To be fair I had 6 of these, but that pales into insignificance compare to what Rob did with his round. 15 questions came, and 15 were despatched over the boundary rope. However the last just prevented him from a perfect round. Nonetheless 15 was enough to give him a 4 point lead at the halfway stage, and that, as we know, is an advantage which is not to be sniffed at.
Mark returned to the chair to initiate the GK round. My first thought as he rattled off answers to his first few questions was – hmm , he’s not bad at all. Of course, one of the things we’ve noticed about the 2 and a half minute GK rounds in the last few years is that it’s important to maintain momentum throughout the round, and that’s not easy. Mark did maybe just lose a little, but his 14 was a good performance. In my heart of hearts I though his total was 2 points short of what would be a challenging target for Rob, but nonetheless it was a good Gk performance. Allan, sadly, couldn’t match Rob’s efforts. Bearing out my comments about maintaining momentum, Allan never really managed to get going. The questions didn’t really fall for him, and he looked as if he might be dwelling on some of the answers – although this might just have been my imagination. He was clearly off the pace with a fair amount of the round still to go, and in the end he finished with 18 points.
I think that the point I was getting at earlier with Tony was that I haven’t any evidence to suggest whether he is a regular quizzer or not. At first, when he set a pace which seemed to match Mark’s, I thought that yes, maybe he is. He fell just a little bit behind the clock mid round, though, and though he gritted his way through to the end of the round, his total of 23 was one short of Mark’s. All of this made Rob’s task quite clear. 9 and no more than 2 passes would bring him victory. Anything more would make it an outright win. Anything less , and his score would not get him through as a high scoring runner up. 9 isn’t a huge total, but it took Rob a little while to establish any momentum. However establish it he did, and by the buzzer he had added another 12 points to his total to take him to 27. Well played there. Alright, if I’m honest, purely on the evidence of this show then Rob wouldn’t seem to have the kind of GK which would threaten some of the contenders we’ve already seen, but then funny things can happen in the semis.
The Details
| Allan Nicholas | The BeeGees | 11 - 2 | 7 - 5 | 18 – 7 |
| Mark Cooper | The Life and Films of Kevin Smith | 10 - 0 | 14 - 3 | 24 – 3 |
| Tony Ryan | The Falklands Conflict | 11 - 2 | 12 - 3 | 23 – 5 |
| Rob White | The Life and Work of Thomas Hardy | 15 - 0 | 12 - 5 | 27 – 5 |
Answers to News Questions
Week of 8th December
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. Jatenderpaul Singh Bhullar
2. David Rawle
3. Mark Joyce
4. Keith Johnson
5. Elizabeth Price
6. Brett Straub
7. Owen Roberts
8. Peter Bowers
9. Ellen Gandy
10. John McAfee
11. Nancy Huston
12. Richard Neiuwenhuizen
13. Michael Christian and Kate Grieg
14. 2Day FM
15. Eldwick Primary School, Bingley
16. Bopha
In Other News
1. Who won “I’m A Celebrity “ ?
2. Which comic is only now available in an online version ?
3. The Louvre museum is to open a branch in which Northern French town ?
4. By which score did MK Dons beat AFC Wimbledon ?
5. By Which score did a magnificent England rugby team defeat New Zealand ?
6. What was the score in the Wales v. Australia test match ?
7. David Beckham played his last game for LA Galaxy in the MLS final against which team ?
8. Which fashion house founders are on trial for tax evasion ?
9. Author David Relin committed suicide. What is the title of his famous book ?
10. Name the other members of England’s Rugby World Cup Group ?
11. Which of the six nations is in the same group as Samoa and South Africa ?
12. Which of the six nations is in the same group as France and Italy ?
13. Which weapons have been deployed by NATO to protect Turkey from Syria ?
14. Who is the PGA Tour Player of the Year ?
15. Ronnie O’Sullivan is said to be negotiating his return to snooker for what ?
16. In his Autumn statement the Chancellor revealed that Austerity will continue until which year ?
17. Which former TV personality was detained by police in response to allegations of sexual assault ?
18. In 2013 which group will be performing gigs at the Tate Modern ?
19. Which jazz legend passed away ?
20. Skyfall is now the most successful film ever at the box office in the UK – which film has it knocked from the top slot ?
21. Netflix announced a deal to show the films of which studio ?
22. What penalty did Frankie receive for his drug offences ?
23. Alastair Cook took the record for hitting 23 test centuries for England. Who was the first English batsman to hit 22 ?
24. Which world leader recorded a spoof end of the world video ?
25. Which media figure was held by police on sex claims and then released ?
26. How much money are Starbucks volunteering to pay over 2 years ?
27. Name the architect who died at 104 ?
28. What was the score in the Varsity Rugby match ?
In the News – 15th December
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. James Arthur
2. Mehr
3. Juan Manuel Marquez
4. Nicolas Maduro
5. Matthew Stott
6. The Snowman and the Snowdog
7. Impossible
8. Huw Lloyd Langton
9. Edward Devenny
10. Hannah Miley
11. The Tallow Candle
12. Wlodimierz Umaniec / Vladimir Umamets
13. Saser Muztagh
14. Ryan Lanza
15. Joe Root
16. Norman Woodland
In Other News
1. Sir Patrick Moore passed away at which age ?
2. Which European PM resigned ?
3. Who scored the highest number of goals in a calendar year, and whose record did he beat ?
4. What was the score in Man Utd v. Man City ?
5. Who was hit by a coin thrown in that match ?
6. England won the 3rd Test by which margin ?
7. Gerard Depardieu was reported as moving into tax exile in which country ?
8. What was the top trending term on Twitter in 2012 ?
9. Who said that his daughter made him vote for Will Young on Pop Idol – which took place 2 years before she was born ?
10. Who reached an out of court settlement over sexual assault allegations ?
11. What was the most tweeted event of 2012 ?
12. What is the first African city to have its own version of Monopoly ?
13. Who will be joining the cast of “Waterloo Road” ?
14. What is the population of the UK according to the 2011 census ?
15. What is the title of the Spice Girls musical which opened this week ?
16. Who wrote it ?
17. Which team beat Arsenal on penalties in the Capital One cup ?
18. Which team beat Norwich 4 -1 in the same competition ?
19. Which Welsh rugby union player is out of the 6 nations due to the need for surgey on his Achilles tendon ?
20. Which controversial referee will take charge of England’s first 6 Nations match ?
21. Who claims that Max Clifford gave his personal details to the News of the World ?
22. Who made his first ever tweet on 12/12/12 ?
23. Which is the only British destination to make the Rough Guides’ Top 10 Must See destinations ?
24. Which country claimed that they launched their first satellite last week ?
25. Which famous world musician passed away last week ?
26. Liverpool FC apologized to Fulham FC for ‘tapping up’ which player ?
27. Who was banned for verbally abusing referee Mark Clattenburg ?
28. Who did Warren Gatland announce as his British and Irish Lions coaching team ?
29. who is the US Ryder Cup 2014 captain ?
30. Which team did Swansea City beat in their Capital One Cup ¼ final ?
31. Kauto Star will now begin to compete in which sport ?
32. Chelsea beat which team in the semi final of the world club challenge ?
33. Alexander Litvinenko was announced to have been a spy for whom ?
34. The technique of fracking, given a go ahed from the government last week, is specifically used in the UK for extracting what ?
35. What was the derisory amount of the fine given to the Serbian FA for the racism of its fan towards the England under 21 team ?
36. Which rugby player was banned for two weeks for stirking Rory Best ?
37. Who will captain England in the T20 matches against India ?
38. The BBC’s first visible newsreader died last week. Who was he ?
39. What punishment was handed out to former MP Margaret Moran last week ?
40. Where will the 2014 Tour de France begin ?
41. Which alleged hacker had charges against him dropped last week ?
42. In which state is the Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a terrible massacre took place last week ?
Answers
8th December - Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ? 1. Sikh Guardsman, who has stood guard outside Buckingham Palace wearing turban rather than bearskin, despite alleged pressure from other soldiers
2. 11 year old nominated for British Comedy Award for his role in Moone Boy
3. Player who knocked Judd Trump out of UK Snooker
4. Leader of North Norfolk Council who shot his wife then himself
5. Winner of the Turner Prize 6. 25 year old student who was wrongly identified as the founder of the Independent newspaper in the Leveson report
7. Husband of Ann Clwyd MP who she claims was treated like a battery hen when he died in hospital
8. Judge given an official reprimand for calling a burglar courageous
9. Swimmer who has switched allegiance from the UK to Australia
10. Software founded, wanted in Belize – fled to Guatemala- since extradited
11. “Winner” of the Bad Sex in Fiction Award for ‘Infrared’
12. Assistant referee kicked to death by teenage Dutch footballers
13. Australian DJs responsible for hoax call to get details of Duchess of Cambridge’s condition in Edward VII hospital. The nurse who gave the details – Jacinta Saldanha – tragically committed suicide a few days later
14. Radio station that has suspended the two DJs
15. School in which children have been banned from attending the Nativity Play
16. Typhoon that caused devastation in the Phillippines
In Other News
1. Charlie Brooks
2. The Dandy
3. Lens
4. 2 - 1
5. 38 - 21
6. 12 - 14
7. Houston Dynamo
8. Dolce and Gabbana
9. 3 cups of tea
10. Australia – Wales – Winners of Oceania 1 and a play off winner
11. Scotland
12. Ireland
13. Patriot Missiles
14. Rory McIlroy
15. The World championships
16. 2018
17. Stuart Hall
18. Kraftwerk
19. Dave Brubeck
20. Avatar
21. Disney Pixar
22. 6 month ban
23. Wally Hammond
24. Julia Gillard
25. Max Clifford
26. £20 million
27. Oscar Niemeyer
28. Oxford 26 – Cambridge - 19
15th December – Who or what are the following ?
1. Winner of the X - Factor
2. New Iranian ‘alternative’ to YouTube
3. Boxer who knocked out Manny Pacquaio in round six
4. Named as successor by Hugo Chavez
5. Man City fan who invaded the pitch during the match against Man Utd
6. Raymond Briggs sequel to the Snowman
7. Single released by X Factor winner James Arthur
8. Former guitarist of Hawkwind – passed away
9. Submariner convicted of selling secrets to Russian agents
10. British swimmer won gold in 400m individual medley in world short course championships
11. New Hans Christian Anderson story discovered
12. Jailed for 2 years for defacing Mark Rothko painting
13. Mountain photographed from International Space station and wrongly identified as Everest
14. Gunman who carried out massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School
15. Scored 73 in first innings of 4th test – debut innings for England
16. Inventor of the Bar Code – passed away aged 91
In Other News
1. 89
2. Mario Monti of Italy
3. Lionel Messi – beat the record of Gerd Muller
4. 3 - 2
5. Rio Ferdinand
6. 7 wickets
7. Belgium
8. Euro 2012
9. David Cameron
10. Dominique Strauss Khan
11. David Cameron and Boris Johnson ‘dancing’ to the Spice Girls at the Olympics closing ceremony
12. Lagos
13. Angus Deayton
14. 56.1 million
15. Viva Forever
16. Jennifer Saunders and Judy Cramer
17. Bradford City
18. Aston Villa
19. Rhys Priestland
20. Alain Rolland
21. Paul Burrell
22. Pope Benedict XVI
23. Margate
24. North Korea
25. Ravi Shankar
26. Clint Dempsey
27. Gareth Barry
28. Rob Howley – Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell
29. Tom Watson
30. Middlesbrough
31. Dressage
32. Monterrey
33. MI6 – and - Spain
34. Shale Gas
35. £65,000
36. Dylan Hartley
37. Eoin Morgan
38. Kenneth Kendall
39. A 2 year supervision order
40. Leeds
41. Gary McKinnon
42. Connecticut
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. Jatenderpaul Singh Bhullar
2. David Rawle
3. Mark Joyce
4. Keith Johnson
5. Elizabeth Price
6. Brett Straub
7. Owen Roberts
8. Peter Bowers
9. Ellen Gandy
10. John McAfee
11. Nancy Huston
12. Richard Neiuwenhuizen
13. Michael Christian and Kate Grieg
14. 2Day FM
15. Eldwick Primary School, Bingley
16. Bopha
In Other News
1. Who won “I’m A Celebrity “ ?
2. Which comic is only now available in an online version ?
3. The Louvre museum is to open a branch in which Northern French town ?
4. By which score did MK Dons beat AFC Wimbledon ?
5. By Which score did a magnificent England rugby team defeat New Zealand ?
6. What was the score in the Wales v. Australia test match ?
7. David Beckham played his last game for LA Galaxy in the MLS final against which team ?
8. Which fashion house founders are on trial for tax evasion ?
9. Author David Relin committed suicide. What is the title of his famous book ?
10. Name the other members of England’s Rugby World Cup Group ?
11. Which of the six nations is in the same group as Samoa and South Africa ?
12. Which of the six nations is in the same group as France and Italy ?
13. Which weapons have been deployed by NATO to protect Turkey from Syria ?
14. Who is the PGA Tour Player of the Year ?
15. Ronnie O’Sullivan is said to be negotiating his return to snooker for what ?
16. In his Autumn statement the Chancellor revealed that Austerity will continue until which year ?
17. Which former TV personality was detained by police in response to allegations of sexual assault ?
18. In 2013 which group will be performing gigs at the Tate Modern ?
19. Which jazz legend passed away ?
20. Skyfall is now the most successful film ever at the box office in the UK – which film has it knocked from the top slot ?
21. Netflix announced a deal to show the films of which studio ?
22. What penalty did Frankie receive for his drug offences ?
23. Alastair Cook took the record for hitting 23 test centuries for England. Who was the first English batsman to hit 22 ?
24. Which world leader recorded a spoof end of the world video ?
25. Which media figure was held by police on sex claims and then released ?
26. How much money are Starbucks volunteering to pay over 2 years ?
27. Name the architect who died at 104 ?
28. What was the score in the Varsity Rugby match ?
In the News – 15th December
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. James Arthur
2. Mehr
3. Juan Manuel Marquez
4. Nicolas Maduro
5. Matthew Stott
6. The Snowman and the Snowdog
7. Impossible
8. Huw Lloyd Langton
9. Edward Devenny
10. Hannah Miley
11. The Tallow Candle
12. Wlodimierz Umaniec / Vladimir Umamets
13. Saser Muztagh
14. Ryan Lanza
15. Joe Root
16. Norman Woodland
In Other News
1. Sir Patrick Moore passed away at which age ?
2. Which European PM resigned ?
3. Who scored the highest number of goals in a calendar year, and whose record did he beat ?
4. What was the score in Man Utd v. Man City ?
5. Who was hit by a coin thrown in that match ?
6. England won the 3rd Test by which margin ?
7. Gerard Depardieu was reported as moving into tax exile in which country ?
8. What was the top trending term on Twitter in 2012 ?
9. Who said that his daughter made him vote for Will Young on Pop Idol – which took place 2 years before she was born ?
10. Who reached an out of court settlement over sexual assault allegations ?
11. What was the most tweeted event of 2012 ?
12. What is the first African city to have its own version of Monopoly ?
13. Who will be joining the cast of “Waterloo Road” ?
14. What is the population of the UK according to the 2011 census ?
15. What is the title of the Spice Girls musical which opened this week ?
16. Who wrote it ?
17. Which team beat Arsenal on penalties in the Capital One cup ?
18. Which team beat Norwich 4 -1 in the same competition ?
19. Which Welsh rugby union player is out of the 6 nations due to the need for surgey on his Achilles tendon ?
20. Which controversial referee will take charge of England’s first 6 Nations match ?
21. Who claims that Max Clifford gave his personal details to the News of the World ?
22. Who made his first ever tweet on 12/12/12 ?
23. Which is the only British destination to make the Rough Guides’ Top 10 Must See destinations ?
24. Which country claimed that they launched their first satellite last week ?
25. Which famous world musician passed away last week ?
26. Liverpool FC apologized to Fulham FC for ‘tapping up’ which player ?
27. Who was banned for verbally abusing referee Mark Clattenburg ?
28. Who did Warren Gatland announce as his British and Irish Lions coaching team ?
29. who is the US Ryder Cup 2014 captain ?
30. Which team did Swansea City beat in their Capital One Cup ¼ final ?
31. Kauto Star will now begin to compete in which sport ?
32. Chelsea beat which team in the semi final of the world club challenge ?
33. Alexander Litvinenko was announced to have been a spy for whom ?
34. The technique of fracking, given a go ahed from the government last week, is specifically used in the UK for extracting what ?
35. What was the derisory amount of the fine given to the Serbian FA for the racism of its fan towards the England under 21 team ?
36. Which rugby player was banned for two weeks for stirking Rory Best ?
37. Who will captain England in the T20 matches against India ?
38. The BBC’s first visible newsreader died last week. Who was he ?
39. What punishment was handed out to former MP Margaret Moran last week ?
40. Where will the 2014 Tour de France begin ?
41. Which alleged hacker had charges against him dropped last week ?
42. In which state is the Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a terrible massacre took place last week ?
Answers
8th December - Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ? 1. Sikh Guardsman, who has stood guard outside Buckingham Palace wearing turban rather than bearskin, despite alleged pressure from other soldiers
2. 11 year old nominated for British Comedy Award for his role in Moone Boy
3. Player who knocked Judd Trump out of UK Snooker
4. Leader of North Norfolk Council who shot his wife then himself
5. Winner of the Turner Prize 6. 25 year old student who was wrongly identified as the founder of the Independent newspaper in the Leveson report
7. Husband of Ann Clwyd MP who she claims was treated like a battery hen when he died in hospital
8. Judge given an official reprimand for calling a burglar courageous
9. Swimmer who has switched allegiance from the UK to Australia
10. Software founded, wanted in Belize – fled to Guatemala- since extradited
11. “Winner” of the Bad Sex in Fiction Award for ‘Infrared’
12. Assistant referee kicked to death by teenage Dutch footballers
13. Australian DJs responsible for hoax call to get details of Duchess of Cambridge’s condition in Edward VII hospital. The nurse who gave the details – Jacinta Saldanha – tragically committed suicide a few days later
14. Radio station that has suspended the two DJs
15. School in which children have been banned from attending the Nativity Play
16. Typhoon that caused devastation in the Phillippines
In Other News
1. Charlie Brooks
2. The Dandy
3. Lens
4. 2 - 1
5. 38 - 21
6. 12 - 14
7. Houston Dynamo
8. Dolce and Gabbana
9. 3 cups of tea
10. Australia – Wales – Winners of Oceania 1 and a play off winner
11. Scotland
12. Ireland
13. Patriot Missiles
14. Rory McIlroy
15. The World championships
16. 2018
17. Stuart Hall
18. Kraftwerk
19. Dave Brubeck
20. Avatar
21. Disney Pixar
22. 6 month ban
23. Wally Hammond
24. Julia Gillard
25. Max Clifford
26. £20 million
27. Oscar Niemeyer
28. Oxford 26 – Cambridge - 19
15th December – Who or what are the following ?
1. Winner of the X - Factor
2. New Iranian ‘alternative’ to YouTube
3. Boxer who knocked out Manny Pacquaio in round six
4. Named as successor by Hugo Chavez
5. Man City fan who invaded the pitch during the match against Man Utd
6. Raymond Briggs sequel to the Snowman
7. Single released by X Factor winner James Arthur
8. Former guitarist of Hawkwind – passed away
9. Submariner convicted of selling secrets to Russian agents
10. British swimmer won gold in 400m individual medley in world short course championships
11. New Hans Christian Anderson story discovered
12. Jailed for 2 years for defacing Mark Rothko painting
13. Mountain photographed from International Space station and wrongly identified as Everest
14. Gunman who carried out massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School
15. Scored 73 in first innings of 4th test – debut innings for England
16. Inventor of the Bar Code – passed away aged 91
In Other News
1. 89
2. Mario Monti of Italy
3. Lionel Messi – beat the record of Gerd Muller
4. 3 - 2
5. Rio Ferdinand
6. 7 wickets
7. Belgium
8. Euro 2012
9. David Cameron
10. Dominique Strauss Khan
11. David Cameron and Boris Johnson ‘dancing’ to the Spice Girls at the Olympics closing ceremony
12. Lagos
13. Angus Deayton
14. 56.1 million
15. Viva Forever
16. Jennifer Saunders and Judy Cramer
17. Bradford City
18. Aston Villa
19. Rhys Priestland
20. Alain Rolland
21. Paul Burrell
22. Pope Benedict XVI
23. Margate
24. North Korea
25. Ravi Shankar
26. Clint Dempsey
27. Gareth Barry
28. Rob Howley – Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell
29. Tom Watson
30. Middlesbrough
31. Dressage
32. Monterrey
33. MI6 – and - Spain
34. Shale Gas
35. £65,000
36. Dylan Hartley
37. Eoin Morgan
38. Kenneth Kendall
39. A 2 year supervision order
40. Leeds
41. Gary McKinnon
42. Connecticut
Brain of Britain - Heat 4
For the first time this series a name I recognized. Firstly, though, let’s go through the full list of contenders in this week’s show : -
Scott Dawson
Bel Freedman
Darren Martin
Steve O’Gorman
If you’re wondering which of the four has previous, well, it’s Darren Martin. Darren has twice been a contender in Mastermind, having taken part in Discovery Mastermind, and reached the Grand Final in Andy’s 2003 series. A contender to be reckoned with , certainly.
Scott Dawson kicked off. Last week the first contender had a relatively benign first set and scored a full set of five. In this week’s show it looked like the same thing was going to happen. However Scott couldn’t answer who had christened the Pacific Ocean as Pacific, and so a bonus with Magellan went to Darren. Bel took her first couple, but couldn’t identify that Sarawak is part of Indonesia, which brought Scott a bonus. Darren failed to dredge up the word ‘bionic’ for his own first question, which gave Steve O’Gorman a bonus. He took his own first two , but failed on the ski resort of St. Moritz, which brought Scott a bonus.
Moving on to round two, Scott only took his first, but missed out on Cape Carbonara, which is part of Sardinia. Bel took that, and also her own first , but didn’t know that the ‘shaking palsy’ was named after Mr. Parkinson. Darren had that one. He went on to take his own first three, but didn’t know the knife that is the emblem of the Royal Marine Commandos. Bel took that bonus. Steve didn’t know that the last prosecution for witchcraft in the UK took place in the 1940s. Darren knew that, and this point was enough to put him 1 behind Scott. Scott took his first but he didn’t know about the coronaria dexter and coronaria sinistra, and neither did the others, although they all gave it a lash. Bel didn’t know about the Carmargue, but Darren did. Darren took his first, but didn’t know that Only Connect takes its name from a well known quote from EM Forster’s Howards End. Scott took that one. Finally Steve took a couple, but didn’t know that the former Portuguese colony with a name which means shrimps is Cameroon. Scott took that which gave him a lead of 10 to Darren’s 8 at the Beat the Brains interval.
A great and tricky question, which I was delighted to get right, was asked as the first of the Beat the Brains questions. There are 10 elements of the Periodic Table which have names which start with a different letter from the first letter of their symbol. Sodium is one – name the others. I reeled off mercury – lead – potassium – gold – silver – tin – antimony – tungsten and iron. So did the Brains. None of us had the answer to the second – which is the odd one out and why of these – seaborgium – bohrium – meitnerium – roentgenium ? Apparently Meitnerium is the only one named after a woman. Fair enough.
Scott knew his first of the next round, but didn’t know that The Rose Tattoo was created specifically for Anna Magnani. None of the others knew it and neither did I . Bel missed her first, but picked up a bonu on Darren’s first , when he didn’t know that the german equivalent to a French Hotel de Ville – or a British Town Hall – is a Rathaus. No comment. Steve didn’t know that the Tate Britain was built on the site of the old Millbank Penitentiary, but Darren had it. This maintained a two point gap between himself and Scott, who led by 11 – 9.
Scott again took his first question, but didn’t know that the American Groundhog Day is held at the same time as Candlemas, and again Darren took this tricky bonus. Bel didn’t know that barium and various other elements give off a green flame when burned. Darren took another bonus. His first answer took him level with Scott, but he failed on his second, giving Scott the lead again when he identified the golden bough as mistletoe. When Steve failed to identify the country whose capital is Ashgabat, Scott was in there with the answer of Turkmenistan, to give him back the two point lead. He had 14 going into the last round, and Darren had 12.
Just to make it even more interesting, Scott failed on his first question. Darren correctly answered that a group of specific officials within the catholic church would have the title Monsignor. Bel couldn’t identify Virgil’s Aeneid, and Darren found the second bonus he needed to go level. If he could answer 3 of his own correctly then he had definitely won. Sadly his first did for him . It fell to Steve to identify Peter Sellar’s brilliant spoof travelogue sketch as Bal-ham , Gateway to the South. It was all square. Steve toolk three to guarantee himself 3rd place, but then he failed to answer which US president was the first born in the USA. Darren failed, and so did Bel, but Scott supplied the correct answer – Martin van Buren. That was enough to give him the win. Very well played – but well played Darren as well. His 14 could well be enough to see him through to the semis as well.
The Results
Bel Freedman – 7
Steve O’Gorman – 9
Darren Martin – 14
Scott Dawson- 15
Scott Dawson
Bel Freedman
Darren Martin
Steve O’Gorman
If you’re wondering which of the four has previous, well, it’s Darren Martin. Darren has twice been a contender in Mastermind, having taken part in Discovery Mastermind, and reached the Grand Final in Andy’s 2003 series. A contender to be reckoned with , certainly.
Scott Dawson kicked off. Last week the first contender had a relatively benign first set and scored a full set of five. In this week’s show it looked like the same thing was going to happen. However Scott couldn’t answer who had christened the Pacific Ocean as Pacific, and so a bonus with Magellan went to Darren. Bel took her first couple, but couldn’t identify that Sarawak is part of Indonesia, which brought Scott a bonus. Darren failed to dredge up the word ‘bionic’ for his own first question, which gave Steve O’Gorman a bonus. He took his own first two , but failed on the ski resort of St. Moritz, which brought Scott a bonus.
Moving on to round two, Scott only took his first, but missed out on Cape Carbonara, which is part of Sardinia. Bel took that, and also her own first , but didn’t know that the ‘shaking palsy’ was named after Mr. Parkinson. Darren had that one. He went on to take his own first three, but didn’t know the knife that is the emblem of the Royal Marine Commandos. Bel took that bonus. Steve didn’t know that the last prosecution for witchcraft in the UK took place in the 1940s. Darren knew that, and this point was enough to put him 1 behind Scott. Scott took his first but he didn’t know about the coronaria dexter and coronaria sinistra, and neither did the others, although they all gave it a lash. Bel didn’t know about the Carmargue, but Darren did. Darren took his first, but didn’t know that Only Connect takes its name from a well known quote from EM Forster’s Howards End. Scott took that one. Finally Steve took a couple, but didn’t know that the former Portuguese colony with a name which means shrimps is Cameroon. Scott took that which gave him a lead of 10 to Darren’s 8 at the Beat the Brains interval.
A great and tricky question, which I was delighted to get right, was asked as the first of the Beat the Brains questions. There are 10 elements of the Periodic Table which have names which start with a different letter from the first letter of their symbol. Sodium is one – name the others. I reeled off mercury – lead – potassium – gold – silver – tin – antimony – tungsten and iron. So did the Brains. None of us had the answer to the second – which is the odd one out and why of these – seaborgium – bohrium – meitnerium – roentgenium ? Apparently Meitnerium is the only one named after a woman. Fair enough.
Scott knew his first of the next round, but didn’t know that The Rose Tattoo was created specifically for Anna Magnani. None of the others knew it and neither did I . Bel missed her first, but picked up a bonu on Darren’s first , when he didn’t know that the german equivalent to a French Hotel de Ville – or a British Town Hall – is a Rathaus. No comment. Steve didn’t know that the Tate Britain was built on the site of the old Millbank Penitentiary, but Darren had it. This maintained a two point gap between himself and Scott, who led by 11 – 9.
Scott again took his first question, but didn’t know that the American Groundhog Day is held at the same time as Candlemas, and again Darren took this tricky bonus. Bel didn’t know that barium and various other elements give off a green flame when burned. Darren took another bonus. His first answer took him level with Scott, but he failed on his second, giving Scott the lead again when he identified the golden bough as mistletoe. When Steve failed to identify the country whose capital is Ashgabat, Scott was in there with the answer of Turkmenistan, to give him back the two point lead. He had 14 going into the last round, and Darren had 12.
Just to make it even more interesting, Scott failed on his first question. Darren correctly answered that a group of specific officials within the catholic church would have the title Monsignor. Bel couldn’t identify Virgil’s Aeneid, and Darren found the second bonus he needed to go level. If he could answer 3 of his own correctly then he had definitely won. Sadly his first did for him . It fell to Steve to identify Peter Sellar’s brilliant spoof travelogue sketch as Bal-ham , Gateway to the South. It was all square. Steve toolk three to guarantee himself 3rd place, but then he failed to answer which US president was the first born in the USA. Darren failed, and so did Bel, but Scott supplied the correct answer – Martin van Buren. That was enough to give him the win. Very well played – but well played Darren as well. His 14 could well be enough to see him through to the semis as well.
The Results
Bel Freedman – 7
Steve O’Gorman – 9
Darren Martin – 14
Scott Dawson- 15
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Christmas University Challenge
I’m enjoying the Christmas University Challenge series playing at the moment across the week at 7:30pm on BBC2. We’ve only seen a couple of editions so far, so it’s a little early to make hard and fast pronouncements on the series, still, for what it’s worth here are my observations.
As with last year, the questions seemed somewhat easier than the regular series. I was even getting some of the Science ones right, by way of an example. As I said in my posts about the 2011 Christmas series, this is totally understandable. The point of the show is not to show up the illustrious alumni who have sportingly agreed to take part in the show. However it does raise a question in my mind.
Last year we saw a couple of former winners playing for a couple of the teams – in fact I think that both of the finalists had a former winner amongst them. So far this year I only have the team members’ own introductions, and their performances to go on, but I don’t think that there was a real quizzer among any of the 4 teams we’ve seen so far. Which is absolutely fine if that’s the same for all of the teams. However . . . well, the fact is that I know that a very, very good quizzer who has won a very prestigious show on television was approached about the possibility of appearing on his university’s team in this series. He hasn’t been on yet, and I don’t know if he will be on – maybe they changed their minds later. The fact is, though, with these questions, and with the kind of opposition we’ve seen so far, he would eat the other teams alive and spit out the bones afterwards. Any really good quizzer would.
This is why I wonder whether we will be seeing anyone else with ‘previous’ playing for any of the other teams as well. I know that this is only a lighthearted yuletide joust , just for the fun of it, but it would be a bit harsh on any team who have come on the show for the fun of it to be walloped by the only team who have a very serious quizzer playing for them. Time will tell.
As with last year, the questions seemed somewhat easier than the regular series. I was even getting some of the Science ones right, by way of an example. As I said in my posts about the 2011 Christmas series, this is totally understandable. The point of the show is not to show up the illustrious alumni who have sportingly agreed to take part in the show. However it does raise a question in my mind.
Last year we saw a couple of former winners playing for a couple of the teams – in fact I think that both of the finalists had a former winner amongst them. So far this year I only have the team members’ own introductions, and their performances to go on, but I don’t think that there was a real quizzer among any of the 4 teams we’ve seen so far. Which is absolutely fine if that’s the same for all of the teams. However . . . well, the fact is that I know that a very, very good quizzer who has won a very prestigious show on television was approached about the possibility of appearing on his university’s team in this series. He hasn’t been on yet, and I don’t know if he will be on – maybe they changed their minds later. The fact is, though, with these questions, and with the kind of opposition we’ve seen so far, he would eat the other teams alive and spit out the bones afterwards. Any really good quizzer would.
This is why I wonder whether we will be seeing anyone else with ‘previous’ playing for any of the other teams as well. I know that this is only a lighthearted yuletide joust , just for the fun of it, but it would be a bit harsh on any team who have come on the show for the fun of it to be walloped by the only team who have a very serious quizzer playing for them. Time will tell.
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Only Connect - The Grand Final
The Scribes v. The Draughtsmen
The Scribes, who have been this year’s surprise package , consisting of Holly Pattenden , Gareth Price and Dom Tait, had a fairly resounding first round victory over the Ciphers, winning 31 – 13. In the quarter final they saw off the TEFL Teachers 27 – 9.Then in the semi-final they beat the much fancied Wordsmiths by 25 – 14. Their opposition in this Grand Final were the Draughtsmen. Andy Tucker, Steve Dodding and captain Iwan Thomas, had tied with the excellent Joinees in their first round match, winning because of captain Iwan’s steely nerve and superior buzzing.The quarter final proved a little more relaxed, seeing them win by 28 – 14.In the semi final they face the Footballers, who gave them all the trouble they could handle, eventually squeezing through 19-18.
So who would win ? On paper, before the start of the series I’d have said the Draughtsmen. But you just couldn’t ignore the form that the Scribes had shown all series. One thing I was sure of, though. If the Draughtsmen weren’t ahead going into the last round, then the whip hand would be with the Scribes.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
Eye of Horus kicked things off for the Draughts. England : Wales and Brazil:Scotland gave them the correct answer that these were footballers whose names were countries other than those they played for. Horned Viper brought the Scribes a set of pictures. We saw Girl with A Pearl Earring – Victoria Coren – Men at Work sign – and Statue of Liberty. Neither side saw that they were all flipped – the wrong way round – and neither did I. The Ds took Lion, and had Marty Feldman’s last film – Captain of Queen Anne’s Revenge – at which stage I had it – Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I , and with a rush of blood to the head they went with Red Beards. They were probably kicking themselves after when the Scribes had the bonus for saying that these were all people with different coloured beards – Yellow – Black – Red, and the last one , the wife murderer, being Blue Beard. Scribes took two reeds, and had Head : Meissa – Beltbuckle – Alnilam – and I had this one at this stage – Left Leg : Rigel, and skipper Dom knew that these were star positions in the constellation Orion. The Ds had water, and Champion of 1981 Grand National . They considered going for a five pointer, but wiser heads prevailed. -It told of Pennywise the Clown , and - Town where Battle lies were not enough to give them the answer. The Scribes gratefully took a bonus, knowing that the three of these , and - Had a 1974 hit with Killer Queen were all clues in which the answer is actually contained. Twisted Flax brought the Scribes the music set. They took the first three, and impressed me hugely by knowing that they were all written in the form of a letter. Well done for that. This meant that they actually led after the first round by 6 points to 3. You couldn’t help wondering whether dropping those two gettable sets was going to play on the D’s minds as we went into the next round.
Ropund Two – What Comes Third ?
Horned Viper gave the Ds a tricky set – A=azure a saltire argent ( St. Andrew’s cross ) – D = Sable a cross or (St. David’s Cross )– at which they guessed G=argent a cross gules, knowing that this was the cross of St. George. Unfortunately this was actually next in the sequence alphabetically. The Scribes couldn’t take advantage, not knowing that the cross of St. Patrick is P = Argent a saltire gules, Very very bad luck to the Ds, and it was turning out to be one of those nights for them. Scribes took the Eye of Horus. Now, not that I’m one to brag ( alright , I am ) but as soon as Kendal Mintcake came up I said “Young Ones – University Challenge “ and ticked them off to Lord Monty ( Hugh Laurie). So that would have done me fine for a five pointer . Neither team could dredge it up, although both knew what it was all about. Two Reeds gave the Ds 5:Marylebone Old Church – 6: White’s Club Soho – 7: Fleet Debtor’s Prison. I guessed the connection – the Rake’s Progress – but not the 8th destination. It was Bedlam Hospital. Lion was taken by the Scribes, and I wouldn’t have had this one on all three ( and to be honest would have struggled even if the answer had been in front of me. ) Disposable Cigarette Lighters – Hot Air Balloons – Production of Ethylene were the clues, and the Scribes knew that it was uses of simpler alkane gases, so something methane-y would do. Fair enough. Twisted Flax brought a good picture set for the Ds. They knew a tamarind, followed by a tamarin monkey , so it would probably show the river Tamar in the last. Sounds easy, but you have to know a tamarind when you see it in the first place, and I certainly didn't. Just water remained for the scribes. NNNE – NEENE – EESE. These I thin k they all figured out as compass directions, but neither team knew that they were pairs of compass points going clockwise. The scores, then , were 6 to the Ds, and 8 to the Scribes. The gap had been narrowed to 2, but being realistic the Ds needed a lead, and there was only the wall round remaining before the vowels in which to get it.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Scribes kicked off with the Lion wall. Some fairly adept button pushing saw them untangle Fry – Smolt - Alevin and Codling – young fish. They could see a set of boats, and a set of Jacks, but these would not untangle. Eventually they could see a set of contributors to That Was The Week That Was , and they untangled Levin – Martin – Rushton and Percival. That was it. When the wall was resolved they saw Mormon – Ketch – Frost and Sprat were the Jacks, and Snow – Brigantine – Buss and Yawl were the boats- two mast-ers to be precise. That was 6 points, and just a glimmer of a chance for the Ds.
The Water wall was no more forgiving to the Ds than the Lion had been to the Scribes. Eight Ace – Mr. Logic – Tin Ribs and Black Bag they knew were all characters from Viz. They knew there was a set of plural nouns used as singulars, but they just wouldn’t unravel, nor would the other 2 lines. When Sportscene – Burnistoun – River City and Landward were revealed they guessed correctly – based on Sportscene I’d guess – that these are programmes made by BBC Scotland. Coast – Employment – Data and Consumer are all things that can be followed by Protection. This left the plural singular nouns, which were Graffiti – Opera – Agenda – Candelabra. Hard luck on that wall, and it meant that they scored 5, to give the Scribes another precious point to add to their lead, which now stood at 14 to 11.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
Put in its simplest terms, the Scribes had been one of the finest vowels teams we’ve seen all series, and while the Ds have been good, they haven’t been as good as the Scribes when it comes to the vowels. You fancied by this stage that the 3 point lead , although slender, would be too much of a gap to bridge. It certainly looked that way when the Scribes took Things that Good Children do by 3 to 1. Wooden objects and their traditional wood saw the Ds lose a point and gain a point, and the Scribes take three. The last category – three consecutive months saw the Ds lose another, and the Scribes take 1. At the end, then, the final scores were 11 to the Draughtsmen, and 20 to the Scribes.
Commiserations to the Draughtsmen. It just wasn’t your night. Many congratulations to new champions the Scribes. Worthy champions indeed – and I apologise for never marking you out as such at any time earlier in the series.
Congratulations also to Jenny, Rachel, David and the Only Connect team, on another fantastic series, and on your 100th show. By the way – I really liked the lovely Only Connect badges all the team were sporting. Any chance of them being awarded retrospectively to other runners up – specifically the runners up in series 4 ? No ? Well you can’t blame a chap for asking . Great show.
The Scribes, who have been this year’s surprise package , consisting of Holly Pattenden , Gareth Price and Dom Tait, had a fairly resounding first round victory over the Ciphers, winning 31 – 13. In the quarter final they saw off the TEFL Teachers 27 – 9.Then in the semi-final they beat the much fancied Wordsmiths by 25 – 14. Their opposition in this Grand Final were the Draughtsmen. Andy Tucker, Steve Dodding and captain Iwan Thomas, had tied with the excellent Joinees in their first round match, winning because of captain Iwan’s steely nerve and superior buzzing.The quarter final proved a little more relaxed, seeing them win by 28 – 14.In the semi final they face the Footballers, who gave them all the trouble they could handle, eventually squeezing through 19-18.
So who would win ? On paper, before the start of the series I’d have said the Draughtsmen. But you just couldn’t ignore the form that the Scribes had shown all series. One thing I was sure of, though. If the Draughtsmen weren’t ahead going into the last round, then the whip hand would be with the Scribes.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
Eye of Horus kicked things off for the Draughts. England : Wales and Brazil:Scotland gave them the correct answer that these were footballers whose names were countries other than those they played for. Horned Viper brought the Scribes a set of pictures. We saw Girl with A Pearl Earring – Victoria Coren – Men at Work sign – and Statue of Liberty. Neither side saw that they were all flipped – the wrong way round – and neither did I. The Ds took Lion, and had Marty Feldman’s last film – Captain of Queen Anne’s Revenge – at which stage I had it – Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I , and with a rush of blood to the head they went with Red Beards. They were probably kicking themselves after when the Scribes had the bonus for saying that these were all people with different coloured beards – Yellow – Black – Red, and the last one , the wife murderer, being Blue Beard. Scribes took two reeds, and had Head : Meissa – Beltbuckle – Alnilam – and I had this one at this stage – Left Leg : Rigel, and skipper Dom knew that these were star positions in the constellation Orion. The Ds had water, and Champion of 1981 Grand National . They considered going for a five pointer, but wiser heads prevailed. -It told of Pennywise the Clown , and - Town where Battle lies were not enough to give them the answer. The Scribes gratefully took a bonus, knowing that the three of these , and - Had a 1974 hit with Killer Queen were all clues in which the answer is actually contained. Twisted Flax brought the Scribes the music set. They took the first three, and impressed me hugely by knowing that they were all written in the form of a letter. Well done for that. This meant that they actually led after the first round by 6 points to 3. You couldn’t help wondering whether dropping those two gettable sets was going to play on the D’s minds as we went into the next round.
Ropund Two – What Comes Third ?
Horned Viper gave the Ds a tricky set – A=azure a saltire argent ( St. Andrew’s cross ) – D = Sable a cross or (St. David’s Cross )– at which they guessed G=argent a cross gules, knowing that this was the cross of St. George. Unfortunately this was actually next in the sequence alphabetically. The Scribes couldn’t take advantage, not knowing that the cross of St. Patrick is P = Argent a saltire gules, Very very bad luck to the Ds, and it was turning out to be one of those nights for them. Scribes took the Eye of Horus. Now, not that I’m one to brag ( alright , I am ) but as soon as Kendal Mintcake came up I said “Young Ones – University Challenge “ and ticked them off to Lord Monty ( Hugh Laurie). So that would have done me fine for a five pointer . Neither team could dredge it up, although both knew what it was all about. Two Reeds gave the Ds 5:Marylebone Old Church – 6: White’s Club Soho – 7: Fleet Debtor’s Prison. I guessed the connection – the Rake’s Progress – but not the 8th destination. It was Bedlam Hospital. Lion was taken by the Scribes, and I wouldn’t have had this one on all three ( and to be honest would have struggled even if the answer had been in front of me. ) Disposable Cigarette Lighters – Hot Air Balloons – Production of Ethylene were the clues, and the Scribes knew that it was uses of simpler alkane gases, so something methane-y would do. Fair enough. Twisted Flax brought a good picture set for the Ds. They knew a tamarind, followed by a tamarin monkey , so it would probably show the river Tamar in the last. Sounds easy, but you have to know a tamarind when you see it in the first place, and I certainly didn't. Just water remained for the scribes. NNNE – NEENE – EESE. These I thin k they all figured out as compass directions, but neither team knew that they were pairs of compass points going clockwise. The scores, then , were 6 to the Ds, and 8 to the Scribes. The gap had been narrowed to 2, but being realistic the Ds needed a lead, and there was only the wall round remaining before the vowels in which to get it.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Scribes kicked off with the Lion wall. Some fairly adept button pushing saw them untangle Fry – Smolt - Alevin and Codling – young fish. They could see a set of boats, and a set of Jacks, but these would not untangle. Eventually they could see a set of contributors to That Was The Week That Was , and they untangled Levin – Martin – Rushton and Percival. That was it. When the wall was resolved they saw Mormon – Ketch – Frost and Sprat were the Jacks, and Snow – Brigantine – Buss and Yawl were the boats- two mast-ers to be precise. That was 6 points, and just a glimmer of a chance for the Ds.
The Water wall was no more forgiving to the Ds than the Lion had been to the Scribes. Eight Ace – Mr. Logic – Tin Ribs and Black Bag they knew were all characters from Viz. They knew there was a set of plural nouns used as singulars, but they just wouldn’t unravel, nor would the other 2 lines. When Sportscene – Burnistoun – River City and Landward were revealed they guessed correctly – based on Sportscene I’d guess – that these are programmes made by BBC Scotland. Coast – Employment – Data and Consumer are all things that can be followed by Protection. This left the plural singular nouns, which were Graffiti – Opera – Agenda – Candelabra. Hard luck on that wall, and it meant that they scored 5, to give the Scribes another precious point to add to their lead, which now stood at 14 to 11.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
Put in its simplest terms, the Scribes had been one of the finest vowels teams we’ve seen all series, and while the Ds have been good, they haven’t been as good as the Scribes when it comes to the vowels. You fancied by this stage that the 3 point lead , although slender, would be too much of a gap to bridge. It certainly looked that way when the Scribes took Things that Good Children do by 3 to 1. Wooden objects and their traditional wood saw the Ds lose a point and gain a point, and the Scribes take three. The last category – three consecutive months saw the Ds lose another, and the Scribes take 1. At the end, then, the final scores were 11 to the Draughtsmen, and 20 to the Scribes.
Commiserations to the Draughtsmen. It just wasn’t your night. Many congratulations to new champions the Scribes. Worthy champions indeed – and I apologise for never marking you out as such at any time earlier in the series.
Congratulations also to Jenny, Rachel, David and the Only Connect team, on another fantastic series, and on your 100th show. By the way – I really liked the lovely Only Connect badges all the team were sporting. Any chance of them being awarded retrospectively to other runners up – specifically the runners up in series 4 ? No ? Well you can’t blame a chap for asking . Great show.
Monday, 17 December 2012
Dear Santa
Dear Santa,
I know that you have made the list, and indeed even checked it twice by now, and probably have a very good idea of who’s been naughty and nice. Still, I thought that for what it’s worth I would chip in with my two penn’orth and let you know how I’ve got on with my quiz resolutions. Let’s look at the first one :-
*I resolve to stop automatically saying that any team who beat us in a straight pub quiz must automatically be cheating on their phones, and to hold my tongue unless I, or a reliable witness, has actually seen them doing it.
Well Santa, me old china, if you’ve read the blog much in the last 12 months you’ll know exactly how ell I managed to get on with this one. I could play the lawyer, and insist that as regards the exact wording of the resolution I haven’t done too badly – being as the cheats in the rugby club that I labeled MDNs ( Morally Deficient Numpties ) I did actually observe using their phones, but let’s not split hairs. I’m just not very good at quietly accepting that a team which we have no trouble beating, and beating well, for a long time suddenly overnight become too good for us to live with , when there is no perceptible change of personnel. Does that make it alright ? No ? Didn’t think so.
Verdict – Naughty
• I resolve to not close the door to appearing on some other broadcast quiz, but only to apply to something because it might be fun.
Job done, Santa. I applied to Breakaway, and even got as far as an audition, even though I wasn’t invited to appear on the show. I’ve also applied to other shows, from which I had no response at all. But by my calculations that is enough to ensure this.
Verdict – Nice
• I resolve to keep working on my weak areas
Well, I have worked on my weaker areas, yes. I wouldn’t like to give you the idea that I have been spending every waking moment working on my knowledge, though, because I haven’t. In fact I wouldn’t say that I’ve worked anything like as much on my game this year as last. So it’s an area for development next year.
Verdict – Nice – ish
• I resolve to try harder to try to attend at least one or two grand prix events this year.
No excuse for this one. Absolute failure I’m afraid.
Verdict – Very Naughty indeed
• I resolve to try to listen to my team mates more carefully, and more sympathetically – even if I’m pretty sure that the answer they have suggested is very wrong. Well, I shouldn’t really be the one to comment on this one. One of my team mates should. Still, I’d like to think that I have gone some way along the line towards this one, and am fairly happy that I can say that I have tried.
Verdict – Nicer
• I resolve above all else to enjoy my quizzing throughout the next year as much as I have enjoyed it this year.
This is always something of a given with me. In recent weeks I have found it hard to post in the week, and this accounts for the glut of posts each of the last few weekends. However I would hate anyone to think that this has been through a loss of enthusiasm. Nothing of the sort. It’s been a really enjoyable quiz year, what with doing the double double in the Bridgend Quiz League, stamping out the scourge of phone cheating in the rugby club ( for the time being at least ) winning in Birmingham, and playing in the GetConnected Charity Evening. So I am delighted to give myself a resounding : -
Verdict – Very nice indeed.
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Well, that’s two naughties to 3 nices, so although it was a bit of a close squeeze I’d say that I make it onto the nice list again this year. As for wishes for next year – well, we’ll look at the newest resolutions in a week or two’s time.
I know that you have made the list, and indeed even checked it twice by now, and probably have a very good idea of who’s been naughty and nice. Still, I thought that for what it’s worth I would chip in with my two penn’orth and let you know how I’ve got on with my quiz resolutions. Let’s look at the first one :-
*I resolve to stop automatically saying that any team who beat us in a straight pub quiz must automatically be cheating on their phones, and to hold my tongue unless I, or a reliable witness, has actually seen them doing it.
Well Santa, me old china, if you’ve read the blog much in the last 12 months you’ll know exactly how ell I managed to get on with this one. I could play the lawyer, and insist that as regards the exact wording of the resolution I haven’t done too badly – being as the cheats in the rugby club that I labeled MDNs ( Morally Deficient Numpties ) I did actually observe using their phones, but let’s not split hairs. I’m just not very good at quietly accepting that a team which we have no trouble beating, and beating well, for a long time suddenly overnight become too good for us to live with , when there is no perceptible change of personnel. Does that make it alright ? No ? Didn’t think so.
Verdict – Naughty
• I resolve to not close the door to appearing on some other broadcast quiz, but only to apply to something because it might be fun.
Job done, Santa. I applied to Breakaway, and even got as far as an audition, even though I wasn’t invited to appear on the show. I’ve also applied to other shows, from which I had no response at all. But by my calculations that is enough to ensure this.
Verdict – Nice
• I resolve to keep working on my weak areas
Well, I have worked on my weaker areas, yes. I wouldn’t like to give you the idea that I have been spending every waking moment working on my knowledge, though, because I haven’t. In fact I wouldn’t say that I’ve worked anything like as much on my game this year as last. So it’s an area for development next year.
Verdict – Nice – ish
• I resolve to try harder to try to attend at least one or two grand prix events this year.
No excuse for this one. Absolute failure I’m afraid.
Verdict – Very Naughty indeed
• I resolve to try to listen to my team mates more carefully, and more sympathetically – even if I’m pretty sure that the answer they have suggested is very wrong. Well, I shouldn’t really be the one to comment on this one. One of my team mates should. Still, I’d like to think that I have gone some way along the line towards this one, and am fairly happy that I can say that I have tried.
Verdict – Nicer
• I resolve above all else to enjoy my quizzing throughout the next year as much as I have enjoyed it this year.
This is always something of a given with me. In recent weeks I have found it hard to post in the week, and this accounts for the glut of posts each of the last few weekends. However I would hate anyone to think that this has been through a loss of enthusiasm. Nothing of the sort. It’s been a really enjoyable quiz year, what with doing the double double in the Bridgend Quiz League, stamping out the scourge of phone cheating in the rugby club ( for the time being at least ) winning in Birmingham, and playing in the GetConnected Charity Evening. So I am delighted to give myself a resounding : -
Verdict – Very nice indeed.
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Well, that’s two naughties to 3 nices, so although it was a bit of a close squeeze I’d say that I make it onto the nice list again this year. As for wishes for next year – well, we’ll look at the newest resolutions in a week or two’s time.
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