I don’t know if you read my review of Friday’s Mastermind. If you did you might have read Gary Grant’s very thought provoking comments about the show, and its future direction. This was such an intriguing response to the review that I thought I would post my reply in a post of its own. Gary’s original comments are in italics. I haven't quoted the whole of the two comments, so please by all means read them for yourselves.
Right, I’d better begin with a sort of disclaimer. Mastermind is exceptionally special to me, for obvious reasons. So it’s fair to say that I can’t view it or write about it dispassionately , and anything which I say about the show has to be viewed in this light.
OK. Gary’s first main point was -
“I just think in an era of 300+ channels and a plethora of game show formats that MM has a big struggle getting a decent audience due to what has always been its Achilles' heel - the SS round.”
It’s interesting to remember here that the late Bill Wright’s original concept of Mastermind was that it would only have specialist rounds, and he had to be persuaded to include the GK round. The show would have had a very different history without GK rounds, and doubtless it would have had a very different history without SS rounds either. With a plethora of channels and formats, the specialist round is one thing which actually does separate the show from others. But yes, I concede the point that the SS round may be one of the reasons why it never attracts an audience comparable to that of, for the sake of argument, University Challenge. On the other hand I would argue that the audience it does get is a very loyal one. People do know pretty much what they are going to get before they tune in to the show. It says something for the show the way that every year it survives the BBC messing it around, taking it on and off at the drop of a hat, and shoving it around the schedules in the regions (I’m talking about YOU, BBC Wales ).
“Back when the show first started I think they had a better format: a contender would take an enormously broad SS topic such as 'Visual Art' or 'World War One' and this has a twofold effect: first, there was a chance that the viewer at home may be able to play along if it was an interest of theirs, and secondly, it tested an in-depth, prior knowledge rather than what most people do nowadays - which is bone up on something relatively narrow and then try to remember it as short-term recall for the show.”
Gary is right in as much as the average specialist topic in the most early years did tend to be a lot wider than the average topic today. However some very wide topics do still make it onto the show. For example, in 2009 Roger Canwell took the subject “Britain between the Wars” in the 2009 Grand Final – a mind bogglingly wide subject encompassing history – politics – culture etc. etc. In the 2010 series Ron Ragsdale took “Egyptology”. I could give another couple of examples of wide ‘portmanteau’ subjects, although I accept that I am to an extent arguing against myself through the fact that I have to work hard to dig up specific examples of recent wide subjects. Gary’s point is, I think, summed up by what was said by either Nancy Wilkinson, the first champion, or possibly Patricia, the second. She talked of the need to distinguish between ‘savoir’ and ‘connaitre’ – to understand the whole subject, or merely to be acquainted with the facts. I’m not 100% sure that I’d agree that the majority of contenders only pick something they know they can bone up on relatively easily. From my own viewing I still see a lot of people whom I’m sure come on to test their own knowledge of a subject that is a particular interest of their own. Witness the number of people who produce great specialist rounds in the first round, then bomb in the semis on specialist. If it was merely a job of boning up for them, then there really oughtn’t to be that much of a difference between any of their specialist rounds. Yet there often is.
“it is the fact that the first half of Mastermind is essentially watching other people attempt memory recall that you can't play along at home with, that is the show's major, gaping flaw. Certainly, it's why I believe UC gets much better viewing figures - the questions there may be challenging but at least you know you can attempt them. People watch GK quizzes largely to play along at home and if you can't do this for half the programme, it is a significant failing for a knowledge-based gameshow.”
Only if the format offers no compensation in return. You remember that Mastermind moved to Radio 4 after the final Magnus series in 1997. It stayed for three series – 1998 – 2000, before being resurrected by the Discovery Channel. I’m probably not the only fan to think that it didn’t work anything like as well on the radio. Why not ? Because you lost the drama, which is all played out on the contenders’ faces. Alright, people who have appeared on the show before like Gary and me are not the average viewer, I admit, but I suggest that part of the appeal of the show is the drama of each round – and whether or not you can answer any of the questions at home or not is relatively immaterial to this. Don’t underestimate the amount of ‘play along at home’ question there are, either. On Friday there were between 75 and 80 GK questions asked altogether in 16 minutes – and that compares favourably with the very best quiz shows .
“The other bugbear I have is that some of the SS questions are just too easy, possibly in a misguided attempt to improve the 'play at home' factor. Take the other night: I had only vaguely heard of the chess champion, but the first question asked where he was born, and added the info that it was the capital of Georgia. So most people with a grasp of geography would get it, no 'specialist subject' knowledge of Mr Petrosian needed. If you are going to make the specialist subjects so narrow, then should the layperson be able to get 2 or 3 a round right, as I seem to consistently do, through either educated guesses or non-specialist knowledge?”
Well, you either want people to be able to play along at home to keep them interested, or you don’t. Actually, I think the inclusion of a couple of accessible questions in some of the SS rounds is a deliberate thing on the part of the setters to help contenders. Nobody is put on the show to embarrass themselves, and hence the appearance of a couple of sitters in each round. I think it’s more obvious to people like Gary and me, because we are quizzers, and we know the things that a good quizzer would just never, ever get wrong. I have no problem with putting a couple of sitters in each round. I do have a problem though where it is blatantly and clumsily done, and the example Gary pointed out from Friday is just that. After all, it wasn’t REALLY a question about Petrossian at all. It was a Geography question – what is the capital of Georgia. I agree, I don’t like this sort of thing. I don’t think that the average person on the street would necessarily get 2 or 3 right with every specialist round, though.
“-The solution I think is to actually make the show like the website, in that your specialist subject has to come from a predefined, very broad category such as 'History', 'Geography' or 'TV'. Viewers could then play along, particularly if the contender picks their 'favourite subject' and you are then also searching for someone with an excellent general and specialist *knowledge*, rather than someone with - potentially - a good-to-fair GK but brilliant short-term memory recall.”
I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t like this. One of the things about MM as it is now, which I think it can be proud of is that it offers the total amateur the chance to play, and at times match the serious quizzer. If you did this, then – and this is just my opinion, I admit – then I think you’d just be making it easier for the fanatical quizzers, who already would have a very good grounding in most of these subjects before they start. I don’t totally agree that it would help you find the true polymath either. I offer myself as an example. I could tell you facts about many, many books I haven’t read, songs and pieces of music I haven’t listened to, and films or TV shows I haven’t watched. I need to know ABOUT them for quizzes. But it doesn’t mean that I actually KNOW them. OK, maybe this is long term memory recall rather than short term memory recall, but it’s still primarily recall. To a large extent, that’s the nature of quiz shows. That’s what sets a show like Only Connect apart. On OC, it’s not enough just to know a lot of stuff. On many other shows – well, on many other shows it is.
“ -How often is the outcome virtually decided by the end of the SS round, suggesting that the recall has far too much current importance (you corroborate this in the above blog saying it became a 2-horse race at half-time)? Again, I think the expansion of the GK to 2 and a half minutes for R1 may be acknowledgement of this (and not just because the 'chats' were often excruciating telly!) “
Yes, I must admit that when we moved to 2 and a half minute rounds for GK, I did think that shows were no longer going to be decided at all by the SS round. I thought that if there was a quizzer in the bunch, then the quizzer would win – nuff said. Quite often there doesn’t seem to be a quizzer in the bunch though. In a way the chats were there to show that the contenders did in fact ‘know’ their subjects, albeit that John H. would sometimes ignore their subject completely in the chat. The dropping of the chats proved a point about making large changes to an original format which I’ll say more about when I address Gary’s last point . I don’t know without looking just how many shows are decided at half time – it might be worth comparing last year’s round one to the round one in 2010 to see if there’s any noticeable difference. When I have time once term ends I may well have a look at this. Interesting question.
“-I think it has to change to do anything other than attract its current 'hardcore' audience (and maybe secure a long-term future) and get some way towards it's previous popularity, and I think it could do this without 'dumbing down' or altering its status as the pinnacle of TV quizzing. “
For a format to achieve the longevity of MM it needs the right elements to come together, and a bit of luck. Once you change those elements you are taking a gamble. As William Goldman said in “Adventures In the Screen Trade “ ( one of the best books about Hollywood ever written ) – “Nobody knows anything.” Alright, he was talking about movies, and the way that when a hit happens it’s usually a happy accident, and something which often cannot be repeated, but the principle holds good for TV as well.
I don’t know if you ever watched “Discovery Mastermind”. The producers of the show carried out some bold experiments with the format of the show – shorter rounds – a different format for qualification for the final – background music etc. While it had some excellent contenders, and a very worthy champion in Michael Penrice, I think it was fair to say that as a show, it was a bit pants. That’s my opinion, anyway. Tweaks can revitalise a show to a certain extent, but they are a gamble. For example, the inter round chats were an innovation for the Humphrys era. I don’t know about you, but as a contender I hated it while John was talking to the others before their rounds, and when it was my turn, although I tried to be as perky and interesting as I could, all I really wanted to do was get on with the round. The whole point of MM, I always thought, was that it was stripped to the essentials. No nonsense, no time wasted getting to know contenders. If they won, we’d get to know more about them later on. Or maybe we wouldn’t, and that didn’t matter either. Personally I thought getting rid of them was the right thing to do.
It’s a different world from 1980, the year when one MM edition had almost 20 million viewers. I don’t see a serious quiz show, of the level of MM/UC/OC or the late lamented 15 to 1 ever achieving a mass audience in the foreseeable future again. I don’t think that’s a realistic ambition for the show. If the show doesn’t sustain its audience – oh, this feels like sacrilege to say it – then maybe it has had its time. I hope to goodness that this is not the case. Personally I don’t think that it is. But if it is the case, then I’m not sure that tweaks, or wholesale changes to the format would save it – and indeed they’d be in danger of hastening its demise.
All of the above is just my opinion, and as always, feel free to disagree.
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Saturday, 10 December 2011
News Questions
I’m setting the quiz this week for the rugby club, and I know that some of the guys who come down the club do check out the blog for news questions. So , sorry boys, but I’m holding back a few this week, which I’m going to use in the quiz ! Here’s the rest : -
Who or what are the following , and why have they been in the news ?
1) Eric Ryder
2) Keith Rumboldt
3) Nathan Yates
4) Amelia Hempleman Adams
5) HMS Ocean
6) Stephen Brooks
7) Mark Allen
8) Barry Morrow
9) Paul Evans
10) Gary Smith
11) Rod Blagojevitch
12) Asif Ali Zadari
13) Moshe Katsav
14) Emma West
15) James Ellington
16) Jay Lewis
17) Jenni Murray
18) Chris Ashton
19) Boris Nemtsov
20) Ben Madden
21) Leonora Sinclair
22) Gary McKinnon
23) Keppler 22b
24) Veena Malik
25) James Pryce
26) Colin Adams
27) Alan Savage
28) Michalina Lewandowska
29) Steph Warren
30) Stewart Simonson
31) Simon Beech and Garreth Foster
32) Pusuke
In Other News
1) Who won the Confucius prize - the Chinese equivalent of the Nobel Peace prize ?
2) Who has been given victory in the official results in the elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo ?
3) The BBC pulled an episode of which show featuring Jeremy Clarkson ?
4) What has finally been finished ?
5) Who has been granted a medical health tribunal to be held in public
6) Which 3 statues have been unveiled at the Emirates stadium ?
7) The last of what has been phased out in London ?
8) Which is David Cameron’s favourite soap opera ?
9) Which Oxford College is involved in a fight over its name ?
10) Where did the first all female RNLI rescue take place ?
11) What is the name of Putin’s political party , named the winners of the controversial Russian election ?
12) Who has resigned from the IOC ?
13) Manchester United fail to progress in the Champions League after defeat by whom ?
14) The UKs first rehab clinic for what has opened ?
15) Which UK town is Europe’s fastest growing tourist destination ?
16) Who had to apologise for mocking the death of a young man on Stronaway ?
17) Which film star was thrown off an American Airlines jet for playing a game on his iphone ?
18) IN which European country has the Prime Minister been named footballer of the year ?
19) The BBC has announce an end to which political broadcast ?
20) A branch of which chain last week announced Amelia Lily as the winner of the X Factor days before the final ?
21) 29 satellite dishes have been removed from what ?
22) Andrew Lansley announced a plan of how many steps for the NHS ?
23) Who has quit his cricket coaching role with Essex ?
24) What has been dismissed as a super food by the EU ?
25) What was closed to traffic due to overcrowding in the first week of December ?
26) In which EU country do people work the longest hours ?
27) Women are to allowed to serve in what for the first time in the Royal Navy ?
28) A £2 million monument to the Supermarine Spitfire is to be built where ?
29) Which tourist attraction has been bought by the council of Bad Frankenhausen in Germany for 85p ?
30) In which year did the late Dr. Socrates captain the ‘greatest team never to win the world cup’ in the world cup ?
Who or what are the following , and why have they been in the news ?
1) Eric Ryder
2) Keith Rumboldt
3) Nathan Yates
4) Amelia Hempleman Adams
5) HMS Ocean
6) Stephen Brooks
7) Mark Allen
8) Barry Morrow
9) Paul Evans
10) Gary Smith
11) Rod Blagojevitch
12) Asif Ali Zadari
13) Moshe Katsav
14) Emma West
15) James Ellington
16) Jay Lewis
17) Jenni Murray
18) Chris Ashton
19) Boris Nemtsov
20) Ben Madden
21) Leonora Sinclair
22) Gary McKinnon
23) Keppler 22b
24) Veena Malik
25) James Pryce
26) Colin Adams
27) Alan Savage
28) Michalina Lewandowska
29) Steph Warren
30) Stewart Simonson
31) Simon Beech and Garreth Foster
32) Pusuke
In Other News
1) Who won the Confucius prize - the Chinese equivalent of the Nobel Peace prize ?
2) Who has been given victory in the official results in the elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo ?
3) The BBC pulled an episode of which show featuring Jeremy Clarkson ?
4) What has finally been finished ?
5) Who has been granted a medical health tribunal to be held in public
6) Which 3 statues have been unveiled at the Emirates stadium ?
7) The last of what has been phased out in London ?
8) Which is David Cameron’s favourite soap opera ?
9) Which Oxford College is involved in a fight over its name ?
10) Where did the first all female RNLI rescue take place ?
11) What is the name of Putin’s political party , named the winners of the controversial Russian election ?
12) Who has resigned from the IOC ?
13) Manchester United fail to progress in the Champions League after defeat by whom ?
14) The UKs first rehab clinic for what has opened ?
15) Which UK town is Europe’s fastest growing tourist destination ?
16) Who had to apologise for mocking the death of a young man on Stronaway ?
17) Which film star was thrown off an American Airlines jet for playing a game on his iphone ?
18) IN which European country has the Prime Minister been named footballer of the year ?
19) The BBC has announce an end to which political broadcast ?
20) A branch of which chain last week announced Amelia Lily as the winner of the X Factor days before the final ?
21) 29 satellite dishes have been removed from what ?
22) Andrew Lansley announced a plan of how many steps for the NHS ?
23) Who has quit his cricket coaching role with Essex ?
24) What has been dismissed as a super food by the EU ?
25) What was closed to traffic due to overcrowding in the first week of December ?
26) In which EU country do people work the longest hours ?
27) Women are to allowed to serve in what for the first time in the Royal Navy ?
28) A £2 million monument to the Supermarine Spitfire is to be built where ?
29) Which tourist attraction has been bought by the council of Bad Frankenhausen in Germany for 85p ?
30) In which year did the late Dr. Socrates captain the ‘greatest team never to win the world cup’ in the world cup ?
Cryptic Question
Last week’s question was : -
In English – boar carbuncles. In French – good sticks. In German – a spoonerism of storm and strife. What are they all, and which one did Leontes’ wife attend ?
I’m sure you figured out that boar carbuncles would be Hogwarts – the French for good sticks could be Beauxbatons – german for storm and strife would be sturm und drang – a spoonerism of which is Durmstrang. Devotees of the Harry Potter saga would know that these are the three wizarding schools that provide champions to contest the Tri – Wizard Tournament in the great Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Leontes, from Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” has a wife called Hermione. And Hermione , friend of Harry Potter, attends Hogwarts.
Right, try this one : -
The first was Wellington’s savior at Waterloo, the second linked Eva and Kylie, the third a heavenly wanderer, and the fourth was very handy with the mandible of equus asinus. What were they, and what was the fifth ?
In English – boar carbuncles. In French – good sticks. In German – a spoonerism of storm and strife. What are they all, and which one did Leontes’ wife attend ?
I’m sure you figured out that boar carbuncles would be Hogwarts – the French for good sticks could be Beauxbatons – german for storm and strife would be sturm und drang – a spoonerism of which is Durmstrang. Devotees of the Harry Potter saga would know that these are the three wizarding schools that provide champions to contest the Tri – Wizard Tournament in the great Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Leontes, from Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” has a wife called Hermione. And Hermione , friend of Harry Potter, attends Hogwarts.
Right, try this one : -
The first was Wellington’s savior at Waterloo, the second linked Eva and Kylie, the third a heavenly wanderer, and the fourth was very handy with the mandible of equus asinus. What were they, and what was the fifth ?
Mastermind - Round 1 - Heat 5
The first round continues – although I shouldn’t wonder that the Christmas break can’t be far away. Shame. Still, let’s get back to last night’s show. Andrew Hunter was the first to venture into the chair . Andrew is no stranger to the this particular item of furniture. He played in Shaun’s series of 2004, where he took the Battle of Britain. He didn’t make it to the semis then, being runner up in quite a high scoring heat. Andrew certainly knew just how important it is to get off to a great start in the specialist round. So that’s what he did. 18 questions followed about Montgomery of El Alamein, and 17 were answered. A single pass was the only blemish on a superb round.
Second contender Jeff Grimshaw’s subject, by way of contrast, was the American football team, the Chicago Bears. I’ll be honest, if you ask me about the 1986 Chicago Bears Superbowl winning team, - coach Mike Ditka – Walter Payton – William ‘The Fridge’ Perry – Jim McMahon – then I have a slight chance of answering. Other than that, nope. Naturally Jeff Grimshaw was a hell of a lot better than this. In fact his 15 and 1 pass was a fine round, and certainly put him close enough to challenge Andrew, if he could produce a good GK round.
I’m afraid that neither of the last 2 contenders could manage a performance on specialist which would enable them to challenge in the GK section. Keith Bate was answering on the world chess champion Tigran Petrossian. He scored 8. Having watched the round I’m not sure whether he was hampered by nerves, or whether it was one of those times when the question setter and the contender seem to have different ideas of the parameters of the subject. Even on a 2 and a half minute round, Keith was playing for pride after this. Ian Allan offered us Jimi Hendrix. Now, I think that he was definitely affected by nerves. When you see people taking rounds on a popular cultural icon of Hendrix’ stature they usually score very highly. 10 is a perfectly respectable score, but not as high as I expected.
With the best will in the world by half time it was clear that we had a two horse race. First, though Keith returned to the chair for his specialist round. The nerves affected him badly here, I think. He never achieved a head of steam, and never answered more than two questions correctly in a row. In the end he looked relieved when the buzzer finally ended the round. He scored 7 points from 19 questions, and his overall score had gone up to 15. Ian also suffered from the same nerves that had affected his first round performance. After answering 7 of his first 12 questions correctly he lost all the momentum in his round, and didn’t manage one of the next 6 questions before he was rescued by the buzzer.
When you’re not the last contender to go in the GK round, the best way to put pressure on the leader is to whack in the very best GK round you can manage. Jeff certainly tried. He rattled off answers to his first 3 questions. However 2 passes followed, and two incorrect answers after that. From here on in the round was a struggle. To be fair to him he managed to keep his head, and hardly passed again, always trying to offer an answer. this tactic brought him another 7 correct answers. By the end of the round he had scored a decent return of 10 correct answers from 20 questions. The target , though, was not really that much of a mountain for Andrew to have to climb.
To put it into perspective, Andrew managed 10 in 2 minutes in his 2004 GK round. So I confidently expected him to score the highest GK round of the evening. You have to say, he didn’t disappoint. Four correct answers began the round. A wrong answer, a pass, then 4 more correct answers. A pass, another pass, then four more correct answers. A pass, then four more correct answers. A very good, rather symmetrical round which saw him win at a canter. 16 from 21 GK questions is a good return, and 33 is a fine score- well done sir. Good luck in the semis. As for Jeff Grimshaw – well played. I don’t think it’s a high enough score to bring a runner up place in the semis, but you never know.
The Details
Second contender Jeff Grimshaw’s subject, by way of contrast, was the American football team, the Chicago Bears. I’ll be honest, if you ask me about the 1986 Chicago Bears Superbowl winning team, - coach Mike Ditka – Walter Payton – William ‘The Fridge’ Perry – Jim McMahon – then I have a slight chance of answering. Other than that, nope. Naturally Jeff Grimshaw was a hell of a lot better than this. In fact his 15 and 1 pass was a fine round, and certainly put him close enough to challenge Andrew, if he could produce a good GK round.
I’m afraid that neither of the last 2 contenders could manage a performance on specialist which would enable them to challenge in the GK section. Keith Bate was answering on the world chess champion Tigran Petrossian. He scored 8. Having watched the round I’m not sure whether he was hampered by nerves, or whether it was one of those times when the question setter and the contender seem to have different ideas of the parameters of the subject. Even on a 2 and a half minute round, Keith was playing for pride after this. Ian Allan offered us Jimi Hendrix. Now, I think that he was definitely affected by nerves. When you see people taking rounds on a popular cultural icon of Hendrix’ stature they usually score very highly. 10 is a perfectly respectable score, but not as high as I expected.
With the best will in the world by half time it was clear that we had a two horse race. First, though Keith returned to the chair for his specialist round. The nerves affected him badly here, I think. He never achieved a head of steam, and never answered more than two questions correctly in a row. In the end he looked relieved when the buzzer finally ended the round. He scored 7 points from 19 questions, and his overall score had gone up to 15. Ian also suffered from the same nerves that had affected his first round performance. After answering 7 of his first 12 questions correctly he lost all the momentum in his round, and didn’t manage one of the next 6 questions before he was rescued by the buzzer.
When you’re not the last contender to go in the GK round, the best way to put pressure on the leader is to whack in the very best GK round you can manage. Jeff certainly tried. He rattled off answers to his first 3 questions. However 2 passes followed, and two incorrect answers after that. From here on in the round was a struggle. To be fair to him he managed to keep his head, and hardly passed again, always trying to offer an answer. this tactic brought him another 7 correct answers. By the end of the round he had scored a decent return of 10 correct answers from 20 questions. The target , though, was not really that much of a mountain for Andrew to have to climb.
To put it into perspective, Andrew managed 10 in 2 minutes in his 2004 GK round. So I confidently expected him to score the highest GK round of the evening. You have to say, he didn’t disappoint. Four correct answers began the round. A wrong answer, a pass, then 4 more correct answers. A pass, another pass, then four more correct answers. A pass, then four more correct answers. A very good, rather symmetrical round which saw him win at a canter. 16 from 21 GK questions is a good return, and 33 is a fine score- well done sir. Good luck in the semis. As for Jeff Grimshaw – well played. I don’t think it’s a high enough score to bring a runner up place in the semis, but you never know.
The Details
| Andrew Hunter | Field Marshal Montgomery of El Alamein | 17 - 1 | 16 - 4 | 33 – 5 |
| Jeff Grimshaw | The Chicago Bears | 15 - 1 | 10 - 3 | 25 – 4 |
| Keith Bate | Tigran Petrossian | 8 - 0 | 7 - 5 | 15 – 5 |
| Ian Allan | Jimi Hendrix | 10 -1 | 7 - 4 | 17 – 5 |
Only Connect - Grand Final
The Analysts v. The Antiquarians
Is it only a year since my friends the Epicureans were crowned champs of the 4th series ? They were the deserving winners of the grand final over my brothers in arms, Gary and Neil and me, collectively the Radio Addicts. Well, yes it is a year. More than a year actually , since our final was filmed in August. I hope that both the Analysts and the Antiquarians had as much fun this year as we did last. I’m sure they did. The Analysts were marked out as a team to watch from their very first match. William de’Ath, our own Paul Steeples, and captain David Lea are all very fine quizzers. They paid tribute to all the teams they’ve played on the way to the final, in particular their quarter final opponents, the Technologists, who took them all the way. Mind you, if this made the ‘Lysts a battle hardened team, you could apply the same term to their fellow finalists, the Antiquarians. They were not one of the teams I marked out as potential champions from their first round match, I can only apologise to Simon Belcher, Debbie Challis and Will Howells. They too were taken right to the wire in a close semi, when they beat the Listeners by a single point.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Ants opened the eye of Horus. Capsule on the London Eye – Avenue in San Francisco and Seat Row on Lufthansa Planes were very much to their liking, and they correctly answered that there is no number 13 of any of these. In the introductory comments to Victoria, David of the Analysts expressed the hope that they could avoid the pictures. No dice. Two reeds gave them pictures of a tarot card ( Justice ) - a Union Flag – a Horseshoe – a raised thumb. Surprisingly the Lysts ran out of time, and the Ants gave the correct answer – they mean bad luck when turned upside down. Neither team could answer the Ants’ next behind Twisted Flax – June 4th – Reform Through Labour – Falun Gong – Tibet Independence Movement. I felt that both teams were on the right lines , but neither could say that these were search terms for the internet banned in China. No, of course I didn’t get it either. The Lysts moved smoothly into gear with Lion. Andrew Bonar Law, and Eamon de Valera were all they needed to see to identify political leaders who were born in a country other than the one they led. Which led to the Ants playing anything you can do – I can do as well. Given Dye becomes Fur – Rust becomes Tidy , it looked like skipper Will who saw the connection. The first word becomes the second if you move each letter one key to the right on a qwerty keyboard. Victoria was impressed, and so was I. The Lysts were left with the music set behind horned viper. They needed all 4 clues, but when they heard songs called Spellbound – Suspicion – Vertigo and Notorious they knew it was Hitchcock films. Full marks to the setters for coming up with that lot – a lovely set. So with the opening skirmishes over the Ants led the Lysts by 6 to 4.
Round Two – What Comes Third ?
Well, let’s remember that I was sitting at home, not in the studio. But I had a good round. I had this one on a full set, which just eluded both teams. Einer jux will sich machen – The Merchant of Yonkers – The Matchmaker. It was the last one that told me that these were all versions of the same story, and the next was the musical Hello Dolly. As did the Lysts , I got Clough after pictures of a stein, and a busby. Victoria was actually absolutely right to say that they would have accepted something paisley as well, since Bob won 2 before Clough won his two. Bob Paisley then went on to win a third as well after Clough’s 2. Still, I digress. The Ants dropped points not seeing Main Sequence Star – Red Supergiant – Supernova would be followed by Neutron Star . Great answer from William – for a supernova can also become a black hole – his answer which was accepted for a bonus. The Lysts had a tricky set which neither team managed. It’s a real – oh , I see it - when you know it. DLS = 24 – DWS – 17 ( and that put me on the right lines ) TLS – 12. A couple of weeks ago we were asked in the Dyffryn Arms how many Double Word Score squares there are on a scrabble board – the answer being 17 , and so DWS = 17 gave it to me. So the right answer was TWS ( Triple word score ) = 8. The Ants took the next set , but frankly had a chance of a five pointer. Feudalism appeared, and I said words to the effect of Marx – stages of history – Communism . The Ants said the same thing, I think, but took the clues to be sure. Well, the final is a place for cool heads, so you can’t blame them. Finally a good shout from the Lysts on the pictures – and a good shout from me, thanks to the identify the world flag games on Sporcle. Shown flags of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica they knew that the flag of Panama would follow. So a good round for me – but much more importantly a good round for the Analysts, who now led the grand final by 10 to 8.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
It’s all a matter of personal taste, I know, but personally I felt that the Analysts’ Lion wall tasted a tiny bit harder than the Ants’ Water wall. That’s the luck of the draw. Pius VI – King Farouk – Idi Amin and James II gave them a set of people who all died in exile. Good shout. Napoleon – Sequin – Double Eagle and Aureus – gold coins. So far so good. Zodiac – Buster – Blow and Serpico were movies based on true crime. Full house so far. Finally Melody – Precious – Moses and Omar. Nope. I didn’t get it either. They are all characters in Matt Lucas’ and David Walliams’ rather disappointing Come Fly With Me. 7 looked like a pretty good score on that wall to me.
The Antiquarians solved their own water wall. Their relative youth counted against them with the first set – Super Fly – Foxy Brown – Car Wash – Shaft. Anyone of my age or older would probably have got it from the last two – they were all Blaxploitation movies. Foxing – Sunned – Marginalia and Dog ears they knew straightaway as terms for damage to books. Piloti – Pilaster – Stanchion and Caryatid they had to work their way around to get spot on , but they had the point for architectural supports. This left them with Slicker – Bookworm – Dr. B. Ching – Remote Controller. I only had it from Slicker and Bookwrom – and if I’d had the wall I would have put Piloti with them as well – for they are all columnists’ names in Private Eye. You either know it or . . . 6 was a good return, but just made the job a tiny bit more difficult in the last round.
With the scores at 17 to the Analysts, and 14 to the Antiquarians one good round from either team would see them take the trophy.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
Well, it’s not often we see a total shut out in a missing vowels. Let’s take absolutely nothing away from the Antiquarians. You have played brilliantly all series, and have nothing to be ashamed of. But this round belonged to the Analysts. They took 3 points on oxymorons, 3 points on Strategies, and 2 on 15 letter words. The Ants just couldn’t buzz their way into the round. The final score was 25 to the Analysts, and 14 to the Antiquarians.
As I say, well played Antiquarians. You have had a fantastic series, and can proudly hold your heads up high after taking a very fine team all the way right up until the last round. As for the Analysts – many congratulations – William, David and Paul – Only Connect Champions ! A fine performance, and a well deserved championship. A special word for Paul as well, who has also been 3rd in Mastermind, and 2nd in Brain of Britain in recent years. Well deserved , gents. Well played.
A special word for the lovely Jenny Heap as well. Jenny looked after us extremely well during series 4, and I was delighted to see her take over the reins as producer this series. Many congratulations Jenny – you made a great series. Congratulations to David Bodycombe as well, and all the team who put the show together. Great job guys – roll on series 6 !
Is it only a year since my friends the Epicureans were crowned champs of the 4th series ? They were the deserving winners of the grand final over my brothers in arms, Gary and Neil and me, collectively the Radio Addicts. Well, yes it is a year. More than a year actually , since our final was filmed in August. I hope that both the Analysts and the Antiquarians had as much fun this year as we did last. I’m sure they did. The Analysts were marked out as a team to watch from their very first match. William de’Ath, our own Paul Steeples, and captain David Lea are all very fine quizzers. They paid tribute to all the teams they’ve played on the way to the final, in particular their quarter final opponents, the Technologists, who took them all the way. Mind you, if this made the ‘Lysts a battle hardened team, you could apply the same term to their fellow finalists, the Antiquarians. They were not one of the teams I marked out as potential champions from their first round match, I can only apologise to Simon Belcher, Debbie Challis and Will Howells. They too were taken right to the wire in a close semi, when they beat the Listeners by a single point.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Ants opened the eye of Horus. Capsule on the London Eye – Avenue in San Francisco and Seat Row on Lufthansa Planes were very much to their liking, and they correctly answered that there is no number 13 of any of these. In the introductory comments to Victoria, David of the Analysts expressed the hope that they could avoid the pictures. No dice. Two reeds gave them pictures of a tarot card ( Justice ) - a Union Flag – a Horseshoe – a raised thumb. Surprisingly the Lysts ran out of time, and the Ants gave the correct answer – they mean bad luck when turned upside down. Neither team could answer the Ants’ next behind Twisted Flax – June 4th – Reform Through Labour – Falun Gong – Tibet Independence Movement. I felt that both teams were on the right lines , but neither could say that these were search terms for the internet banned in China. No, of course I didn’t get it either. The Lysts moved smoothly into gear with Lion. Andrew Bonar Law, and Eamon de Valera were all they needed to see to identify political leaders who were born in a country other than the one they led. Which led to the Ants playing anything you can do – I can do as well. Given Dye becomes Fur – Rust becomes Tidy , it looked like skipper Will who saw the connection. The first word becomes the second if you move each letter one key to the right on a qwerty keyboard. Victoria was impressed, and so was I. The Lysts were left with the music set behind horned viper. They needed all 4 clues, but when they heard songs called Spellbound – Suspicion – Vertigo and Notorious they knew it was Hitchcock films. Full marks to the setters for coming up with that lot – a lovely set. So with the opening skirmishes over the Ants led the Lysts by 6 to 4.
Round Two – What Comes Third ?
Well, let’s remember that I was sitting at home, not in the studio. But I had a good round. I had this one on a full set, which just eluded both teams. Einer jux will sich machen – The Merchant of Yonkers – The Matchmaker. It was the last one that told me that these were all versions of the same story, and the next was the musical Hello Dolly. As did the Lysts , I got Clough after pictures of a stein, and a busby. Victoria was actually absolutely right to say that they would have accepted something paisley as well, since Bob won 2 before Clough won his two. Bob Paisley then went on to win a third as well after Clough’s 2. Still, I digress. The Ants dropped points not seeing Main Sequence Star – Red Supergiant – Supernova would be followed by Neutron Star . Great answer from William – for a supernova can also become a black hole – his answer which was accepted for a bonus. The Lysts had a tricky set which neither team managed. It’s a real – oh , I see it - when you know it. DLS = 24 – DWS – 17 ( and that put me on the right lines ) TLS – 12. A couple of weeks ago we were asked in the Dyffryn Arms how many Double Word Score squares there are on a scrabble board – the answer being 17 , and so DWS = 17 gave it to me. So the right answer was TWS ( Triple word score ) = 8. The Ants took the next set , but frankly had a chance of a five pointer. Feudalism appeared, and I said words to the effect of Marx – stages of history – Communism . The Ants said the same thing, I think, but took the clues to be sure. Well, the final is a place for cool heads, so you can’t blame them. Finally a good shout from the Lysts on the pictures – and a good shout from me, thanks to the identify the world flag games on Sporcle. Shown flags of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica they knew that the flag of Panama would follow. So a good round for me – but much more importantly a good round for the Analysts, who now led the grand final by 10 to 8.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
It’s all a matter of personal taste, I know, but personally I felt that the Analysts’ Lion wall tasted a tiny bit harder than the Ants’ Water wall. That’s the luck of the draw. Pius VI – King Farouk – Idi Amin and James II gave them a set of people who all died in exile. Good shout. Napoleon – Sequin – Double Eagle and Aureus – gold coins. So far so good. Zodiac – Buster – Blow and Serpico were movies based on true crime. Full house so far. Finally Melody – Precious – Moses and Omar. Nope. I didn’t get it either. They are all characters in Matt Lucas’ and David Walliams’ rather disappointing Come Fly With Me. 7 looked like a pretty good score on that wall to me.
The Antiquarians solved their own water wall. Their relative youth counted against them with the first set – Super Fly – Foxy Brown – Car Wash – Shaft. Anyone of my age or older would probably have got it from the last two – they were all Blaxploitation movies. Foxing – Sunned – Marginalia and Dog ears they knew straightaway as terms for damage to books. Piloti – Pilaster – Stanchion and Caryatid they had to work their way around to get spot on , but they had the point for architectural supports. This left them with Slicker – Bookworm – Dr. B. Ching – Remote Controller. I only had it from Slicker and Bookwrom – and if I’d had the wall I would have put Piloti with them as well – for they are all columnists’ names in Private Eye. You either know it or . . . 6 was a good return, but just made the job a tiny bit more difficult in the last round.
With the scores at 17 to the Analysts, and 14 to the Antiquarians one good round from either team would see them take the trophy.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
Well, it’s not often we see a total shut out in a missing vowels. Let’s take absolutely nothing away from the Antiquarians. You have played brilliantly all series, and have nothing to be ashamed of. But this round belonged to the Analysts. They took 3 points on oxymorons, 3 points on Strategies, and 2 on 15 letter words. The Ants just couldn’t buzz their way into the round. The final score was 25 to the Analysts, and 14 to the Antiquarians.
As I say, well played Antiquarians. You have had a fantastic series, and can proudly hold your heads up high after taking a very fine team all the way right up until the last round. As for the Analysts – many congratulations – William, David and Paul – Only Connect Champions ! A fine performance, and a well deserved championship. A special word for Paul as well, who has also been 3rd in Mastermind, and 2nd in Brain of Britain in recent years. Well deserved , gents. Well played.
A special word for the lovely Jenny Heap as well. Jenny looked after us extremely well during series 4, and I was delighted to see her take over the reins as producer this series. Many congratulations Jenny – you made a great series. Congratulations to David Bodycombe as well, and all the team who put the show together. Great job guys – roll on series 6 !
University Challenge - Round 2 - Match 7
Merton, Oxford v. Balliol , Oxford
JP introduced the penultimate match of the second round, and seemed rather amused that the fixture generator – random or otherwise – had thrown together two Oxford colleges. Both teams won close matches in their first rounds, which saw their beaten opposition progress to the repechage. Merton, who were Bill Hellier, Denis Dillon, Cosmo Grant and captain Tim Smith-Laing, saw off St. Andrews. The Balliol team of Liam Shaw, Andrew Whitby, James Kirby and Simon Wood beat Homerton in their first match. Well, Homerton are already through to the quarters. Would Balliol join them ?
Not if Tim Smith-Laing had anything to do with it. He led from the front in the early part of the show, and started as he meant to go on by taking the first starter, recognizing several descriptions of the word cursor. One bonus was taken on William of Malmesbury. James Kirby struck back with Lord John Russell for the next starter. 2 bonuses were taken on various types of corpuscle. Tim Smith-Laing knew that the figure from a fairy tale whose name is used in conjunction with a planet with the conditions necessary for life is Goldlilocks. A full set of bonuses followed on horses in classical poetry – messrs. Virgil, Horace and Ovid as I predicted were all present and correct. Unfortunately I didn’t get them in the correct order. Merton did. The Merton skipper took a double, knowing that the coypu was introduced to the UK from South American to be farmed for its fur. 2 bonuses were taken. A lovely little starter followed, where the teams were shown a first verse of a famous poem, and asked to identify the poet. The catch was that only the last words of some of the lines were shown. I knew it was Ode on a Grecian Urn by Keats, but the teams let that one pass by. Liam Shaw recognized Mr. Toad’s description of his own gaff, Toad Hall, and this earned the poetry picture bonus set, of which one was taken. James Kirby took the next starter with the Davis Cup, but the team couldn’t add any bonuses on cartography. At the ten minute mark Merton preserved a small lead, with 60 to Balliol’s 45.
Neither team knew the best place for a first date – according to English Heritage. It’s the Roman Baths ( at Bath, presumably ). James Kirby had a good early buzz for the next starter, identifying that two German cities have the word Frankfurt as part of their name. One bonus was taken on George Sand. James Kirby made it a double with the Book of Revelation for the next starter. 2 invertebrates were identified for bonuses. Denis Dillon couldn’t have heard more than a bar or two of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony before he gave it as the correct answer to the music starter – an impressive buzz, that. Alas, Merton could not manage to identify any of three more 7th symphonies by German or Austrian composers. Merton managed to identify Singer as a name shared by several specific people, and this bought up a full set of bonuses on word pairs, where the F at the end of the first word is replaced by a D for the second word – eg Deaf and Dead – Wolf and Wold etc. Liam Shaw knew that Dorothy L. Sayers, Salman Rushdie and Fay Wheldon all were successful in advertising. A couple of bonuses on apples brought the teams level. A number thing followed, but neither team got it. Cosmo Grant buzzed in too early to offer Descartes as a French philosopher mathematician. Well he was, but not the one required. Five points away. Hard lines. Liam Shaw correctly offered Pascal. 1 bonus followed on the largest towns of islands. The second picture starter was identified as a painting by Edgar Degas by James Kirby. The bonuses showed three pictures featuring absinthe, of which 2 were correctly ascribed. That little Balliol flurry had pushed them ahead on the scoreboard. At the 20 minute mark they led by 130 to 90.
It was vital for Merton to take the next starter, but it was the impressive James Kirby who took it, recognizing a set of demands by the Chartists. 1 bonus fell to Balliol on Women’s writing. James Kirby then made it three starters in a row, by giving Munich as the german city housing a particular library. No bonuses could be taken on states of Brazil. Too late now for Merton ? Actually, no. Bill Hellier weighed in with the next starter, giving the right answer of nitrogen. A full set followed on films about bonus, and a part of the lead sliced off. Denis Dillon knew that the only surname shared by both a British PM and a US president is Wilson. No bonus could be taken on the History of Science. Denis Dillon made it a starter double, knowing that Nepal and Bhutan share borders with both India and China. 1 bonus followed on works of Goethe. The gap stood at a mere 15 points. Neither team took the next starter, but James Kirby gave away five for an early buzz. To make amends he did correctly answer that Switzerland is the smallest country in Europe which has the word – land as part of its name. 2 bonuses followed on the moon, and the clock was running down. Bill Hellier knew that Mercury and Venus have no moons. There was time for Merton to correctly answer the first two bonuses on the Human Condition, but that was that. At the gong, it was a narrow win for Balliol by 170 to 160. Another fine contest – well done to both teams.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP seemed rather amused by the Toad Hall question. In fact I may be mistaken but I have a feeling that he may even be a closet Pooh fan. He called the poem bonuses unlocked by the Mr. Toad starter “ less elevated literature” and I don’t even think he was being sarcastic.
On the cartography question the team were doing what I would have done – that is – dredging up the only name which comes to mind for me – Mercator – and trotting it out as the answer to each question . JP wasn’t having any of that. When offered the name for the second time running he replied,
“No – get it out of your head !”
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
Medan is the name of the biggest city on the island of Sumatra
JP introduced the penultimate match of the second round, and seemed rather amused that the fixture generator – random or otherwise – had thrown together two Oxford colleges. Both teams won close matches in their first rounds, which saw their beaten opposition progress to the repechage. Merton, who were Bill Hellier, Denis Dillon, Cosmo Grant and captain Tim Smith-Laing, saw off St. Andrews. The Balliol team of Liam Shaw, Andrew Whitby, James Kirby and Simon Wood beat Homerton in their first match. Well, Homerton are already through to the quarters. Would Balliol join them ?
Not if Tim Smith-Laing had anything to do with it. He led from the front in the early part of the show, and started as he meant to go on by taking the first starter, recognizing several descriptions of the word cursor. One bonus was taken on William of Malmesbury. James Kirby struck back with Lord John Russell for the next starter. 2 bonuses were taken on various types of corpuscle. Tim Smith-Laing knew that the figure from a fairy tale whose name is used in conjunction with a planet with the conditions necessary for life is Goldlilocks. A full set of bonuses followed on horses in classical poetry – messrs. Virgil, Horace and Ovid as I predicted were all present and correct. Unfortunately I didn’t get them in the correct order. Merton did. The Merton skipper took a double, knowing that the coypu was introduced to the UK from South American to be farmed for its fur. 2 bonuses were taken. A lovely little starter followed, where the teams were shown a first verse of a famous poem, and asked to identify the poet. The catch was that only the last words of some of the lines were shown. I knew it was Ode on a Grecian Urn by Keats, but the teams let that one pass by. Liam Shaw recognized Mr. Toad’s description of his own gaff, Toad Hall, and this earned the poetry picture bonus set, of which one was taken. James Kirby took the next starter with the Davis Cup, but the team couldn’t add any bonuses on cartography. At the ten minute mark Merton preserved a small lead, with 60 to Balliol’s 45.
Neither team knew the best place for a first date – according to English Heritage. It’s the Roman Baths ( at Bath, presumably ). James Kirby had a good early buzz for the next starter, identifying that two German cities have the word Frankfurt as part of their name. One bonus was taken on George Sand. James Kirby made it a double with the Book of Revelation for the next starter. 2 invertebrates were identified for bonuses. Denis Dillon couldn’t have heard more than a bar or two of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony before he gave it as the correct answer to the music starter – an impressive buzz, that. Alas, Merton could not manage to identify any of three more 7th symphonies by German or Austrian composers. Merton managed to identify Singer as a name shared by several specific people, and this bought up a full set of bonuses on word pairs, where the F at the end of the first word is replaced by a D for the second word – eg Deaf and Dead – Wolf and Wold etc. Liam Shaw knew that Dorothy L. Sayers, Salman Rushdie and Fay Wheldon all were successful in advertising. A couple of bonuses on apples brought the teams level. A number thing followed, but neither team got it. Cosmo Grant buzzed in too early to offer Descartes as a French philosopher mathematician. Well he was, but not the one required. Five points away. Hard lines. Liam Shaw correctly offered Pascal. 1 bonus followed on the largest towns of islands. The second picture starter was identified as a painting by Edgar Degas by James Kirby. The bonuses showed three pictures featuring absinthe, of which 2 were correctly ascribed. That little Balliol flurry had pushed them ahead on the scoreboard. At the 20 minute mark they led by 130 to 90.
It was vital for Merton to take the next starter, but it was the impressive James Kirby who took it, recognizing a set of demands by the Chartists. 1 bonus fell to Balliol on Women’s writing. James Kirby then made it three starters in a row, by giving Munich as the german city housing a particular library. No bonuses could be taken on states of Brazil. Too late now for Merton ? Actually, no. Bill Hellier weighed in with the next starter, giving the right answer of nitrogen. A full set followed on films about bonus, and a part of the lead sliced off. Denis Dillon knew that the only surname shared by both a British PM and a US president is Wilson. No bonus could be taken on the History of Science. Denis Dillon made it a starter double, knowing that Nepal and Bhutan share borders with both India and China. 1 bonus followed on works of Goethe. The gap stood at a mere 15 points. Neither team took the next starter, but James Kirby gave away five for an early buzz. To make amends he did correctly answer that Switzerland is the smallest country in Europe which has the word – land as part of its name. 2 bonuses followed on the moon, and the clock was running down. Bill Hellier knew that Mercury and Venus have no moons. There was time for Merton to correctly answer the first two bonuses on the Human Condition, but that was that. At the gong, it was a narrow win for Balliol by 170 to 160. Another fine contest – well done to both teams.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP seemed rather amused by the Toad Hall question. In fact I may be mistaken but I have a feeling that he may even be a closet Pooh fan. He called the poem bonuses unlocked by the Mr. Toad starter “ less elevated literature” and I don’t even think he was being sarcastic.
On the cartography question the team were doing what I would have done – that is – dredging up the only name which comes to mind for me – Mercator – and trotting it out as the answer to each question . JP wasn’t having any of that. When offered the name for the second time running he replied,
“No – get it out of your head !”
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
Medan is the name of the biggest city on the island of Sumatra
Answers to News Questions
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1) Mr. Justice Tugendhat
2) Wherever you are
3) Len McCluskey
4) Thomas Blythe
5) Chopper
6) P.C. Deiderick Coetzee
7) Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers
8) June Waldron
9) Tony Nicklinson
10) Adele Joicey
11) Ami Kausar
12) Swanland
13) Nellie Geraghty
14) Laurent Gbagbo
15) Det. Sgt. Alan Taylor
16) Katia Zatuliveter
17) Toby Dring
18) Guido Fawkes
19) Frank Wild
20) Chrissie Wellington
21) Bilbo
22) Brian Dodgeon
23) Roy Bottomley
24) Ross McManus
25) Mark Hall
26) Rebecca Leighton
In Other News
1) Where did Britain’s largest casino open last week ?
2) Last week what did a survey reveal to be the thing which has the power to make men happier ?
3) Who switched on the lights in 10 Downing Street with the PM and his family ?
4) Which annual races took place in Brighton and Covent Garden ?
5) Who is to be appointed manager of Sunderland ?
6) Which singer received his CBE last week ?
7) IN his last interview the late Ken Russell confessed to a 40 year crush on whom ?
8) Which disease is killing red squirrels ?
9) Who said that David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet about Global Warming is hot air ?
10) What is Mike Tindall’s reduced fine ?
11) Which team did Cardiff City beat to win their Carling Cup quarter final ?
12) A pagan stone circle has been destroyed where ?
13) Which US airline declared bankruptcy ?
14) Which team knocked Man Utd out of the Carling Cup ?
15) Which Venetian landmark has been unveiled following conservation work ?
16) Whose grave in Pere Lachaise has been given a makeover ?
17) The UK has closed its embassy where ?
18) Which TV Show last seen on ITV in 2009 is to return on Sky Arts ?
19) What did a teen gang do to outrage Christmas shoppers in Longton, Stoke on Trent ?
20) Who told fans not to buy his £212 boxed set since the price must be ‘ a hoax or a misprint’ ?
21) Who is fronting a campaign for a minister for the elderly ?
22) Richard Desmond called which editor a hypocrite ?
23) What was the ‘deal’ Charlotte Church made with Rupert Murdoch, which she claimed was not honoured when speaking to the Leveson Inquiry
24) Who signed a book deal worth a reported £400,000 ?
25) What registration change did Cunard make to its ships ?
26) Whom did GQ magazine vote the Most Influential Man in Britain ?
27) Who won the Brazilian Grand Prix ?
28) Which team won the Golf World Cup ?
29) Who became the first female artist with the No1 in both singles and albums charts at the same time twice in the same year ?
30) Who won the ATP finals ?
31) A film version of which stage show – based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo – is to be made by Steven Spielberg ?
32) Which London Tourist attraction suffered an accident last week ?
33) What has been found in british oysters ?
34) Which crematorium plans to install turbines in 2 of its burners ?
35) The Islamic PJD party will form its first government in which country ?
36) Which supermarket claims that it has to send 25% of its new recruits back to school ?
37) Which crown court will become the first to issue ipads to jurors to review evidence ?
38) Which two teams have resigned from the formula One teams association ?
39) Which teams are in Eire’s Euro 2012 group ?
40) – and which teams are in England’s ?
41) What was the cost of the new portrait of Speaker John Bercow ?
42) Who were announced as the 2 new judges on Dancing on Ice ?
Answers
1) He granted 2 super injunctions last week
2) The single by the military wives choir, tipped as a potential Christmas Number 1
3) General secretary of Unite
4) Man who has become an internet sensation, searching for a mystery woman he simply knows as Cathy
5) It was an owl – which landed on an oil rig exhausted and covered in oil. It was sent on to a wildlife sanctuary
6) The policeman nicknamed Robocop seriously ill in hospital after being knocked down by a hit and run driver
7) The new sculpture on Skegness seafront
8) Lollipop lady in Herne Bay who has resigned due to the rudeness of drivers
9) He is a paraplegic man asking for the right in the high court to have a doctor help him to end his life.
10) Mother of a Down’s Syndrome child who is asking Jimmy Carr to drop an offensive joke from his act
11) Pleaded guilty to terrorism offences – had a recipe for making ricin on a memory stick
12) Ship from which the Duke of Cambridge rescued sailors
13) She died when trying to stop muggers from stealing her handbag which contained her husband’s ashes
14) The first former head of state handed over to the International Criminal Court – formerly head of Ivory Coast
15) He told the Stephen Lawrence murder trial that his predecessor had changed the numbers of evidence on the database
16) Russian who was cleared of being a spy after having an affair with Mike Hancock MP
17) Youngest child ever to have open heart surgery
18) Nickname of political blogger Paul Staines, summoned before the Leveson Inquiry
19) Shackleton’s right hand man, whose remains were finally interred next to Shackleton’s
20) World Iron Man triathlon champ at the centre of calls for women to be included in the shortlist for BBC Sports personality of the Year – controversially the shortlist this year consists entirely of men
21) A terrier who was stuck down a rabbit hole in Dobwalls Cornwall for 20 days
22) He was convicted after a teen died taking ecstasy at a house party in his house –
23) TV writer who passed away – many TV credits, including Nearest and Dearest
24) Father of Elvis Costello who passed away – best known for secret lemonade drinker R.Whites adverts
25) British animator – creator of Danger Mouse and Count Duckula who passed away
26) Nurse acquitted over Steppings Hill hospital tragedies, sacked last week
In Other News
1) Aspers at Westfield Stratford City
2) A shed
3) Helen Skelton
4) Christmas Pudding Races
5) Martin O’Neill
6) Brian Ferry
7) Glenda Jackson
8) Liver Disease
9) Lord Nigel Lawson
10) £15,000
11) Blackburn Rovers
12) Lampeter
13) American Airlines
14) Crystal Palace
15) The Bridge of Sighs
16) Paul Dacre
17) Esther Rantzen
18) Elvis Costello
19) By attacking Santa in his grotto
20) The South Bank Show
21) Tehran
22) Oscar Wilde
23) She agreed to waiver her £100,000 fee for singing at his wedding in return for good publicity
24) Roger Federer beat Jo Wilfred Tsonga
25) Rihanna
26) USA
27) Mark Webber
28) Boris Johnson
29) All of its ships have now been registered in Bermuda, no longer Southampton
30) Pippa Middleton
31) The War Horse
32) A Walkway onto HMS Belfast collapsed
33) Norovirus
34) Durham
35) Morocco
36) Morrisons
37) Norwich
38) Red Bull and Ferrari
39) Spain – Italy – Croatia
40) France – Sweden – Ukraine
41) £22,000
42) Katarina Witt and Louis Spence
1) Mr. Justice Tugendhat
2) Wherever you are
3) Len McCluskey
4) Thomas Blythe
5) Chopper
6) P.C. Deiderick Coetzee
7) Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers
8) June Waldron
9) Tony Nicklinson
10) Adele Joicey
11) Ami Kausar
12) Swanland
13) Nellie Geraghty
14) Laurent Gbagbo
15) Det. Sgt. Alan Taylor
16) Katia Zatuliveter
17) Toby Dring
18) Guido Fawkes
19) Frank Wild
20) Chrissie Wellington
21) Bilbo
22) Brian Dodgeon
23) Roy Bottomley
24) Ross McManus
25) Mark Hall
26) Rebecca Leighton
In Other News
1) Where did Britain’s largest casino open last week ?
2) Last week what did a survey reveal to be the thing which has the power to make men happier ?
3) Who switched on the lights in 10 Downing Street with the PM and his family ?
4) Which annual races took place in Brighton and Covent Garden ?
5) Who is to be appointed manager of Sunderland ?
6) Which singer received his CBE last week ?
7) IN his last interview the late Ken Russell confessed to a 40 year crush on whom ?
8) Which disease is killing red squirrels ?
9) Who said that David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet about Global Warming is hot air ?
10) What is Mike Tindall’s reduced fine ?
11) Which team did Cardiff City beat to win their Carling Cup quarter final ?
12) A pagan stone circle has been destroyed where ?
13) Which US airline declared bankruptcy ?
14) Which team knocked Man Utd out of the Carling Cup ?
15) Which Venetian landmark has been unveiled following conservation work ?
16) Whose grave in Pere Lachaise has been given a makeover ?
17) The UK has closed its embassy where ?
18) Which TV Show last seen on ITV in 2009 is to return on Sky Arts ?
19) What did a teen gang do to outrage Christmas shoppers in Longton, Stoke on Trent ?
20) Who told fans not to buy his £212 boxed set since the price must be ‘ a hoax or a misprint’ ?
21) Who is fronting a campaign for a minister for the elderly ?
22) Richard Desmond called which editor a hypocrite ?
23) What was the ‘deal’ Charlotte Church made with Rupert Murdoch, which she claimed was not honoured when speaking to the Leveson Inquiry
24) Who signed a book deal worth a reported £400,000 ?
25) What registration change did Cunard make to its ships ?
26) Whom did GQ magazine vote the Most Influential Man in Britain ?
27) Who won the Brazilian Grand Prix ?
28) Which team won the Golf World Cup ?
29) Who became the first female artist with the No1 in both singles and albums charts at the same time twice in the same year ?
30) Who won the ATP finals ?
31) A film version of which stage show – based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo – is to be made by Steven Spielberg ?
32) Which London Tourist attraction suffered an accident last week ?
33) What has been found in british oysters ?
34) Which crematorium plans to install turbines in 2 of its burners ?
35) The Islamic PJD party will form its first government in which country ?
36) Which supermarket claims that it has to send 25% of its new recruits back to school ?
37) Which crown court will become the first to issue ipads to jurors to review evidence ?
38) Which two teams have resigned from the formula One teams association ?
39) Which teams are in Eire’s Euro 2012 group ?
40) – and which teams are in England’s ?
41) What was the cost of the new portrait of Speaker John Bercow ?
42) Who were announced as the 2 new judges on Dancing on Ice ?
Answers
1) He granted 2 super injunctions last week
2) The single by the military wives choir, tipped as a potential Christmas Number 1
3) General secretary of Unite
4) Man who has become an internet sensation, searching for a mystery woman he simply knows as Cathy
5) It was an owl – which landed on an oil rig exhausted and covered in oil. It was sent on to a wildlife sanctuary
6) The policeman nicknamed Robocop seriously ill in hospital after being knocked down by a hit and run driver
7) The new sculpture on Skegness seafront
8) Lollipop lady in Herne Bay who has resigned due to the rudeness of drivers
9) He is a paraplegic man asking for the right in the high court to have a doctor help him to end his life.
10) Mother of a Down’s Syndrome child who is asking Jimmy Carr to drop an offensive joke from his act
11) Pleaded guilty to terrorism offences – had a recipe for making ricin on a memory stick
12) Ship from which the Duke of Cambridge rescued sailors
13) She died when trying to stop muggers from stealing her handbag which contained her husband’s ashes
14) The first former head of state handed over to the International Criminal Court – formerly head of Ivory Coast
15) He told the Stephen Lawrence murder trial that his predecessor had changed the numbers of evidence on the database
16) Russian who was cleared of being a spy after having an affair with Mike Hancock MP
17) Youngest child ever to have open heart surgery
18) Nickname of political blogger Paul Staines, summoned before the Leveson Inquiry
19) Shackleton’s right hand man, whose remains were finally interred next to Shackleton’s
20) World Iron Man triathlon champ at the centre of calls for women to be included in the shortlist for BBC Sports personality of the Year – controversially the shortlist this year consists entirely of men
21) A terrier who was stuck down a rabbit hole in Dobwalls Cornwall for 20 days
22) He was convicted after a teen died taking ecstasy at a house party in his house –
23) TV writer who passed away – many TV credits, including Nearest and Dearest
24) Father of Elvis Costello who passed away – best known for secret lemonade drinker R.Whites adverts
25) British animator – creator of Danger Mouse and Count Duckula who passed away
26) Nurse acquitted over Steppings Hill hospital tragedies, sacked last week
In Other News
1) Aspers at Westfield Stratford City
2) A shed
3) Helen Skelton
4) Christmas Pudding Races
5) Martin O’Neill
6) Brian Ferry
7) Glenda Jackson
8) Liver Disease
9) Lord Nigel Lawson
10) £15,000
11) Blackburn Rovers
12) Lampeter
13) American Airlines
14) Crystal Palace
15) The Bridge of Sighs
16) Paul Dacre
17) Esther Rantzen
18) Elvis Costello
19) By attacking Santa in his grotto
20) The South Bank Show
21) Tehran
22) Oscar Wilde
23) She agreed to waiver her £100,000 fee for singing at his wedding in return for good publicity
24) Roger Federer beat Jo Wilfred Tsonga
25) Rihanna
26) USA
27) Mark Webber
28) Boris Johnson
29) All of its ships have now been registered in Bermuda, no longer Southampton
30) Pippa Middleton
31) The War Horse
32) A Walkway onto HMS Belfast collapsed
33) Norovirus
34) Durham
35) Morocco
36) Morrisons
37) Norwich
38) Red Bull and Ferrari
39) Spain – Italy – Croatia
40) France – Sweden – Ukraine
41) £22,000
42) Katarina Witt and Louis Spence
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