Mastermind

Very quick update to mention that, in case you haven't seen, Mastermind returns to BBC 2 tonight :)

Fifteen to One

Now the series is settled down and back with us on what seems a like a permanent basis, what are people making of the reboot? (There are currently 2 series just about in the can as well as casting for the one after that!)

This series has started to raise some questions from me and I notice a lot of negativity in certain quarters about the show. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy it on the whole and I am glad it is back but I can't help feeling there are some flaws with this present series that are hindering my enjoyment. (And before anyone says it, yes I would rather it was on screen in this format than not at all!)

I still think its too long, there are times when I watch it and certain points it feels like a chore. With three advert breaks (unskippable on All4 which is where I watch it) it drags on a little and does not have that all appealing pace the old show used to have. When the chit chat starts to go longer you know early eliminations are coming (this series has varied between about 80 questions a show all the way up to 110) and it does detract from the fun of watching.

Now there are some cracking questions that have came out of this series and generally I don't have a problem with them but there is one major annoyance and that is the "jump". There seems to be no balance in the sets and either you get the easier questions that occur on the first and second pass which seems to take forever, or then when they decide they need to eliminate people the questions become impossibly hard and thus quite a dull show to watch. (After the 10th time of seeing the same person nominate over and over it stops being funny!).

I also would like to see the rule on not allowing previous contestants back on scrapped after the next series so that we can start seeing some top quizzers on the show again as, without meaning to sound offensive, the standard has fallen dramatically in this series on the whole.

What do other people think?

Buzzer Quiz #2

The second round of the Lightspeed event from the weekend. Some cracking questions and super close buzzing in this one (showing how hard this event is to win). I had no chance here and despite knowing most of the answers, not being fast enough (actually not even being close to fast enough) makes it very tough to score.

Perfect example was the Agent Orange question were I was convinced I was second to buzz in (hence the expectant look at Steve next to me hoping he would fail!).....Turns out I was far from it.

Very fun to play....Theres going to be another 12 or so of these so I will keep on posting them up

New Chaser

An error over at ITV revealed, earlier than I think they intended, that Jenny Ryan is joining the Chase team.

Best of Luck to Jenny and I am sure more will emerge once her debut approaches (October is the rumour)

Buzzing at the Weekend

I spent my Saturday afternoon in a pub in the middle of Halifax with some fantastic quizzers playing a a very enjoyable buzzer quiz. I will post the videos taken from the event up over the next few days where you can see some top quizzers in action.

My form varies wildly..

Round 1

Light Speed Quiz

To go with the post I made yesterday about the upcoming Lightspeed quiz events here are some videos of the last event to give you a flavour of what is in store...

Light Speed Quiz Event - July 2015 - Halifax

I am planning on heading down to this and have competed in a number of Lightspeed Quiz events before and always enjoy them.

Here is the blurb from the LSQ Website -

Light Speed Individual Open Buzzer Quiz 2015

Round Four - Halifax

Saturday July 25^th, 1 PM 'till 6

Dirty Dick's Food & Ale Emporium,

1 Clare Road Halifax
HX1 2HX

Telephone 07887 510354
My telephone is 07462 272 552

There will be results up from Stockton ASAP, but I thought I'd flag up July's Tourney, especially as I've moved it from the scheduled date of the 19th (my birthday and Open last round) to 25^th

Dirty Dick's is only about three hundred yards up the hill from the station, and given how fantastic Liverpool and Stockton have been, Sod's law says this is going to be garbage, nevertheless... Mark Laycock and Steve Rhodes are gunning for a home win and to bring bragging rights back to Yorkshire, and in that I will endevour to smooth their path! It will be SUPER AWESOME. There will be a Special with a trophy entitled "50 Answers Containing the Names of Oscar Winning Films"

If you fancy bringing the family they can always go to Eureka, The National Children's Museum, that is right next to the railway station, where they can pretend they are in a kitchen or a bank. Personally I found it a little patronising and right on, if you know what I mean.

Entry fees

£5 + a set of questions. Book and Internet is fine, bespoke is even better

All monies go into the prize fund

Sunderland Quiz League

We are currently between seasons at the Sunderland Quiz League and are always on the lookout for new players and teams. The league is friendly and competitive with a whole host of nice venues. Teams from Sunderland City Centre, Penshaw, Ashbrooke and Newbottle are amongst the players so whether you are a solo player looking to join a current team or perhaps looking to enter a team of your own pop me an email to fully234@hotmail.com and I will put you in touch with the league administrator.

Well worth a look if you are local....I put it off for years and wished I would have joined earlier.

Hive Minds

Hive Minds - BBC Four

Did anyone catch the new BBC Four show "Hive Minds" last night? If so, what are your thoughts? It airs Tuesday nights at 8.30pm and is of course available on the iplayer. Episode 1 featured two formidable teams include Mastermind 2015 Champion Marianne Fairthorne and Rob Hannah who has appeared on numerous (and runs this excellent site).

For me, Hive Minds is an easy show to sum up......brilliant to play, not so great to watch. The whole idea, if you haven't seen the show, is all about finding words within a Hive....in essence word searches. But a clue will be given and there may be traps etc and of course its all against the timer. This makes for a game that looks incredibly fun to play and there is no doubt about it that this would make an excellent app or facebook style game.

However, as a TV Show I am not sure it actually works very well. Watching other people find words is not particularity fun and I for one was just itching for a go myself. I will probably stick with the show in the short term but I think it needs some serious work to get it up to something close to a must-see show. It is rather frustrating to watch at home when all the answers are running through your head and not only is the grid rather small but the fact 3 other people are playing on it.

Disappointing as I had heard good things about this show, mainly from the players, which sort of sums up my original point....I would love to go on this at some point, but can't see myself playing catch up if I miss it as I do with other shows.

Fifteen to One Returns

Tucked away at 3pm on the Channel 4 schedules yesterday was the return of Fifteen to One. Despite leaving The News quiz to set up her own political party Sandi Toksvig is still in command  and there has been no changes made from the last series.

Actually, I though yesterdays episode was rather slow paced with fewer than normal questions asked in the middle section. They didn't seem particularity harder than usual so I am not sure whether the contestants were having a bad day or it was just one of those things.

I still think 30 minutes, under the old system, is ideal for this show. Currently, although its very enjoyable, it is too long, which isn't too bad in the first few episodes but when it becomes a daily event having to wait for 4OD (or All 4 as its now called) adverts to pass then it becomes annoying.

Either way I cannot dispute the question quality in yesterdays show and if that continues, with some big quiz names coming this series too, I can see it being a very enjoyable series indeed.

Are people still enjoying the rebirth of the show? I would love to know what people think...

New Eggheads App

There seems to have been a new Eggheads app released on the Itunes store this week, and for Android devices too. I downloaded it at the weekend and its quite enjoyable with a nice mix of questions and it replicates the show well.....too well in some cases as its rather slow paced. If you have the patience to play it then is well worth your time!

Quiz Shows Return

I have been keeping an eye on the schedules for some time for the return of the major quiz shows currently in between series and it seems that 3 of them all return the same day.

Monday 13th July sees the return of Fifteen to One, University Challenge and Only Connect for brand new series. I won't be booking anything for Mondays from now on....:)

FT Article on Kevin Ashman

Recently the Financial Times published an article on Kevin Ashman (Eggheads). Well worth a read and you will find the link here

New World Quizzing Champion

The World Quizzing Championships were held last weekend across the globe. The results are all in and it was recently made official that we have a new World Quizzing Champion - Olav Bjortomt. As well as being the reigning European Champion you may also recognise his name from The Times where he is the daily question setter.

Congratulations Olav!

Quiz in the North 3

Mentioned this earlier but its this coming weekend so here is the information on Quiz in the North 3 again! Expected to be attended by several of the UK's top quizzers and open to all

Here is the blurb from the Facebook page -

"A full day of quizzing with individual, buzzer and team quizzes.

In the morning there will be an individual written quiz, which will feature a number of different genres with prizes available for the overall winners and genre winners. 

In the afternoon Dave Bill is going to run an interactive buzzer quiz, which are always lots of fun.
This will be followed by a team quiz. Teams will be based on the results of the individual quiz results so everyone will have a chance of winning and you'll have the chance to meet new quiz friends. 

The entrance fee for the full day of quizzing will be just £5, and all the money left over after hopefully minimal costs will be used as prize money for the various quizzes.

To sign up, please either use the appropriate button on this group, or you can e-mail quizinthenorth3@yahoo.co.uk"

Malleable Club

345 Norton Road, TS20 2PH Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom

Sunderland Echo Quiz League

Congratulations to Newbottle WMC who have stormed to victory in the Sunderland Echo Quiz League this year. The final table is as above.


The league goes into a summer break for now but if anyone local is reading this and would be interested in playing let me know and Ill pass on your details to the chairman.

MIMIR Final 2015

A great video from the MIMIR Final from the Merseyside Quiz League. I think this is akin to a "Brain of Liverpool" type event and features Egghead's Pat Gibson.  Worth a watch and more information is http://www.merseysidequizleagues.org.uk/mql-finals-night-2015.aspx

Liverpool Quiz League

Little copy and paste job from Mark Kerr regarding the upcoming seasons of the Liverpool Quiz League

"The Liverpool Quiz League is looking for players to take part in the 2015/6 season, commencing in September. We would welcome all players who would like to try out league quizzing as we have several teams who are currently short of players.

As a taster we can also offer the Mersey Summer Quiz League, which is played on a much more sociable basis, all questions are conferred and it is a good, gentle introduction to competitive quizzing.

The Summer season will begin with a Grand Prix at 8pm on June 8th at Aigburth People’s Hall, and then comprise nine playing weeks of head to head matches before ending with another Grand Prix on August 17th.

If you would like to come along we would love to see you there. We can arrange to introduce you to some of the teams and you can play with them.

We hold quizzes at pubs and clubs in the centre and across the city and you can get an idea of our venues on the website.

http://www.liverpoolquiz.org.uk/index1.htm

The Summer League can be found here:

http://www.merseysummerquiz.org.uk/
Mersey Summer Quiz League
The home of the Mersey Summer Quiz League
Read more...

Regards

Mark"

App Suggestions: triVios

I have been playing triVios for a number of weeks now on my phone and ipad and have been thoroughly enjoying it so thought its about time I mentioned the app on here. In fact, I have been emailing the developers and rather than me let you about it, I will let them...




"triVios is a trivia game where people win real, tangible prizes for their awesome trivia knowledge.  Whether you like to play alone, with your friends, or with people you've never met, there's a game mode for you."

triVios is different from other trivia/quiz apps because there are four different game modes and, in any game mode, players have the ability to win real prizes.  Users can play on their own in Single, challenge their friends or random opponents in Versus, or, in Team, players can team up with their friends and play other teams in real-time.  In each of these game modes, users accumulate Gator Bucks that are redeemed for prizes in our prize store.  Users can also play Tournaments and compete for set prizes against many players.  Prizes range from gift cards to TV's to jewelry.

Purple Gator launched triVios first and foremost because we love trivia and wanted to give people a fresh take on mobile gaming.  A trivia game where players can simply be rewarded for their trivia skills.  We believe that each and every user is so important that we want to reinvest in our players by allowing them to win prizes while playing a game they love.

triVios in 3 words: Trivia with prizes
triVios in 4 words (our tagline): Play Trivia, Win Prizes

The Purple Gator Team is based out of Chicago and we're all avid trivia fans.  Every night in Chicago there are bars/pubs that host trivia night with a live trivia host.  Tons of teams show up and compete for cool prizes.  We frequently attend these trivia events and play as a team.  It's a fun, social experience that's great to do with friends.

Something to note, we have Trivia Tuesday bonuses in triVios every week giving players the opportunity to earn more Gator Bucks and get bonuses towards gameplay and prizes.

Here's a link to our YouTube demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OsEiDwPadc

 

Twiz Night

For anyone on Twitter a useful quizzing account to follow is @twiznight

Twiz Night has been running for a number of years in Ireland and is basically a twice-weekly prize quiz on Twitter. Its a clever business model in which companies offer prizes for exposure and hash tags and it all benefits the player who simply logs in and answers a few questions! The whole quiz lasts about an hour or just under and it is judged not only on your answers but also on the speed at which you answer.

Works much better than you can imagine and usually is quite a fun and active night of quizzing.

Quiz League

I am looking to feature a few profiles of quiz leagues around the country over the new few weeks. I always mention the Sunderland League in which I play but I think it might be useful to feature some profiles of leagues around the country.

So if you are in a league and have a few spare moments send me some information across to fully234@hotmail.com and I will feature your quiz league on the site.

Possibly information such as league size, a little on the history's the league, current seasons (when they run etc), format, website links and perhaps information for contacting league organisers. Even supplying a sample quiz would help massively!

Beat the Brain BBC 2

I saw the initial contestant calls for Beat The Brain a few months back and the first episode of the series aired tonight on BBC 2. Despite being billed as a quiz show and despite John Craven using the word "quiz" at the start of the show, this is not a quiz show by any stretch of the imagination.

Its a less fun version of the Krytpon Factor testing various brain-skills such as the ability to memorise patterns, logic and observation. I am not usuall massively critical of new shows but I was fairly bored early on in this. John Craven host Beat the Brain and everything frm his style to the interaction with the computer Bain s terribly dated and the whole thing doesn't flow well at all.

Not my cup of tea at all, and even for people who like these sort of game shows, I can't see it being around for much longer than the first series.

Anyone catch this?

Book Suggestion

I am sure you have the odd DK book in your collection. I certainly have shelves full. They tend to present information in an easy to learn, accessible and engaging way and "The Illustrated Story of Art" is no exception. I have acquired a wide range of books in recent years to try and boost my knowledge of Art and I wish I had bought this first as its a perfect primer, ideal for revision and full of useful information. Highly recommended whether you are new to the subject or looking to top up knowledge!

Quiz Britain App

I imagine some of you reading this have heard of the wonderful Quiz Britain app which helps you locate pub quizzes no matter where you are in the UK. It is a nifty little tool that has helped me a on more than one occasions and is kept regularly up to date, reducing the chances of turning up to a pub only to find the quiz has been cancelled.

They have recently updated the app to cover more areas in greater detail. Head HERE for extra information and I am pretty sure you can also use the site to search for quizzes if you don't have a smart phone.

Quiz in the North 3

Still haven't made it to one of these events myself yet but having seen the questions and heard great feedback about the previous two then I am very much looking forward to it.

Here is the blurb from the Faebook page -

"A full day of quizzing with individual, buzzer and team quizzes.

In the morning there will be an individual written quiz, which will feature a number of different genres with prizes available for the overall winners and genre winners. 

In the afternoon Dave Bill is going to run an interactive buzzer quiz, which are always lots of fun.
This will be followed by a team quiz. Teams will be based on the results of the individual quiz results so everyone will have a chance of winning and you'll have the chance to meet new quiz friends. 

The entrance fee for the full day of quizzing will be just £5, and all the money left over after hopefully minimal costs will be used as prize money for the various quizzes.

To sign up, please either use the appropriate button on this group, or you can e-mail quizinthenorth3@yahoo.co.uk"

Malleable Club

345 Norton Road, TS20 2PH Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom

Quizzing

It has been a busy month for me, hence the lack of posts for a variety of reasons, the best of which being I have passed by Driving Test at the 4th attempt. Since my move to South Shields I have had to tone down my quiz league particpation but getting mobile should help me get back into the league itself.


Did anyone catch The Quizeum on BBC 4 this week? Very dissapointing and not at all what I was expecting.

In case you have missed it the Mastermind Final is tonight and its too close to call based on previous heats. 8pm BBC 2.

I will be back posting next week so thanks for still reading after my month off blogging!

Music Quiz

NORTHERN POP QUIZZES PRESENTS

SPECIAL ALL DAY EVENT

ON SATURDAY MAY 23rd 2015

STARTING AT 1 PM

A DOUBLE HEADER

INCORPORATING: PAIRS TROPHY

& HISTORY OF POP MUSIC TEAM QUIZ

VENUE

ANGEL HOTEL

KING STREET

KNUTSFORD

QUIZ No 1 WILL BE A RANDOM FUN EVENT WITH PLAYERS DRAWN INTO PAIRS ON THE DAY START 1.15 PM PROMPT

QUIZ No 2 WILL FEATURE PLAYERS IN THEIR REGULAR TEAMS MAXIMUM 4 PLAYERS STARTING 7.30 PM

ENTRY FEE OF £7 EACH PLAYER GUARANTEES ENTRY TO BOTH QUIZZES.

CASH PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO ALL WINNERS

FOR FURTHER DETAILS & TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE RING STEVE ON 01924 849484  steve@natquiz.fsworld.co.uk

Contestant Call

The Hive (working title)

| BBC Four

Do you and your friends love brain-teasers, crossword puzzles and tough TV quizzes? Can you answer questions on Only Connect and University Challenge for fun?

Then this is the quiz for you.

We're searching for smart and interesting contestants for a brand new BBC Four quiz show that will test your general knowledge and mental agility skills to the limit.

We're looking for individual players, as well as teams of up to three players, who share a common passion, hobby or profession and who have what it takes to take on the fiendish puzzles in this challenging word game.

The Hive (working title) is produced for the BBC by Saltbeef TV.

To apply

Age limit: Applicants must be 18 years of age and over.

All applicants must be resident in the UK. Employees of Saltbeef TV, Green Inc, the BBC or close relations are ineligible to apply.

To request an application form please email or write to us and include a telephone number with your contact details.

Email: casting@saltbeeftv.com

Write:
The Hive (WT)
PO BOX 61351
London
N19 9BX

Closing date: 31 March 2015

Music Round Separation

In my quizzing I have a little dilemma in the sense that I really enjoy music rounds, but because a) I have a very narrow knowledge of certain eras and b) I usually quiz in small teams, they always end up costing us in the placings. It is a very difficult thing to improve upon and even though I have tried, and improved marginally, it is always going to be a weak area in any quiz I do.

But last week I found a quiz with a pretty perfect solution. Separate it!

At half time in the quiz I now aim to attend regularly on Thursdays, they play 15 tracks in which you have to name the artist and the winning team gets a bottle of wine. Ideal! Doesn't count for the normal quiz yet I can still play a music quiz which I enjoy.

And the evidence was greater than ever this week. Had the 15 point music round counted in the main quiz (out of 54)  lour placing would have fell dramatically.

A great idea! Gives every team a chance of winning something and keeps the main quiz as just that....a quiz!

Pub Quiz Review - Vigilant Inn South Shields

Vigilant Inn, South Shields - Thursday Nights

Finally.....

It has taken a while but after moving to South Shields I have eventually found a quiz that I can see myself attending on a weekly basis. It was just my happen chance that I phoned The Vigilant Inn (which if you are from the area is actually in Harton rather than South Shields) yesterday afternoon to make an enquiry about whether or not they ran a quiz night and low and behold there I was a few hours later.

I would go as bold as to say that this is perhaps one of the most enjoyable pub quizzes I have attended in the past few years. The quizmaster has the format down to a tee and its a nice venue, with a good cheat-free crowd and everything rattles along at a nice pace.

The quiz itself comprises of 40 General Knowledge Questions split into rounds of 5. After each round of 5 you hand in the sheet to prevent too much cheating and this get an ongoing idea of how well you are doing. A score update is read at half time. There is also a 10 point picture round which you get the entire first half to complete. Nice and simple. Throw into the mix two joker questions (you draw 2 numbers at random and those then become your jokers worth triple points) and you have a pretty entertaining night.

There is a half time music quiz with 15 songs and only the artist needed (separate from the quiz) with a bottle of wine up for grabs and then a nearest the pin jackpot at the end. Plenty to keep quizzers entertained.

Above all else the quality of the questions is well pitched and the way the sheets is handed in after every 5 questions keeps things flowing. When the quiz started the teams seemed to average an age of 70+ I was a little worried when the first question was about 1940s cinema, but the quiz was kept diverse and varied and overall very enjoyable.

In terms of pub quizzes in South Shields this is easily my favourite so far and in fact one of the most fun and enjoyable quiz night I have had in some time

Something Different

Given the amount of quizzes I have been to, it is very rare to see a quiz master try something I have not seen before. However, quiz I went to this week for the first time, review to follow, did just that. Upon paying your entry fee you had to select two numbered discs from the bag. Once you selected the numbers the Quizmaster marked them off on your sheet and those 2 questions numbers became your joker questions for the night worth triple points.

Quite a good idea I though :)

Two Tribes

Two Tribes returned to our screens recently for a second series. I rather enjoyed the first run through and was glad to see it make a comeback. What are other people's thoughts on the show?

I posted a positive review of the series a while back, so without wanting to repeat myself, I found the short 60 second rounds fun, a nice range of questions (although a tad easy) and not overly long. The second series has the same positives with the addition of a jackpot round towards the end.

Gone are the "voucher" prizes and now Two Tribes is offering a rolling £1,000 per show jackpot. The final round, which I think adds a lot to the show, involves players have to sort answers into "yes" and "no" categories. For instance episode 1 asked the finalist about number 1 hits in 1990s. Four names were given and the player simply had to decide whether "yes" they did or "no" they didn't. I prefer this addition to the format :)


The one downside is the inevitable chit chat but with a 30 minute show you can forgive the odd bits and bos.

All in all I really enjoy Two Tribes and would like to hear other peoples opinions?

New Quiz - South Shields Town Centre

This quiz is literally around the corner from me so I thought I would give it a quick plug as I know I have a few readers in the area.

Anyway, the Life of Riley in South Shields launches its new Quiz Night on Monday 2nd March from 8pm. All I know about the quiz is that is hosted by a chap called James Martin.

I am all for supporting new quizzes in the area so will be down there on Monday checking it out. Hopefully it will take off!

Lack of Quiz Advertising

Anyone who follows the blog will know that recently I moved from Sunderland to South Shields and after building up a steady circuit of quizzes in Sunderland, I have yet to managed to find regular slots in the pubs of South shields to quiz.

The main problem is pubs and the total lack of advertising. The local papers and online directories tend to list out of date information and a few times I have relied on this, turned up and found the quiz isn't on. Trawling through the web I tend to find Facebook pages with no contact information, websites that have details and never reply to comments, wrong phone numbers, information that claims there is a quiz and when you ring you discover its not on.

I must have struck lucky in Sunderland as I found 4-5 good weekly quizzes within the space of a few weeks of moving there, but South Shields is a much tougher nut to crack.

Is this common around the country? Do other quizzers find it hard to discover local venues?

It is very frustrating indeed!

Quiz Britain, the app and website which was launched in the last few years, has a good premise of keeping an up to date log of quizzes in the UK but even then it has not got a wide range of coverage in the North East.

Redtooth

In the years I have been running The Quiz Addict I have opened a debate on Redtooth several times and the company always seems to split opinion. As far as I can gather the company continues to go from strength to strength and as I continue to try out new quizzes on a regular basis, several tend to be Redtooth based.

The quiz I am referring to throughout this is the "Its Your Round" style they produce whereby you get the pictures, current affairs, connections etc etc. From my experience this is the most popular and common style pubs purchase and it is by far the best Redtooth format.

What are other people's opinions? And for those of you who are dead set against Redtooth, please read on....

In recent years the company has recruited experienced, high ranking and well known quizzers to ensure the questions and quizzes they sell to pubs around the country are of a good quality. And the difference has been very noticeable! From what they used to be the Red Tooth quizzes have improved massively and now, instead of sighing went I walk into a quiz and realise its Red Tooth, I am confident its going to be fun.

Like every quiz the Redtooth sets have their hits and misses, but considering the size of the tasks and considering they have such a large audience to please, they do a stellar job.

I would be very interested to hear the opinions of others on the Redtooth quizzes then and now.

Mastermind Contestant Call

The BBC are once again on the lookout for people for the next series of Mastermind. All the info can be found HERE

TriviaBug App

The various app stores on smartphones/tablets these days are littered with hundreds upon hundreds of Quiz and Trivia apps. Whether it be official TV tie ins, niche quizzes or General Knowledge quizzes, there is something for everyone. TriviaBug, recently released on all major platforms, happens to be one of the finest of the bunch.

My main problem with many apps is that they tend to use the multiple choice route or the route of giving you the letters that make up the answers and you just have to re-arrange them. TriviaBug tries a different route. Each answers has three clues starting with the most obscure leading to the most common. 3 points if you guess correctly after 1 clue and 1 point if you need all three.

The thing I really like about this game is that it leaves it up to the player. You don't need to type anything, select an answer or such like. You just hit "Show Answer" when you are ready and then you have to tick or cross whether you got it right or wrong. Simples! There is no point in fabricating answers or correct points as its simply a game against yourself and its a refreshing change in a crowded quiz app market.

The game has fantastic questions and is clearly well written and put together by a team who know about quizzing. The difficulty is pitched just right, the questions are varied and there are plenty of add on packs to buy. TriviaBug is not just an app of 10000's of questions generically and randomly put together, its a well thought out and intelligent app that quizzers will love.

Link on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/triviabug/id691797286?mt=8. 

Link on Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.triviabug.clientandroid

Supporting website: http://www.triviabug.com

Next week the quiz will be based on.....

I have been trying all sorts of my quizzes out in 2015 since my move to South Shields and have found some unique and rather odd means of quizzing.

The latest happened last week in a music round. I have mentioned on the blog before that because I tend to quiz in small teams, the audio music round is one in which I tend to suffer. I have improved this by broadening my listening, spotifying and doing several music quizzes on youtube and such like but this is definitely one area its hard to revise.

Anyway, the quiz was going quite last week. An opening round on General Knowledge had boosted us into a nice lead, the picture round was flag-based which was a maximum pointer and following the sports and 1990s TV round we were in a nice lead.

The music round was second from the end (odd placing for it too?) and I was confident that even if we scored 4 or 5 out of 10 we would still win. "Okay Ladies and Gentleman, the next round is the music round and as you may recall from last week, all this weeks songs were featured on the latest episode of Sara Cox's Sounds of the 80s.....here we go".

So basically, every week at this quiz the quizmaster announces that he will be taking the following weeks music round from a particular radio show. So unless I listen to Sounds of the Sixties tomorrow morning my hopes of winning next weeks quiz are dramatically reduced.

What do you make of such an idea? Telling your audience what to revise/listen to for next week...good idea bad idea? My general though is its awful!

First and foremost though...it does increase my chances of winning. The music round will always let me down and with it being such a vital part of this particular quiz, any clues will help meaning that as long as myself and my other half devote some time to listen to the show in question we should improve our chances of winning. But that doesn't detract from the fact that I think its a terrible way to run things.

Not only does it hinder casual players, it gives the quiz a whole "exclusive" feel and means that people who play for fun, as we all do, are then told what they may want to listen to for the next week.

Although the quiz was good, it will massively put me off going unless I was to go every week and the Tuesday Night is a competitive choice for quizzes and little things like this matter!

Only Connect Contestant Call

The Only Connect team are once again on the hunt for new teams. The team are a pleasure to work with and I could not recommend highly enough giving it a go!

The link is HERE

Book Suggestion

Tom Holland is one of my favourite authors and I have just finished perhaps his most known work "Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic". Holland writes good, clear narrative history in an engaging manner, always fact heavy and very useful for quizzing. Perhaps the best book on the period I have read and certainly this, and his other works are worth a look

The Link

I was glad to see The Link re-appear on TV recently. I really enjoyed the first run of the show, as a daytime lite-version of Only Connect, but the show has really grown into its own. Inventive question writing, decent contestants and it rattles along at a fair. Certainly suggested viewing if you have never seen it. For those that have, what are your thoughts?

Book Suggestion

Really enjoyed reading Brian Viner's book "Ali, Pele, Lille and Me" which is a tale of Viner's experiences during what he classes as the golden age of sport ....the 1970s. Although it is very much a personal account of Viner's interest and life at the time, it throws in plenty of facts and information about this sporting decade. Viner is also not averse to throwing in the odd "this would make a good trivia question" comment. 

Worth a look!

Eggheads Application

Eggheads are again on the lookout for new teams! I did Eggheads at the start of 2013 and it was a really enjoyable experience. Well worth doing and although we didn't get the result we wanted it was a fun day and the team treat us very well indeed.

The application details for Eggheads are HERE

Book Suggestion

...and here I am yet again suggesting some useful reference works.

Norman Davies "Europe" is one of the finest books in my collection. I purchased it some time ago and coming in at over 1250 pages long it has taken me some time to work through. But it has certainly been worth it. I have tried several books on European History in the past ranging from short tomes, to thematic works up to the multi volume collections but nothing has captured me like this title. In terms of pure enjoyment of history, it is perfect...

....in terms of Quizzing usefulness it is even better. Every page is brimming with facts, information and knowledge to soak up and this book has certainly raised my knowledge in many areas as well as gave me a list two A4 Pages long of future texts to look into.

I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Newspaper Article

This is from a few weeks ago now but there was an article on quizzing in the Burton Mail recently which you can find HERE

Sunderland Quiz League

For various reasons I have missed the Sunderland Quiz League so far this year but hope to get back on track soon.


The league is a third of the way through (with all teams playing each other 3 times a season now). Here are the current standings. If anyone is reading in the local area and has an interest in the League pop me an email to fully234@hotmail.com and I will put you in touch with the League Chairman,

Who Dares Wins contestant call

I only mentioned this is a post a few days ago as the subject of a dismal Tiebreak round. Anyway, Who Dares Wins, the lottery "list" quiz show is looking for contestants. Always fancied this but not very hopeful of getting on. Click HERE to apply

Possibly The Worst Tie Break.....

Since moving I have been trying out a whole range of new quizzes in the South Tyneside area. Some better than others. Living in Sunderland I got into something of a routine of attending the same quizzes week in week out (nice to have a good round of quizzes to attend...).

Last week I tried out a new quiz in South Shields. I will be mentioning the quiz itself as part of my Quiz Trek 2015, but suffice to say a quiz out of 100 points has 40 points available spread across two music rounds which cost us massively. We must have won the actual questions but the lead wasn't strong enough to beat the bigger teams, who clearly knew more about music than us and we ended up 3rd.

Anyway, the story here does not really concern my quizzing, but the fact that the Tie Break round was something original. A lot of you have been quizzing a lot longer than me but even in my years of quizzing it is rare nowadays I see something new. The Tiebreak round was announced as a "Who Dares Wins Round".....(based on the lottery "list" show).

Expect it wasn't,.....the whole idea of the Who Dares Wins show is that the rivals bid on how many they "think" they can get. This Tiebreaker involved a given subject and the contestants had to give an answer each until one couldn't get an answer......Sounds good?

Well it could have been but the host announced that a) Each contestant had 30 seconds to think of an answer each time and that b) the subject was Kings and Queens of England since 1066. Oh dear....

Cue two men rattling off the answers..."Henry I" "Henry II" "Henry III" etc etc. It seemed to last an age, the pub was emptying as the two winning team members kept on going. As it got past the obvious they began to use their 30 seconds.....what a boring end to the quiz.

Now this is not a terrible idea in premise but the host has to be clever enough to think of subjects where maybe there are only a dozen or so answers, and also get rid of the 30 second rule!

In saying that, his comments after the quiz should tell you all you need to know......He mentioned this was only the second time he had to use a tiebreaker. On the first occasion he used Countries of the World.....

New Shoots Quizzers

Every year since I have began the the blog I have posted a little reminder about this gem of a documentary from a few years back....so lets not break tradition.

It focuses on the European Quizzing Championship and is a great look at the world of competitive quizzing featuring the likes of Eggheads CJ De Mooi and Kevin Ashman and Mark Labbett from the Chase.

Runs for about 25 minutes.

The Chase Ebook

The Chase Quiz Book was mentioned on an episode of the show before Xmas as "out now" but didn't seem to surface anywhere. With the rush of the festive season I did manage to buy it a few days before Xmas but have just managed to get around to having a good look through.

Essentially the book takes a selection of the questions used on the show in an ebook format. It is £2.99 on the Kindle store and contains a range of questions with some interesting sections such as "The Ones the Chasers Got Wrong"......You know exactly the sort of questions to expect if you have seen The Chase and hence if you enjoy the multiple choice questions on there, then give it a go.

I certainly have enjoyed it.

The Chase on Challenge

Although slightly disappointed that Challenge don't seem to be showing any more series' of the old Fifteen to One Shows, they continue to purchase old series of the Chase and have now moved it into the 10.10pm timeslot. Always worth catching up with :)

Book Suggestion

Already barely 2 weeks into 2015 and my second book suggestion of the year.




Classic FM The Big Book of Classical Music

Regardless of your opinions on Classic FM, or indeed the daft title, this is a cracking reference book. Ideal for quiz revision, picking up tips, setting questions and getting suggestions on listening. The book is split into 366 pages (not a typo) and each day is packed with facts, information biographies and timelines of the history of classical music. The whole idea being "On this day...."......but it goes way further than that.

Its a great A4 size hardback tome that sits nicely alongside my other reference works and I am currently using it as intended, a page a day, and its reaping rewards already!

Well worth a look.

Fifteen To One - Series 3 - Applications Open

Copied and Pasted  -


"Nearly a month after crowning their series two £40,000 grand champion, Fifteen To One has been renewed for a third series by Channel 4. Sandi Toksvig will return as the shows host and, once again, 40 episodes will be filmed for the upcoming series in Glasgow, Scotland beginning Spring 2015. The tough quiz show is currently searching for contestants to compete on the next series.

Email 15to1apps@remedyproductions.tv to receive an application form and go to Channel4.com for more details about the casting process and qualifications details. You must be a resident in the U.K. to apply."

Week in Quizzing

I hope 2015 has started well for you.....where does the time go!


I will start with the news you may have heard regarding the renewal of Fifteen to One for a third series since its return last year. Very goods news for viewers and potential contestants alike and I will post a full brief for Series 3 later in the week but simply all you need to do is email 15to1apps@remedyproductions.tv. I couldn't make the audition last year but hopefully will have better luck this time around.


I have been playing catch up with most of the main TV shows this week as things get back to normal after the Xmas break. I have managed to catch a few episode of Eggheads which threw up some very good contests with some great questions this week. I know some people are tired of the Eggheads formula and a lot of quizzers no longer give it the time of day, but since the return of CJ and addition of Lisa, Eggheads has certainly changed and in my view its a change for the better. I will do a post later in the week about the show but do you still watch Eggheads? What are your thoughts on the return of CJ and addition of Lisa?


Only Connect, University Challenge, Mastermind, Pointless, Brain of Britain, Eggheads and The Chase continue to run strong as 2015 begins so there is plenty to get wrapped up over the course of the next few weeks. It was good to read this weeks that in the weeks leading up to Xmas, when The Chase was the lead in show for The X Factor, that is was regularly out rating Dr Who. Not that I look into people's windows, but taking a 40 minute bus ride home every day all you can see glaring out on the TV screens is The Chase!


The setting continues to go well and I have various projects I am working on at the moment. I have been enjoying the Youtube quizzes and intend to make more so keep an eye out on the blog for that.

The Twitter also keeps on growing (@quizaddictblog) and I am finding it a very useful resources. I intend some day to put a big list up on the blog of useful twitter feeds as there are some great ones out there worth following that are tucked away.

Finally, my reading this week has been mixed and I want to recommend a book -

Atlantic - Simon Winchester


Picked this up from Amazon after stumbling across it whilst searching for Winchesters book on the Oxford English Dictionary. And I am so glad I added it to my basket! Winchester has put together a near 500 page tome that chronicles the Atlantic Ocean covering every aspect from explorers, discoveries, battles, islands, peoples and geographical features. In a nutshell.....essential quizzing knowledge. It reads superbly and covers all the bases quiz wise and more. Couldn't have started my yearly reading any better. HIGHLY recommended!

Music Quiz

Ten quiz questions on Music for you to tackle. Let me know how many you scored! Answers in the comment box!

 

1.       Famous for writing ‘Without You’, later a hit for Mariah Carey, and having a hit with the Paul McCartney penned ‘Come and Get it’, Pete Ham and Tom Evans were the founders of which band?

 

2.       What was the only UK number 1 for A-ha?

 

3.       After being the lead singer of Free, he helped to form Bad Company. Following this he provided lead vocals for Queen. Who am I talking about?

 

4.       Which single did Wham release just 10 days before announcing their separation?

 

5.       Complete the title of the Stevie Wonder album that was his most successful album in the UK – ‘Hotter than.....”?

 

6.       Which song, later sampled by Destiny’s Child on the track ‘Bootylicious’, featured on Stevie Nicks debut solo album ‘Bella Donna’?

 

7.       One Hit Wonders: Who reached the UK top 5 in 1984 with the track “Break my stride”?

 

8.       She was the lead singer of Stone the Crow but perhaps is better known as singer of ‘No Mean City’, the theme tune to Taggart. What is her name?

 

9.       Which singer and former member of Soft Machine left the suicide note “You can’t shine if you don’t burn”?

 

10.   Which band topped the BBC’s Sound of 2015 poll?

Interview - Kudos Pub Quizzes

Might make some interesting for any budding writers out there or for those seeking to have a little more information on how a pub quiz setting company operates.

This is a quick interview with Kudos Pub Quizzes who provided us with a great guest quiz last week. Just a quick reminder you can find their site HERE


Tell us a little bit about Kudos Pub Quizzes.

We are a one-stop supplier of pub quizzes for use by any establishment that presents regular or occasional pub quizzes. In addition to quiz questions we provide duplicate answer sheets, promotional posters, an electronic team scoresheet and other resources that help to make a great quiz night.

It’s a crowded market, what makes Kudos Pub Quizzes different to the other companies out there?

As regular quiz players ourselves, we have the passion, knowledge and experience required to provide a great pub quiz service. Our questions are interesting, up-to-date and well researched. We believe that our quality and price combination is the best available.


How has the pub quiz market changed in recent years?

Like most pub games, their appeal tends to be their traditional style of game-play. We don’t see new electronic question and answer technology taking over from old-fashioned pen and paper pub quizzes any time soon.

That said, with the advent of new technology pubs now face the challenge of making their quiz questions hard to look-up with a smartphone. We aim to make our quizzes as Googleproof as possible, find out how to do this here: www.kudos-pub-quizzes.co.uk/google-proof-pub-quizzes/


What are your favourite questions you have ever written?

We like to occasionally use questions with surprising answers to keep people on their toes, here’s a couple of examples:

Q: What is the name of Tarzan's monkey companion that appears in seven of the novels? A: Nkima (not Cheeta, who is an ape)

Q: What are the only two primates that live in the wild in Europe? A: Barbary macaque (on Gibralta) and humans (widespread).


If you were on Mastermind what would your specialist subject?

Hard to say as we cover a full range of questions and have all round quiz knowledge. In the first round I’d go for The Who and in the second round, geography of the British Isles.


What are Kudos' plans for the future?

Mainly just to carry on doing the same as we are doing now but to do it even better. We value customer feedback very highly, so customers will get the service that best suits their needs in the future.