Guardian Article on Eggheads

The Guardian contained a little article on the TV show Eggheads at the weekend. I don't think I need to mention what I think of it but you can make your own mind up HERE

Side Note...

Not really quiz related (or quiz related enough to be in my end of year lists) but the GCHQ Puzzle book is absolutely superb! Kept me busy for hours, unique puzzles and the ideal gift for anyone interested in testing their mind power!



And on a similar theme....the Bletchley Park book is equally as good!

Sunderland Echo Quiz League

Last night marked the final set of fixtures for the year in the Sunderland Echo Quiz League. The season resumes on January 9th and we are always looking for new players and teams. Whether you are an owner of a venue in the area wanting to submit a team or indeed an individual seeking to take your quizzing to the next level.....its well worth a look. You will find all the information HERE and from this season I have been acting as Chairman for the league, so if you need any more information please get in touch!

Podcasts of the Year - Quiz Related

Podcasts take up a lot of my time. As a big fan of radio in general, I am often spoilt for choice when looking for a new podcast series to indulge in so I will try and post a few suggestions over the next month of the ones I have found useful this year. Starting with the podcasts that are focused on asking quiz questions.....

Quiztastic 4

This podcast would just about line up to be "Best Quiz Podcast of 2018" if forced to choose. Carefully crafted, each episode lasts around 15-20 minutes and includes various rounds, which change each series, but always ending with a Specialist Subject round. The series builds to the Quiztastic 4.....Semi Finals and Final to determine the winner.

Information and links to episodes can be found HERE


Honroable mentions must go to -

Pod Quiz Again another strong year in the weekly series of probing questions. Official site HERE

Trivial Warfare Goes from strength to strength with superb guests, questions and always unique. Details HERE

Something Something Birds is also an excellent music based quiz podcast. Information HERE

Quiz Books of the Year #3

The next post in the series looks at a Quiz Book I am sure many of the readers of this blog may have....the Only Connect Official Quiz Book. There is very little I need to say about this book really, other than the fact that it contains all the fun of the TV show with a range of specially crafted questions and hours of fun!

Well worth a look!

Quiz Books of the Year #2

I think I was half way through this book when I made this series of posts last year. I managed to get it finished in 2018 and it was very useful indeed.

I know some quizzers tend to avoid books with titles like "Mammoth" and I do agree that Books of this side, advertising this many questions, tend to suffer from filler and boredom. That doesn't happen here. This book is finely crafted, superbly put together and researched well, breaking down quizzes into subjects with a  vast range of questions to keep everyone happy!

Highly recommended and will keep you busy for a long time..

Books of the Year #7

Thanks for the feedback on the posts so far on the series looking at the most useful books that I have used for quizzing purposes this year....Many more to come but without further a do, I move on to the next one...

Today's book, is on the oft-quizzed subject of Classical Music. On area that is sure to come up in Quiz Leagues and competitive quizzes on a regular basis. Of all the books in my collection when it comes to Classical music this is by far the most readable and most useful. The core of the book is a countdown of the 50 greatest composers, in the opinion of the writer, with biographies, lists of key works etc and its quizzing gold!

Included is also information about orchestras, instruments and musical terms...all the sort of subjects that emerge!

Well worth a look!

Books of the Year #6

You will have noticed several of the "1001...." style books on shelves across stores over the past decade or so. They tend to vary in style, usefulness and quality as each is written by a different author. Of the most recent ones, and certainly of a heck of a lot of the entertainment based ones, the most useful by some distance is the 1001 TV Shows to see before you die. Full of facts and interesting information this has been an absolute treasure trove for both quizzing and quiz setting this year....

Contestant Call - Impossibe

 

The BBC are looking for contestants for their ever popular day time quiz show Impossible. It did take me a few episodes to really get into this but now, its essential viewing. Click HERE for the link to take you to the application

The Pickle Quiz - Sunderland - Tonight

After a great first week at the Pickle Quiz in the heart of Sunderland City Centre, we are back tonight from 8.30pm. If you are in the Sunderland area and looking for a pub quiz, look no further than the Pickle!

Rollover jackpot, plenty of prizes and more!

Books of the Year #5

To continue the series on of the books I have felt have been useful quizzing wise in 2018,  I turn to a book I think I have suggested before. Science has long been a subject of mine that I have struggled with having no real background in it from education (other than GCSE of course). I have tried several books over the years and only a few have proven useful.

However, one stands out above all else and has grown to easily book one of the most used, and most useful, books on my shelf this year. A goldmine of information and simply put, the perfect book to suit my needs of giving me a basic quizzing guide to Sciences....

European Quiz Championships

 

Massive congratulations to Pat Gibson (Eggheads) who was victorious in this weekend European Quiz Championships held in Venice. The event is held annually and it has been announced that next year it will take place in Vienna. Keep an eye on THIS WEBSITE for all the updates and the chance to buy the sets and test yourself against the very best

Quiz Books of the Year #1

Don't worry, the series of general books of the year will continue, but just interlaced with that I am going to give an overview of some of the finest Quiz Books of the Year!

I will start with one I worked through at the start of 2018. The BBC released this superb quiz book of tough questions under the Brain of Britain banner. The sets are highly original and ease you in with a few rounds of medium level questions before bringing on the testers thick and fast. No filler, very few chestnuts and a whole host of brain punishing questions!

Books of the Year #4

The next in my series of the my favourite books of 2018, certainly comes under the banner "useful for quizzing". Although  fan of cricket, there are way too many weak spots in my knowledge for my liking and its been catching me out on sport quizzes a lot this year. So when I saw this was released, I thought the timing was perfect! A detailed, hefty well written biography about the sport, with plenty of facts and figures as well as stats about the team.

Books of the Year #3

Next in the series, is actually the first book I read this year and remains one of the best. This biography of Muhammd Ali by Jonathan Eig is not just one of the best sports biographies I have read, but one of the best biographies full stop. A weighty tome, and even though many sports fan will know the career of Ali, the style, detail and approach by Eig makes this an absolute joy!

Books of the Year #2

The next in the series on the books I have enjoyed most, or found the most useful this year. Adam Kays "This is Going to Hurt" is a diary of his years spent as a junior doctor. Informative whilst at the same time very shocking, the book has plenty of useful terminology on the world of medicine, but quizzing facts aside....this is a superb read!

New Pub Quiz in Sunderland - Launches Tonight!

 

Quiz Night Launch in Sunderland - Tonight and every Thursday from 8.30pm!

 

 

My latest quiz venture kicks off tonight at the Pickle in Sunderland. Located right in the heart of the city centre, the quiz night each Thursday is set to be a fun packed evening with plenty of prizes! Hope to see you there one week!

Books of the Year 2018

Towards the end of the year on the blog, I tend to put together a list of the most useful books of the year, podcasts, apps etc and I have feedback in the past that its also served people as a good guide of what to buy for Christmas for their quizzing obsessed relatives. Today marks the first such post with a Book that has only just been released, but given its quality, is likely to make the list every year...



From the creators of the rather excellent podcast "No Such Thing as Fish" comes The Book of the Year 2018. This is a summary of the first 10 months of 2018 including a raft of major news stories, odd stories and fact and figures, all presented in a fun way. I first got the book in 2017 and it proved a goldmine for those typical "events of the year" rounds that litter quizzes this time of year. Hard to think of a new release book that has been as useful as this....

Quiz in the North - Wakefield

This Saturday, November 10th, the latest Quiz in the North is taking place in Wakefield. With a set devised by one of the finest setters in the country, a team quiz and more, this should be one of the highlights of the quizzing calendar.

It is open to all, and you can find more details on the links below.

More details HERE and HERE

Fifteen to One is back!

 

Series 9 on Fifteen to One returns to Channel 4 today! There are two series in the can, so hopefully they will air pretty much back to back. Look out in season 10 for a familiar face....