Fifteen to One- Show 2

Congratulations to Dave McBryan on victory in last nights episode of the revamped Fifteen to One. A very tight contest throughout but a much deserved win. I attended Dave's superb pub quiz in The Barony pub in Edinburgh last year which I would highly recommend and quizzed against him the Brunton Shield Event last year too so I was rooting for the familiar-ish face.

Nice to see Nick Reed pop up too, a TQA reader. Hopefully he will fair better in one of his other attempts!

Fifteen to One

Fifteen to One returned to our screens on Saturday. Despite being advertised for a Monday return I assume that Channel 4 were hoping for a mass carry on audience from the Grand National as Sandy Toksvig fronted the first episode of the rebirth of Fifteen to One in that slot. The show now runs for 60 minutes and is run in the same format as the William G Stewart Era.

So is it good to have Fifteen to One back?

I think the main idea here is that it was very unlikely that the remake was ever going to recapture the original. It was more of a case of how close could it get to being a top notch tea time quiz show. The answer? Pretty close!

It will take time to settle in but the over riding impression I got from the firs episode of Fifteen to One was it was too long. The first 25 minutes, including 2 add breaks, dragged with 90% of the questions being chestnuts. The other 10% were "stoppers"...hard questions thrown into the mix which made you feel a tad sorry for the contestants lumbered with the toughies.

The show certainly became more engrossing in the second half and the final battle between the three contestants was very fun indeed. Fifteen to One in the 60 minute format suddenly shoots to life after 30 minutes. That is not to say there aren't plenty of questions as there are and the talk with contestants isn't overly long. You still could easily chop another 15 minutes off this without loosing any questions or quality.

In all I was fairly happy with the show and will stick with Fifteen to One of course as there were plenty of questions I didn't know and also gained some new areas to explore in my revision. My one worry is that this will be lost when running against the current big hitters of The Chase and Pointless but hopefully not! Where else could it be scheduled though? 6-7pm to run against a ratings-falling Eggheads? That would make more sense to me!

Finally, one of the plus points of this show is going to be seeing the masses of folk from the quiz world who have applied. Already one show one Nic Mortimer stormed to an impressive victory showing not only great knowledge but also great game playing. Anthony Fish was a little hard done by but the game is there to be won and Nic very much deserved his Fifteen to One to win. Fingers cross that he makes the final!

Let's see what the next few weeks brings.....

The 3rd Degree

The new series of The 3rd Degree airs tomorrow on Radio 4 for a six episode run. I quite enjoy this quiz show which is a little different to the norm. Perhaps the weakest of the 4 main quizzes on Radio 4 but still worth a listen if you have never tried it before!

Round Britain Quiz/Counterpoint

For anyone wondering the upcoming series of Counterpoint on BBC Radio 4 has been cancelled. I know only because I made an application and was told my the production team that they have decided to delay the series, for perhaps obvious reasons, and will air Round Britain Quiz in its place. I had been doing quite a lot of revision for this and was very hopeful of making it onto the show so I am very much hoping for a speedy resolution and a speedy return to the airwaves for the show.

Fifteen to One

As many of you already may know Fifteen to One is back on our screens this weekend with a 20 episode run. There are a lot of good quizzers and famous faces (from the quizzing world) taking part so I am very much looking forward to this. The extension to 60 minutes has concerned a few people but I am sure all will be grand and hopefully it will be successful enough for another series to be commissioned! I don't see why not.....

Channel 4 set launch date for Fifteen To One return

March 26, 2014 No Comments BroadcastingDoug Lambert

Legendary quiz show Fifteen To One will return to Channel 4 this April.

The series, produced by Remedy Productions for the broadcaster, sees the pressure back on as the fifteen contestants hope they’re the fastest with the answers to become the last one standing. The new series follows a one-off special last year as part of Channel 4′s 80s night. The general public version of the show is to be hosted by Sandi Toksvig.

“I’m thrilled to be taking up the mantle of hosting Fifteen To One. It is a legendary quiz show with tough questions. I’m glad I’ll be asking not answering. I’m also delighted to be back at Channel 4.” - Sandi Toksvig

The great British public applied in droves to participate in the cult quiz known for its tough questions and demanding nerves of steel from its players. Thousands up and down the land applied to take part, including some very dedicated former contestants who had appeared in the original show. Some of the former contestants, who in many cases have been waiting for more than a decade to return, go head to head with fresh-faced hopefuls all in a bid to become the Fifteen to One Grand Final Winner and take home £40k

Twenty episodes are to air in the new daytime run of hour long episodes. The cash prize is brand new to the show but that’s not the only difference. The new generation of Fifteen To One will also herald some other key changes; Each player will now be given three chances to reach the final round of a show therefore getting the opportunity to appear on a maximum of three shows throughout the week. This allows for both Sandi to form relationships with contestants and for viewers at home to really champion their favourites.

Each hour long episode showcases Sandi’s camaraderie with the contenders as well as her firm but fair hosting style. Throughout the show, she will also offer up her near boundless knowledge on the topics that arise. - Channel 4

Played over three rounds, the Fifteen To One contestants simply have to avoid elimination. To do that they not only have to answer questions correctly but must also decide which of their opponents to nominate putting them under the question spotlight. There will also be four prime time Celebrity Fifteen To One specials hosted by Adam Hills who presented the previous special in 2013.

The original Fifteen to One was presented by former ATV producer William G Stewart from 1988 to 2003. The new run will kick off Saturday 5th April at 5:30pm and continues weekdays at 4:30pm starting Monday 7th April.

Brain of Britain 2014

Well, its all over for another year. Mark Grant has been crowned Brain of Britain 2014 after a very riveting final that could have went either way right until the very end. Mark built a lead an held onto it for a much deserved win.

This was of course the series I was involved in, briefly....very briefly, and would recommend anyone interested in quizzing to give it a go. A very enjoyable experience and I look forward to 5 years time when I can re-enter and hopefully my "Tv/Radio Nerves" will have gone by then!

Congratulations Mark and well done to all who have taken part.

Quiz Addict Quiz Book

The boom I wrote at the start of last year is still available on the Kindle Store. The sequel will be coming within the next few weeks. Any thoughts on the current book would be much appreciated. No Kindle needed to read it. Cheers.


You can find the book HERE

Sunderland Echo Quiz League

The Sunderland Echo Quiz League has now entered its second half and it seems Ashbrooke (including recent Brain of Britain and Only Connect Semi Finalist Dave Taylor in their ranks) are running away with the title. Only a few more wins should assure them the crown.

All future fixtures can be found HERE and hopefully a brand new website will be posted up before long!

If anyone in the local area is interested in the league pop me an email to fully234@hotmail.com and Ill post on your details to the League chairman!

Quiz Book Suggestions - 15-to-1 2000 for 2000

I picked up the 15-to-1 2000 for 2000 title some time ago and have only recently managed to get round to working my way through it.

As the title suggests the book is now 14 years old but the quality of questions is rather high. There is very little filler and before long you are straight into quality questions testing all aspects of your general knowledge. One pet hate about quiz books is the amount of "easy" filler they tend to include in early pages but this title is in line with the series and is well worthy of a place on your shelf.

Questions - (Almost League)

As promised earlier in the week here are some of the unused questions from the latest League set I produced for the Sunderland Echo Quiz League. If you would like the full set please email me at fully234@hotmail.com

1. What is the title of the novel written under the pen name of Robert Galbraith that shot to the top of the bestsellers chart in 2013 after revelations that the real author was JK Rowling?

2. “Where Do You Want To Go Today” is an advertising slogan that has been used by which international company?

3.  Which golfer who was inducted into the Golf World Hall of Fame in 2013 holds the record for the most number of European tour event victories with 31 despite never winning a major championship?

4. Who comes next in this sequence  - Justin Welby, Rowan Williams, George Carey, Robert Runcie?

5. In which Jim Carey movie does he play a character called Joel who discovers that his girlfriend, played by Kate Winslet, has had their relationship scientifically erased from her memory?

6. Which former male TV Soap star is responsible for the “Standard Issue” clothing Range?

7. What is the name of the “intelligent personal assistant” which appears on Apple phones and tablets which requires the user to simply speak into the device in order to carry out tasks?

8. In 2011, Osama Bin Laden was located and killed in which town named after a 19^th Century British Army officer?

9. Which actor, comedian and writer is the current host of “The Unbelievable Truth” on BBC Radio 4?

10. Which former Prime Minister wrote a history of cricket entitled “More Than a Game: The Story of Crickets Early Years”?

Answers

--------

1. The Cuckoos Calling

2. Microsoft

3. Colin Montgomerie

4. Donald Coggan

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

6. Ross Kemp

7. Siri

8. Abbottobad

9. David Mitchell

0. John Major

New Twitter Account

@quizaddictblog

I have set up a Twitter account to co-exist with the blog which can be found @quizaddictblog

I intend to use it for questions, current affairs quizzes and all the usual bits and bobs along the lines of what you might find on the blog. 

Feel free to follow and by all means add your twitter usernames to the comments section!

Setting - Busy Times

It has been rather a hectic month on all fronts, hence the lack of posts, but I am fully intending to get back into a more regular series of updates.

2014 has started out rather slow in terms of actual quizzing for me. I have not yet attended one of the the monthly GP events due to restrictions on my time for a variety of reasons....one of which has been setting. For some time now I have been working for a major Quizzing App which has taken off like a rocket. I have been enjoying setting questions on a wide range of subjects and if truth be told I have been enjoying this a lot!

In fact setting has taken over the majority of the first 3 months of the year for me. In between the thousands of questions for the App I have also been working on two new books to be released soon on Kindle and the usual League set. All fun and games! I am finding this is a very useful learning tool so I am starting to deliberately set questions in areas I am unconfident with. All's good! Hopefully I will be posting up some leftover questions from the League very soon!


I hope you are all well!

Sunderland Echo Quiz League

The Sunderland Echo Quiz League is well into the season now. For anyone local the table below will give you an idea of the pubs/clubs that compete. The temporary website at http://www.wearside.webspace.virginmedia.com/page14.html will give you a lsit of fixtures and if anyone local is interested in joining then pop me an email to fully234@hotmail.com and I will pass your info onto the league chairman.

As you can see its a very tight league and it should be an interesting second half to the season///

The Link - Contestant Call

"Can you find the link? Have you banked enough to stay in the game? Will you hold your nerve facing... The Super Link?

The Link is a brand new quiz show where teams don't just rely on general knowledge but their lateral thinking, in a race to find the link between the answers.

We're looking for enthusiastic, outgoing teams of two, with good general knowledge, who fancy battling it out for a potential cash prize. So, if you, your family, friends or colleagues love a challenge and think you've got what it takes, get in touch for an application form now!

The Link is produced for the BBC by STV Productions Limited."

Interesting new BBC quiz show looking for contestants. All information HERE

Revenge of the Egghead

You may well have noticed that a new quiz show started this week on BBC 2....Revenge of the Egghead. Starring CJ De Mooi as "The Egghead" in question, this airs weeknights at 6pm on BBC 2.

I have caught up with the first two episodes and my general opinion of Revenge of the Egghead is that I certainly won't be sticking with it for very long. The main problem with this show is the fact that it seems nothing but a vehicle for the antics of CJ De Mooi. On his original run in Eggheads he provided good entertainment value, at times, and created himself a somewhat "pantomime villain" persona.

The format of the show is quite simple. CJ takes on 5 players on each episode of Revenge of the Egghead who each begin with two lives. they are asked straight general knowledge questions in turn by Jeremy Vine and each is worth £200. As soon as a player gets a question wrong CJ is given the opportunity to press his buzzer and if he is right, the contestant is then placed on the "hot spot" where they are given a multiple choice question by CJ (who apparently wrote it "himself"). If they fail to get it right they loose a life., loose both lives and they are out.

A claxon sounds towards the end of the game at which point any remaining players face CJ for the money. CJ is given 10 GK questions to answer and the opponents then have to beat his score on 10 different questions.

Revenge of the Egghead after just two episodes is dragging already. The novelty of a new quiz show can usually sustain my interest for at least half a dozen episodes but a number of factors contribute to this being fairly mundance.

Firstly, Revenge of the Egghead lacks the fun, question quality and all round excitement of The Chase. The final portion of Revenge of the Egghead comes no where close to The Final Chase and I can imagine the format will result in some pretty boring games.

CJ himself has totally ramped up the arrogance for the show and it no longer comes across as fun. A number of people have commented on his ability as a quizzer to carry off such a show, especially compared to other quizzers on Eggheads itself and The Chasers, but I shall refrain from that line of thought suffice to say that the show has not really been open to decent quizzers as contestants from the experiences I have heard of.

Overall I cannot really see myself changing my mind on Revenge of the Egghead but I would love to know the thoughts of others on this show?