Only Connect Trivia Game | Television

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When the first episode of "Only Connect" was broadcast in 2008, it was presented by this sharp and witty British columnist. What is their name?

Answer: Victoria Coren

Victoria Coren is the daughter of the journalist Alan Coren, whom she cites as her major influence and inspiration to become a writer. She writes weekly columns for the British newspapers "The Observer" and "The Guardian", but is arguably best known now for her role as host of "Only Connect". Coren injects humour into this puzzle show, and is more than a match for the intellectually brilliant contestants which the show attracts.

In 2013, she married the comedian David Mitchell and has since been credited as Victoria Coren Mitchell on "Only Connect".

2. "Only Connect" does its bit for charity. A special episode for which charity saw contestants such as Ian Hislop and John Lloyd take on this devilish puzzle show?

Answer: Children in Need

This 2011 edition of "Only Connect" saw the Great Believers (captained by author Nick Hornby) take on the Free Speakers (captained by editor of "Private Eye", Ian Hislop).

"Only Connect" was first broadcast on BBC Four, though some repeats have been shown on BBC Two, which is the traditional home of the BBC's quiz shows. BBC Four was launched in 2002 and is based around intellectually stimulating documentaries, comedies, and current affair programmes.

3. If you sit down to watch an episode of "Only Connect", what kind of contest are you likely to see?

Answer: Two teams of three

The format of "Only Connect" is based around two groups of friends who are united by a common interest/theme, who face off against one another over four rounds. Each team has a name (such as "The Chessmen" or "The Epicureans") and a team captain who is flanked by their two team mates.

4. In the first round of "Only Connect", the contestants are presented with a series of (up to) four clues and are asked to identify the connection between the four. True or false: Each first round game has two special picture questions.

Answer: False

Each first round of "Only Connect" sees only one picture round, and one music/sound round. There are a total of six questions (three for each team), with the remaining four usually being displayed as simple text. If the connection is spotted after just one clue (it has been done!) the team is awarded 5 points.

After two clues you get 3 points, after three clues you receive 2 points, and if you get the connection after all four clues are given, you get 1 point.

5. The second round also provides contestants with a sequence of clues, but does not ask for the connection between them. Instead, players are required to identify what?

Answer: The fourth in the sequence

While in the first round players can see a maximum of four clues and are asked to identify the connection, the second round of "Only Connect" gives a maximum of three clues and asks "What is fourth in the sequence?" For example, if the first clue was "Quartz", the second "Topaz", and the third "Corundum", players would be expected to spot that these are in ascending order of hardness according to the Mohs scale (with values of 7, 8, and 9 respectively). Teams would therefore be required to give "Diamond" as the answer for what would be fourth in the sequence, since this has a value of 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

6. For the first and second rounds, players are required to choose a question from a selection of six. From the fourth series onwards, each question was represented by a different Egyptian hieroglyph. How were the questions denoted in the first, second, and third series of the show?

Answer: As ancient Greek letters

At the beginning of the fourth series of "Only Connect", Victoria Coren acknowledged that some viewers had complained that their use of Greek letters to denote different questions was "pretentious" and, with a wry smile, announced that these would now be replaced with Egyptian hieroglyphs.

In the first and second rounds, players are now asked to choose between "water", "lion", "two reeds", "horned viper", "eye of Horus", and "twisted flax".

7. In the third round, players are provided with sixteen clues, which fit neatly into four categories of four. The task of the players is to sort these clues into their correct categories. What name is given to this round?

Answer: The Connecting Wall

The Connecting Wall is probably the most original and iconic game in "Only Connect". The idea is simple, but it is complicated in the fact that some clues may appear to fit into more than one category, but there is only one perfect solution (which Victoria Coren delights in telling the audience). Viewers are encouraged to go onto the BBC website and create their own Connecting Walls.

8. In the fourth and final quick-fire round, players are given popular names or phrases which they have to identify. How is this made more difficult?

Answer: Vowels are missing

Many games in "Only Connect" have been won and lost in the Missing Vowels round. As well as the round being quick-fire, teams will lose a point if they buzz in incorrectly, meaning that scores can radically change during this final section. In this round, the category is provided. For example, if the category was Animals, BN GLTGR would become BENGAL TIGER.

9. In a Champion of Champions match, the winners of series one played the winners of series two. This happened also after the end of series three and four. The winners of these two matches then played one another in a Champions of Champions of Champions match. The ultimate outcome was that the winners of the original series reigned supreme. What name does this extremely successful team go by?

Answer: The Crossworders

The Crossworders won the first series of "Only Connect", before beating the Rugby Boys of series two. The Crossworders then toppled the Epicureans, who won the fourth series of the show as well as the Champion of Champions match against the series three winners.

Interestingly, the team captains of the Crossworders and Epicureans in this Champions of Champions of Champions match were husband and wife. In this instance, the Crossworders faced their toughest challenge and clinched victory by a margin of a single point.

10. In special editions of "Only Connect", quizzers from other television shows have been invited on to form teams. In 2013, a group from which television programme faced a team of three "Only Connect" champion team captains, all called David?

Answer: Eggheads

With the Crossworders winning everything there seemed to be to win, the show's producers wanted to make things more interesting by inviting experienced quizzers from other prestigious programmes onto their show. This included the University Challengers, who were captained by the brilliant Alex Guttenplan, and the Mastermind Champions, who were captained by the "Mastermind" champion of 2009, Nancy Dickmann.

In both cases, the Crossworders were, again, victorious. The team representing "The Eggheads" were pitted against three captains who had led their respective teams to series victories in "Only Connect". All three captains also shared the given name "David".

Source: Author doublemm

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor guitargoddess before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Only Connect Trivia Quiz

How much do you know about the lateral thinking quiz show "Only Connect"?

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