Hard John Shuttleworth - the Man and the Music Quiz / Test | Celebrities

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On what instrument does John Shuttleworth accompany himself when performing his self-penned songs?

Answer: Portable electronic keyboard

Although he has tried other portable keyboards, John's favourite instrument is a Yamaha PSS680 "Musicstation" electronic keyboard, which he uses to accompany most of his songs. It has the advantage of being easily transportable to all of the venues where he performs. The fact that it sounds terrible doesn't seem to bother him at all.

2. What is the name of John Shuttleworth's next-door neighbour, who also acts as his agent and manager?

Answer: Ken Worthington

Ken himself used to be a musical performer, and is described (mostly by himself) as "TV's Mr Clarinet Man", although this nickname appears to be based on the fact that he once appeared on the ITV talent show "New Faces" in 1973, coming last.

3. In a regular feature on the "Radio Shuttleworth" show, genuine comedians were given a minute in which to tell jokes to John's wife, in an attempt to make her laugh. What was the name of this slot?

Answer: Make Mary Merry

John's long-suffering wife is called Mary, and he introduced the weekly feature with a jingle, inviting the comics to prove that "alternative comedy's funny not naff" by making her laugh. The comedians featured included such reasonably well-known UK stand-up comedians as John Hegley, Boothby Graffoe, Sean Lock, Hattie Hayridge and Milton Jones. Mary, not surprisingly, remained resolutely un-amused by all of them.

4. In a 2000 edition of "The Shuttleworths", Richard Whiteley, the late presenter of the popular UK TV quiz show "Countdown", turned out to enjoy which mundane household activity, which greatly endeared him to John's wife?

Answer: Washing up the dishes

John invited Richard Whiteley onto his radio show in the hope that he would agree to host a special edition of "Countdown", with his wife performing the role of the absent Carol Vorderman. A surprisingly large number of UK celebrities turned out to make fools of themselves on "Radio Shuttleworth", including Leo Sayer, Patrick Moore, Vanessa Feltz and Tony Hart.

5. In his short series "John Shuttleworth's Open Mind", first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006, our hero investigated the various arguments for and against the existence of five unexplained phenomena. Perhaps surprisingly, which of the following was NOT the subject of one of these programmes?

Answer: The Loch Ness Monster

Sadly, John never got round to training his incisive mind on the enduring mystery of Scotland's Loch Ness Monster. As well as the subjects listed, he looked into UFOs and vampires.

6. In his 2006 TV documentary "It's Nice Up North", John Shuttleworth presented his theory that people from the north of Britain are nicer than those in the south. Where in the UK does he visit in an attempt to prove this?

Answer: Shetland Islands

The Shetland Islands are situated a long way to the north-east of the Scottish mainland, and constitute Britain's northernmost populated outpost, which ought (if John Shuttleworth's theory is correct) to make the islanders the nicest people in Britain. The documentary (which was made on an extremely low budget) follows John as he tours the islands, performing in such locations as an old people's home, and talks to the bemused (but unfailingly polite and friendly) locals.

Hopefully, players will have spotted that the other options are all firmly in the south of England.

7. What was the name of the song that John Shuttleworth attempted to get adopted as the UK entry for the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest?

Answer: Pigeons in Flight

Based on an episode of his radio show "The Shuttleworths", the 40-minute TV play "Europigeon" follows John's efforts on behalf of his song. Various performers who actually represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest make guest appearances, such as Cheryl Baker of "Buck's Fizz" (who won in 1981) and Lyndsey de Paul (who came second in 1977). The voice of the "Spirit of Terry Wogan", which provides him with advice, is provided by Peter Serafinowicz.

The other options were all successful UK entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves came first in 1997; Brotherhood of Man took "Save Your Kisses for Me" to the number one slot in 1976; while "Making Your Mind Up" was the name of Bucks Fizz's 1981 winner.

8. In what heart-breaking song does John Shuttleworth mourn the fact that he can't have a second helping of shepherd's pie once he has started eating his treacle sponge?

Answer: I Can't Go Back to Savoury Now

Arguably John's masterpiece, the song deals with the fact that once you have started eating your pudding, you can't go back to your main course, no matter how much you may have enjoyed it. It makes you wonder why no one else has ever thought to write a song about this dilemma that everyone must have faced at one time in their lives.

9. What are the names of John Shuttleworth's children?

Answer: Darren and Karen

Although the precise ages of Darren and Karen are not known, John has revealed that his son has left school and is working at Victoria Wine, while Karen is still in full-time education. She has occasionally been heard on his radio show, accompanying his songs on the recorder.

It is likely that John's sensible wife, Mary, would have vetoed any attempts by him to name his children after any members of the Jackson, Minogue or Beckham families.

10. Before creating John Shuttleworth, Graham Fellows had a UK Top 10 hit in 1978 with another comic character, who sang about his girlfriend Julie leaving him for a man named Gordon. What was the name of both the character and the song?

Answer: Jilted John

The song "Jilted John" was recorded by the 18-year-old Fellows with the independent Rabid Records label, but (helped by the late DJ John Peel, who played it several times on his influential BBC Radio 1 show) it was taken up for distribution by EMI Records and reached the dizzy heights of Number 4 in the UK singles chart. "Jilted John" appeared three times on the TV show "Top of the Pops", and the song's chorus "Gordon is a moron" remained in the UK public consciousness long enough to be applied mockingly in the early twenty-first century to the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer and short-lived Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

Source: Author stedman

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

John Shuttleworth - the Man and the Music Quiz

Self-styled "versatile singer/songwriter" and "star" of stage, radio and television, the endearingly unsuccessful John Shuttleworth is a comic character created by Yorkshire-born Graham Fellows. Enjoy this quiz on one of the UK's unsung comic heroes.

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