British Quiz Shows By Haiku

Answer: University Challenge

'University Challenge' was first broadcast on ITV in 1962 and ran for twenty-five years before it was cancelled due to falling ratings in 1987. It was hosted by Bamber Gascoigne throughout its first incarnation. In 1994 the BBC relaunched the show with Jeremy Paxman at the helm.

The programme is known for the difficulty of its questions and the stern presentation of Jeremy Paxman. 'University Challenge' was based on the American quiz show 'College Bowl'.

Answer: Mastermind

This iconic show was first broadcast in 1972 and was hosted by Magnus Magnusson from its inception until 1997. Following Magnusson's departure the show was hosted by a series of short-lived hosts until John Humphrys took over in 2003 bringing much-needed gravitas and stability to the role.

The format of 'Mastermind' is very simple, four contestants take it in turns to answer questions on a 'specialist subject' of their own choosing and then answer a series of general knowledge questions. However, the austere set, including the scary-looking famous black chair and the bright spotlight that shines on the contestants make for an unnerving experience. 'Approaching Menace', the frankly terrifying opening music, doesn't do much to calm contestants nerves either!

Answer: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Although this quiz went on to be a worldwide success, with international versions of the show being made in a number of countries, the original version of 'Millionaire' was made in the UK. It ran from 1998 to 2014 and was hosted by Chris Tarrant. Contestants tried to answer sixteen multiple choice questions which increased in difficulty as they progressed. To win the coveted million pound prize a player had to be willing to risk the money they had already won so very few people ever won the top prize. Contestants were given the use of 'lifelines' to help them answer the questions such as the ability to phone a friend for help, to ask the audience for their opinion or to eliminate two of the incorrect answers, but each lifeline could only be used once.

Answer: Pointless

'Pointless' debuted on BBC Two in 2009 and, such was its popularity, that it moved to BBC One two years later. 'Pointless' is a fixture in the teatime slot on week day BBC One and also regularly hosts celebrity weekend editions. The show is co-hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman and pairs of contestants must compete to see who can get the most obscure answers in the given category.

The winners are the team who score the least points and, in the final, the team will only take home the cash prize if they can find a 'Pointless' answer.

A 'Pointless' answer is one which none of the hundred people surveyed by the show gave when asked to name things in a particular category for example, albums by David Bowie or the films of Audrey Hepburn.

Answer: Eggheads

'Eggheads' was first broadcast in 2003 and it has remained a staple of the 6pm slot on the channel ever since. Original host, Dermot Murnaghan, was replaced by Jeremy Vine in 2008 and the 'Eggheads' themselves, a team of quiz experts, have undergone a number of personnel changes over the years. Past and current 'Eggheads' include Kevin Ashman, Daphne Fowler, Barry Simmons and Pat Gibson.

Answer: Only Connect

Beginning in 2008, this fiendishly difficult and unashamedly high-brow quiz show has steadily gained something of a cult following, becoming so popular that, in 2014, it moved from its original home on the digital channel BBC Four to its new home on BBC Two where it is usually broadcast on a Monday night, straight after 'University Challenge'.

The show is hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell and consists of four rounds. In the first round the teams take it in turns to try and work out the link between four seemingly unrelated words, pictures or pieces of music.

The team gets more points for working out the connection with fewer clues. In round two contestants must work out what comes fourth in a sequence and in the third round, 'The Wall', teams must arrange sixteen clues into four related groups.

The final round is a buzzer round in which teams are shown words or phrases with the vowels removed and asked to work out what they represent. Teams choose which question they wish to answer in the first three rounds by picking one of a series of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Answer: The Chase

'The Chase' was first broadcast on ITV in 2009 and has remained a popular fixture on the ITV teatime slot ever since. In 'The Chase' a team of strangers take it in turns to do battle with one of 'The Chasers', the professional quizzers who stand between them and substantial cash prizes. If the team members win their 'head-to-head' round they go forward to play in the final with any other members of their team who were not eliminated by 'The Chaser'. Unlike with 'Eggheads', where there are a team of quizzers on every show, only one Chaser typically appears in an episode of the show. Each of the Chasers has a nickname and an associated on-screen persona, these include Anne Hegerty, known as 'The Governess', Paul Sinha, known as 'The Sinnerman' and Mark Labbett, known as 'The Beast'.

Answer: Tipping Point

This quiz show premiered on daytime ITV in 2012 and has quickly gained a large fanbase, becoming a regular feature on the ITV schedule and spawning a number of celebrity editions. Contestants must answer general knowledge questions in order to win counters to put into the machine.

The aim is to cause counters to fall off the tipping point as these translate to the amount of cash in a player's prize pot and the player with the highest fund at the end of round three wins. If you have ever visited an amusement arcade you have probably come across smaller versions of the type of machine featured on 'Tipping Point'.

The running time of the show is around one hour (including adverts) and most of this time is spent waiting with bated breath to see if the counters will fall or not or, even worse, watching slow-motion replays of the counters falling.

The quiz content is very minimal and the questions usually very easy so I am somewhat baffled by the show's popularity!

Answer: Fifteen To One

'Fifteen To One' was originally broadcast on Channel 4 between 1988 and 2003. During this period it was hosted by the show's producer, William G. Stewart. When Channel 4 revived the show in 2014 the new host was announced as Sandi Toksvig. The show has a simple but effective format.

In the first round the contestants stand in a semi-circle behind their podiums and take it in turn to answer two questions. If they get one of their questions wrong then one of their three lights will go out, if they get them both wrong then they are out of the game.

In the second round those who are still in the game are able to nominate their opponents to answer questions in the hope of knocking them out of the game. The second round ends when all but three contestants are left.

These three will compete with each other in the final round.

Answer: Blockbusters

'Blockbusters' ran on ITV between 1983 and 1995 with the avuncular Bob Holness at the helm. Subsequent attempts were made to revive the show with other hosts but they were short-lived. In 'Blockbusters' the contestants, who were usually sixth form students, attempted to win a game by forming a complete line on the board.

The board was a grid that consisted of a series of hexagons, each of which contained a letter or series of letters which were the initials of the answer to the question being asked. If the contestant buzzed in and got the answer correct then that hexagon would change to their team's colour and they would be able to choose the next hexagon to play for. What I never understood about 'Blockbusters' was why one of the teams had two people on it while the other only had one, it never seemed fair to me!