Matching British Game Shows Trivia Quiz

Answer: Challenge

'University Challenge', Britain's answer to 'College Bowl', is the most academic quiz show on television. The show sees teams of four students represent their educational institutions, pursuing glory through correctly answering as many "starter" and "bonus" questions as they can such that their team has the highest score "at the gong".

The original question master was Bamber Gascoigne from 1962 to 1987; after a seven year hiatus, the cerebral programme returned with the stern Jeremy Paxman "asking the questions". In July 2023, Amol Rajan took over the presenting duties.

Answer: Sweep

'Supermarket Sweep', daytime television at its cheesy best, was originally broadcast from 1993 to 2001 and presented by the late Dale Winton. Not many people would be able to pull off a programme like this but Dale Winton really made the show his own with deliciously corny catchphrases such as "go wild in the aisles" and his closing remark, "the next time you're at the checkout and you hear the beep, think of the fun you could be having on 'Supermarket Sweep'".

Glamourising the mundane, 'Supermarket Sweep' featured contestants facing grocery-related questions before running around the shop floor searching for items hidden on the shelves or buried in the fridges and freezers. The British version of the show was inspired by the longstanding US version which first aired in the 1960s.

Answer: Link

'The Weakest Link' could be characterised as a curious blend of quick-fire questions, petty politics, poor prize pots and a mean-spirited host. Naturally the show, with Anne Robinson at the helm, was a huge success in the UK and the format became a global export (though the size of prize pots varied substantially).

As the name of the show suggests, the weakest player (based on correctly answered questions and money banked) should be voted off at the end of each round by the other players. Shoulda, woulda, coulda! Unsurprisingly, and rather grippingly, the strongest link would tend to get voted out in the run-up to the final round. Who knew quizzing could be so brutal?

Answer: Maze

'The Crystal Maze' became something of an obsession of mine growing up, largely through watching reruns of every episode - multiple times - in the late 90s and early 00s. First hitting British television screens in 1990, episodes of 'The Crystal Maze' feature a team of six individuals from across the UK tasked with conquering challenges - physical, skill, mental or mystery - across four time zones. Initially these zones were Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval and Industrial with the latter of the four being replaced in the fourth series by Ocean. If a player was successful in any given game they would be rewarded with a crystal worth five seconds of time in the Crystal Dome, the finale where a team must collect sufficient gold tokens to win - mostly - rather mediocre prizes.

The original host of 'The Crystal Maze' was Richard O'Brien, creator of the 1973 musical 'The Rocky Horror Show' and 1975 film, 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Richard O'Brien was succeeded by Edward Tudor-Pole from the British punk rock band, Tenpole Tudor. The original run came to an end in 1995 and was resurrected by Channel 4 in 2007 with Richard Ayoade at the helm (Industrial zone was resurrected too!)

Answer: Point

'Tipping Point', first aired in 2012, is a show that somehow combined general knowledge questions and a giant coin pusher to create a late-afternoon or early-evening (what Sheldon Cooper might call "prevening") television staple. The basic premise of the show is that correctly answered questions gain contestants counters that get fed into the giant pachinko. Whichever contestant gains the most cash through pushing coins off the end of the bottom shelf goes through to the final round with the chance to win up to £10,000.

Answer: Date

'Blind Date', hosted by Cilla Black, had its original run from 1985 to 2003. The light-hearted show sought to romantically match participants who were separated from each other by a screen. The only means to achieve this was through the use of questions. So, what type of questions would you expect to hear on 'Blind Date'? Well, in the name of research I scoured YouTube (fine, I clicked the first video) to find this question posed by Emma from Berkshire and the response provided from Man #1:

Q) "Having fiery red hair I always stand out in a crowd. What characteristic do you have that makes you stand out from the rest?"

A) "Well, being six foot three and having spiky blond hair, whenever I'm in a crowd I'm guaranteed to stand head and shoulders above the rest!"

If you wish to hear more of this drivel - and who wouldn't - YouTube awaits you. Go on, just type in 'Blind Date' and many hours of your life will simply disappear.

Answer: Bet!

'You Bet!' was a cross between small stakes gambling, novelty acts, and celebrities undertaking forfeit tasks. In essence, four celebrities made bets on whether a member of the public could successfully complete a novelty task. At the end, the most successful celebrity would be able to donate the winnings from the show to charity.

The show was presented by Bruce Forsyth (1988-1990), Matthew Kelly (1991-1995), and Darren Day (1996-1997). 'You Bet!' has occasionally been rerun on the British television station dedicated to game shows, Challenge.

Answer: Shot

'The Golden Shot' was an ITV game show from the 1960s and 1970s that had a number of hosts over the years but is mostly associated with the longest-serving host, Bob Monkhouse. The show centred around members of the public providing vocal instruction to guide a blindfolded cameraman through the process of taking a shot at a target.

The British version of the show took inspiration from the German show 'Der goldene Schuß' which was first broadcast in 1964.

Answer: Cab

'Cash Cab' was a short-lived British game show from the mid-2000s. A person or group of people would jump into the back of a cab driven by John Moody and lights would start flashing to alert them that they have entered a special kind of taxi - the cash cab. For the duration of their journey they would be asked questions, each of which would have a cash value associated with it. If the players answer three questions incorrectly before they reach their final destination, they would be ejected from the cab and lose all the money accumulated.

Answer: One

The original 'Fifteen to One', broadcast on Channel 4 from 1988 to 2003, was something of an institution and winning a series grand final would mark a quizzer out as being one of the best in the country. Some of the best known winners include Kevin Ashman (multiple world quiz champion), Daphne Fowler ('Brain of Britain' winner) and Nick Terry (four times 'Fifteen to One' champ). For the original fifteen-year run, the show was presented by William G. Stewart.