Round Britain Quiz
Contents |
Host
Louis Allen
Anthony Quinton
Gordon Clough (?-1996)
Nick Clarke (1997-2005)
Tom Sutcliffe (2007-present)
Broadcast
BBC Home Service / Radio 4, 2 November 1947 -
Synopsis
Amongst the most erudite radio panel games, Round Britain Quiz grew out of the wartime Transatlantic Quiz. For many years, two representatives from London would travel to each of the BBC's Regions, and each team would be faced with complex puzzles.
From these clues, the team would make their deductions, unravel the code, and arrive at the correct answer. When they couldn't complete the logical steps on their own, the chairman would give some guidance.
Each question is marked out of a potential six points; half-marks were awarded on and off until the 1980s, but scoring is now done in whole numbers.
Each team receives their four questions at the start of the recording session, allowing them a little time to prepare their thoughts. Questions are not handed over to the other team for bonuses.
RBQ was formally taken out of production in 1996, following the death of chairman Gordon Clough. It was revived barely a year later, with a new chairman, new teams, and a new format of six teams playing four matches, leading to an overall winner. The new host, Nick Clarke, developed cancer after recording the 2005 series; following a one-year gap, the programme returned under the chairmanship of Saturday Review host Tom Sutcliffe.
Some suggest that questions in the Clarke and Sutcliffe era are less difficult than the past; others maintain that RBQ has always adapted with the times, and that the questions are already quite hard enough as it is. What has certainly changed lately is the transparency of when the questions are given to the contestants. It has been suspected that, in the past, contestants may have had some prior knowledge of the questions or even (shock, horror) some access to reference materials before recording began.
See also
Theme music
The current theme music is Scherzo and Trio, performed by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
Trivia
Teams for the most recent series, broadcast in 2005, were:
- South of England - Fred Housego, Marcel Berlins
- Midlands - Rosalind Miles, Stephen Maddock
- North of England - Philippa Gregory, Diana Collecott
- Wales - Patrick Hannan, Peter Stead
- Northern Ireland - Polly Devlin, Brian Feeney
- Scotland - Michael Alexander, Alan Taylor
Previous contestants include: Michael Ayrton, Thomas Ellis, John Foote, Alan Gibson, Richard Gregory, Jack House, Eric Korn, Jessica Mann, John Julius Norwich, Patrick Nuttgens, Hubert Phillips and, for 30 years, Irene Thomas.
