The World, the Flesh and the Devil
Synopsis
Short-lived knockout quiz contested by teams of theology students.
The show had a University Challenge-style format with different theological colleges competing: Anglican, Roman Catholic and others. It included a subject board and the contestant who had answered a question correctly on the buzzer could choose a subject and either 'Faith' (religious questions) or 'Fortune' (non-religious) for his/her team, while the other team had to take the other set of questions. Throughout the rest of the show, there was a mix of religious and non-religious questions, mostly answered on the buzzer. The prize was cash for the college and a VCR for the Common Room.
'The World, the Flesh and the Devil' was a decent enough idea and it was obviously appropriate to screen it on a Sunday, given its religious theme. However, showing it in the 'family' teatime slot was not such a good idea, since the show was clearly too highbrow to appeal to that kind of audience - and it would probably also have fared better if it had been screened on BBC2, being more of a minority interest show. These were very likely the reasons why only one series was made.
Catchphrases
"Faith or fortune?"
"...So now we come off the marker-board...!"
Winners
Ridley Hall, Cambridge
