University Challenge (also featuring Only Connect and other BBC quiz shows)

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too bad the questions about video games did not permit a contestant to answer "Jeremy, Pacman" or indeed, en francais

― Brigadier Rainham Steele, Mrs (blueski), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I found it strange that they didn't know what COBOL or SQL were yet got the (IMO) more obscure Ada question right.

That was because it's named after Ada Lovelace innit. I didn't know the others but I know who the daughter of George Gordon, Lord Byron was. Hung out with Babbage, nice one.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I can never remember what SQL stands for, even though I use it every day. I always think it's "Server Query Language".

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

as long as you don't pronounce it 'sequel' 8)

― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

It's how Americans say "squirrel"

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

My boss pronounces it "sequel". I wince.

(still, not as bad as the cow-orker who pronounces "spamhaus" "spamhorse")

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, the deaf MM chap had a collapsible white cane - and yet he was lipreading. Extraordinary. All I could think about was how difficult it would be to subtitle Mastermind (Uni Chal moreso).

My old drama teacher got to the semis on MM in '86 or so.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

So he was definitely deaf then? If he needed a stick to walk, how was he lipreading? I am confused and curious.

― Cathy (Cathy), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

The deaf guy did great given that he had 2 minutes of questions the same as everyone else

Didn't he get a wee bit more time than the others - Humphrys explained something by way of explanation about the lipreading thing but I was in the other room so missed most of what he was saying.

I wondered about the cane too.

Was the other interesting thing the karaoke backing tracks of cheesy ballads (all of which I recognised, much to the amusement of my husband and parents)? Wasn't there a Smiths lyrics question too, or was that last week?

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

That was last week - I can't remember the question, but the answer was Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 18:18 (twenty-one years ago)

(pong, tetris, asteroids, snake)

Ah, I was appalled to see tetris in there. It was written in 1985-86! And not really commercially available until a while after that. It's hardly retro!

― JimD (JimD), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

It's on again tonight, I think!

― the bellefox, Monday, 8 November 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

St Hilda's, Oxford v Portsmouth

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 8 November 2004 15:55 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG!

― robster (robster), Monday, 8 November 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

My dad was captain of Glasgow back in the day. I went to Edinburgh and quite enjoyed last week.

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 8 November 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I knew two people on the Glasgow team! They did alright, but had bad luck.

― Cathy (Cathy), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

There will be a fite in the Liz :x/Robster household later, no matter who wins.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

And, no matter whether you watch the programme?

― the bluefox, Monday, 8 November 2004 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

You got it.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Damn right

― robster (robster), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, closer than I expected at the beginning when Paxman pretty much said he thought Portsmouth were just a bunch of chancers

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 8 November 2004 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I was surprised by the score - neither team seemed to shine and both suffered from poor captaining. I thought the questions were quite tough and I only got 19 right, which is a bit lower than I usually get (yes, I COUNT) and I was helped car journeys of my childhood having been spent listening to classical and opera versions of nursery rhymes. I think the announcer must have been hoping he'd never have to say "St Hilda's Kurniwurnilalasuriya" again.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 11:07 (twenty-one years ago)

portsmouth were a bunch of oiks though, also it was funny that the only questions the hildebeasts got right for the first five minutes were on JANE AUSTEN and BALLET, hahaha.

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

And then the oiks got one on football. How we larfed. Glad the girls got through, but they're going to be TOTALLY eviscerated by steely-eyed grannies from Birkbeck or somewhere next round.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 11:11 (twenty-one years ago)

also hildas had at least two answers involving the word COCK, which made me laugh...

not a patch on "frottage" though :)

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"Sorry mate, haven't got a clue."

I bet Paxo LOVED this.

― robster (robster), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

paxo did say "that's alright, 'mate'" back to him in a rather patronising manner at one point...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

It used to be unusual that nobody even managed to take a guess at a starter question - it seems to be a much more frequent occurrence this series.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 12:06 (twenty-one years ago)

what you're saying is "youngsters these days, cuh? bunch of thickies" isn't it?

(not that i disagree necessarily ;))

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

...or do not grasp that there is a potential benefit in taking an educated guess after Paxo has finished reading out the question so you don't forfeit five points, natch.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

"educated"

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

say it properly. it's eduMAcated

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Paxman was generous to that rude fellow.

One of the posh girls seemed awkward and silly. Yet she knew things that I don't.

It was hard: I scored only about 60 points.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 9 November 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you count 10 for starter questions and five for bonuses? I just count 10 points for everything because there are eight of them and one of me, and it seems a decent enough system - sometimes I beat them and sometimes I don't. 190 points would have won it last night, wouldn't it?

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, I count 10 for starters and 5 for bonuses. Your point looks good, but is surely mitigated, or vitiated, by the fact that we claim all the bonuses whether we get the starters or not. So I feel that perhaps this evens things out, at 10 + 5 scoring.

I like the thought that we are the only ones who take it seriously enough to have this technical discussion.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 9 November 2004 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

A friend of mine would tape Blind Date, listening on Audio only. He would then choose along with the contestant using the same stimuli as the choosing contestant. (I should add, this was a flat share and all five housemates would be doing this, in case it sounds megasad). Then play the video back and see what they 'ended up with'.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

You also have to factor in that you may know the answer, but unless you get it before they do*, it doesn't count (whereas if you were on the programme in place of the team/player that beats you to it, you might have got it). So I like my system, which enables me sometimes to win.

*I must say the answer aloud, otherwise it doesn't count - do you have this rule too?

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I wish UC was on the radio. It's not worth having a TV just for the very few things I like.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

But half the fun is the crazy foppish students/cute geek girls.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Jarlr'mai OTM

― beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Lixi and I play the "guess what the student is studying" game before they read it out. We always stumble on "earth sciences".

― Shabazz (hello chickens), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

They are not necessarily geeks. Some of them are plain cute, I mean, just cute.

Madchen, it is an interesting question -- need one say the answer aloud? I think it does help. Also I have wee Isobel to say the answers to.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 9 November 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Do they always do the same bonus questions they would have done if they get a starter wrong? Because if I get a starter and they didn't I often wonder whether I would have got different bonuses otherwise i'm relying on their bonuses if you see what I mean

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

And yes one must loudly exclaim the answer and if they dont get it you must then scream "Screw you Oxford" or what have you.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, I do this too. I got 49 questions right once apparently, and was so proud of myself I phoned people and told them, which is a bit sad. I know I did this, because Ally C mentioned it on Sinister.

what you're saying is "youngsters these days, cuh? bunch of thickies" isn't it?

I say this about half a dozen times a week. They are though.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the bonus questions only match the starter questions if it's pictures or music. Otherwise, it's just random.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Has The Pinefox kidnapped Isobel Campbell & is holding her prisoner in his room?

Does this explain his transformation into The Bellefox?

In a way I hope not, because it would affect my impression of his constancy towards Hillary.

― Mooro (Mooro), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

how can you people watch this program?

it is insufferable.

― cºzen (Cozen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

they asked a question, about deleuze t-shirts, last night.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

q.e.d.

― cºzen (Cozen), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

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i can see why i bounced off Only Connect when it started - they are all very posh

― koogs, Wednesday, 6 May 2026 20:48 (one month ago)

these people on only connect have never seen only connect, i have realised, because it hasn't been on tv yet. except it's the quarter finals now, so they have.

― koogs, Monday, 18 May 2026 19:16 (one month ago)

When we did it, the whole thing was in the can before anything aired, and we only saw the episodes we were in because we were in them. So it's entirely possible these people have no concept of what's gone or is going on at all.

― ailsa, Monday, 18 May 2026 20:16 (one month ago)

Like, we recorded two in March and three in April, I think? And those episodes aired in December onwards. Had it been series one, we'd have had no idea of anything else other than those and the first we'd have seen anything else would have been months after we'd finished filming.

― ailsa, Monday, 18 May 2026 20:19 (one month ago)

it shows in these episodes in the lack of trying combinations on the wall and finishing group 3 without considering the connection for group 4.

the one connection yesterday seemed unfair in that you could never have realised they all rhymed from the first clue, there was no possible way to get 5 points. (they got 0)

the missing vowels round seems much harder in these early episodes.

― koogs, Tuesday, 19 May 2026 03:55 (one month ago)

just watched s1e01 and yes, it's quite strange!

― kinder, Tuesday, 19 May 2026 20:10 (one month ago)

woah at s02e01 - victoria's personality has completely changed to the modern one - funny monologue, and not letting the teams introduce themselves. younger contestants, much less stuffy.

still haven't seen anyone with even as much as a suntan though.

― koogs, Friday, 29 May 2026 13:06 (one month ago)

The Beast on OC tonight

― koogs, Tuesday, 2 June 2026 18:36 (one month ago)

three weeks pass...

the vixen on oc tonight

the one from the chase, not the one from gladiators

― Bog Dork (koogs), Tuesday, 23 June 2026 18:56 (one week ago)

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