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

Only Connect are looking for contestants for the next series, give me a shout if you want details

I love OC (don't call it that) but I can't think of a pithy off-kilter anecdote to tell about myself

I love it but I'm shit at it.

I'm shit-hot at missing vowels, which when it comes down to it is LLT HTMT TRS

I'm pretty good at the connecting walls and the missing vowels, but there's too many esoteric things in the first two rounds for me. If I could find a scientist and a chess player to come on with me, we'd be OK. Oh, and I could kill my chronic phobia of having my photo taken which surely screws me ever going on the telly.

making up amusing anecdotes and having your face broadcast are pains but some shows are worth the pain i reckon

I'm dead good at the missing vowels, too, but I pretty much never manage more than one group on the connecting wall, and the first two rounds are nigh on impossible. I'd do much better at University Challenge, honestly.

I used to play against a friend at both University Challenge and Only Connect (I am very cool) and while with UniChal it was competitive, with OnCon she would get every missing vowels answer the instant it appeared, so I'm a loser forever. But not too bad at the first rounds. I think we could make for 2/3 of a good team if anxious terror wasn't guaranteed.

Only Connect is a little unbalanced i feel cos you can almost win it on the vowels alone as long as you keep vaguely in touch

of course the other team might have the same idea

I can only read OnCon as 'Onion Convention', for some reason.

btw is it sad that i don't enjoy UC or OC half as much if i'm watching on my own?

Not at all. I basically force my flatmate to watch UC with me

should be referred to as NLYC NNCT really

Only Connect with my housemate (/best friend since we were 11) with a join makes up a large percent of my fondest memories of recent years. Connecting Wall was always where we'd take the game by the scruff of the neck and RINSE IT

*joint LMAO

is it sad that i don't enjoy UC or OC half as much if i'm watching on my own?

I feel the exact opposite of this, but this may be because I don't know anyone who is impressed by me getting the answers on UC correct.

I suppose the main reason I like watching these shows is the sad thrill I get when I answer a question correctly, but this is killed off if there's someone else in the room who obviously doesn't give a shit.

"Woof" is my Sim child. It's freaking me out.

Zaphod Beeblebroxalike Jamie Karran was on Only Connect last night. He still has the same haircut, and wasn't very good at Only Connect (I, on the other hand, ruled at it, but you'll have to take my word for that). I think one of his team-mates might have been ex-UC as well, he looked very familiar.

Blimey but the two teams on last night were rubbish

Exeter never do well.

hence the name i spose

lol at the Italian student knowing British kings of the 15th century when none of the Britishes did (nor did I, though I might have guessed)

lol at Morrissey Haircut interrupting wrongly repeatedly, also being a smug atheist in the smug atheist round (so am I but that round was a bit reddity)

I suppose the main reason I like watching these shows is the sad thrill I get when I answer a question correctly, but this is killed off if there's someone else in the room who obviously doesn't give a shit.

I used to hate watching with people who would shout out answers, since they were 1. drowning out the full questions and actual answers; 2. showing off; 3. often wrong lol @ u, but now if I have company I bellow my stupid guesses at the screen with the rest of them and I have to admit I like it.

Yes I do expect a medal when I get something none of the students does though. Except last night, when I would just have liked them to hurry up instead.

Over the years, I'd get both kids getting very keen on whichever team they liked scoring points, which would generally drown out the question.

More recently, one of the picture rounds had a familiar blurry painting of a bloke called George. Just as Amber walked into the room, I shouted (mildly) "Bacon"

"Bacon?" she roared.. Anyway, the team ummed and arrd, said "Picasso?" to which Paxman threw the card to one side, as he does, and said "tsk, it's Bacon!"

At which point Amber was helpless laffing.

Are there more mature students than usual on this year? I have mixed feelings about this.

I don't think so

I do.

Previous week, they had one 'mature student' guy telling the team captain the answer, and the young lad would beam and repeat the answer, sometimes phonetically.

Yeah, it made me think of that episode of the simpsons where it starts out with Marge and Bart playing Homer and Lisa at tennis, and they gradually start replacing each other with professional players, so by the end it's like Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters.

Mature students didn't improve the quality of this week's teams much, it took them about two years to recognise Indira Gandhi

Yeah, I was boggling at that, the two older guys must have been able to remember when she was on the new pretty frequently at least.

Last night's lot were hopeless. I was shouting at them with Paxmanesque exasperation.

I felt so old a couple of series back when a two teams (with no mature students) totally failed to recognise a photo of Helmut Kohl, I guess they would have only been about 7 or 8 years old when he was replaced as chancellor though

Too young even to confuse him with Mike McShane

I like how Paxman's now worked out a way to patronise the contestants even when they get the question right, by correcting their pronunciation of the answer.

Alexander Armstrong does that on Pointless too.

I think my favourite response to stupid wrong answers on a quiz show is when Bradley Walsh collapses in hysterics and goes "what did you say THAT for?" on The Chase. No patronising, no sympathy, just straight-up laughing in their face. Richard Osman occasionally does it too, but usually in a nicer or more subtle way.

Yes I do expect a medal when I get something none of the students does though.

I think the one thing I dislike about Pointless is the way Richard Osmond says things like 'particularly well done if you got all of those at home', it always sounds like he's being sarcastic, though I know he isn't.

You managed to name all the main cast of Happy Days, well done.

You came up with an obscure capital city that begins with a vowel, guess it was worth you getting out of bed this afternoon.

Pointless is perfect as is, not listening to any criticism

Would you enjoy University Challenge more or less if Paxman turned to the camera every now and again and said things like 'why not see how many of these you can get at home'?

different game, different approach

Pointless is perfect as is, not listening to any criticism

yes, this is really just my own frustration with having my lame buzz harshed by them drawing attention to the fact that it's a sad thing to feel proud of, my problem rather than the show's.

Would you enjoy University Challenge more or less if Paxman turned to the camera every now and again and said things like 'why not see how many of these you can get at home'?

My answer to this would be 'more' fwiw

Has anyone here seen Cleverdicks with Ann Widdecombe? It's like some weird anti-Pointless, the questions are pretty good/challenging, but the warm, friendly atmosphere of Pointless is replaced with this pronounced creepy, seedy feeling, I always feel sad after watching it.

My scoring method for UC:

a) five points for a right answer
b) five points bonus if nobody gets it on the show
c) one consolation point if your answer is the same wrong answer as contestant.

Oh, it's just horrible. But it involves Ann Widdecombe, so would expect nothing less.

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