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

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.

xpost

If they get an answer right on the first go you get to see Ann shrieking 'cleverdick!' at them, which is kind of amusing in a childish way, i guess.

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

― the cat equivalent of love handles (bends), Wednesday, 2 October 2013 11:33 (43 minutes ago)

i had a history teacher with a graduate degree from oxford who didn't know who franco was

How could he not know about those lips

Yeah, I vaguely remember that AWid thing.

Reminded me of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjOZtWZ56lc

i watched university challenge for the first time in many years the other night and it's nice how little it has changed

xpost

everyone should know who the director of vampyros lesbos is

james franco didn't actually direct spring breakers

Did you see "Ask The Family" as presented by Dick and Dom? They'd be debating that one at the Tory conference...

c) one consolation point if your answer is the same wrong answer as contestant.

I like this. Happens to me all the fucking time.

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.

― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, October 2, 2013 11:53 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Alexander Armstrong does that on Pointless too.

― ailsa, Wednesday, October 2, 2013 11:56 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Not sure I agree with this - it's obviously problematic on some level, but at the same time, why should they feel bound to pronounce something incorrectly just to coddle the player? It'll just encourage people at home to mispronounce the thing, then everyone will say it wrong, then it'll be anarchy, anarchy I tells you.

Oh, I didn't mean that Armstrong was patronising, just that he does the correction.

btw, I fucking HATE when Paxo pronounces Don Juan as Don JooAnn.

He does the Don Quick-Sote thing as well

would love to get the opportunity to correct him on his Irish pronunciation

although I think Don JooAnn is more acceptable because it fits the rhyme scheme of the poem

Ha, I was totally thinking of the Don Jooan thing.

Don't get me wrong, Paxman's minimalist/maximalist patronising gestures are definitely part of the show's appeal for me.

"Quick-sote" has some historical justification too iirc

Yeah, Don Jooan is how you say the name of the poem. Don Wan is how you say the name of the original fictional character.