110 Fun Facts About British Quiz Shows

What was Fred Housego's job when he won Mastermind in 1980?

Taxi driver: Housego's win turned the London cabbie into a television presenter, yet he kept his licence and was still driving a black cab more than twenty years later.

Who was the original presenter of Mastermind?

Magnus Magnusson asked the questions for 25 years and signed off in a cathedral that shares his name, St Magnus in Orkney, where he was given the famous black chair to keep.

Which word completes the Mastermind catchphrase 'I've started so I'll …'?

Finish: the questioner says it when the buzzer cuts across a question, and the show's first host made the line so famous that he used it as the title of his history of the programme.

Mastermind's creator drew inspiration for the format from being interrogated by whom?

The Gestapo questioned Bill Wright as a prisoner of war, when all he had to give was name, rank and number; on television that became name, occupation and specialised subject.

Who was the original quizmaster of University Challenge?

Bamber Gascoigne chaired the quiz for 25 years; in 2014 he unexpectedly inherited an old Surrey manor house, which later played Button House in the BBC comedy Ghosts.

Who succeeded Jeremy Paxman as host of University Challenge in 2023?

Amol Rajan had already faced the questions himself, playing for his old Cambridge college in the Christmas celebrity series, before taking over when Paxman stepped down after 28 years.

University Challenge was based on which American quiz show?

College Bowl began as a game Canadian Don Reid devised to entertain American troops in the Second World War; it moved to radio and television before Granada adapted it for British students.

David Nicholls' novel and film about a University Challenge contestant is called what?

Starter for Ten is the quizmaster's cue for the ten-point question that opens each round; American publishers dropped the reference and sold the novel as A Question of Attraction.

Who was Countdown's original presenter, hosting for 23 years from 1982?

Richard Whiteley was nicknamed 'Twice Nightly Whiteley' because for years he fronted both Yorkshire's evening news programme Calendar and the quiz on the same day.

Countdown is based on which long-running French show?

Des chiffres et des lettres, 'numbers and letters', reached Britain through Marcel Stellman, who wrote the English words to Tulips from Amsterdam; he bought the overseas rights and is credited on every episode.

What is the name of Countdown's final buzzer round, a nine-letter anagram?

The conundrum is worth ten points to whoever buzzes in first, so when the scores are within ten points the host declares a 'crucial Countdown conundrum' that can decide the game.

Who became a permanent fixture in Countdown's Dictionary Corner in 2003, ruling on contestants' words?

Susie Dent first appeared in 1992 as one of several dictionary experts from Oxford University Press who took turns in the corner; the rota was later dropped and the seat became hers.

What does every contestant who wins a game of Countdown take home?

A teapot shaped like the clock has gone to each game's winner since 1998; it is not sold anywhere, so appearing on the show and winning is the only way to own one.

Who hosted Pointless from its launch in 2009?

Alexander Armstrong had turned down the job of hosting Countdown the year before, saying he feared being pigeonholed as a daytime presenter, then said yes to this BBC quiz.

Who hosted A Question of Sport for 24 years until the BBC replaced her in a 2021 revamp?

Sue Barker, a former French Open tennis champion, took over in 1997; after the revamp, audiences that had regularly topped four million fell below one million and the BBC shelved the quiz in 2023.

On Pointless, what happens after a wrong answer?

They score 100 points, the maximum: the aim is the lowest total, so a wrong answer is punished as if every one of the 100 people surveyed had given it.

Who hosted The Chase when it launched on ITV in 2009?

Bradley Walsh was once on Brentford's books as a professional footballer, though he never made the first team; comedy, acting and game shows came later.

Which Chaser is known as 'The Beast'?

Mark Labbett knows the other side of the desk: three years before the show began he sat in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? hot seat as a contestant and left with £32,000.

Who presented Only Connect from its launch in 2008?

Victoria Coren Mitchell launched the quiz on BBC Four as plain Victoria Coren; she added the Mitchell to her billing after marrying the comedian David Mitchell in 2012.

Only Connect's questions are chosen using symbols from which ancient writing system?

Egyptian hieroglyphs replaced the Greek letters of the first three series; teams now pick each question by calling for Two Reeds, Lion, Twisted Flax, Horned Viper, Water or Eye of Horus.

Only Connect takes its title from a line in which novel?

Howards End carries 'Only connect…' as its epigraph: in the novel it is a plea to join 'the prose and the passion' of life, which the quiz borrowed for a game of hidden links.

Which Egghead was the first Briton to win £1,000,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Judith Keppel's win went out against the final episode of One Foot in the Grave on BBC One; viewers complained that ITV had fixed the timing to steal the ratings, but the regulator cleared the show.

Who chaired Eggheads when it began in 2003?

Dermot Murnaghan was the face of BBC Breakfast when the quiz began, and he went on presenting it for seven years after defecting to the rival Sky News in 2007.

Who presented QI from its start in 2003 until 2016?

Stephen Fry was first cast as a team captain: Michael Palin was to host, turned the job down, and Fry took the chair for series A to M, one for each letter of the alphabet.

Who was QI's only regular panellist from its 2003 launch?

Alan Davies was originally meant to captain a team of dunces against a team of clever-clogs; the teams idea was dropped before broadcast, but he kept his seat and has appeared in every series.

What are QI's researchers known as?

The QI Elves research the show's questions and answers, and went on to make programmes of their own: the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish and a satirical television spin-off.

Who hosted the original run of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 to 2014?

Chris Tarrant made a ritual of showing contestants a cheque for the money they had already won, then snatching it away with 'But we don't want to give you that!'

How did Charles Ingram cheat his way to £1 million on Millionaire in 2001?

Coughing from an accomplice: Tecwen Whittock, a contestant waiting his turn, coughed as Ingram read out the right answers; the prize was never paid, and both men and Ingram's wife were convicted in 2003.

Which new lifeline was added when Jeremy Clarkson revived Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2018?

Ask the Host lets a contestant turn to Clarkson for his opinion; he gets no outside help and is not shown the answer first, so his 'Here's what I think' is only as good as his own knowledge.

Who presented the original British Weakest Link, dismissing each loser with a curt 'Goodbye'?

Anne Robinson's withering put-downs travelled well: the format was sold around the world, and she crossed the Atlantic to be the first host of the American version too.

Which word do Weakest Link contestants call out to make the chain's money safe?

Bank: the money in the chain is saved, but the chain restarts from zero, so every player has to gamble between banking a small sum and risking it all on the next answer.

Blockbusters contestants famously asked 'Can I have a P please, Bob?' of which host?

Bob Holness really had played James Bond, in a 1950s South African radio play, but the long-running rumour that he played the saxophone solo on Baker Street was a hoax.

Who hosted Fifteen to One throughout its original Channel 4 run from 1988 to 2003?

William G. Stewart produced the quiz as well as presenting it: he was a sitcom producer by trade, and had already produced Family Fortunes and The Price Is Right before stepping in front of the camera.

Who was the original host of Bullseye?

Jim Bowen was a deputy headmaster who told jokes on the club circuit in his spare time; television comedy let him give up teaching, and the darts quiz then kept him busy for 14 years.

Which catchphrase is forever linked with the original host of ITV's Bullseye?

Super, smashing, great stuck to him for life, though he claimed he never actually said it; he is said to have replied 'Smashing' when a contestant told him he was out of work.

On Family Fortunes, what did original host Bob Monkhouse name the big answer board?

Mr Babbage honoured Charles Babbage, the Victorian who dreamed up the programmable computer; the board's rude electronic buzz for a wrong answer became one of the show's best-known features.

Who presented Catchphrase from its 1986 premiere until 1999?

Roy Walker coined the show's best-known lines himself: 'Say what you see' for a stumped player, and 'It's good, but it's not right' to soften even the most hopeless guess.

Which Gordon Burns-hosted show tested mental agility, fitness and an army assault course?

The Krypton Factor sent its contestants racing over a real Army assault course at Holcombe Moor, near Bury, with the women given a head start.

On Tipping Point, contestants use their counters on what kind of machine?

An arcade coin pusher: the machine is a giant version of the seaside amusements that shove 2p coins over a ledge, with every counter that drops out worth money to the player.

Who created Taskmaster and serves as the Taskmaster's assistant?

Alex Horne first staged it at the Edinburgh Fringe, purely for fun with comedian friends; on television he describes his sidekick role as 'the Nick Hewer' to Greg Davies's 'Alan Sugar'.

Who hosted Have I Got News for You from 1990 until being sacked in 2002?

Angus Deayton was fired mid-series after newspaper stories about his private life; the guest hosts brought in to see out the run worked so well that no permanent successor was ever appointed.

Which end-of-show feature of The Generation Game had contestants recall prizes such as a cuddly toy?

The conveyor belt carried prizes past the winner, who kept every one they could recall afterwards; a cuddly toy was always among them, so it became the show's running joke.

Who was the first host of Blankety Blank in 1979?

Terry Wogan hosted with a long, thin microphone nicknamed Wogan's Wand, which regular guest Kenny Everett made a running joke of bending whenever he appeared.

Which future film composer wrote the theme to the pan-European quiz Going for Gold?

Hans Zimmer co-wrote the tune years before The Lion King and Gladiator, and still owns up to it: 'I'm not ashamed of it! It paid the rent and opened up all sorts of doors.'

Sale of the Century's introduction, 'And now, from ..., it's the quiz of the week', named which city?

Norwich was home to Anglia Television, which made the quiz; when a strike took the BBC off the air one night in December 1978, 21.2 million people watched, a record for an ITV game show.

Which mascot doubled as the booby prize on Ted Rogers' 3-2-1?

Dusty Bin lay hidden behind one of the show's cryptic clues: a couple who picked it missed the star prize and went home with nothing but a brand-new dustbin.

Which BBC Radio 4 general knowledge quiz began as a slot in What Do You Know? in 1953?

Brain of Britain started as one round of the older quiz and outgrew it: the other games were squeezed out to give it more time, and in 1968 it became a programme under its own name.

Which comedian hosted The 1% Club when it launched on ITV in 2022?

Lee Mack's quiz tests logic rather than knowledge: 100 contestants face puzzles ranked by how much of the public solved them, from 90% down to a final question only 1% got right.

Which Chaser is nicknamed 'The Governess'?

Anne Hegerty trained as a journalist and worked as a newspaper reporter in south Wales long before quizzing became her job; she joined the show in 2010, its second year.

Which two Chasers were the only ones in The Chase's first series in 2009?

Mark Labbett and Shaun Wallace shared a first series that was only a two-week summer trial of ten episodes; ITV then ordered a longer run for 2010 and began adding Chasers.

Which comedian hosted the 2012 one-off special that grew into 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown?

Jimmy Carr took over the studio for a one-night 'mash-up' marking Channel 4's 30th year, with Sean Lock and Jon Richardson as rival captains; the job swap proved so popular that it became a series.

What is the title of Mastermind's theme music, composed by Neil Richardson?

Approaching Menace was never written for the quiz: it was library music, a stock piece recorded for any production that wanted it, and the programme-makers simply picked it.

Who took over as presenter of Mastermind in 2021?

Clive Myrie admitted to 'a level of trepidation' at inheriting a quiz he had grown up watching; he has carried on presenting the BBC's news alongside it.

Pointless debuted in August 2009 on which channel before moving to BBC One in 2011?

BBC Two showed the first three series, whose success earned the quiz a promotion in 2011 to the teatime slot on BBC One that The Weakest Link had held for years.

Which comedian hosted the 2014 revival of Fifteen to One?

Sandi Toksvig was given a daytime series after a one-off celebrity special, made for a weekend of 1980s nostalgia, went down well enough for Channel 4 to bring the quiz back; Adam Hills kept the celebrity editions.

Which broadcaster became sole chair of Eggheads after starting as joint host in 2008?

Jeremy Vine shared the chair in rotation for years before taking it over; in 2021 he announced on his own Channel 5 show that the quiz was leaving the BBC for that channel.

Which actor was confirmed in March 2026 as Richard Osman's successor as host of House of Games?

Michael Sheen, a fan of the show, said he was excited to 'at long last see my silhouette on a fondue set': the daily prizes are everyday objects stamped with the host's caricature.

Which actor presented the ITV list quiz Tenable from 2016 to 2024?

Warwick Davis missed only 25 episodes, in 2021, when a scheduling clash kept him away and Sally Lindsay stood in; teams of five tried to complete top-ten lists for up to £125,000.

Which round brings every episode of House of Games to a close?

Answer Smash is the quick-fire finale that settles each day's winner: players must blend the name of something pictured with the answer to a clue into one run-together phrase.

Which DJ took the music quiz PopMaster with him when he left BBC Radio 2 in 2023?

Ken Bruce had run the quiz on his mid-morning show since 1998; when he moved to Greatest Hits Radio it went with him, Radio 2 had to invent a replacement, and within weeks a television version was announced.

Steven Knight, a co-creator of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, went on to create which BBC crime drama?

Peaky Blinders was created by Steven Knight years after he helped devise the quiz as one of its three creators. The format has since been remade in around 160 countries.

Which future Little Britain star kept score as the drum-playing baby George Dawes on Shooting Stars?

Matt Lucas played George Dawes from 1995, sitting at a drum kit in a romper suit to announce the teams' scores. Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer hosted the surreal BBC panel game.

Which member of the royal family appeared as a contestant on A Question of Sport in 1987?

Princess Anne became the first royal to compete on a TV quiz show, joining the BBC panel game for its 200th edition. A team captain had just mistaken a photo of her for jockey John Reid.

Fred Housego became a household name by winning Mastermind in 1980 while working in which job?

Taxi driver Fred Housego kept his London cab licence long after the win turned him into a TV and radio presenter. He was still picking up fares as late as 2007.

QI, the BBC comedy panel show created by producer John Lloyd, takes its title from which phrase?

Quite Interesting is the phrase behind the title, and the show lives up to it. Panellists earn points for interesting answers even when they are wrong, and lose them for obvious mistakes.

Which former Top Gear presenter became host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? when ITV revived it in 2018?

Jeremy Clarkson took the chair for a run of specials marking the quiz's 20th anniversary. The revival added a lifeline that lets contestants ask the host himself for help.

Which 6-foot-8 comedian and former drama teacher has played the title role in Taskmaster since 2015?

Greg Davies taught drama in secondary schools for 13 years before comedy, and brings a headmaster's scorn to the judging. His stand-up still draws heavily on his classroom days.

Which Private Eye editor has been a team captain on Have I Got News for You since its launch in 1990?

Ian Hislop once discharged himself from hospital with appendicitis to record an episode, and is the only person to appear in every one. His fellow captain sat out most of a series in 1996.

Which entertainer hosted the BBC's The Generation Game from 1971 and returned for a second stint in 1990?

Bruce Forsyth fronted the family game show until 1977, then came back for four more years from 1990. The format was borrowed from a Dutch programme whose title means One of the Eight.

Which Welsh comedian and Gavin & Stacey actor took over as host of Would I Lie to You? in 2009?

Rob Brydon replaced the original host after two series of the bluffing game and made the chair his own. Sitcom fans know him as Bryn West, a role he played for 17 years.

Which Chaser on ITV's The Chase worked as a GP and also performs as a stand-up comedian?

Paul Sinha joined in 2011 as the fourth Chaser, nicknamed The Sinnerman, after qualifying as a GP in the 1990s. He found his taste for the stage in his medical school's annual revue.

Which former French Open tennis champion hosted A Question of Sport for 24 years until 2021?

Sue Barker succeeded David Coleman in 1997, 21 years after winning her only Grand Slam singles title in Paris. She also presented the BBC's Saturday sports show Grandstand.

Which comedian and former teacher hosted ITV's Bullseye throughout its original run from 1981 to 1995?

Jim Bowen fronted the game show for 14 years after making his name on the stand-up showcase The Comedians. A cartoon version of him rode at the front of the team coach in the opening titles.

Which comedian and impressionist hosted Family Fortunes for 15 years after ITV revived it in 1987?

Les Dennis stayed with the survey quiz until 2002, far longer than either of the hosts before him. The show had been off air for two years after Max Bygraves's run ended in 1985.

What is the name of the golden robot mascot who appears in the animated puzzles on Catchphrase?

Mr Chips turns up in many of the animated picture clues that contestants must decode into well-known phrases. One animation of him with a snake became a much-repeated TV blooper.

Celebrity Squares, the ITV quiz hosted by Bob Monkhouse, was built around a giant version of which game?

Noughts and crosses supplied the grid: celebrities sat in its boxes and contestants claimed squares to make a winning line. The format was Britain's take on America's Hollywood Squares.

Give Us a Clue, the ITV game captained by Lionel Blair and Una Stubbs, was a televised version of what?

Charades was the whole game: celebrities mimed the titles of films, books and shows for their team-mates to guess. It ran on ITV from 1979 to 1992.

Which comedian and former maths teacher became host of The Weakest Link when the BBC revived it in 2021?

Romesh Ranganathan taught maths in secondary schools and began performing stand-up while still in the classroom. The revival swapped members of the public for celebrity contestants.

Which comedian launched the BBC quiz The Wheel in 2020, with celebrity experts seated around a 13-metre wheel?

Michael McIntyre seats his celebrities on the rim of the giant wheel, each billed as an expert in one subject. Contestants wait on a smaller wheel beneath them for their turn.

Which presenting duo launched ITV's Limitless Win in 2022, a quiz whose cash ladder has no upper limit?

Ant and Dec ask questions whose answers are all whole numbers, and pairs climb the ladder by the size of each guess. In theory the prize money can keep rising for ever.

Which Irish comedian hosted every episode of the BBC's satirical panel show Mock the Week from 2005 to 2022?

Dara Ó Briain never missed a show in 17 years, a feat matched by only one of the regular panellists. Guests competed in rounds of stand-up and improvised topical jokes.

Which former Big Brother presenter hosted Channel 4's live quiz The Million Pound Drop from 2010?

Davina McCall watched contestants spread their million across trapdoors, losing whatever sat on a wrong answer. Because it aired live, questions could cover events from that very evening.

Which future Late Late Show host was the original presenter of Sky's sports panel show A League of Their Own?

James Corden hosted from the 2010 launch, five years before American television made him a late-night star. Cricketer Freddie Flintoff and footballer Jamie Redknapp were among his regulars.

Which presenter of Radio 4's Today programme asked the questions on Mastermind for 18 years from 2003?

John Humphrys brought his reputation as a tough political interviewer to the black chair when the BBC revived the quiz. He carried on with the breakfast radio show until 2019.

Which closing round of the BBC panel show QI asks questions whose obvious-seeming answers are usually wrong?

General Ignorance parodies the staple round of ordinary quizzes, setting traps built on widely believed myths. A klaxon and flashing lights greet anyone who falls for one.

What consolation prize, regularly mocked by host Les Dawson, did losing contestants take home from Blankety Blank?

A chequebook and pen bearing the show's name went home with the losers. Les Dawson liked to scramble the words when handing it over.

Big Break, the BBC game show hosted by Jim Davidson with John Virgo, mixed quiz questions with which sport?

Snooker gave the show its twist: each contestant answered the questions while a professional player took the shots for them. Captain Sensible sang the theme tune.

Which Deal or No Deal presenter hosted the BBC's television-themed quiz Telly Addicts from 1985 to 1998?

Noel Edmonds tested two teams of four, seated on facing sofas, on how much television they had watched. The show stayed on BBC One for 13 years.

Which broadcaster famous for interviewing Richard Nixon presented the studio half of Through the Keyhole?

David Frost quizzed the celebrity panel in the studio while Loyd Grossman toured a mystery famous person's home on film. Grossman got that job after being confused with another journalist.

The BBC sports panel show They Think It's All Over took its title from commentary on which event?

The 1966 World Cup final commentary by Kenneth Wolstenholme supplied the title, spoken as fans ran on to the pitch and Geoff Hurst raced away to score. The show signed off each episode with it.

Which chairman of radio's Just a Minute also hosted ITV's Sale of the Century from 1971 to 1983?

Nicholas Parsons fronted the ITV quiz for 12 years while chairing the radio panel game, which he presented from 1967 until 2019. He died the following year, aged 96.

Which BBC panel game had teams offer three definitions of an obscure word, only one of them true?

Call My Bluff had two teams of three trade one true meaning and two inventions for words such as queach, zurf and jirble. It far outlasted the short-lived American show it copied.

On The Weakest Link, which word must a contestant call out to secure the money in the chain?

Bank is the call that makes the chain's winnings safe, at the cost of starting a new chain from scratch. It only counts if shouted before the next question is asked.

Which EastEnders actor hosted the BBC One quiz The Wall, where falling balls decide the prize money?

Danny Dyer presented from 2019 to 2022 while still playing Mick Carter in the soap. Balls released from the top of the board tumbled into slots marked with different sums.

Which former Good Morning Britain co-host was the first presenter of ITV's quiz Tipping Point in 2012?

Ben Shephard asks the quiz questions that earn players counters for the show's giant machine. He co-hosted the breakfast programme for a decade from 2014.

Which magician turned presenter became host of Catchphrase when ITV revived the show in the 2010s?

Stephen Mulhern fronted a revival in 2012 that earned a full series the following year. He went on to host other ITV game shows, including In for a Penny and Rolling In It.

Which Birmingham comedian hosted ITV's Golden Balls, whose finale asked two players to split or steal the jackpot?

Jasper Carrott oversaw a tense finale: two splits shared the money, while a lone steal took the entire jackpot. If both players stole, neither won a penny.

Which chat show host fronted ITV's 2024 revival of the word-puzzle game show Wheel of Fortune?

Graham Norton was announced as presenter in 2023, bringing the spinning-wheel puzzle game back to ITV. Nicky Campbell had hosted the British version when it began in 1988.

On which UKTV comedy channel was Taskmaster first broadcast in 2015, before its move to Channel 4?

Dave picked the format up after its creator first staged it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010. The channel ordered eight more series, airing the show until November 2019.

Which quick-fire buzzer round, built on disguised words and phrases, closes every episode of Only Connect?

Missing Vowels strips the vowels from each answer and shifts the spaces to disguise it. Teams race to buzz in with the restored phrase, and a wrong guess costs a point.

Which original Egghead won Mastermind in 1995 with a record score of 41 points?

Kevin Ashman set the record in his heat and went on to appear in every series of Eggheads across 20 years. He has been a professional quizzer since 2002.

Which Irish broadcaster presented the BBC's pan-European quiz Going for Gold from 1987 to 1996?

Henry Kelly quizzed contestants representing different European countries, all of whom had to answer in English. Even Jersey and the Isle of Man fielded their own players.

Which entertainer presented ITV's Strike It Lucky, where teams crossed a row of screens hiding Hot Spots?

Michael Barrymore fronted the game from 1986 and stayed on when it was renamed Strike It Rich. Uncovering a Hot Spot wiped out the prizes a team had collected on that turn.

Which magician hosted the BBC quiz Every Second Counts, in which married couples played for time instead of points?

Paul Daniels awarded seconds rather than points for correct answers, while a wrong answer knocked that player out of the round. The show ran on BBC1 from 1986 to 1993.

Which England spin bowler nicknamed The Cat was a team captain on A Question of Sport from 2008 to 2021?

Phil Tufnell earned the nickname by napping in the corner of the dressing room. He gave up cricket to enter I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2003, and won it.

Which podcast, launched in 2014, is presented by the researchers behind the BBC panel show QI?

No Such Thing as a Fish is named after a fact from the TV show: biologist Stephen Jay Gould's conclusion after a lifetime studying them. Apple named it best new podcast of its launch year.

What trophy, made by Scottish artist Denis Mann, is presented to each series champion of Mastermind?

A cut-glass bowl, engraved for the occasion, is the only prize anyone receives on the BBC quiz. The champion also earns the right to be called Mastermind for that year.

Which Succession actor played Millionaire contestant Charles Ingram in ITV's 2020 drama Quiz?

Matthew Macfadyen played the former army major whose 2001 jackpot win ended in a criminal trial. The drama was written by James Graham, adapting his own stage play.

Which comedian, the original host of Room 101, presented They Think It's All Over for ten years from 1995?

Nick Hancock chaired the irreverent sports quiz with cricketer David Gower and footballer Gary Lineker as its first team captains. He had hosted Room 101 on radio before it reached television.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? carried which working title during its design phase, before ITV renamed it?

Cash Mountain was dropped when ITV's director of programmes chose the title of a Cole Porter song from the 1956 film High Society instead.