OK, we're up to speed now, lets do this week's Only Connect. Playing the second Group A play-off were the Verbivores, Phyl Styles, blog reader Tom Cappleman and captain Graeme Cole, who were narrowly outdone by the Psmiths in their first match, and the Channel Islanders, Sean and Caroline McManus and captain Tabitha Osbourne, who lost out to the Korfballers two weeks ago. Winners would take the final Group A place in the second round.
Round 1. The Islanders went first, and kicked off the match with Eye of Horus, and the picture set: we saw Nikita Kruschev, then Daniel Radcliffe, then a crocodile on a rock, and finally a burning candle. They saw it in the nick of time: they are visual clues to Elton John songs. The Verbivores opened their account with Horned Viper: now, they saw 'That Great Charmer (1979)', recognised it to be an anagram of Margaret Thatcher, and instantly offered anagrams of prime ministers for FIVE POINTS! Very well done there! (Also, the old joke about 'Tony Blair MP' being an anagram of 'I'm Tory Plan B'!) The Islanders chose Water next: 'Chance Medley', then 'Non Compos Mentis', then 'Of Theft Under 1 Shilling', and finally 'Of a Lesser Offence'. They didn't quite get it, nor did their opponents: they are jury verdicts. (The Islanders offered 'not guilty verdicts', of which only the second clue applies) The Verbivores chose Twisted Flax next: 'Minotaur', then 'Frobscottle', then 'Moloko Plus', and finally 'Duff'. They guessed fictional beers; not right. Their opponents simply offered fictional drinks, which earned them a bonus. For their own question, the Islanders chose Two Reeds, and got the music set: we heard Bobby Darin's 'If I Were a Carpenter', then Beyonce's 'If I Were a Boy', then 'If I Were a Bell' from Guys and Dolls; they didn't notice the link, but their answer at this point of 'songs where the singer wishes they were something else' was accepted for two points. Left with Lion, the Verbivores saw 'Controlled Radio 4 (1996-2000)', then 'Discovered P x 1/V (1662)', then 'Sang Fantine's solo (2009)', and finally 'Directed Isles of Wonder (2012)'; they made an educated guess that they were all people called Boyle, and were correct for a point. (James, Robert, Susan and Danny) At the end of the first round, the Verbivores led 6-4.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Islanders began the round with Water: 'Valentine's', then 'Canal', and then 'Foinavon'; they offered 'Becher's Brook', which was correct for two points, the link being Grand National fences going backwards. The Verbivores chose Two Reeds next: 'Hamlet', then 'King', and then 'Father'. Neither team got this: they are what Hamlet addresses the ghost of his father as, so 'Royal Dane' completes the set. The Islanders chose Twisted Flax next, and got the picture set: we saw actor Don Johnson, then actress Celia Johnson, and then disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson; they spotted the link, and offered 'Amy Johnson', which was accepted for two points. The Verbivores chose Horned Viper next: they saw 'Omnishambles', recognised it to be Oxford Dictionary Words of the Year, knew it to be an emoji, but their answer of a smiley face emoji was not accepted. The Islanders saw 'Selfie' and 'Vape', but couldn't improve on their opponents answer. The crying laughing emoji is the correct emoji to complete the set. Unlucky that. For their final choice, the Islanders chose Lion: '4teen', then '6teen', and then '7teen'. They offered '8een'; not right. Their opponents tried '9teen'; correct! It is the 'teen' numbers where you simply add a number to 'teen' and don't remove any letters. Left with Eye of Horus for their own final question, the Verbivores saw 'Zero', then 'Diet', and then 'Life'; they knew it to be types of coke, but didn't get the right answer. Their opponents did: 'Original' coke completes the set, the link being the increasing number of calories. At the end of the second round, the Islanders led 9-7.
On to the Walls. The Verbivores went first, and chose the Water wall. They spotted some links, unsuccessfully tried some groups, then eventually isolated 'Spud', 'BB', 'Machine' and 'Flare', which are types of gun. After spending some time looking over the remaining clues and trying groups, they finally isolated 'Tartare', 'Carpetbag', 'Salisbury' and 'Chateaubriand', which are steak dishes. With little time left, they tried quickly to resolve it, but couldn't within three, and had to settle for bonuses: 'Diane', 'Sick Boy', 'Renton' and 'Begbie' are characters in Trainspotting, which they didn't get, while 'Angel of the North', 'Quantum Cloud', 'Another Place' and 'Field' are works by Antony Gormley, which they did. Five points there then.
The Islanders thus tackled the Lion wall. They also saw some links early on, and quickly isolated 'Herald', 'Recorder', 'Chronicle' and 'Echo', which are local newspapers. They then isolated 'Serpent', 'Cornet', 'Clarion' and 'Sackbut', which are brass instruments. They studied the remaining clues, and resolved them perfectly: 'O2', 'Genting', 'Odyssey' and 'Hydro' are UK arenas, while 'Bugle', 'Par', 'Redruth' and 'Mousehole' are towns in Cornwall. A full ten there, which gave them a lead of 19-12 going into the final round.
So, still a game up for grabs going into Missing Vowels. Indeed, 'Things found on a CV' was a clean 4-0 sweep to the Verbivores. 'Things that could help you fall asleep' went to the Verbivores 3-1. 'Cartoon dogs and their owners', such as 'SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER AND THE SIMPSONS', also went to the Verbivores 3-1. 'Things that proceed 'monger'', such as 'CHEESE' and 'IRON', was split 1-each, and that was time. The Verbivores snuck home 23-22!
A great close match between two excellent teams. Unlucky Islanders, who were just pipped in the final round, but a great effort and thanks for playing. Very well done Verbivores though, and very best of luck to yous in Round 2!
Next week's match: Fire-Eaters vs Eurovisionaries
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Tuesday, 30 August 2016
Only Connect Series 12: Group A Play-Off 1: Bardophiles vs Taverners
OK, time to catch up with last week's Only Connect. With the new format, it seems the show is going through the group play-offs first, and then move on to the second group next week. Playing the first play-off last week were the Bardophiles, Charlie Cook, Tim Hepworth and Sue Barnard, who were comfortably defeated by the Tubers in their first match, and the Taverners, Dean Reilly, Simon Gibbons and captain Mickey Alexander, who narrowly lost theirs to the Cosmopolitans.
Round 1. The Taverners went first, and chose to kick off with Two Reeds: '1/7 Iraq', then '2/7 Turkey', then '2/7 Egypt', and finally '2/7 Greece'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are where the Seven Wonders of the World are located. For their own first question, the Bardophiles chose Horned Viper: 'Barbed Wire: Lacrosse', then 'Dog Collar: Leeds Castle', then 'Lawnmower: Southport'; at this point, they offered locations of museums dedicated to the subject. Correct, for two points. The Taverners chose Twisted Flax next, and got the music question: we heard 'Let it Rock' by Chuck Berry, then 'Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow', then a cover of 'Let it Be', and finally 'Let it Go' from Frozen. Neither time spotted the link. The Bardophiles chose Eye of Horus next: 'Betjeman', then 'Alsatian', then 'Liberty cabbage', and finally 'Windsor'. They didn't spot it, their opponents did: they all had their names changed to avoid association with Germany after WWI. For their own question, the Taveners chose Water, and got the picture set: we saw Rodney from Fools and Horses, then Phil Tufnell, then Brian Johnston the cricket commentator, and finally Keith Chegwin, who they misidentified as Pat Sharp! Thus, they didn't get it; their opponents did though: they all have nicknames ending 'ers'. (Rodders, Tuffers, Johnners, Cheggers) Left with Lion for their own question, the Bardophiles saw 'Carl Reiner', then 'Griff Rhys Jones', then 'Sue Perkins', and finally 'Kim Appleby'. Again, neither time spotted it: they all form a double act with Mels. At the end of the first round, the Bardophiles led 4-2.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Taverners kicked the round off with Lion: 'The border district', then 'East Saxons', and then 'People of the South'; they spotted it to be the meanings of the names of English counties (Kent, Essex and Suffolk), so offered 'People of the North' for Norfolk, correctly for two points. The Bardophiles chose Water next: 'McLeish', then 'McConnell', and then 'Salmond'; they correctly offered 'Sturgeon' for two points, though they got the link wrong, offering SNP leaders instead of Scottish First Ministers, but they got the points anyway. The Taverners chose Eye of Horus next: 'Go for a run...', then 'Du: ...add some cycling...', and then 'Tri: ...add some swimming'. They spotted it to be what is added to the various 'athlons' to form the next event, but couldn't get the right answer. Nor could their opponents. 'Quadr: ...and add some kayaking' completes the set. The Bardophiles chose Horned Viper next: 'Republic of Zaire', then 'Democratic Republic of the Congo'; they spotted it to be the former names of the DRC, but offered 'Central African Republic'. Not right. Their opponents saw the third clue of 'Republic of the Congo', but couldn't get it either. 'Belgian Congo' completes the set, the link being the DRC's former names going backwards. For their final choice, the Taverners chose Twisted Flax: 'Zulu Uniform', then 'Mike Echo'; they spotted it to be the NATO alphabet, and that the third clue would be 'Oscar Romeo', and thus deduced that the fourth would be 'Oscar Romeo' too, for three points. Left with Two Reeds, the Bardophiles got the picture set, and saw some taramasalata, then the pop group Bananarama, and then the Maracana stadium. They spotted the link, but couldn't offer an acceptable answer; their opponents could, offering 'Banana' for two points. At the end of the second round, the Taverners led 8-6.
On to the Walls. The Bardophiles went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They spotted some links, and quickly isolated 'Condensed milk', 'Honey', 'Piglet' and 'Hums', the link being Winnie the Pooh. After some unsuccessful attempts, they finally isolated a second group: 'Beer', 'White', 'French' and 'Dijon' are types of mustard. They couldn't resolve the rest within the allocated three gos, and thus had to pick up bonus group points: 'Flange', 'T-slot', 'Wing' and 'Acorn' are types of nut, which they didn't get, while 'Glasgow', 'Butterfly', 'Air' and 'Judas' are kisses, which they did get. Five points for that.
The Taverners thus were left with the Water wall. They also spotted some early links, and eventually isolated 'Davis', 'Freeman', 'Crook' and 'Gervais', which are surnames of actors in The Office, and then 'Blood', 'Bottle', 'Merchant' and 'Memory', which can all precede 'bank'. They spotted the final connections, and quickly sorted them: 'Ralph', 'Roger', 'Piggy' and 'Jack' are characters from Lord of the Flies, while 'Scarlet', 'Haddock', 'America' and 'Phoebus' are fictional captains. A full ten there, which gave them a lead of 18-11 going into the final round.
Still in the balance going into Missing Vowels then. 'Fictional bow-tie wearers' was split 1-each, with Bardophiles getting two right but one wrong. 'Films with body parts in the title', such as the old ISIHAC fave 'BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA', went to the Taverners 3-1. 'Football club mascots' went to the Bardophiles 3-(-1), and that was time. The Taverners won 21-16.
A good game well played by both. Unlucky Bardophiles, but thanks for taking part. Well done Taverners, and very best of luck in Round 2.
This week's match: the Verbivores vs the Channel Islanders. Coming up later this week.
Round 1. The Taverners went first, and chose to kick off with Two Reeds: '1/7 Iraq', then '2/7 Turkey', then '2/7 Egypt', and finally '2/7 Greece'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: they are where the Seven Wonders of the World are located. For their own first question, the Bardophiles chose Horned Viper: 'Barbed Wire: Lacrosse', then 'Dog Collar: Leeds Castle', then 'Lawnmower: Southport'; at this point, they offered locations of museums dedicated to the subject. Correct, for two points. The Taverners chose Twisted Flax next, and got the music question: we heard 'Let it Rock' by Chuck Berry, then 'Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow', then a cover of 'Let it Be', and finally 'Let it Go' from Frozen. Neither time spotted the link. The Bardophiles chose Eye of Horus next: 'Betjeman', then 'Alsatian', then 'Liberty cabbage', and finally 'Windsor'. They didn't spot it, their opponents did: they all had their names changed to avoid association with Germany after WWI. For their own question, the Taveners chose Water, and got the picture set: we saw Rodney from Fools and Horses, then Phil Tufnell, then Brian Johnston the cricket commentator, and finally Keith Chegwin, who they misidentified as Pat Sharp! Thus, they didn't get it; their opponents did though: they all have nicknames ending 'ers'. (Rodders, Tuffers, Johnners, Cheggers) Left with Lion for their own question, the Bardophiles saw 'Carl Reiner', then 'Griff Rhys Jones', then 'Sue Perkins', and finally 'Kim Appleby'. Again, neither time spotted it: they all form a double act with Mels. At the end of the first round, the Bardophiles led 4-2.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Taverners kicked the round off with Lion: 'The border district', then 'East Saxons', and then 'People of the South'; they spotted it to be the meanings of the names of English counties (Kent, Essex and Suffolk), so offered 'People of the North' for Norfolk, correctly for two points. The Bardophiles chose Water next: 'McLeish', then 'McConnell', and then 'Salmond'; they correctly offered 'Sturgeon' for two points, though they got the link wrong, offering SNP leaders instead of Scottish First Ministers, but they got the points anyway. The Taverners chose Eye of Horus next: 'Go for a run...', then 'Du: ...add some cycling...', and then 'Tri: ...add some swimming'. They spotted it to be what is added to the various 'athlons' to form the next event, but couldn't get the right answer. Nor could their opponents. 'Quadr: ...and add some kayaking' completes the set. The Bardophiles chose Horned Viper next: 'Republic of Zaire', then 'Democratic Republic of the Congo'; they spotted it to be the former names of the DRC, but offered 'Central African Republic'. Not right. Their opponents saw the third clue of 'Republic of the Congo', but couldn't get it either. 'Belgian Congo' completes the set, the link being the DRC's former names going backwards. For their final choice, the Taverners chose Twisted Flax: 'Zulu Uniform', then 'Mike Echo'; they spotted it to be the NATO alphabet, and that the third clue would be 'Oscar Romeo', and thus deduced that the fourth would be 'Oscar Romeo' too, for three points. Left with Two Reeds, the Bardophiles got the picture set, and saw some taramasalata, then the pop group Bananarama, and then the Maracana stadium. They spotted the link, but couldn't offer an acceptable answer; their opponents could, offering 'Banana' for two points. At the end of the second round, the Taverners led 8-6.
On to the Walls. The Bardophiles went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They spotted some links, and quickly isolated 'Condensed milk', 'Honey', 'Piglet' and 'Hums', the link being Winnie the Pooh. After some unsuccessful attempts, they finally isolated a second group: 'Beer', 'White', 'French' and 'Dijon' are types of mustard. They couldn't resolve the rest within the allocated three gos, and thus had to pick up bonus group points: 'Flange', 'T-slot', 'Wing' and 'Acorn' are types of nut, which they didn't get, while 'Glasgow', 'Butterfly', 'Air' and 'Judas' are kisses, which they did get. Five points for that.
The Taverners thus were left with the Water wall. They also spotted some early links, and eventually isolated 'Davis', 'Freeman', 'Crook' and 'Gervais', which are surnames of actors in The Office, and then 'Blood', 'Bottle', 'Merchant' and 'Memory', which can all precede 'bank'. They spotted the final connections, and quickly sorted them: 'Ralph', 'Roger', 'Piggy' and 'Jack' are characters from Lord of the Flies, while 'Scarlet', 'Haddock', 'America' and 'Phoebus' are fictional captains. A full ten there, which gave them a lead of 18-11 going into the final round.
Still in the balance going into Missing Vowels then. 'Fictional bow-tie wearers' was split 1-each, with Bardophiles getting two right but one wrong. 'Films with body parts in the title', such as the old ISIHAC fave 'BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA', went to the Taverners 3-1. 'Football club mascots' went to the Bardophiles 3-(-1), and that was time. The Taverners won 21-16.
A good game well played by both. Unlucky Bardophiles, but thanks for taking part. Well done Taverners, and very best of luck in Round 2.
This week's match: the Verbivores vs the Channel Islanders. Coming up later this week.
Monday, 29 August 2016
University Challenge 2016-17: Round 1: Match 8: Robinson vs Wadham
Evening all. Long time viewers of the show may remember this to be a rematch of a first round match from the series ten years ago. That match, which is available on YT alongside the rest of the winning teams' matches, was won by 295-40. Both teams would doubtless be hoping not to be on the receiving end of a trouncing that bad tonight!
Robinson College Cambridge, the trounced that time, is one the newest Cambridge colleges, founded in 1977; alumni include childrens TV legend Konnie Huq, comedy sidekick Robert Webb, and some chap called Nick Clegg, whoever he was. The college reached the QFs of the first BBC series in 94-95, but have not returned since that match ten years ago. Hoping for revenge tonight were this year's foursome of:
David Verghese, from Hertfordshire, studying English
Catherine Hodge, from Birmingham, studying Theology and Religious Studies
Captain: James Pinder, from Martyr Worthy in Hampshire, studying Natural Sciences
George Barton, from Beaconsfield, studying studying Physics
Wadham College Oxford, the trouncers that time, is much older, founded in 1610; alumni include Corbyn precursor Michael Foot, retired archbishop Rowan Williams and Spitting Image target Melvyn Bragg. After winning that match ten years ago, they went on as far as the QFs, but their most recent appearance was a low key first round exit four years ago. This year's quartet were:
Vivian Holmes, from Cambridge, studying Maths and Philosophy
Edward Lucas, from Manchester, studying Political Theory
Captain: Vivek Ramakrishna, from Hyderabad, India, studying Chemistry
Thomas Veness, from Kingston-upon-Thames, studying Theoretical Physics
Off we set again then, and Mr Barton took the first starter of the match for Robinson; the side took two bonuses on word coinages. The Cambridge side then lost five; Wadham couldn't pick up, but Mr Ramakrishna got them off the mark with the next starter, and they too took two bonuses. Mr Veness increased their lead by identifying characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream for the next starter, and the two bonuses record continued. And it continued again with the next set, which went to Robinson. The first picture round, on US cities where Federal Reserve banks are located, went to Wadham, who broke the record by only taking one, but they still led 55-35.
Miss Hodge pulled Robinson back into the match by taking the next starter, ensuring there would be no repeat of last time. The Cambridge side took one bonus on astronomy, and then the lead when Mr Barton identified the element boron for the next starter; again, just one bonus followed from a nice set on African flags. An unlucky penalty dropped Robinson five, and Wadham were even unluckier not to take the points. Wadham then slipped-up, and Robinson returned the favour by not picking it up. Mr Ramakrishna finally stopped the rot by identifying species of armadillo for the next starter; one bonus on novels set in Japan was enough to put them back in front.
The music round, on orchestral pieces used in the BBC's Ten Pieces initiative, went to Robinson, who took two of the bonuses (one of which was Mozart's Horn Concerto, made famous by Flanders and Swann!), and, with them, the lead, 80-65. Two starters in a row were dropped; a third met the same fate, with Robinson unluckily losing five. Mr Verghese atoned for his unfortunate error by taking the next starter, and the side took two bonuses on oils/acids. Mr Ramakrishna closed the gap by identifying Santa Fe for the next starter; just the one bonus followed from a tough set.
The second picture round, on actresses portraying Blanche Dubois (sadly, Marge Simpson was not one of them!), went to Robinson, who took just the one bonus, which nonetheless upped their lead to 110-80. Mr Verghese identified people buried in Venice for the next starter; none of the bonuses followed, but the side still had the upper hand in the closing moments.
Mr Veness kept his side in the game by taking the next starter, and two bonuses on the muscular system took them into triple figures and just one starter and full bonus set away from the lead. Mr Barton crucially took the next starter, identifying 24 Sussex Drive as the Canadian PM's residence, and when his side took all three bonuses on the 1918 general election, that was most likely game over. The penultimate starter was dropped, Wadham lost five on the final one, Robinson picked up, and that was the gong. Robinson won 155-95.
A low scoring match, but a fairly close one nonetheless. Unlucky Wadham, who were very much in the match until right at the end, but thanks very much for taking part. Very well done to Robinson; a respectable first effort, and very best of luck in the next round!
Messrs Verghese, Barton and Ramakrishna were joint best buzzers of the night, taking three starters each for their respective teams. On the bonuses, Robinson converted 14 out of 27 (with three penalties), while Wadham managed 9 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: The Open University vs Salford
Only Connect saw the first group's second play-off tonight; I'll deal with it later in the week after I've caught up with last week's tomorrow evening.
Robinson College Cambridge, the trounced that time, is one the newest Cambridge colleges, founded in 1977; alumni include childrens TV legend Konnie Huq, comedy sidekick Robert Webb, and some chap called Nick Clegg, whoever he was. The college reached the QFs of the first BBC series in 94-95, but have not returned since that match ten years ago. Hoping for revenge tonight were this year's foursome of:
David Verghese, from Hertfordshire, studying English
Catherine Hodge, from Birmingham, studying Theology and Religious Studies
Captain: James Pinder, from Martyr Worthy in Hampshire, studying Natural Sciences
George Barton, from Beaconsfield, studying studying Physics
Wadham College Oxford, the trouncers that time, is much older, founded in 1610; alumni include Corbyn precursor Michael Foot, retired archbishop Rowan Williams and Spitting Image target Melvyn Bragg. After winning that match ten years ago, they went on as far as the QFs, but their most recent appearance was a low key first round exit four years ago. This year's quartet were:
Vivian Holmes, from Cambridge, studying Maths and Philosophy
Edward Lucas, from Manchester, studying Political Theory
Captain: Vivek Ramakrishna, from Hyderabad, India, studying Chemistry
Thomas Veness, from Kingston-upon-Thames, studying Theoretical Physics
Off we set again then, and Mr Barton took the first starter of the match for Robinson; the side took two bonuses on word coinages. The Cambridge side then lost five; Wadham couldn't pick up, but Mr Ramakrishna got them off the mark with the next starter, and they too took two bonuses. Mr Veness increased their lead by identifying characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream for the next starter, and the two bonuses record continued. And it continued again with the next set, which went to Robinson. The first picture round, on US cities where Federal Reserve banks are located, went to Wadham, who broke the record by only taking one, but they still led 55-35.
Miss Hodge pulled Robinson back into the match by taking the next starter, ensuring there would be no repeat of last time. The Cambridge side took one bonus on astronomy, and then the lead when Mr Barton identified the element boron for the next starter; again, just one bonus followed from a nice set on African flags. An unlucky penalty dropped Robinson five, and Wadham were even unluckier not to take the points. Wadham then slipped-up, and Robinson returned the favour by not picking it up. Mr Ramakrishna finally stopped the rot by identifying species of armadillo for the next starter; one bonus on novels set in Japan was enough to put them back in front.
The music round, on orchestral pieces used in the BBC's Ten Pieces initiative, went to Robinson, who took two of the bonuses (one of which was Mozart's Horn Concerto, made famous by Flanders and Swann!), and, with them, the lead, 80-65. Two starters in a row were dropped; a third met the same fate, with Robinson unluckily losing five. Mr Verghese atoned for his unfortunate error by taking the next starter, and the side took two bonuses on oils/acids. Mr Ramakrishna closed the gap by identifying Santa Fe for the next starter; just the one bonus followed from a tough set.
The second picture round, on actresses portraying Blanche Dubois (sadly, Marge Simpson was not one of them!), went to Robinson, who took just the one bonus, which nonetheless upped their lead to 110-80. Mr Verghese identified people buried in Venice for the next starter; none of the bonuses followed, but the side still had the upper hand in the closing moments.
Mr Veness kept his side in the game by taking the next starter, and two bonuses on the muscular system took them into triple figures and just one starter and full bonus set away from the lead. Mr Barton crucially took the next starter, identifying 24 Sussex Drive as the Canadian PM's residence, and when his side took all three bonuses on the 1918 general election, that was most likely game over. The penultimate starter was dropped, Wadham lost five on the final one, Robinson picked up, and that was the gong. Robinson won 155-95.
A low scoring match, but a fairly close one nonetheless. Unlucky Wadham, who were very much in the match until right at the end, but thanks very much for taking part. Very well done to Robinson; a respectable first effort, and very best of luck in the next round!
Messrs Verghese, Barton and Ramakrishna were joint best buzzers of the night, taking three starters each for their respective teams. On the bonuses, Robinson converted 14 out of 27 (with three penalties), while Wadham managed 9 out of 18 (with two penalties).
Next week's match: The Open University vs Salford
Only Connect saw the first group's second play-off tonight; I'll deal with it later in the week after I've caught up with last week's tomorrow evening.
Wednesday, 24 August 2016
Deal or No Deal to end (finally)
Well, it's been a long time coming, but, last Friday, Channel 4 finally announced that Deal will not be recommissioned and will end this December, after just over eleven years on air.
Hardly surprising. The show has been on its last legs for some time, and the two month break last year, and the five month and ongoing break this year has only really served to confirm that the show is running out of steam, and that the show was on its way out.
But it is still sad news, despite it being almost certainly the right thing to do.
Back in November 2005, when the show was just a few weeks old, Weaver's Week wrote:
But, having reached nine years, I can understand TPTB wanting to film another batch of shows, enough to take it up to its tenth birthday. Fair enough, but, nearly two years after being filmed, the final batch of shows still hasn't finished being shown! (Thanks Fifteen-to-One 2.0!)
The writing was on the wall for the show's prospects as early as the start of 2013. Despite being one of the better periods of the hour-long era, the viewing figures had capitulated from around the low millions to non-Only Connect BBC4 level figures. Three things this could be attributed to: the rise of Tipping Point on ITV, the loss of the CBBC slot on BBC1, and just a general feeling that the show had run its course.
The addition of Box 23, at the start of 2014, and the Offer Button, that September, were presumably designed to try and claw back some of the lost viewing figures. But all they really did was alienate the loyal long term viewers, who felt the show had well and truly shark-jumped, and that the idea of a blue win of any kind suddenly being rescued by +£10,000 for no risk whatsoever was completely unfair, especially on the pre-Box 23 blue winners who hadn't had that luxury.
Of course, there had been a few pre-Box 23 instances of a blue winner getting bailed out. Paul 'PJ' Johnson, who won 1p in May 2007 after being given a swap-only final offer on a 1p-£75,000 final offer (he had swapped at the first offer but left his old box to the end); after his win, the Banker told him he could also win whatever that day's prize was on the viewer's competition they had going at the time. Thus, he got an extra £15,000, the maximum possible, for his troubles. (Anji Marks, who won 1p in similar circumstances three years later, was not allowed such a bailout, much to everyone's fury)
And in August 2008, Brian Kelly, the first player following the show's summer break, won just 50p, and then revealed he had a very modest target of about £2,500 so he could pay off his mother's mortgage. After his game was over, the Banker offered to pay him the £2,500 for the coffee mug he had bought along as a good luck charm. Very few were impressed by this.
Many people think PJ's result was the first time the show went too far with its treatment of its players. I remember David 'KP' Howes describing it as 'the death of a TV show', or words to that extent. He said the same thing earlier that year when Craig Collier, who played immediately after Laura Pearce's first ever £250,000 win, was given swap-only offers until the £250,000 went!
The show regularly attracted huge audience of circa 2,500,000 for most of the first two or so years of its run. After that, however, the show began to lose its appeal, on the grounds that the format was now tried and tested, and the increasing number of 'sob story' players, clearly chosen because TPTB thought their story would make it easier to root for them. One could say, however, this was one of Deal's strong points during it's middle years: players from all walks of life gelling brilliantly as a team.
This was also, however, one of the show's biggest problems. Because the players had become such good friends and genuinely cared about each other, they, naturally, didn't want to see each other crash in their games, and thus would advocate they take the money while they had the chance. This came to a head during the summer of 2013, when almost every player advocated their friends to take the money while they still could, leading to the Banker decreasing his offer generosity and not really upping it again until the following summer.
By 2010, the show was still drawing respectable audiences of just over 1 and a half million. Even as late as late 2012, the show was still getting half decent figures of around 1.25 million. It wasn't really until 2013 that the figures dropped dramatically.
The move to an hour long slot in 2011 is often cited to be when the show started to lose its appeal (due to the extra run time requiring extra chat/padding). Figures show the ratings survived the increase at first, and it wasn't really until later that year/next year that things began to drop seriously.
I suppose, when you've got a show running (almost) daily, weekly, the format will slow easily, and you need to twiddle with things a bit to keep the viewers interested. The arrival of the Banker's Gamble in late 2007, whereby a contestant could give back their winnings at the final offer and open their box and win its contents, was met with a mixed response, to say the least. And, while most gradually accepted it as a legitimate device over time, many, including almost the entire regular frequenters of the now defunct ilovedealornodeal.com, never accepted it, and would describe any game in which it was used as 'rubbish', regardless of whether it was dealt or not.
To be fair, however, the show has done terrifically to run as long as it has. Many, including myself, have felt the show has overrun its course and should have ended a couple of years ago, but to reach eleven years on air isn't bad for a daily daytime show. In the same article I quoted earlier, WW wrote:
We will always have fond memories of the high and low points of Deal's run; they can never be wiped. But now is definitely the time to put the show away and let it go with dignity. The door will always be open for some kind of revival at some point, but the original show has run its course, and now is the time for it to finish up.
Thank you Noel, Glenn and co for the memories; we'll always have plenty of them.
Back with my usual UC review on Monday. See yous then.
Hardly surprising. The show has been on its last legs for some time, and the two month break last year, and the five month and ongoing break this year has only really served to confirm that the show is running out of steam, and that the show was on its way out.
But it is still sad news, despite it being almost certainly the right thing to do.
Back in November 2005, when the show was just a few weeks old, Weaver's Week wrote:
- "With the possible exception of Swap Shop, Noel has always dragged a joke out beyond the point at which it's funny. Late Late Breakfast, for example, had become an unwatchable mess long before it was forced into cancellation. House Party should have come off air in 1995 or 96. when it was still at the peak of its game. The less said about the final series of Telly Addicts the better."
But, having reached nine years, I can understand TPTB wanting to film another batch of shows, enough to take it up to its tenth birthday. Fair enough, but, nearly two years after being filmed, the final batch of shows still hasn't finished being shown! (Thanks Fifteen-to-One 2.0!)
The writing was on the wall for the show's prospects as early as the start of 2013. Despite being one of the better periods of the hour-long era, the viewing figures had capitulated from around the low millions to non-Only Connect BBC4 level figures. Three things this could be attributed to: the rise of Tipping Point on ITV, the loss of the CBBC slot on BBC1, and just a general feeling that the show had run its course.
The addition of Box 23, at the start of 2014, and the Offer Button, that September, were presumably designed to try and claw back some of the lost viewing figures. But all they really did was alienate the loyal long term viewers, who felt the show had well and truly shark-jumped, and that the idea of a blue win of any kind suddenly being rescued by +£10,000 for no risk whatsoever was completely unfair, especially on the pre-Box 23 blue winners who hadn't had that luxury.
Of course, there had been a few pre-Box 23 instances of a blue winner getting bailed out. Paul 'PJ' Johnson, who won 1p in May 2007 after being given a swap-only final offer on a 1p-£75,000 final offer (he had swapped at the first offer but left his old box to the end); after his win, the Banker told him he could also win whatever that day's prize was on the viewer's competition they had going at the time. Thus, he got an extra £15,000, the maximum possible, for his troubles. (Anji Marks, who won 1p in similar circumstances three years later, was not allowed such a bailout, much to everyone's fury)
And in August 2008, Brian Kelly, the first player following the show's summer break, won just 50p, and then revealed he had a very modest target of about £2,500 so he could pay off his mother's mortgage. After his game was over, the Banker offered to pay him the £2,500 for the coffee mug he had bought along as a good luck charm. Very few were impressed by this.
Many people think PJ's result was the first time the show went too far with its treatment of its players. I remember David 'KP' Howes describing it as 'the death of a TV show', or words to that extent. He said the same thing earlier that year when Craig Collier, who played immediately after Laura Pearce's first ever £250,000 win, was given swap-only offers until the £250,000 went!
The show regularly attracted huge audience of circa 2,500,000 for most of the first two or so years of its run. After that, however, the show began to lose its appeal, on the grounds that the format was now tried and tested, and the increasing number of 'sob story' players, clearly chosen because TPTB thought their story would make it easier to root for them. One could say, however, this was one of Deal's strong points during it's middle years: players from all walks of life gelling brilliantly as a team.
This was also, however, one of the show's biggest problems. Because the players had become such good friends and genuinely cared about each other, they, naturally, didn't want to see each other crash in their games, and thus would advocate they take the money while they had the chance. This came to a head during the summer of 2013, when almost every player advocated their friends to take the money while they still could, leading to the Banker decreasing his offer generosity and not really upping it again until the following summer.
By 2010, the show was still drawing respectable audiences of just over 1 and a half million. Even as late as late 2012, the show was still getting half decent figures of around 1.25 million. It wasn't really until 2013 that the figures dropped dramatically.
The move to an hour long slot in 2011 is often cited to be when the show started to lose its appeal (due to the extra run time requiring extra chat/padding). Figures show the ratings survived the increase at first, and it wasn't really until later that year/next year that things began to drop seriously.
I suppose, when you've got a show running (almost) daily, weekly, the format will slow easily, and you need to twiddle with things a bit to keep the viewers interested. The arrival of the Banker's Gamble in late 2007, whereby a contestant could give back their winnings at the final offer and open their box and win its contents, was met with a mixed response, to say the least. And, while most gradually accepted it as a legitimate device over time, many, including almost the entire regular frequenters of the now defunct ilovedealornodeal.com, never accepted it, and would describe any game in which it was used as 'rubbish', regardless of whether it was dealt or not.
To be fair, however, the show has done terrifically to run as long as it has. Many, including myself, have felt the show has overrun its course and should have ended a couple of years ago, but to reach eleven years on air isn't bad for a daily daytime show. In the same article I quoted earlier, WW wrote:
- "This column is not convinced that Deal or No Deal will last forever, or even as long as Weakest Link... It will have a good run, of that we're certain."
We will always have fond memories of the high and low points of Deal's run; they can never be wiped. But now is definitely the time to put the show away and let it go with dignity. The door will always be open for some kind of revival at some point, but the original show has run its course, and now is the time for it to finish up.
Thank you Noel, Glenn and co for the memories; we'll always have plenty of them.
Back with my usual UC review on Monday. See yous then.
Monday, 22 August 2016
University Challenge 2016-17: Round 1: Match 7: Balliol vs Imperial
Evening all. Back to the usual time slot this week, in a week when I've been seriously thinking about the future of the show and of this blog. I will try not to use the same phrases within all my reviews from now on, and I have also had a think about how the show's format could be tweaked and made fairer. I'll maybe publish my thoughts on that later in the week. On with tonight.
Balliol College Oxford is one of the university's oldest, founded in 1265 by John de Balliol, and alumni include prime ministers Asquith, Macmillan and Heath, another political heavyweight Denis Healey, and quiz legend Ian Bayley, who represented the college on the show in 2000-01. The college last sent a team three years ago, who unluckily lost in the first round; the 98-99 team reckon they could've won had they not lost their first match due to a dubious question. This year's foursome were:
Freddie Potts, from Newcastle, studying History
Jacob Lloyd, from London, studying English
Captain: Joey Goldman, from London, studying Philosophy and Theology
Ben Pope, from Sydney, studying Astrophysics
Imperial College London was founded in 1907, becoming independent on it's centenary, and alumni include penicillin re-rediscover Sir Alexander Fleming, Skyline from the DoND forum, and quiz legend Ian Bayley, who represented the college on the show in 96-97. It won the series in 95-96 and 2000-01, finishing second the following year; last year's impressive team fell in the quarter-finals. This year's quartet were:
Rupert Belsham, from London, studying Physics
Lottie Whittingham, from Tincleton in Dorset, studying Medicine
Captain: Jasper Menkus, from San Francisco, studying Physics
Nas Andriopoulos, from Bradford-on-Avon, studying Chemistry with Molecular Physics
Off we set again then, and the first starter of the night was taken by Mr Belsham, but his side didn't take any bonuses on Germany. Mr Lloyd took the second starter for Balliol, and they went one better than their opponents, taking one bonus on wikis. Neither side recognised the colour 'shocking pink' for the next starter; Balliol lost five on the next, allowing Imperial to take the lead, but no bonuses followed again. The first picture round was on maps with countries highlighted whose two letter abbrevs form a capital city's name (BR-US-SE-LS); neither side got that, but Imperial, who got the bonuses, took two of them. Thus, they led 40-10.
It was then Imperial's turn to lose five; Balliol couldn't pick up, but Mr Pope did take the next starter, and a full bonus set on astronomy went their way, including the Hale-Bopp comet, which, thanks to HIGNFY, I've always assumed was pronounced 'Hally-Bopp'. Imperial then unluckily lost another five on the next starter, allowing Mr Pope the dubious pleasure of correctly answering 'Taylor Swift'! Just the one bonus accompanied that starter. Mr Menkus identified rhinoceroses to take Imperial back into the match, but, again, they dropped all the resultant bonuses.
The music round, on pieces influenced by Antonio Salieri, went to Balliol, who couldn't take any of the bonuses, but they still slenderly led 60-40. Mr Pope unluckily lost five on the next starter, buzzing after the question mark and getting caught out by extra spiel; Imperial couldn't pick up. Mr Potts made up for his colleague's error by taking the next starter, allowing his side to take two bonuses. A second starter in a row went to Mr Potts, and a bonus set on the views of EH Gombrich proved to their liking, as they took a full set.
The second picture round, on robots in films, went to Balliol, who took two bonuses, increasing their lead to 120-40. The Oxonians now had the bits between their collective teeth, as Mr Goldman took the next starter and a full bonus set on Anglo-Japanese treaties added to their score. Mr Pope got just close enough to the next starter's answer for Paxo to give leeway and the points, and when the side took two bonuses, that was most likely game over.
Unless Imperial could get a run together. Mr Goldman didn't want to let them though; he identified Martin Amis for the next starter, and the side, again, took two bonuses on chemistry. A slip-up would surely prove immaterial to the final score; Imperial picked up the points, ensuring they wouldn't be joining the Sub-50 Club. Just one bonus followed. Mr Lloyd took Balliol's latest starter, and a full bonus set lifted them over the 200-mark. Another Balliol starter, two more bonuses, and another immaterial, unpicked-up penalty ended the match. At the gong, Balliol won 220-55.
An odd match that started slowly, then shot into gear once Balliol gathered steam in the second half. Unlucky Imperial, who were undone in the second half having been very much in it in the first, but thanks very much for playing. Very well done to Balliol though; an excellent first showing despite the slow start, and they could be one to watch in the next round. Best of luck to them for then!
Messrs Goldman and Pope were joint best buzzers of the night, with four each, while Mr Menkus was Imperial's best with two. On the bonuses, Balliol converted a decent 24 out of 36 (with a not so decent four penalties), while Imperial managed just 3 out of 15 (with two penalties), and, once again, all eight players got at least one starter correct.
Next week's match: Robinson College Cambridge vs Wadham College Oxford, in a repeat of a very one sided first round match from ten years ago! (It's on YT somehwere)
Only Connect saw the first of the play-offs from the first half of the draw. I'll cover it alongside the second next week, as I'm away for a couple of nights as of tomorrow. I do, however, plan to talk more about Deal, given it has now officially be cancelled. Watch this space.
Balliol College Oxford is one of the university's oldest, founded in 1265 by John de Balliol, and alumni include prime ministers Asquith, Macmillan and Heath, another political heavyweight Denis Healey, and quiz legend Ian Bayley, who represented the college on the show in 2000-01. The college last sent a team three years ago, who unluckily lost in the first round; the 98-99 team reckon they could've won had they not lost their first match due to a dubious question. This year's foursome were:
Freddie Potts, from Newcastle, studying History
Jacob Lloyd, from London, studying English
Captain: Joey Goldman, from London, studying Philosophy and Theology
Ben Pope, from Sydney, studying Astrophysics
Imperial College London was founded in 1907, becoming independent on it's centenary, and alumni include penicillin re-rediscover Sir Alexander Fleming, Skyline from the DoND forum, and quiz legend Ian Bayley, who represented the college on the show in 96-97. It won the series in 95-96 and 2000-01, finishing second the following year; last year's impressive team fell in the quarter-finals. This year's quartet were:
Rupert Belsham, from London, studying Physics
Lottie Whittingham, from Tincleton in Dorset, studying Medicine
Captain: Jasper Menkus, from San Francisco, studying Physics
Nas Andriopoulos, from Bradford-on-Avon, studying Chemistry with Molecular Physics
Off we set again then, and the first starter of the night was taken by Mr Belsham, but his side didn't take any bonuses on Germany. Mr Lloyd took the second starter for Balliol, and they went one better than their opponents, taking one bonus on wikis. Neither side recognised the colour 'shocking pink' for the next starter; Balliol lost five on the next, allowing Imperial to take the lead, but no bonuses followed again. The first picture round was on maps with countries highlighted whose two letter abbrevs form a capital city's name (BR-US-SE-LS); neither side got that, but Imperial, who got the bonuses, took two of them. Thus, they led 40-10.
It was then Imperial's turn to lose five; Balliol couldn't pick up, but Mr Pope did take the next starter, and a full bonus set on astronomy went their way, including the Hale-Bopp comet, which, thanks to HIGNFY, I've always assumed was pronounced 'Hally-Bopp'. Imperial then unluckily lost another five on the next starter, allowing Mr Pope the dubious pleasure of correctly answering 'Taylor Swift'! Just the one bonus accompanied that starter. Mr Menkus identified rhinoceroses to take Imperial back into the match, but, again, they dropped all the resultant bonuses.
The music round, on pieces influenced by Antonio Salieri, went to Balliol, who couldn't take any of the bonuses, but they still slenderly led 60-40. Mr Pope unluckily lost five on the next starter, buzzing after the question mark and getting caught out by extra spiel; Imperial couldn't pick up. Mr Potts made up for his colleague's error by taking the next starter, allowing his side to take two bonuses. A second starter in a row went to Mr Potts, and a bonus set on the views of EH Gombrich proved to their liking, as they took a full set.
The second picture round, on robots in films, went to Balliol, who took two bonuses, increasing their lead to 120-40. The Oxonians now had the bits between their collective teeth, as Mr Goldman took the next starter and a full bonus set on Anglo-Japanese treaties added to their score. Mr Pope got just close enough to the next starter's answer for Paxo to give leeway and the points, and when the side took two bonuses, that was most likely game over.
Unless Imperial could get a run together. Mr Goldman didn't want to let them though; he identified Martin Amis for the next starter, and the side, again, took two bonuses on chemistry. A slip-up would surely prove immaterial to the final score; Imperial picked up the points, ensuring they wouldn't be joining the Sub-50 Club. Just one bonus followed. Mr Lloyd took Balliol's latest starter, and a full bonus set lifted them over the 200-mark. Another Balliol starter, two more bonuses, and another immaterial, unpicked-up penalty ended the match. At the gong, Balliol won 220-55.
An odd match that started slowly, then shot into gear once Balliol gathered steam in the second half. Unlucky Imperial, who were undone in the second half having been very much in it in the first, but thanks very much for playing. Very well done to Balliol though; an excellent first showing despite the slow start, and they could be one to watch in the next round. Best of luck to them for then!
Messrs Goldman and Pope were joint best buzzers of the night, with four each, while Mr Menkus was Imperial's best with two. On the bonuses, Balliol converted a decent 24 out of 36 (with a not so decent four penalties), while Imperial managed just 3 out of 15 (with two penalties), and, once again, all eight players got at least one starter correct.
Next week's match: Robinson College Cambridge vs Wadham College Oxford, in a repeat of a very one sided first round match from ten years ago! (It's on YT somehwere)
Only Connect saw the first of the play-offs from the first half of the draw. I'll cover it alongside the second next week, as I'm away for a couple of nights as of tomorrow. I do, however, plan to talk more about Deal, given it has now officially be cancelled. Watch this space.
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
Only Connect Series 12: Ground A Round 1: Match 6: Korfballers vs Channel Islanders
OK, you may have noticed I've gone back and changed the titles of my previous reviews of this series. I've done so for reasons that will become clear at the end of this review. Whatever the case, this was the final match of the top half of the draw, and the runners-up would need to beat 13 to definitely come back. Playing were the Korfballers, Taissa Csaky, Niall Sheekey and captain Michael Jelley (brother of Simon Jelley of the Technologists from Series 5) and the Channel Islanders, Sean McManus, his wife Caroline, and her daughter captain Tabitha Osbourne.
Round 1. The Islanders went first, and kicked off the show with Eye of Horus: 'Rugby league: Keegan Hurst', then 'Cricket: Steven Davies', then 'Football: Thomas Hitzlsperger', and finally 'Rugby union: Gareth Thomas'. They offered that they all moved in from another sport; not right. Their opponents offered that they were the first players of those sports to come out as gay; close enough: they weren't the first, but they are all openly gay sportsmen. For their own first question, the Korfballers chose Two Reeds: 'Cold Mountain', then 'Litchfield', then 'Slade', and finally 'Azakaban'. They mentioned it at the third clue, but got it for sure at the fourth: they are fictional prisons. The Islanders chose Lion next: 'Perforated number', then 'Three-dimensional watermarks', then 'Ada Lovelace, Anish Kapoor and the Penny Black', and finally 'Embedded RFID chip containing image of holder'. They didn't get it, and their opponents didn't get it precise enough: they can all be found on UK passports. The Korfballers chose Twisted Flax next, and got the music question: we heard Alan Price's 'Don't Stop the Carnival', then Rihanna's 'Don't Stop the Music', then 'Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough' by MJ; this was enough for them to offer 'Don't Stop' for two points, having not recognised the first track, but they did know the other two. The Islanders chose Water next, and got the picture set: we saw a drawing of Shakespeare's the Tempest with Miranda circled, then a map of the US with the city of Charlotte highlighted, then the I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue panel with the empty seat for Samantha circled, and finally Stephen King's Carrie. They didn't get it, and their opponents didn't either. I did though, and they saw it too late: they are characters from Sex and the City. Left with Horned Viper, the Korfballers saw 'Annabel Lee', then 'Delilah', then 'Rebecca', and finally 'Weekend at Bernie's'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents hit the nail on the head: they are works where the eponymous character is dead. At the end of the first round, the Korfballers led 4-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Islanders kicked the round off with Two Reeds: 'Baht', then 'Riel', and then 'Dong'; they correctly offered 'Yuan' for two points, the sequence being Asian currencies going west to east towards China. The Korfballers chose 'Lion' next: 'Quantity of fights: 5', then 'Quantity of fighters: 4', and then 'Cessation of fighting: 3'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents. They are the rules of Fight Club, so 'Secrecy: 2' would complete the set. (The numbers represent the number of the rule, rather than a quantity) The Islanders chose Twisted Flax next, and got the picture set: we saw Sir Elton John, then John Hannah, and then Hannah Gordon; they offered 'Gordon Brown' for two points, the link being a simple overlapping of names. (As someone has pointed out, they surely wouldn't have been able to get that until the third clue) The Korfballers chose Eye of Horus next: 'Kings' (crosses out), then 'Elvis' (ditto), and then 'Zimmerman' (ditto again). Neither side got this very obscure question: it is John Lennon's song 'God' and what he claims not to believe in, so 'Beatles' (crossed out) completes the set. For their final choice, the Islanders chose Water: 'Georgie', then 'David', and then 'Bertie'; they offered 'Lilibet', correct for two points, the sequence being family nicknames for the four most recent monarchs. Left with Horned Viper again, the Korfballers saw 'Buenos Aires (3)', then 'La Paz (4)', and then 'New York (5)'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: it is simply places that are 3, 4 and 5 hours behind UK time, so 'New Orleans (6)' would acceptably complete the set. At the end of the second round, the Islanders led 8-4.
On to the Walls. The Korfballers, having not scored since the first round, chose the Water wall. They spotted two links, and fairly quickly resolved them: 'Houston', 'Amarillo', 'Austin' and 'Corpus Christi' are places in Texas, while 'Exeter', 'Balliol', 'Regent's Park' and 'Merton' are, as any UC fan will know, Oxford colleges. (Regent's Park, of course, defeated A. Guttenplan's Emmanuel in the first round) They carefully looked over the remaining clues, and, on their final go, resolved it: 'Bike', 'Lion', 'Range' and 'Standard Time' can all follow 'Mountain', while 'Ash', 'Ripley', 'Dallas' and 'Lambert' are characters in Alien, both of which they got. A full house there, so ten points.
The Islanders thus needed a good result from the Lion wall to maintain the pace. They also spotted some links, and eventually isolated 'Bergamot', 'Seville', 'Navel' and 'Blood', which are types of orange. They then fairly quickly spotted and isolated 'Cadiz', 'Santander', 'Alicante' and 'Barcelona', which are Spanish ports. They tried to resolve what they had left, but, not recognising any links, ran out of tries. 'Lion's', 'Damascus', 'Dung' and 'Jaffa' are Jerusalem Wall gates, while '1977', 'Toaster', 'Valencia' and 'X Pro II' are filters on Instagram, neither of which they got. So four points there, which meant the Korfballers led 14-12 going into the final round.
So, the match, and the play-off teams, would be decided by Missing Vowels. 'Fictional nobility', such as 'COUNT DRACULA', went to the Korfballers 4-0. 'Words that rhyme with 'clues'' went to the Korfballers 3-0, with the Islanders getting one right but one wrong. 'More is worse', such as 'POINTS ON A DRIVING LICENSE', went to the Korfballers 3-1. 'Types of insurance' saw the Korfballers get the first one right, and the Islanders get timed out before they could answer the second. The Korfballers won 25-13.
A good match between two close teams who were pretty much level right until the end. Well done Korfballers, and best of luck in the next round! Unlucky Islanders, whose score means they are joint third with the Bardophiles and the Cousins. So, in this situation, the two who scored the most points in the first two rounds go through, so it's the Cousins, who scored 4 to the Bardophiles' 6 and the Islanders' 8, who miss out. Hard lines to them, but best of luck to the Islanders in their play-off.
Next week's match: the Bardophiles vs the Taverners in the first play-off. Presumably followed the week after by the Verbivores vs the Channel Islanders. So, now you know why I changed the names.
Incidentally, I may be away next week, so my review of next week's show will be the week after alongside that week's show.
Round 1. The Islanders went first, and kicked off the show with Eye of Horus: 'Rugby league: Keegan Hurst', then 'Cricket: Steven Davies', then 'Football: Thomas Hitzlsperger', and finally 'Rugby union: Gareth Thomas'. They offered that they all moved in from another sport; not right. Their opponents offered that they were the first players of those sports to come out as gay; close enough: they weren't the first, but they are all openly gay sportsmen. For their own first question, the Korfballers chose Two Reeds: 'Cold Mountain', then 'Litchfield', then 'Slade', and finally 'Azakaban'. They mentioned it at the third clue, but got it for sure at the fourth: they are fictional prisons. The Islanders chose Lion next: 'Perforated number', then 'Three-dimensional watermarks', then 'Ada Lovelace, Anish Kapoor and the Penny Black', and finally 'Embedded RFID chip containing image of holder'. They didn't get it, and their opponents didn't get it precise enough: they can all be found on UK passports. The Korfballers chose Twisted Flax next, and got the music question: we heard Alan Price's 'Don't Stop the Carnival', then Rihanna's 'Don't Stop the Music', then 'Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough' by MJ; this was enough for them to offer 'Don't Stop' for two points, having not recognised the first track, but they did know the other two. The Islanders chose Water next, and got the picture set: we saw a drawing of Shakespeare's the Tempest with Miranda circled, then a map of the US with the city of Charlotte highlighted, then the I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue panel with the empty seat for Samantha circled, and finally Stephen King's Carrie. They didn't get it, and their opponents didn't either. I did though, and they saw it too late: they are characters from Sex and the City. Left with Horned Viper, the Korfballers saw 'Annabel Lee', then 'Delilah', then 'Rebecca', and finally 'Weekend at Bernie's'. They didn't quite get it, their opponents hit the nail on the head: they are works where the eponymous character is dead. At the end of the first round, the Korfballers led 4-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Islanders kicked the round off with Two Reeds: 'Baht', then 'Riel', and then 'Dong'; they correctly offered 'Yuan' for two points, the sequence being Asian currencies going west to east towards China. The Korfballers chose 'Lion' next: 'Quantity of fights: 5', then 'Quantity of fighters: 4', and then 'Cessation of fighting: 3'. They didn't get it, nor did their opponents. They are the rules of Fight Club, so 'Secrecy: 2' would complete the set. (The numbers represent the number of the rule, rather than a quantity) The Islanders chose Twisted Flax next, and got the picture set: we saw Sir Elton John, then John Hannah, and then Hannah Gordon; they offered 'Gordon Brown' for two points, the link being a simple overlapping of names. (As someone has pointed out, they surely wouldn't have been able to get that until the third clue) The Korfballers chose Eye of Horus next: 'Kings' (crosses out), then 'Elvis' (ditto), and then 'Zimmerman' (ditto again). Neither side got this very obscure question: it is John Lennon's song 'God' and what he claims not to believe in, so 'Beatles' (crossed out) completes the set. For their final choice, the Islanders chose Water: 'Georgie', then 'David', and then 'Bertie'; they offered 'Lilibet', correct for two points, the sequence being family nicknames for the four most recent monarchs. Left with Horned Viper again, the Korfballers saw 'Buenos Aires (3)', then 'La Paz (4)', and then 'New York (5)'. They didn't get it, their opponents did: it is simply places that are 3, 4 and 5 hours behind UK time, so 'New Orleans (6)' would acceptably complete the set. At the end of the second round, the Islanders led 8-4.
On to the Walls. The Korfballers, having not scored since the first round, chose the Water wall. They spotted two links, and fairly quickly resolved them: 'Houston', 'Amarillo', 'Austin' and 'Corpus Christi' are places in Texas, while 'Exeter', 'Balliol', 'Regent's Park' and 'Merton' are, as any UC fan will know, Oxford colleges. (Regent's Park, of course, defeated A. Guttenplan's Emmanuel in the first round) They carefully looked over the remaining clues, and, on their final go, resolved it: 'Bike', 'Lion', 'Range' and 'Standard Time' can all follow 'Mountain', while 'Ash', 'Ripley', 'Dallas' and 'Lambert' are characters in Alien, both of which they got. A full house there, so ten points.
The Islanders thus needed a good result from the Lion wall to maintain the pace. They also spotted some links, and eventually isolated 'Bergamot', 'Seville', 'Navel' and 'Blood', which are types of orange. They then fairly quickly spotted and isolated 'Cadiz', 'Santander', 'Alicante' and 'Barcelona', which are Spanish ports. They tried to resolve what they had left, but, not recognising any links, ran out of tries. 'Lion's', 'Damascus', 'Dung' and 'Jaffa' are Jerusalem Wall gates, while '1977', 'Toaster', 'Valencia' and 'X Pro II' are filters on Instagram, neither of which they got. So four points there, which meant the Korfballers led 14-12 going into the final round.
So, the match, and the play-off teams, would be decided by Missing Vowels. 'Fictional nobility', such as 'COUNT DRACULA', went to the Korfballers 4-0. 'Words that rhyme with 'clues'' went to the Korfballers 3-0, with the Islanders getting one right but one wrong. 'More is worse', such as 'POINTS ON A DRIVING LICENSE', went to the Korfballers 3-1. 'Types of insurance' saw the Korfballers get the first one right, and the Islanders get timed out before they could answer the second. The Korfballers won 25-13.
A good match between two close teams who were pretty much level right until the end. Well done Korfballers, and best of luck in the next round! Unlucky Islanders, whose score means they are joint third with the Bardophiles and the Cousins. So, in this situation, the two who scored the most points in the first two rounds go through, so it's the Cousins, who scored 4 to the Bardophiles' 6 and the Islanders' 8, who miss out. Hard lines to them, but best of luck to the Islanders in their play-off.
Next week's match: the Bardophiles vs the Taverners in the first play-off. Presumably followed the week after by the Verbivores vs the Channel Islanders. So, now you know why I changed the names.
Incidentally, I may be away next week, so my review of next week's show will be the week after alongside that week's show.
Monday, 15 August 2016
University Challenge 2016-17: Round 1: Match 6: Emmanuel vs Nottingham
Evening all. A second early start tonight, but back to normal next week, so hope you haven't got too used to it. Many have complained about the Olympics flipping between channels every half hour or so, but at least it keeps the EastEnders moaners happy, so it's fine by me. Match of the Day got the same treatment yesterday and Saturday, although that may have been so that as many people as possible could see if Mr Lineker kept his promise! On with tonight's show.
Emmanuel College Cambridge was founded in 1584, and alumni include novelist Sebastian Faulks, Python star Graham Chapman and dirty old man Rory McGrath. The college, as you'll no doubt know, won the show in 2009-10 thanks to the buzzer brilliance of Alex Guttenplan, who, along with Gail T. the previous year, helped transform UC from niche quiz into must-see telly. This year's foursome, with a lot to live up to, were:
Tom Hill, from London, studying History
Leah Ward, from Oxfordshire, studying Maths
Captain: Bobby Seagull, from East Ham in London, studying Education specialising in Maths
Bruno Barton-Singer, from Wandsworth in London, studying Physics
Nottingham University was founded in the 1920s, becoming a university in 1948, and alumni include writer DH Lawrence and former MI6 head Sir John Sawyers. It has regularly sent teams throughout the BBC era; last year's team won a low scoring first round match before falling in the second round, as well as infuriating Twitter by mistaking Tony Adams for Martin Keown! This year's quartet were:
Joseph Meethan, from Plymouth, studying Viking Studies
Wester van Urk, from Culemborg in the Netherlands, studying Maths
Captain: Hugh Smith, from Brighton, studying International Social Policy
Isaac Cowan, from Ottawa, studying Medicine
Off we set again then, and an immediate slip-up from Emmanuel allowed Mr van Ukr to take the first starter for Nottingham, and two bonuses on Euro coins followed. (No Scotland-Finland confusion this time!) A second penalty reduced Emmanuel to (-10), and Nottingham gave a repeat performance to give them an early 50 point lead, though sadly a bonus set on Wernher von Braun made no mention of Tom Lehrer! Third time lucky, Emmanuel returned to 0 thanks to Mr Seagull, and they also took two bonuses. A second starter went to Mr Meethan, but no bonuses on aquarium fish went the Trentsiders' way. The first picture round, on purpose built capital cities, went to Nottingham, who swept the board, upping their lead to 75-20.
Mr Meethan lost five on the next starter after being beaten by a swerve, allowing Mr Seagull to take the points for Emmanuel, but just one bonus followed. Mr Barton-Singer then took a second starter in a row for the Cambridge side, and a somewhat complicated biochemistry bonus set nonetheless gave them two correct answers. Emmanuel then took a third starter in a row; two bonuses from a complex set on novelists' names (one of which they deliberated for ages on, earning applause when they got it right!) reduced the gap to just five. Mr Meethan increased the lead by taking the next starter, but just one bonus followed this time.
The music round, on operatic duets, went to Nottingham, who couldn't take any of the bonuses, but nonetheless still led 95-65. Emmanuel were now nipping their heels, though, as Mr Seagull took the next starter, and bonuses on Italian history gave us the comedy moment of the night as they indirectly suggested Berlusconi was around in 1861! A starter was dropped, before Miss Ward pulled Nottingham back to within five points, and a full house on the Song of Ice and Fire novel series (aka Game of Thrones) gave them the lead for the first time.
Mr Smith identified the late Sir Christopher Lee for the second picture starter; the bonuses, on film stills of him, gave them two correct answers and the lead back, 115-105. A very quick buzz from Mr Meethan doubled that lead, but just one bonus on European football stadiums followed. Mr Hill now took his first starter of the match, but Emmanuel got nothing from a complicated bonus set.
Mr Hill then took a second starter in a row, and a full bonus set on foreign words that have different meanings in English, gave them a 10-point lead. Mr Cowan took a punt on the next starter, but lost five, and allowed Mr Barton-Singer to take the points, and two literary bonuses. And when Mr Hill took the next starter, that was likely game over; Emmanuel took one bonus just to make sure. Mr Cowan did take the final starter of the game for Nottingham, but none of the bonuses went with it. At the gong, Emmanuel won 175-135.
A fine close match between two decent teams who both deserve to come back one way or another. Unlucky Nottingham, who just let it get away from them at the end, and whose score is right on the borderline for the play-offs; hopefully they'll get another go, but thanks for playing in the mean time. Well done to Emmanuel though; a fine first effort against decent opposition, despite the unsteady start, and very best of luck to them next time.
Mr Meethan was the night's best buzzer with four, while Messrs Hill, Seagull and Barton-Singer all got three for Emmanuel. On the bonuses, Emmanuel converted an OK 17 out of 30, while Nottingham managed 11 out of 26; both sides incurred two penalties and, yet again, all eight players got at least one starter right.
Next week's match: Balliol College Oxford vs Imperial College London
Only Connect saw it's final match of the first half of the first round tonight, and the play-off matches for the first half actually start next week. All will hopefully become clear when I do my usual review tomorrow night.
Emmanuel College Cambridge was founded in 1584, and alumni include novelist Sebastian Faulks, Python star Graham Chapman and dirty old man Rory McGrath. The college, as you'll no doubt know, won the show in 2009-10 thanks to the buzzer brilliance of Alex Guttenplan, who, along with Gail T. the previous year, helped transform UC from niche quiz into must-see telly. This year's foursome, with a lot to live up to, were:
Tom Hill, from London, studying History
Leah Ward, from Oxfordshire, studying Maths
Captain: Bobby Seagull, from East Ham in London, studying Education specialising in Maths
Bruno Barton-Singer, from Wandsworth in London, studying Physics
Nottingham University was founded in the 1920s, becoming a university in 1948, and alumni include writer DH Lawrence and former MI6 head Sir John Sawyers. It has regularly sent teams throughout the BBC era; last year's team won a low scoring first round match before falling in the second round, as well as infuriating Twitter by mistaking Tony Adams for Martin Keown! This year's quartet were:
Joseph Meethan, from Plymouth, studying Viking Studies
Wester van Urk, from Culemborg in the Netherlands, studying Maths
Captain: Hugh Smith, from Brighton, studying International Social Policy
Isaac Cowan, from Ottawa, studying Medicine
Off we set again then, and an immediate slip-up from Emmanuel allowed Mr van Ukr to take the first starter for Nottingham, and two bonuses on Euro coins followed. (No Scotland-Finland confusion this time!) A second penalty reduced Emmanuel to (-10), and Nottingham gave a repeat performance to give them an early 50 point lead, though sadly a bonus set on Wernher von Braun made no mention of Tom Lehrer! Third time lucky, Emmanuel returned to 0 thanks to Mr Seagull, and they also took two bonuses. A second starter went to Mr Meethan, but no bonuses on aquarium fish went the Trentsiders' way. The first picture round, on purpose built capital cities, went to Nottingham, who swept the board, upping their lead to 75-20.
Mr Meethan lost five on the next starter after being beaten by a swerve, allowing Mr Seagull to take the points for Emmanuel, but just one bonus followed. Mr Barton-Singer then took a second starter in a row for the Cambridge side, and a somewhat complicated biochemistry bonus set nonetheless gave them two correct answers. Emmanuel then took a third starter in a row; two bonuses from a complex set on novelists' names (one of which they deliberated for ages on, earning applause when they got it right!) reduced the gap to just five. Mr Meethan increased the lead by taking the next starter, but just one bonus followed this time.
The music round, on operatic duets, went to Nottingham, who couldn't take any of the bonuses, but nonetheless still led 95-65. Emmanuel were now nipping their heels, though, as Mr Seagull took the next starter, and bonuses on Italian history gave us the comedy moment of the night as they indirectly suggested Berlusconi was around in 1861! A starter was dropped, before Miss Ward pulled Nottingham back to within five points, and a full house on the Song of Ice and Fire novel series (aka Game of Thrones) gave them the lead for the first time.
Mr Smith identified the late Sir Christopher Lee for the second picture starter; the bonuses, on film stills of him, gave them two correct answers and the lead back, 115-105. A very quick buzz from Mr Meethan doubled that lead, but just one bonus on European football stadiums followed. Mr Hill now took his first starter of the match, but Emmanuel got nothing from a complicated bonus set.
Mr Hill then took a second starter in a row, and a full bonus set on foreign words that have different meanings in English, gave them a 10-point lead. Mr Cowan took a punt on the next starter, but lost five, and allowed Mr Barton-Singer to take the points, and two literary bonuses. And when Mr Hill took the next starter, that was likely game over; Emmanuel took one bonus just to make sure. Mr Cowan did take the final starter of the game for Nottingham, but none of the bonuses went with it. At the gong, Emmanuel won 175-135.
A fine close match between two decent teams who both deserve to come back one way or another. Unlucky Nottingham, who just let it get away from them at the end, and whose score is right on the borderline for the play-offs; hopefully they'll get another go, but thanks for playing in the mean time. Well done to Emmanuel though; a fine first effort against decent opposition, despite the unsteady start, and very best of luck to them next time.
Mr Meethan was the night's best buzzer with four, while Messrs Hill, Seagull and Barton-Singer all got three for Emmanuel. On the bonuses, Emmanuel converted an OK 17 out of 30, while Nottingham managed 11 out of 26; both sides incurred two penalties and, yet again, all eight players got at least one starter right.
Next week's match: Balliol College Oxford vs Imperial College London
Only Connect saw it's final match of the first half of the first round tonight, and the play-off matches for the first half actually start next week. All will hopefully become clear when I do my usual review tomorrow night.
Thursday, 11 August 2016
Fifteen to One 2.0: Series 6 Final
So, another grand final of Fifteen-to-One 2.0, the second hardest game show ever made, according to UKGS's poll last December.
It's been a low scoring series, with the highest score being Barbara Levy's 191, and the second highest the 152 of Gilly Rawlinson and Steve Clarke. George Scratcherd, UC alumnus, ran up a score of 161 before running out of lives and being ruled out.
Playing in this afternoon's final were: Ms Levy, Lawrence Cook (conqueror of Jim Gratrex), Mr Clarke, Philip Mayall, Ms Rawlinson, Brian Chesney (runner-up in last year's Brain of Britain, amongst other things), Ken Key, Gerry Keen-Haudin, Keith Hutchings, Michael Howarth, Rob Mansfield, Hugh Rowntree, Huw Pritchard (runner-up of OC Series 7 with the Celts), Tom Rowell and Mel Kinsey.
Like last series, only two players, Ms Rawlinson and Mr Rowntree, were knocked out in the first round, but only four progressed to the second round with their three lives intact.
During the second round, most of the attacks seemed to be centered upon Ms Levy, who Sandi, I think rightly, said the other saw as a threat. She was eventually knocked out in 10th place. Several others fell in quick succession, until eventually four players were left, Messrs Cook, Chesney, Key and Pritchard. Ken had control, and chose to target Lawrence, who he nominated twice in a row, and he got both wrong, sending him out 4th.
And so the final three were: Brian Chesney, Ken Key and Huw Pritchard.
The final, as usual, was forty questions all on the buzzer. Ken and Brian both lost a life early on on the same question (the rules having been changed for the final so that wrong answered questions are thrown open to the other players), but the early questions were spread fairly evenly.
Ken then got a second wrong, leaving him with just one life left rather early. Brian then got a second wrong and was too left with one life, leaving Huw the only one with all three. However, all three were soon level on points with 32 each. After this, though, Brian and Huw began to run away together, leaving Ken trailing.
With ten questions to go, Huw was ahead on 92, with Brian on 82 and Ken 62. Brian drew level and then took the lead. Huw drew level again, and it was now probably a two horse race. This was confirmed when Ken got a third wrong, and was knocked out third.
Brian was now ten in front, but Huw still had his three lives left to Brian's one, and there were just five left. The next two were dropped, neither man taking a needless risk. Huw then took the third-last, drawing level. Brian got the penultimate question, meaning it would all be decided on the final question. If Brian got it, he'd win; if Huw got it, he'd win by virtue of having more lives left. Brian got the buzzer first... and got it wrong.
Huw didn't need to answer, but he did anyway, and got it right just to make sure.
And so, after a grand final just about as close and exciting as the previous one, Huw Pritchard is the new champion and won the £40,000! Well done to him, and congrats to Brian and Key too for a great contest.
So that's it for Fifteen-to-One 2.0 for now, but two more series have been commissioned for next year, both fifty shows long if I understand correctly. I am seriously considering putting an application in for one of them, so watch this space.
I'll be back next week with my usual Quizzy Monday review. See you then.
It's been a low scoring series, with the highest score being Barbara Levy's 191, and the second highest the 152 of Gilly Rawlinson and Steve Clarke. George Scratcherd, UC alumnus, ran up a score of 161 before running out of lives and being ruled out.
Playing in this afternoon's final were: Ms Levy, Lawrence Cook (conqueror of Jim Gratrex), Mr Clarke, Philip Mayall, Ms Rawlinson, Brian Chesney (runner-up in last year's Brain of Britain, amongst other things), Ken Key, Gerry Keen-Haudin, Keith Hutchings, Michael Howarth, Rob Mansfield, Hugh Rowntree, Huw Pritchard (runner-up of OC Series 7 with the Celts), Tom Rowell and Mel Kinsey.
Like last series, only two players, Ms Rawlinson and Mr Rowntree, were knocked out in the first round, but only four progressed to the second round with their three lives intact.
During the second round, most of the attacks seemed to be centered upon Ms Levy, who Sandi, I think rightly, said the other saw as a threat. She was eventually knocked out in 10th place. Several others fell in quick succession, until eventually four players were left, Messrs Cook, Chesney, Key and Pritchard. Ken had control, and chose to target Lawrence, who he nominated twice in a row, and he got both wrong, sending him out 4th.
And so the final three were: Brian Chesney, Ken Key and Huw Pritchard.
The final, as usual, was forty questions all on the buzzer. Ken and Brian both lost a life early on on the same question (the rules having been changed for the final so that wrong answered questions are thrown open to the other players), but the early questions were spread fairly evenly.
Ken then got a second wrong, leaving him with just one life left rather early. Brian then got a second wrong and was too left with one life, leaving Huw the only one with all three. However, all three were soon level on points with 32 each. After this, though, Brian and Huw began to run away together, leaving Ken trailing.
With ten questions to go, Huw was ahead on 92, with Brian on 82 and Ken 62. Brian drew level and then took the lead. Huw drew level again, and it was now probably a two horse race. This was confirmed when Ken got a third wrong, and was knocked out third.
Brian was now ten in front, but Huw still had his three lives left to Brian's one, and there were just five left. The next two were dropped, neither man taking a needless risk. Huw then took the third-last, drawing level. Brian got the penultimate question, meaning it would all be decided on the final question. If Brian got it, he'd win; if Huw got it, he'd win by virtue of having more lives left. Brian got the buzzer first... and got it wrong.
Huw didn't need to answer, but he did anyway, and got it right just to make sure.
And so, after a grand final just about as close and exciting as the previous one, Huw Pritchard is the new champion and won the £40,000! Well done to him, and congrats to Brian and Key too for a great contest.
So that's it for Fifteen-to-One 2.0 for now, but two more series have been commissioned for next year, both fifty shows long if I understand correctly. I am seriously considering putting an application in for one of them, so watch this space.
I'll be back next week with my usual Quizzy Monday review. See you then.
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
Only Connect Series 12: Group A Round 1: Match 5: Shutterbugs vs Highgates
So, on to Only Connect. The task for tonight's teams: win, or failing that, lose with a score of 14 or more to guarantee a return in the play-offs. Playing last night were the Shutterbugs, Jasmine Leonard, Adam Ardron and captain Jenny Skene, and the Highgates, John Aldersey-Williams, Stephen Bowden and captain Tom Bannatyne.
Round 1. The Shutterbugs went first, and kicked the show off with Water: 'Icelandic: Bra Bra', then 'Danish: Rap Rap', then 'French: Coin Coin'; at this point they offered noises made by telephones in those languages. Not right. The final clue the Highgates saw was win Greek, so I can't really retype it here, but they correctly identified them as being what a duck makes in those languages for a bonus. For their own first question, the Highgates chose Twisted Flax: 'Cot', then 'Holland', then 'Chira', and finally 'Bonapart'. They identified that adding a letter to the end of the clues all gave the name of a French president (Coty, Hollande, Chirac, Bonaparte) The Shutterbugs chose Two Reeds next, and got the music set: we heard Word Up by Cameo, then Golden Earring's classic Radar Love, then a song by Jesus and Mary Chain, and finally Manic Monday by the Bangles. They offered 'jewelry' correctly for a point. The Highgates chose Lion next: 'Gilbert Chilvers (A Private Function)', then 'Brian Hope/Sister Euphemia (Nuns on the Run)', then 'Man with Rock (Jabberwocky)'; they offered 'roles played by Monty Python actors', which was correct for two points. The Shutterbugs chose Eye of Horus next: 'Penthouse (2016)', then 'Auto Trader (2013)', then 'The Dandy (2012)'; they offered 'magazines and the year they ceased publication', which was close enough, the correct answer being the year they went online only. Left with Horned Viper, the Highgates got the picture set, and saw comedian Rhys Darby, then actress Jennifer Ehle, then Angela Rippon, and finally Adrian Lester. They got it at the final one: their names are all homophones of citys in the UK. At the end of the first round, the Highgates led 5-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Shutterbugs kicked off the round with Horned Viper: 'Lead', then 'A copper', and then 'Palladium'. They didn't see it, their opponents did: a gym class completes the set. They are Pb, (a) PC, Pd and PE. Excellent question. For their own question, the Highgates chose Eye of Horus: 'RightsFlow', then 'YouTube', and then 'Google'. This time, they didn't get it, but the opposition did: 'Alphabet' completes the set, as each clue is the parent company of the previous one. For their own question, the Shutterbugs chose Lion: '5th: Johnson', then '3rd=: Underwood and Dallaglio'; they spotted the link to be the most capped rugby players, but their answer of '1st: Wilkinson' was wrong. The Highgates saw '2nd: Wilkinson', and offered '1st: Leonard' for a bonus. For their own question, the Highgates chose Twisted Flax, and got the picture set: we saw the author Dodie Smith, then Dodi Fayed, and then the crest of the Department of Defense. Neither team identified Smith or Fayed and thus didn't get it. The musical note 'Do' can complete the set that's pretty obvious when written out. For their final choice, the Shutterbugs chose Two Reeds: 'Outstanding Production', then 'Outstanding Motion Picture'; at this point they spotted it to be what the Best Picture Oscar was formerly called, but took the third clue of 'Best Motion Picture' before offering 'Best Picture' for two points. Left with Water, the Highgates saw 'Sant Francesc', then 'Vila d'Eivissa', and then 'Mahon'. They spotted it to be the capitals of the Balearic Islands in increasing order of size, and offered 'Palma' for two points. At the end of the second round, the Highgates led 9-6.
On to the Walls. The Highgates went first, and chose the Water wall. It was a tough wall. Very tough indeed. They spotted numerous links, but couldn't isolate any of the sets. They eventually ran out of time, and had to pick up bonus connection points. 'Frenchman's Creek', 'Jamaica Inn', 'The Birds' and 'The Scapegoat' are works by Daphne du Maurier, which they got, 'Eve', 'Rebecca', 'Bathsheba' and 'Tamar' are women in the Old Testament, which they didn't get, 'Otter', 'Exe', 'Torridge' and 'Dart' are rivers in Devon, they they did get, while 'Harbour', 'Cheque', 'Theatre' and 'Axe' are words spelt differently in the States, which they didn't. Just two points there.
The Shutterbugs thus had a real chance if they could make the most of the Lion wall. This wall was not much better though. They did, however, manage one set: 'Bottle', 'Nerve', 'Pluck' and 'Spunk' are words for courage. They couldn't untangle anything else, and thus had to also pick up bonus points. 'Dishwater', 'Ash', 'Platinum' and 'Strawberry' are shades of blonde, which they got, 'Crossing', 'Grit', 'Arizona' and 'Proxy' are Coen Brothers films, which they didn't get, while 'Atom-probe-field-ion', 'Dissecting', 'Simple' and 'Electron' are microscopes, which they also missed. So just three there, which gave the Highgates an 11-9 lead going into the final round.
So Missing Vowels would decide the game. 'Breeds of British sheep' went to the Shutterbugs 2-(-1), giving them the lead. 'Brand names for food with holes', such as 'CHEERIOS', went to the Shutterbugs 2-1. 'Times of day', such as 'TWENTY-FIVE TO FIVE', went to the Shutterbugs 2-0, and that was time. The Shutterbugs won 15-11.
A good match with both teams hampered by two very tough walls, the toughest I've seen in a while. Unlucky Highgates, whose score sadly isn't enough to bring them back, but well done anyway on a gallant effort. Well done Shutterbugs, and best of luck next time!
Next week's match: Korfballers vs Channel Islanders
Round 1. The Shutterbugs went first, and kicked the show off with Water: 'Icelandic: Bra Bra', then 'Danish: Rap Rap', then 'French: Coin Coin'; at this point they offered noises made by telephones in those languages. Not right. The final clue the Highgates saw was win Greek, so I can't really retype it here, but they correctly identified them as being what a duck makes in those languages for a bonus. For their own first question, the Highgates chose Twisted Flax: 'Cot', then 'Holland', then 'Chira', and finally 'Bonapart'. They identified that adding a letter to the end of the clues all gave the name of a French president (Coty, Hollande, Chirac, Bonaparte) The Shutterbugs chose Two Reeds next, and got the music set: we heard Word Up by Cameo, then Golden Earring's classic Radar Love, then a song by Jesus and Mary Chain, and finally Manic Monday by the Bangles. They offered 'jewelry' correctly for a point. The Highgates chose Lion next: 'Gilbert Chilvers (A Private Function)', then 'Brian Hope/Sister Euphemia (Nuns on the Run)', then 'Man with Rock (Jabberwocky)'; they offered 'roles played by Monty Python actors', which was correct for two points. The Shutterbugs chose Eye of Horus next: 'Penthouse (2016)', then 'Auto Trader (2013)', then 'The Dandy (2012)'; they offered 'magazines and the year they ceased publication', which was close enough, the correct answer being the year they went online only. Left with Horned Viper, the Highgates got the picture set, and saw comedian Rhys Darby, then actress Jennifer Ehle, then Angela Rippon, and finally Adrian Lester. They got it at the final one: their names are all homophones of citys in the UK. At the end of the first round, the Highgates led 5-3.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Shutterbugs kicked off the round with Horned Viper: 'Lead', then 'A copper', and then 'Palladium'. They didn't see it, their opponents did: a gym class completes the set. They are Pb, (a) PC, Pd and PE. Excellent question. For their own question, the Highgates chose Eye of Horus: 'RightsFlow', then 'YouTube', and then 'Google'. This time, they didn't get it, but the opposition did: 'Alphabet' completes the set, as each clue is the parent company of the previous one. For their own question, the Shutterbugs chose Lion: '5th: Johnson', then '3rd=: Underwood and Dallaglio'; they spotted the link to be the most capped rugby players, but their answer of '1st: Wilkinson' was wrong. The Highgates saw '2nd: Wilkinson', and offered '1st: Leonard' for a bonus. For their own question, the Highgates chose Twisted Flax, and got the picture set: we saw the author Dodie Smith, then Dodi Fayed, and then the crest of the Department of Defense. Neither team identified Smith or Fayed and thus didn't get it. The musical note 'Do' can complete the set that's pretty obvious when written out. For their final choice, the Shutterbugs chose Two Reeds: 'Outstanding Production', then 'Outstanding Motion Picture'; at this point they spotted it to be what the Best Picture Oscar was formerly called, but took the third clue of 'Best Motion Picture' before offering 'Best Picture' for two points. Left with Water, the Highgates saw 'Sant Francesc', then 'Vila d'Eivissa', and then 'Mahon'. They spotted it to be the capitals of the Balearic Islands in increasing order of size, and offered 'Palma' for two points. At the end of the second round, the Highgates led 9-6.
On to the Walls. The Highgates went first, and chose the Water wall. It was a tough wall. Very tough indeed. They spotted numerous links, but couldn't isolate any of the sets. They eventually ran out of time, and had to pick up bonus connection points. 'Frenchman's Creek', 'Jamaica Inn', 'The Birds' and 'The Scapegoat' are works by Daphne du Maurier, which they got, 'Eve', 'Rebecca', 'Bathsheba' and 'Tamar' are women in the Old Testament, which they didn't get, 'Otter', 'Exe', 'Torridge' and 'Dart' are rivers in Devon, they they did get, while 'Harbour', 'Cheque', 'Theatre' and 'Axe' are words spelt differently in the States, which they didn't. Just two points there.
The Shutterbugs thus had a real chance if they could make the most of the Lion wall. This wall was not much better though. They did, however, manage one set: 'Bottle', 'Nerve', 'Pluck' and 'Spunk' are words for courage. They couldn't untangle anything else, and thus had to also pick up bonus points. 'Dishwater', 'Ash', 'Platinum' and 'Strawberry' are shades of blonde, which they got, 'Crossing', 'Grit', 'Arizona' and 'Proxy' are Coen Brothers films, which they didn't get, while 'Atom-probe-field-ion', 'Dissecting', 'Simple' and 'Electron' are microscopes, which they also missed. So just three there, which gave the Highgates an 11-9 lead going into the final round.
So Missing Vowels would decide the game. 'Breeds of British sheep' went to the Shutterbugs 2-(-1), giving them the lead. 'Brand names for food with holes', such as 'CHEERIOS', went to the Shutterbugs 2-1. 'Times of day', such as 'TWENTY-FIVE TO FIVE', went to the Shutterbugs 2-0, and that was time. The Shutterbugs won 15-11.
A good match with both teams hampered by two very tough walls, the toughest I've seen in a while. Unlucky Highgates, whose score sadly isn't enough to bring them back, but well done anyway on a gallant effort. Well done Shutterbugs, and best of luck next time!
Next week's match: Korfballers vs Channel Islanders
Monday, 8 August 2016
University Challenge 2016-17: Round 1: Match 5: Oriel vs Manchester
Evening all. An early start today due to the Olympics being moved to BBC2 to allow EastEnders to be shown on BBC1. Thankfully, most of the Twittersphere made it on time. And well done to our old friend James Gratrex, who finished third in this afternoon's Fifteen-to-One 2.0; the final of that is on Thursday, and I will of course recap it at some point. On with tonight.
Oriel College Oxford is one of Oxford's oldest colleges, founded in 1326. Alumni include historian AJP Taylor, maths genius Rachel Riley and quiz legend David Stainer, who captained the Oriel side that finished second in UC in 98-99. They were runners-up again the following year, but their most recent performance before tonight, in 2003-04, was a heavy first round defeat. This year's foursome were:
Eoin Monaghan, from Banbridge in County Down, studying PPE
Alec Siantonas, from Cambridge, studying Philosophy
Captain: Nathan Helms, from Dallas, studying Philosophy
Tobias Thornes, from Worcestershire, studying Atmospheric Physics
Manchester University has been nicknamed by WW 'the Team Everyone Wants to Beat', due to its exceptional record on UC in the ten years from the merge with UMIST in 2004, winning four times (once by default after that disqualification, of course) and reaching at least the semis every other time. The bubble has deflated in the past two years though, with defeats in the second round two years ago, and the first last year. No doubt hoping to re-establish the formidable reputation were this year's quartet of:
Aaron Morrison-Griffiths, from Liverpool, studying Medicine
Jane Scanlon, from Reading, studying Linguistics
Captain: Joseph Bath, from Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, studying Physics with Philosophy
Owen Michael, from Colwyn Bay, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and Mr Michael took the first starter of the night for Manchester, and two bonuses on women born in the 1870s. Mr Michael then lost five after misunderstanding the question; Oriel couldn't capitalise, but Mr Thornes promptly opened the Oxford side's account, and all three bonuses on Germanic tribes. Another misunderstanding saw Manchester miss another starter, and they then lost another five; Mr Monaghan (another Countdown alumnus, runner-up of the Autumn 2010 series) took the points, but just one bonus followed this time. The first picture round, on equations and their eponymous formulators, went to Manchester, who took one, which reduced their deficit to 40-25.
Mr Siantonas moved the Oxford side further ahead, and a bonus set of declarations of love in 19th century literature saw Paxo struggle to keep a straight face numerous times! Two were taken. Another penalty dropped Manchester further back, and allowed Mr Monaghan to take the points; the resultant bonuses on the 80s miners strike gave us the second best comedy moment of the night, with them suggesting a Mr D. Trump was involved! (I got Arthur Scargill and Sir Ian MacGregor) Mr Bath brought Manchester back into proceedings, and the old trick of saying the same thing to all three bonuses earned them five points on the final one!
The music starter saw Mr Siantonas give us the best comedy moment of the night by mistaking Bo Diddley for Cole Porter! ("COLE PORTER?!") The bonuses, on tracks written around the Bo Diddley beat, eventually went to Oriel, who dropped all three (though they were unlucky to offer Wham! instead of George Michael), but they still led 85-35. Mr Helms upped that lead by taking the next starter, and two bonuses took them into triple figures. A penalty then allowed Manchester to regain possession, and they took one bonus on opera. An unlucky penalty then cost Oriel another five and allowed Manchester a second starter in a row; a full bonus set on chemical elements cut the gap to just twenty going into the final round.
The second picture round, on paintings acquired by the Art Fund, went to Oriel, who took two, which increased the lead to 115-75. That gap increased when Mr Helms took the next starter, and again when they took two bonuses. Manchester would have to go for it were they to catch up now.
Mr Michael buzzed on the next starter, but no answer came, and the floor was immediately thrown over to Oriel; when Mr Monaghan took the points, that was game over. Just the one bonus followed, but it didn't really matter now. Manchester did take the next starter, but they didn't quite make it to triple figures, taking two bonuses. The next starter was asked, but the gong meant no-one got a chance to answer. Oriel won 150-95.
A decent match despite the low scores. Unlucky Manchester, who, for the third year in a row, were undone on the buzzer despite showing some promise when they did get in, but thanks for taking part anyway. Well done Oriel though, and best of luck in the next round!
Messrs Monaghan and Siantonas were joint best buzzers of the night with three starters each, while Messrs Bath and Michael were joint best for Manchester with three. On the bonuses, Oriel converted a decent 14 out of 27 (with two penalties), while Manchester managed an also decent 10 out of 18 (with three penalties), and, for the fourth time this series, all eight players got at least one starter right.
Next week's match: Emmanuel College Cambridge (returning for the first time since Guttenplan-mania) vs Nottingham
Only Connect was in it's usual time slot tonight, and it was another odd match with some very tough walls. More info tomorrow.
Oriel College Oxford is one of Oxford's oldest colleges, founded in 1326. Alumni include historian AJP Taylor, maths genius Rachel Riley and quiz legend David Stainer, who captained the Oriel side that finished second in UC in 98-99. They were runners-up again the following year, but their most recent performance before tonight, in 2003-04, was a heavy first round defeat. This year's foursome were:
Eoin Monaghan, from Banbridge in County Down, studying PPE
Alec Siantonas, from Cambridge, studying Philosophy
Captain: Nathan Helms, from Dallas, studying Philosophy
Tobias Thornes, from Worcestershire, studying Atmospheric Physics
Manchester University has been nicknamed by WW 'the Team Everyone Wants to Beat', due to its exceptional record on UC in the ten years from the merge with UMIST in 2004, winning four times (once by default after that disqualification, of course) and reaching at least the semis every other time. The bubble has deflated in the past two years though, with defeats in the second round two years ago, and the first last year. No doubt hoping to re-establish the formidable reputation were this year's quartet of:
Aaron Morrison-Griffiths, from Liverpool, studying Medicine
Jane Scanlon, from Reading, studying Linguistics
Captain: Joseph Bath, from Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, studying Physics with Philosophy
Owen Michael, from Colwyn Bay, studying Maths
Off we set again then, and Mr Michael took the first starter of the night for Manchester, and two bonuses on women born in the 1870s. Mr Michael then lost five after misunderstanding the question; Oriel couldn't capitalise, but Mr Thornes promptly opened the Oxford side's account, and all three bonuses on Germanic tribes. Another misunderstanding saw Manchester miss another starter, and they then lost another five; Mr Monaghan (another Countdown alumnus, runner-up of the Autumn 2010 series) took the points, but just one bonus followed this time. The first picture round, on equations and their eponymous formulators, went to Manchester, who took one, which reduced their deficit to 40-25.
Mr Siantonas moved the Oxford side further ahead, and a bonus set of declarations of love in 19th century literature saw Paxo struggle to keep a straight face numerous times! Two were taken. Another penalty dropped Manchester further back, and allowed Mr Monaghan to take the points; the resultant bonuses on the 80s miners strike gave us the second best comedy moment of the night, with them suggesting a Mr D. Trump was involved! (I got Arthur Scargill and Sir Ian MacGregor) Mr Bath brought Manchester back into proceedings, and the old trick of saying the same thing to all three bonuses earned them five points on the final one!
The music starter saw Mr Siantonas give us the best comedy moment of the night by mistaking Bo Diddley for Cole Porter! ("COLE PORTER?!") The bonuses, on tracks written around the Bo Diddley beat, eventually went to Oriel, who dropped all three (though they were unlucky to offer Wham! instead of George Michael), but they still led 85-35. Mr Helms upped that lead by taking the next starter, and two bonuses took them into triple figures. A penalty then allowed Manchester to regain possession, and they took one bonus on opera. An unlucky penalty then cost Oriel another five and allowed Manchester a second starter in a row; a full bonus set on chemical elements cut the gap to just twenty going into the final round.
The second picture round, on paintings acquired by the Art Fund, went to Oriel, who took two, which increased the lead to 115-75. That gap increased when Mr Helms took the next starter, and again when they took two bonuses. Manchester would have to go for it were they to catch up now.
Mr Michael buzzed on the next starter, but no answer came, and the floor was immediately thrown over to Oriel; when Mr Monaghan took the points, that was game over. Just the one bonus followed, but it didn't really matter now. Manchester did take the next starter, but they didn't quite make it to triple figures, taking two bonuses. The next starter was asked, but the gong meant no-one got a chance to answer. Oriel won 150-95.
A decent match despite the low scores. Unlucky Manchester, who, for the third year in a row, were undone on the buzzer despite showing some promise when they did get in, but thanks for taking part anyway. Well done Oriel though, and best of luck in the next round!
Messrs Monaghan and Siantonas were joint best buzzers of the night with three starters each, while Messrs Bath and Michael were joint best for Manchester with three. On the bonuses, Oriel converted a decent 14 out of 27 (with two penalties), while Manchester managed an also decent 10 out of 18 (with three penalties), and, for the fourth time this series, all eight players got at least one starter right.
Next week's match: Emmanuel College Cambridge (returning for the first time since Guttenplan-mania) vs Nottingham
Only Connect was in it's usual time slot tonight, and it was another odd match with some very tough walls. More info tomorrow.
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
Only Connect Series 12: Group A Round 1: Match 4: Networkers vs Cousins
OK, I think we've all got the hang of the play-off system now. If this week's runners-up scored 19 or more, then they'd definitely be coming back in the play-offs. Playing this week were the Networkers, Frank Little, David Collison and captain Harriet Courtney, and the Cousins, Michael Cannon, his cousin Emma Reeves and her cousin captain David Whitley. As I said yesterday, two distinguished UC alumni here: Ms Courtney was captain of the Open University team that finished second in 96-97 (and have the two highest scores of the BBC era under their belts too), while Mr Whitley was part of the Corpus Christi College Oxford team that won in 04-05 (and weren't later disqualified).
Round 1. The Cousins went first, and kicked the night off with Eye of Horus: '...Duck', then '...House', then '...Builder', and finally '...Gabler'. At the last second, they spotted that they are the final word of Ibsen play titles for a point. The Networkers kicked off the night with Horned Viper, and got the picture set: we saw Yohan Blake first, and then, most unfortunate, Ms Courtney buzzed by mistake and they were forced to come up with an answer. They guessed wrong. (That rule really needs to be tweaked IMO) The Cousins saw the remaining pics, which were Aleister Crowley, a black limo and Mark Labbett. They didn't spot it either: they are all nicknamed 'the Beast'. (The limo being the US presidential car) The Cousins chose Twisted Flax next: 'Henry Bowers', then 'Edgar Evans', then 'Edward Wilson', and finally 'Titus Oates'. They wrongly guessed 'second-in-commands of polar expeditions', which was wrong. Their opponents identified them as members of Scott's ill-fated South Pole expedition and took a bonus. For their own question, the Networkers chose Lion: 'Cafetiere', then 'Condom', then 'Eggy bread', and finally 'Chips'. They offered 'soldiers', which was clever but wrong. The Cousins knew they are all alternatively called French something, for a bonus. (French press, French letter, French toast, French fries) For their own question, the Cousins chose Two Reeds, and got the music question: they didn't recognise any of the pieces except the final one, which was Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, and thus didn't get it. The other clues were Long Black Veil, Leonard Cohen's Famous Blue Raincoat, and The Red Shoes, so coloured clothing is the connection. Left with Water, the Networkers saw 'Inigo Montoya', then 'Victor Laszlo', then 'Harry Potter', and finally 'Tony Montana'. They didn't know, nor did their opponents: they are all noted for facial scars. At the end of a tough first round, the Cousins led 2-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Cousins began the round with Water: '2010 - Corey Pavin', then '2012 - Davis Love III', and then '2014 - Tom Watson'. They spotted them to be golfers, but didn't get the link, nor did their opponents. They are captains of US Ryder Cup teams, and Davis Love III will captain again later this year, so '2016 - Davis Love III' completes the set. The Networkers chose Eye of Horus next: 'The Shop Around the Corner (film)', then 'In the Good Old Summertime (film)', and then 'She Loves Me (musical)'; they spotted them to be remakes of the other, and correctly guessed 'You Got Mail' for two points. The first clue is a remake of the Hungarian play 'Parfumerie', and the remaining clues are remakes of the previous. The Cousins chose Two Reeds next, and got the picture set: we saw Jethro Tull, the a toll booth, and then a till. They spotted it to be tull, toll, till, and correctly offered William Tell for two points. The Networkers chose Twisted Flax next, and got a music question: we heard 'I Second That Emotion' by Smokey Robinson, then the Minute Waltz (aka the Just a Minute theme), and then 'In the Midnight Hour' by Wilson Pickett. They spotted it to be periods of time in increasing order, and offered 'Lovely Day' by Bill Withers, which was accepted for two points. (Sadly, VCM has brought back the enforced singalongs! Maybe Gerard Mackay should return to the show as resident missing music piece singer!) For their final choice, the Cousins chose Lion: '2005: South Thanet', then '2006: Bromley and Chislehurst) '; they spotted it to be seats contested by Nigel Farage, but didn't offer the right answer. Their opponents saw '2010: Buckingham', but didn't get there either. '2015: South Thanet' completes the sequence. Left with Horned Viper, the Networkers saw 'Base 9', then 'Korf 8'; they spotted it to be ball games with the number of players on each time, but their answer of 'Net 6' wasn't acceptable. The Cousins saw 'Net 7', but 'Basket 6' was wrong too. 'Volley 6' would acceptably complete the sequence. At the end of the second round, the Networkers led 5-4.
On to the Walls. The Networkers went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. After spotting some links, they tried to solve some sets, but were unsuccessful until they finally isolated 'Wraith', 'Carmargue', 'Corniche' and 'Silver Ghost', which are Rolls Royce cars. They then slotted in 'Aspects', 'Superstar', 'Phantom' and 'Starlight', which feature in the titles of Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals. They looked over what was left and worked out the remaining groups: 'Spook', 'Shade', 'Spectre' and 'Revenant' are types of ghost, but they didn't know the connection between 'Trouble', 'Franco', 'Neuron' and 'Boulevard', which all have currencies hidden in them. Seven points there.
The Cousins were left to untangle the Lion wall. They spotted some links, but had trouble isolating the groups. They eventually isolated 'Nehru', 'Donkey', 'Harrington' and 'Dinner', which are types of jacket. They couldn't work the rest of it out in time, and thus had to take bonus points from the unsolved groups. 'Cabbage', 'Combusted', 'Amusement' and 'Brose' all have pop groups hidden in their names, which they didn't get, 'Caravan', 'Science', 'Safari' and 'Country' can all precede 'Park', which they did get, while 'Chrome', 'Torch', 'Opera' and 'Edge' are Internet browsers, which they also got. Four points there, which left them trailing 12-8 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels would decide the show. 'Electoral systems' went to the Networkers 2-1. 'Cliched depictions of Victorian London' went to the Networkers 3-1. 'Twins' went to the Cousins 3-1. 'Measures of volume' was announced, but time ran out before any clues could emerge. The Networkers won 18-13.
A tough match with both teams struggling throughout. Unlucky Cousins, but maybe 13 will bring you back, we'll have to wait and see what happens next week and the week after, but thanks for playing for now. Well done Networkers, and best of luck next time.
Next week's match: Shutterbugs vs Highgates
Round 1. The Cousins went first, and kicked the night off with Eye of Horus: '...Duck', then '...House', then '...Builder', and finally '...Gabler'. At the last second, they spotted that they are the final word of Ibsen play titles for a point. The Networkers kicked off the night with Horned Viper, and got the picture set: we saw Yohan Blake first, and then, most unfortunate, Ms Courtney buzzed by mistake and they were forced to come up with an answer. They guessed wrong. (That rule really needs to be tweaked IMO) The Cousins saw the remaining pics, which were Aleister Crowley, a black limo and Mark Labbett. They didn't spot it either: they are all nicknamed 'the Beast'. (The limo being the US presidential car) The Cousins chose Twisted Flax next: 'Henry Bowers', then 'Edgar Evans', then 'Edward Wilson', and finally 'Titus Oates'. They wrongly guessed 'second-in-commands of polar expeditions', which was wrong. Their opponents identified them as members of Scott's ill-fated South Pole expedition and took a bonus. For their own question, the Networkers chose Lion: 'Cafetiere', then 'Condom', then 'Eggy bread', and finally 'Chips'. They offered 'soldiers', which was clever but wrong. The Cousins knew they are all alternatively called French something, for a bonus. (French press, French letter, French toast, French fries) For their own question, the Cousins chose Two Reeds, and got the music question: they didn't recognise any of the pieces except the final one, which was Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, and thus didn't get it. The other clues were Long Black Veil, Leonard Cohen's Famous Blue Raincoat, and The Red Shoes, so coloured clothing is the connection. Left with Water, the Networkers saw 'Inigo Montoya', then 'Victor Laszlo', then 'Harry Potter', and finally 'Tony Montana'. They didn't know, nor did their opponents: they are all noted for facial scars. At the end of a tough first round, the Cousins led 2-1.
Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Cousins began the round with Water: '2010 - Corey Pavin', then '2012 - Davis Love III', and then '2014 - Tom Watson'. They spotted them to be golfers, but didn't get the link, nor did their opponents. They are captains of US Ryder Cup teams, and Davis Love III will captain again later this year, so '2016 - Davis Love III' completes the set. The Networkers chose Eye of Horus next: 'The Shop Around the Corner (film)', then 'In the Good Old Summertime (film)', and then 'She Loves Me (musical)'; they spotted them to be remakes of the other, and correctly guessed 'You Got Mail' for two points. The first clue is a remake of the Hungarian play 'Parfumerie', and the remaining clues are remakes of the previous. The Cousins chose Two Reeds next, and got the picture set: we saw Jethro Tull, the a toll booth, and then a till. They spotted it to be tull, toll, till, and correctly offered William Tell for two points. The Networkers chose Twisted Flax next, and got a music question: we heard 'I Second That Emotion' by Smokey Robinson, then the Minute Waltz (aka the Just a Minute theme), and then 'In the Midnight Hour' by Wilson Pickett. They spotted it to be periods of time in increasing order, and offered 'Lovely Day' by Bill Withers, which was accepted for two points. (Sadly, VCM has brought back the enforced singalongs! Maybe Gerard Mackay should return to the show as resident missing music piece singer!) For their final choice, the Cousins chose Lion: '2005: South Thanet', then '2006: Bromley and Chislehurst) '; they spotted it to be seats contested by Nigel Farage, but didn't offer the right answer. Their opponents saw '2010: Buckingham', but didn't get there either. '2015: South Thanet' completes the sequence. Left with Horned Viper, the Networkers saw 'Base 9', then 'Korf 8'; they spotted it to be ball games with the number of players on each time, but their answer of 'Net 6' wasn't acceptable. The Cousins saw 'Net 7', but 'Basket 6' was wrong too. 'Volley 6' would acceptably complete the sequence. At the end of the second round, the Networkers led 5-4.
On to the Walls. The Networkers went first, and chose to tackle the Water wall. After spotting some links, they tried to solve some sets, but were unsuccessful until they finally isolated 'Wraith', 'Carmargue', 'Corniche' and 'Silver Ghost', which are Rolls Royce cars. They then slotted in 'Aspects', 'Superstar', 'Phantom' and 'Starlight', which feature in the titles of Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals. They looked over what was left and worked out the remaining groups: 'Spook', 'Shade', 'Spectre' and 'Revenant' are types of ghost, but they didn't know the connection between 'Trouble', 'Franco', 'Neuron' and 'Boulevard', which all have currencies hidden in them. Seven points there.
The Cousins were left to untangle the Lion wall. They spotted some links, but had trouble isolating the groups. They eventually isolated 'Nehru', 'Donkey', 'Harrington' and 'Dinner', which are types of jacket. They couldn't work the rest of it out in time, and thus had to take bonus points from the unsolved groups. 'Cabbage', 'Combusted', 'Amusement' and 'Brose' all have pop groups hidden in their names, which they didn't get, 'Caravan', 'Science', 'Safari' and 'Country' can all precede 'Park', which they did get, while 'Chrome', 'Torch', 'Opera' and 'Edge' are Internet browsers, which they also got. Four points there, which left them trailing 12-8 going into the final round.
So, Missing Vowels would decide the show. 'Electoral systems' went to the Networkers 2-1. 'Cliched depictions of Victorian London' went to the Networkers 3-1. 'Twins' went to the Cousins 3-1. 'Measures of volume' was announced, but time ran out before any clues could emerge. The Networkers won 18-13.
A tough match with both teams struggling throughout. Unlucky Cousins, but maybe 13 will bring you back, we'll have to wait and see what happens next week and the week after, but thanks for playing for now. Well done Networkers, and best of luck next time.
Next week's match: Shutterbugs vs Highgates
Monday, 1 August 2016
University Challenge 2016-17: Round 1: Match 4: Queens' vs Peterhouse
Evening all. So, after last week's Countdownfest, what was Quizzy Mondays have to offer this week? The answer is two distinguished UC alumni on OC, and a Cambridge derby on UC. The second year in a row we've had one in the first round. And hopefully this one wouldn't be overshadowed by any controversial vest wearers!
Queens' College Cambridge was founded and refounded by two queens of England in 1448 and 1465 respectively, hence the apostrophe placing. Alumni include Renaissance scholar Erasmus, Labour rebel Liz Kendall and retired panel show host Stephen Fry. It last sent a team to UC three series ago, who reached the second round before getting trounced by Manchester. This year's foursome were:
Sam Booth, from Greenford in London, studying Maths
Lorenzo Venturini, from Italy, studying Engineering
Captain: Frank Syvret, from Evesham in Worcestershire, studying Physics
Daniel Adamson, from Cambridge, studying History
Peterhouse Cambridge is thought to be the oldest college in Cambridge, founded in 1284. Alumni include scientists Lord Kelvin and James Clerk Maxwell, computing pioneer Charles Babbage and not yet retired panel show host David Mitchell. They are, of course, the current champions, having triumphed last year and become Twitter legends in the process. This year's quartet, with a lot to live up to, were:
Ephraim Jacob Jacobus Levinson, from London, studying English
Oliver Sweetenham, from Hinksey in Oxfordshire, studying English Literature
Captain: Natasha Voake, from New York, studying Linguistics
Xiao Lin, from Loughborough, studying Chemical Engineering
Off we set again then, and Mr Lin got the reigning champs off the mark first, and they took two bonuses on fictional detectives. Queens' very unluckily lost five on the next starter, Mr Adamson buzzing in after Paxo appeared to have finished talking, only for there to be a bit extra afterwards. We'll dwell no further on that, as I'm trying to be positive. Peterhouse didn't take the points, but Miss Voake took the next starter, and a full bonus set on the Mighty Five Russian composers. Queens' returned to positive figures thanks to Mr Syvret, and they too took a full bonus set on African geography. A quick buzz gave Peterhouse back possession, but just one bonus followed this time. The first picture round, on maps depicting drainage basins of major European rivers, went to Peterhouse, who took one bonus, which upped their lead to 75-20.
Mr Booth took Queens' back into the game with the next starter, and got a great reaction from Paxo for suggesting the Eiger is part of the Tour de France route! They took the other two bonuses, but got nothing from their next bonus set on the musings of Gore Vidal. (No mention of his dressing down of David Dimbleby on US election night eight years ago!) Peterhouse had also lost five by now, but Mr Levinson took the next starter, but a tricky set of bonuses on the Internet only gave them one right answer.
The music round, on pieces played on opening night of the first ever Proms, went to Peterhouse, who took just the one bonus again, but still led 100-50. Mr Sweetenham increased the lead with the next starter, and a full bonus set on women's football followed. In danger of being left behind, Queens' pounced on a Peterhouse slip-up and took two bonuses on inventors, unluckily missing the other. Mr Sweetenham resumed Peterhouse's progress, but nothing came from a tricky microbiology set. A bonus set on cricket also got them nowhere, with Paxo rather meanly rubbing in their ignorance of the subject!
The second picture round, on authors who used a pen name, went to Peterhouse, who took two bonuses, which increased their lead to 160-70. Queens' now had to go for it if they were to catch up/reach the repechage. A starter from Mr Syvret was a step in the right direction, as was a full set of bonuses on ages of world leaders. Mr Syvret took a second starter in a row, taking them into triple figures, but a tricky bonus set on chemistry only got them one correct answer.
Queens' now seemed to have built up a head of steam, though; Mr Adamson took a third starter in a row, and (what looked like) an educated guess gave them one bonus. Peterhouse had a chance to put the game out of reach, but Mr Lin's answer was wrong; Mr Venturini's was right, and Queens' were just twenty-five behind now. But when they dropped all the bonuses from the resultant set, that was most likely game over. Mr Venturini took a final starter, and the side took a final bonus, before the gong cut them off. Peterhouse won, 160-150.
A good match between two decent teams both of whom deserve to come back. Unlucky Queens', who just left it too late to gather momentum, but 150 should hopefully be enough for the repechage, so lets hope that early penalty doesn't prove costly and they deservedly get another go. Well done to Peterhouse, though; despite that late slump, a fair first effort and best of luck to them next time.
Mr Levinson was the best buzzer of the night with five starters, while Messrs Syvret and Adamson were joint best for Queens' with three each. On the bonuses, Queens' converted a decent 13 out of 25 (with that one penalty), while Peterhouse managed a not-so-good 12 out of 30 (with two penalties), which they'll probably need to improve on next time. For the third time this series, though, all eight players got at least one starter correct.
Next week's match: Oriel College Oxford vs Manchester, at the earlier time of 7:30, so that the Olympics can be shifted to BBC2 at 8 to satisfy the EastEnders fans unhappy about the show being shifted around due to sport. Only Connect is at the usual time, though.
Tonight's Only Connect was a rather slow affair which picked up late on. More info tomorrow.
Queens' College Cambridge was founded and refounded by two queens of England in 1448 and 1465 respectively, hence the apostrophe placing. Alumni include Renaissance scholar Erasmus, Labour rebel Liz Kendall and retired panel show host Stephen Fry. It last sent a team to UC three series ago, who reached the second round before getting trounced by Manchester. This year's foursome were:
Sam Booth, from Greenford in London, studying Maths
Lorenzo Venturini, from Italy, studying Engineering
Captain: Frank Syvret, from Evesham in Worcestershire, studying Physics
Daniel Adamson, from Cambridge, studying History
Peterhouse Cambridge is thought to be the oldest college in Cambridge, founded in 1284. Alumni include scientists Lord Kelvin and James Clerk Maxwell, computing pioneer Charles Babbage and not yet retired panel show host David Mitchell. They are, of course, the current champions, having triumphed last year and become Twitter legends in the process. This year's quartet, with a lot to live up to, were:
Ephraim Jacob Jacobus Levinson, from London, studying English
Oliver Sweetenham, from Hinksey in Oxfordshire, studying English Literature
Captain: Natasha Voake, from New York, studying Linguistics
Xiao Lin, from Loughborough, studying Chemical Engineering
Off we set again then, and Mr Lin got the reigning champs off the mark first, and they took two bonuses on fictional detectives. Queens' very unluckily lost five on the next starter, Mr Adamson buzzing in after Paxo appeared to have finished talking, only for there to be a bit extra afterwards. We'll dwell no further on that, as I'm trying to be positive. Peterhouse didn't take the points, but Miss Voake took the next starter, and a full bonus set on the Mighty Five Russian composers. Queens' returned to positive figures thanks to Mr Syvret, and they too took a full bonus set on African geography. A quick buzz gave Peterhouse back possession, but just one bonus followed this time. The first picture round, on maps depicting drainage basins of major European rivers, went to Peterhouse, who took one bonus, which upped their lead to 75-20.
Mr Booth took Queens' back into the game with the next starter, and got a great reaction from Paxo for suggesting the Eiger is part of the Tour de France route! They took the other two bonuses, but got nothing from their next bonus set on the musings of Gore Vidal. (No mention of his dressing down of David Dimbleby on US election night eight years ago!) Peterhouse had also lost five by now, but Mr Levinson took the next starter, but a tricky set of bonuses on the Internet only gave them one right answer.
The music round, on pieces played on opening night of the first ever Proms, went to Peterhouse, who took just the one bonus again, but still led 100-50. Mr Sweetenham increased the lead with the next starter, and a full bonus set on women's football followed. In danger of being left behind, Queens' pounced on a Peterhouse slip-up and took two bonuses on inventors, unluckily missing the other. Mr Sweetenham resumed Peterhouse's progress, but nothing came from a tricky microbiology set. A bonus set on cricket also got them nowhere, with Paxo rather meanly rubbing in their ignorance of the subject!
The second picture round, on authors who used a pen name, went to Peterhouse, who took two bonuses, which increased their lead to 160-70. Queens' now had to go for it if they were to catch up/reach the repechage. A starter from Mr Syvret was a step in the right direction, as was a full set of bonuses on ages of world leaders. Mr Syvret took a second starter in a row, taking them into triple figures, but a tricky bonus set on chemistry only got them one correct answer.
Queens' now seemed to have built up a head of steam, though; Mr Adamson took a third starter in a row, and (what looked like) an educated guess gave them one bonus. Peterhouse had a chance to put the game out of reach, but Mr Lin's answer was wrong; Mr Venturini's was right, and Queens' were just twenty-five behind now. But when they dropped all the bonuses from the resultant set, that was most likely game over. Mr Venturini took a final starter, and the side took a final bonus, before the gong cut them off. Peterhouse won, 160-150.
A good match between two decent teams both of whom deserve to come back. Unlucky Queens', who just left it too late to gather momentum, but 150 should hopefully be enough for the repechage, so lets hope that early penalty doesn't prove costly and they deservedly get another go. Well done to Peterhouse, though; despite that late slump, a fair first effort and best of luck to them next time.
Mr Levinson was the best buzzer of the night with five starters, while Messrs Syvret and Adamson were joint best for Queens' with three each. On the bonuses, Queens' converted a decent 13 out of 25 (with that one penalty), while Peterhouse managed a not-so-good 12 out of 30 (with two penalties), which they'll probably need to improve on next time. For the third time this series, though, all eight players got at least one starter correct.
Next week's match: Oriel College Oxford vs Manchester, at the earlier time of 7:30, so that the Olympics can be shifted to BBC2 at 8 to satisfy the EastEnders fans unhappy about the show being shifted around due to sport. Only Connect is at the usual time, though.
Tonight's Only Connect was a rather slow affair which picked up late on. More info tomorrow.
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