Only Connect: The Official Quiz Book: Jack Waley-Cohen

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It’s hard for me to go to a normal pub quiz now because people expect me to know everything and I can’t risk them finding out the truth. I won’t go on Celebrity Mastermind for much the same reason. Every year, I do the brilliant Christmas pub quiz run by my friends [comedy writers] Shaun Pye and Alan Connor, as part of a team that goes by the hideous name of The Funnymen. It was a stupid joke name we took 20 years ago but I get terrified now that newcomers will think we’ve chosen it with some level of genuine self-description, especially now my husband’s joined the team. It sounds awful. And yet we can’t possibly change it because, I don’t mind telling you, that name is engraved on the cup. SEVERAL TIMES OVER. I don’t think so. Those are quite serious shows with authoritative, grownup hosts. I love Only Connect deeply but also find the trappings of a TV quiz inherently silly, which our contestants and viewers never mind me making clear. If I hosted one of those big beasts, I’d end up undermining them and upsetting the audience.

Radio Times New Year Only Connect Quiz Book offer* Radio Times New Year Only Connect Quiz Book offer*

Those who stumbled across the show have stayed and I think that’s because it has a sense of fun that isn’t a natural part of the appeal of other Monday night quiz favourites – University Challenge and Mastermind.” It depends what you mean by “famous” and what you mean by “best”. Phil Ivey is one of the most famous players in professional poker and probably the best I’ve played against, in terms of skill and flair. Of the people I’ve played who are famous for other things, Zac Goldsmith was probably the best at poker. But in terms of sitting across the table and thinking “Wow” for other reasons, that would be Steve Martin. Or perhaps Roger De Courcey [ventriloquist of Nookie Bear fame]. You haven’t asked who was the worst but I’ll tell you anyway. It was [darts player] Eric Bristow. And you can interpret that any way you like.Following on from our popular Only Connect book offer last January, we’re giving you the opportunity to claim the difficult second quiz book (just pay p&p*) No, this was pre-internet. It was nothing that awful. I enjoyed it. I have rarely laughed as much. Certainly not while being simultaneously mildly aroused. I don’t think any of those particular ones are for me. I’m a big fan of Strictly as a viewer. This year, we’re very nervously and proudly watching Robert Webb in it, but he’s a fantastic dancer. I’d be awful and not even in a fun way. People would just pity me and look away awkwardly.

Victoria Coren Mitchell: ‘I’m not at all competitive, which

The Owl and the Pussycat (by Edward Lear) ('The Owls', 'The Cat', Mediterranean 'Sea', and 'The Orca' is the 'boat' in Jaws) It’s incredibly tough,” he adds. “ Only Connect launched on BBC4 and had a few years to find its feet. People forget, but shows such as Pointless and The Chase, whose brilliance we all now take for granted, weren’t brilliant in the beginning. You’re one of the top professional poker players. Who’s the best famous person you’ve played against? I love the concept and it's captivating to watch, but I guess running on quite random bits of (often British) culture and drawing those connections is simply out of my league.. Tom Scott was great at it though. Respect to all who managed to score any points on such an evil genius game show (especially the Wall).I came across a great work of literature recently which I hadn’t realised was split into multiple volumes, so if I can find another three of those that might work,” he says. Yes and he can never think of any. The problem with restaurant critics is they know too much. You’re better off asking a normal person, who’s likely to have chosen their three favourite restaurants a long time ago and just goes to them all the time. Having never missed an episode of Only Connect I was thrilled when the book came out, it's just as good as the programme and just as perplexing, would make a great after dinner game at Christmas, good value for money.

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And for the show’s new found fans, being able to lose themselves in a gentle and unashamed celebration of geekery, discovering Only Connect might just be one of the few upsides in a year when we were all forced to stay at home. The Only Connect Quiz Book collects over 200 of the most entertaining and perplexing challenges from the team behind the BBC’s hugely popular quiz show - including many new (never broadcast) questions. Covering each of the show’s four rounds – Connections, Sequences, the Connecting Wall and Missing Vowels – and with introductions from presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell, here is your chance to put your own sleuthing and quizzical knowledge to the Only Connect test. It forms part of a quiz triple bill on Monday evenings , with Mastermind and University Challenge . Would you fancy hosting either of those some day? Capsule on the London Eye -- Avenue in San Francisco -- Seat row on Lufthansa planes -- Floor in One Canada Square Victoria Coren Mitchell was born and went to school in Hammersmith, west London. She is the younger sister of the restaurant critic Giles Coren. After studying English at Oxford University, she became a writer, presenter and professional poker player. She hosts BBC Two quiz Only Connect and is competing in the current series of Channel 4’s Taskmaster. She is married to the comedian David Mitchell, with whom she has a six-year-old daughter.That, having previously imagined myself to be a fairly anxious person, I didn’t have the first idea. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living -- Mao Zedong -- Snow White -- David Blaine

Only Connect - Penguin Books UK Only Connect - Penguin Books UK

Does a saucepan count as a gadget? I bought one of those recently. I was delighted. I’ve been using the same two scratchy old saucepans for about 20 years, just because they aren’t literally broken. It’s a really liberating moment when you allow yourself to upgrade. You used to review hardcore porn for the Erotic Review . Are you scarred for life by the things you saw? You often joke about how you and David aren’t very tech-savvy. What was the last gadget you bought?

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Quiz rounds as seen in the quiz show Only Connect. What is the final connection in Quiz I and how do all four clues connect in Quiz II? Quiz I Are there any other TV contests you’d fancy taking part in? You know, Celebrity MasterChef , Strictly Come Dancing , I’m a Celebrity… , that SAS one… April 1st-12th [the numbers are the positions of the first and last letters in the alphabet of each month. January: J is 10th; Y is 25th in alphabet.] I’m not at all competitive, which surprises people because I play high-stakes poker. But that’s a very particular endeavour. I don’t have a competitive soul in general. I play all sorts of games with friends and family for the sheer joy of the thing and I usually want others to win so they feel happy and up for playing again. What I enjoy is playing. The thing I badly want to win at is poker. The Only Connect Quiz Book collects over 200 of the most entertaining and perplexing challenges from the team behind the BBC’s hugely popular quiz show - including many new (never broadcast) questions. Covering each of the show’s four rounds – Connections, Sequences, the Connecting Wall and Missing Vowels – and with introductions from presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell, here is your chance to put your own sleuthing and quizzical knowledge to the Only Connect test. Read more Details