My Education

Introduction

We learn things in many ways but there are two BBC quiz shows that I usually learn something from in almost every episode. Even repeats are worth watching because there is so much in them.

To participate in these programs you have to be intelligent and have a reasonable strategy if you want to win, though, especially on Pointless, some people seem to try and go for the highest score.

I will reveal all soon.

Pointless is hosted by Alexander Armstrong, chairman of the Lit and Phil Private Library in Newcastle with a co-host which used to be Richard Osman but he vacated his seat to concentrate on writing and now Alexander's co-hosts rotate although they are all knowledgeable and articulate.

The contestants are members of the public during the week and celebrities on the weekend.

Richard Osman's House Of Games has celebrities as contestants who seem to be chosen for their absolute pleasantness as well as intelligence and wit.

I don't know if there are American or International versions of these, but I would expect that there are, but maybe I am wrong.

Pointless

Somebody told me that concept of Pointless completely flummoxed some people and you do see that in some of the contestants that take part, although to be honest some are incredibly intelligent.

Four pairs of contestants answer questions to hopefully hit a decent size jackpot. It starts at £1,000 but I have seen it get to over £10,000 and if it is not won in one game, a thousand pounds is added and rolled over to the next game.

A series of questions are asked like say Name and American President, or a Chemical Element that Starts With A Vowel. Then 100 people are asked and the answers are collated.

Now the contestants have to answer with what they think is the least mentioned answer. So for an American President, you would not go for Trump or Biden, but for say, Warren Harding, James Maddison or James Monroe. The team with the highest score is then eliminated, but it is amazing the number of people who decide to play it safe and then lose because the score is too high.

The final pair win a trophy and have to give a pointless answer to a final question.

The thing is these questions on geography, history, sport, film and politics and a lot more often give me information that I was previously unaware of, so I therefore get an education most days that I watch Pointless.

Richard Osman's House Of Games

This is played in a series of five rounds, the only guaranteed on being the final one which is always "Answer Smash"

In "Answer Smash" the teams are given a category and a picture relating to that category appears on the screen. Below the picture is a general knowledge question. The players have to "smash" the answers together to create one answer. (E.g. if given a picture of Mr. Stink and a question whose answer is Tinky Winky, the answer the players would have to give is "Mr. Stinky Winky".)

A list of all the games that can be played is on the Wikipedia page below, one of my favorites is:

Where Is Kazakhstan? (first played on Series 1, Episode 3): The players are given a map of a certain part of the world on their tablets. They are given a question and have to point on their map where they think it is. The closest to the correct place wins a point.

The contestants are always knowledgeable and pleasant and the answers to recent questions inspired these stories of mine.

Both these programs stimulate my learning and are actually fun to watch. While I am not religious about them, they are an educational half hour which is fun.

If you can find the programs on one of your channels please try and check them out, you may be more than a little surprised and entertained.