Pointless or Fifteen to One?
The Chase or Eggheads?
Which is the greatest British TV quiz?
People think its just questions and answers.
Its not just questions and answers.
The best TV quiz shows are places you drop into that feel instantly like home.
But, forgive the repetition, not justany oldquestions and answers.
The best quiz questions are as satisfying as jokes, and often, as funny too.
Some of the UKs finest gag writers are currently building question banks for TV quizzes.
After all, who understands the suspense/revelation sweet spot better than a quiz setter?
Their personality warm and funny, cutting and dry, or anything in between establishes the mood.
A bit of housekeeping.
c’mon give them a warm round of applause!
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13.
Going For Gold
BBC OnesGoing for Goldnow seems oddly utopian and a product of a different time.
He could probably verify the questions as he read them out, in fact.
Current host Romesh Ranganathan has the right balance of withering disappointment and matey banter.
Fifteen to One
Aka the no-messing-around trivia-based quiz show for trivia quiz fans who dont like messing around.
Frustrated by banter and What would you spend the money on?
filler in TV quizzes?
Then its suave gentleman William Gladstone Stewart you need.
William G was all questions, all the time.
Eggheads
What a concept!
Rest in peace, Chris Hughes.
These people have come to play (apart from Patsy Kensit, who didnt know why shed come.)
Despite its title,House of Gamesisnt a game show either.
Spoiler: some of them cant manage.
Cleverly written and lots and lots of fun.
LikeMastermindandWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?, this format is imprinted on the national consciousness.
What makesThe 1% Clubsuch great viewing is its playability at home.
Hang on a minute!
Probably not, sadly, but its always fun to imagine.
Lee Macks marshalling of events is exemplary.
He chats with players whove given right or wrong answers, building up storylines and relationships as he goes.
Its warm, its sharp, its entertaining, and its interactive in a very natural way.
5. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Its part of our cultural fabric.
And it did it with just one ingredient:drama.
It was all about life-or-death decision making, crushing disappointment and jubilant highs.
To call this quiz show iconic is no overstatement.
Pointless
Its a remarkable premise because its totally inclusive.
Walsh ensures that things stay light-hearted as contestants go head-to-head with a roster of pantomime villains The Chasers.
Its fun and accessible with excitingly high prize funds, and led by a true pro.
The ultimate everybodys-welcome quiz show.
Only Connect
From everybodys-welcome to everybodys-baffled.
Only one show could top a list celebrating the quizzing art:Only Connectis the don.
Its the quizzers quiz.
Its unashamedly difficult and knowingly devilish, butbecauserather than despite this, its a cult hero.
Its beloved of a solid core of people drawn there because they dont always belong anywhere else.
Never mind, because despite being highly competitive, the teams here shine when showing their workings.
These people are wonders andOnly Connectis the only place on TV that real quizzers get really challenged.
Rarefied, off-puttingly hard, and totally brilliant, may it never end.
