Milnrow & Newhey July 2015

Go on, ask us a question says
Andy Kelly, Man on the Telly
“The­actress­Barbara­Windsor­is­a­distant­relative
of­which­artist?”
If­someone­ran­up­to­in­the­street­and­started­shouting­random
questions­like­this­at­you,­my­bet­is­you­would­at­the­very­least
cross­the­road­and­avoid­them­at­all­costs.­But­since­the­1980s,
we’ve­ been­ a­ nation­ obsessed­ with­ pub­ quizzes.­ Pubs
themselves­may­be­on­the­wane,­but­it­doesn’t­take­too­much
searching­to­find­a­pub­quiz­most­nights­within­a­2­or­3­mile
radius­of­where­you­are.­I’ve­been­running­them­for­over­20
years­ now­ with­ pretty­ much­ the­ same­ format;­ a­ bunch­ of
questions,­some­music,­some­pictures­and­a­bit­of­banter.­The
agenda­for­the­pub­is­pretty­straight­forward,­get­people­in
and­get­them­spending.­Fair­enough­you­might­say,­but­what
is­the­attraction­of­sitting­in­a­bar­answering­random­questions
over­a­pint­of­real­ale?
For some it’s the appeal of a relatively cheap night out, the cost of
the putting on the quiz is comparatively cheap compared to a band or
a DJ and it attracts regular teams. Some people come midweek because
it’s a chance to catch up with friends and it’s simply a social night out.
Some people must win at all costs and despite the relatively low value
of the prizes (four pints of beer for example), it’s the winning that
counts. I have met quizzers in the past who live for quiz night. It is
their one chance to shine, be the best, be top of the tree and show how
good they are remembering information. And that’s the key to winning,
remembering something you have been told, seen, read, heard or
experienced. Quiz nights are rarely about logic, intelligence of problem
solving; it’s about recall. And that makes it a great leveller. You can be
a scientist, lawyer or holy person, but if you didn’t see “Who do you
think you are?” featuring Barbara Windsor in 2007 then you can’t
answer the question.
Competitive quizzing is on the rise too. It doesn’t take more than a
quick Google to find your nearest pub quiz league, regional quiz event,
British, European or even International Grand Prix event. (Yes, they
compete in Grand Prixs across the world now) And they are seriously
hard too. This is the world of Kevin Ashman and Pat Gibson from the
Eggheads and Mark Labbett and Anne Hegerty from the Chase-
Professional Quizzers. I have always admired the level of commitment
these guys and gals put into their quizzing. I consider myself to be a
pretty average quizzer who can hold his own, but when I hear that one
of the quiz elite are revising “Belgian painters” of “Nobel economics
proze winners” or “Olympic table tennis medal winners”, you know
you’re out of your depth.
I prefer to stick to quiz and gameshows on the TV myself. Since 1996
I’ve appeared on almost 40 different shows and won a few quid on the
way too. It’s John Constable by the way- the answer to the question
above. I got that one on “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” Did you get
it? How confident were you? Enough to gamble £20,000? I will tell
you more about that another time.
Andy Kelly runs the pub quiz at the Flying Horse Hotel each Tuesday
Night at 9pm. (Other pub quizzes are available!)
Andy­Kelly
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