mostly david ephgrave

Today I was question master for a pub quiz that took place, not in an actual pub, but online, amongst a few friends and family. I'm usually reluctant to take part in such things, more through anxiety than not wanting to join in. You'd think my being an actor would cushion the panic, but it doesn't; perhaps I'd feel more comfortable with a proscenium arch above me, though this might look a bit pretentious. I expect that's why my wife asked me to ask the questions, as she knows I prefer to have a job than just be left open. It's not that I don't enjoy these social situations in reality, but put me onscreen without a purpose and my capacity for awkwardness is in full flight. And luckily I still had the questions to hand for a quiz I hosted previously, so all I had to do was update a few answers for 2020 to be ready to go. And in the end, it was a lot of fun. We hosted it via the video conferencing app Zoom, which led to a multi-split-screen of 24-l...

Many people where talking online about how tonight’s University Challenge had a unusually high female contingent compared to the usual mostly white middle-class male contestant fare, but I didn’t notice. Why: because I was being dazzled and perplexed by Ducklin’s psychedelic shirt. It was much the same the last time he was on, when he was sporting another questionable number (not too dissimilar to my vast array of floral shirts), which also caught the nation’s notice; so much so, it has its own spoof Twitter account; proof that whatever you may be thinking at any given point, someone else is probably thinking it too. See below for tonight’s UC-related Tweets; I don’t mention how badly East London were doing until more than two-thirds down. East London Vs. Warwick. 8:01pm: #UniversityChallenge Prediction of the Evening: Jeremy Paxman will be impatient. 8:01pm: #UniversityChallenge Second Prediction of the Evening: some of the c...

Just when we thought we’d seen every University Challenge possibility, Wolfson Cambridge’s Monkman came to save us. Wolfson - Cambridge Vs. SOAS (19.09.16) He had all the requisite tics and quirks of an eccentric UC contestant, with a few extra thrown in for good measure; so much so, I refuse to believe he’s a real person. He was like a incantation brought about by a bunch of nerdy Ouija users; a Weird Science for the weird science student. I was so taken in, I barely paid attention to the rest of the show that was happening around him. See below for tonight’s Twitter outbursts; here’s hoping at least one of next week’s contestants can give Monkman a run for his money. I wait with bated breath. 8:02pm: Monkman rehearsed that smile. Nothing is spontaneous. 8:03pm: Monkman is clearly the # UniversityChallenge unhinged hit of the evening. 8:04pm: For a split second, Henry Edwards forgot what he studies. 8:04pm: "THE BONGOS": my future...

Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz, for those who have been waiting with bated breath. Round One: Names. 1)     Gerald Wiley was a pseudonym for which famous comic actor and writer? ANSWER: Ronnie Barker. 2)     Give the Christian names of the four members of The Beatles, as they appear on their birth certificates. ANSWER: John, James, George and Richard. 3)     What is the real name of the magician ‘The Great Soprendo’? ANSWER: Geoffrey Durham 4)     Who is Richard Wayne Penniman better known as? ANSWER: Little Richard. 5)     What are the first names of the two original Blues Brothers? (Characters, not actors). ANSWER: Jake and Elwood. 6)     Name the Three Musketeers. ANSWER: Aramis, Porthos and Athos. 7)     What are the first names of The Famous Five? ANSWER: Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the Dog 8)  ...

Today, in a change to my usual output, I thought I’d set a quiz. I put it together for the one and only time I assumed the role of Question Master, for a quiz at The Croft in Hitchin back in 2013. The owner was stuck for someone to run it, so I put my hand up (not a euphemism). I really enjoyed compiling it. The main challenge was judging what was difficult and what wasn’t. Just because you know something doesn’t mean it’s general knowledge to everyone else. My tastes are pretty niche (and firmly rooted in the 1960s & 70s) – and I didn’t want my questions to solely reflect that. I haven’t included my favourite round, which was Guess the Song Intro, for fear of copyright infringement. One thing I will share is the best three incorrect answers of the night: ·       QUESTION: "Who played the title role in Monty Python's 'Life of Brian'? ANSWER: "The gay one". ·       QUESTI...