- Round Britain Quiz
"Round Britain Quiz" (or "RBQ" for short) is a
panel game that has been broadcast onBBC Radio 4 since 1947, making it the oldestquiz still broadcast on Britishradio . It was based on a format called "Transatlantic Quiz", a contest between American and British teams on whichAlistair Cooke was an early participant.Originally hosted by
Gilbert Harding and Lionel Hale, teams from various regions around the UK play in a tournament of head-to-head battles. In each half-hour programme, each team faces four multi-part questions with up to six points that are awarded on the host's judgement. The parts of the question generally have a common theme running throughout them, and a degree of lateral thought is often necessary to score full marks. One question for each team has a music or sound component, and another is submitted by listeners.For many years until his death in 1996, the programme was hosted by Gordon Clough [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/rbq_about.shtml BBC Radio 4 - Comedy - Round Britain Quiz ] ] . The programme was then hosted by broadcaster
Nick Clarke until his death in 2006. He was succeeded at the start of the 2007 series by Tom Sutcliffe.The current theme tune is called "Scherzo and Trio" performed by the
Penguin Cafe Orchestra .Hosts during the programme's history have included
Roy Plomley and Anthony Quinton. Regional contestants have includedIrene Thomas ,John Julius Norwich ,Fred Housego ,Brian J. Ford , Patrick Hannan andPhilippa Gregory ."
BBC MindGames Magazine " includes a number of BBC-linked puzzles, including "Round Britain Quiz", a series of cryptic clues linked by a common theme.External links
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/rbq.shtml BBC Radio 4's RBQ home page]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/roundbritainquiz/pip/archive/ Previous programmes]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/rbq_about.shtml Brief History]References
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