And for the show’s new found fans, being able to lose themselves in a gentle and unashamed celebration of geekery, discovering Only Connect might just be one of the few upsides in a year when we were all forced to stay at home.

Only Connect: The Official Quiz Book - Penguin Books UK

You used to review hardcore porn for the Erotic Review . Are you scarred for life by the things you saw?

It forms part of a quiz triple bill on Monday evenings , with Mastermind and University Challenge . Would you fancy hosting either of those some day? Capsule on the London Eye -- Avenue in San Francisco -- Seat row on Lufthansa planes -- Floor in One Canada Square It depends what you mean by “famous” and what you mean by “best”. Phil Ivey is one of the most famous players in professional poker and probably the best I’ve played against, in terms of skill and flair. Of the people I’ve played who are famous for other things, Zac Goldsmith was probably the best at poker. But in terms of sitting across the table and thinking “Wow” for other reasons, that would be Steve Martin. Or perhaps Roger De Courcey [ventriloquist of Nookie Bear fame]. You haven’t asked who was the worst but I’ll tell you anyway. It was [darts player] Eric Bristow. And you can interpret that any way you like. So limber up your frontal lobes, and get ready to pit your wits against the toughest quiz on TV. Read more Details About (or anything that can mean ‘Re’). [The clues indicate: There, Here, Ere…taking off the first letter of each time]

Victoria Coren Mitchell: ‘I’m not at all competitive, which

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living -- Mao Zedong -- Snow White -- David Blaine The Only Connect Quiz Book collects over 200 of the most entertaining and perplexing challenges from the team behind the BBC’s hugely popular quiz show - including many new (never broadcast) questions. Covering each of the show’s four rounds – Connections, Sequences, the Connecting Wall and Missing Vowels – and with introductions from presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell, here is your chance to put your own sleuthing and quizzical knowledge to the Only Connect test. Read more Details It’s hard for me to go to a normal pub quiz now because people expect me to know everything and I can’t risk them finding out the truth. I won’t go on Celebrity Mastermind for much the same reason. Every year, I do the brilliant Christmas pub quiz run by my friends [comedy writers] Shaun Pye and Alan Connor, as part of a team that goes by the hideous name of The Funnymen. It was a stupid joke name we took 20 years ago but I get terrified now that newcomers will think we’ve chosen it with some level of genuine self-description, especially now my husband’s joined the team. It sounds awful. And yet we can’t possibly change it because, I don’t mind telling you, that name is engraved on the cup. SEVERAL TIMES OVER. April 1st-12th [the numbers are the positions of the first and last letters in the alphabet of each month. January: J is 10th; Y is 25th in alphabet.] Those who stumbled across the show have stayed and I think that’s because it has a sense of fun that isn’t a natural part of the appeal of other Monday night quiz favourites – University Challenge and Mastermind.”And there’s another I’m thinking about around words that all look the same but are pronounced differently. That’s the great thing about the show, no topic is off limits.” So limber up your frontal lobes, and get ready to pit your wits against the toughest quiz on TV. Read more Look Inside Details Like any gambler, I’ll bet on anything at all. There is absolutely no way to answer the second bit without getting in trouble. Only Connect is the ultimate test of knowledge and lateral thinking. Since 2008 the fiendishly difficult quiz show has been challenging contestants to find connections between apparently unrelated clues. Yes and he can never think of any. The problem with restaurant critics is they know too much. You’re better off asking a normal person, who’s likely to have chosen their three favourite restaurants a long time ago and just goes to them all the time.

Only Connect: The Official Quiz Book - Goodreads

USA [These are the lengths of presidential terms of office in these countries, in decreasing lengths of terms. Accept any country that has a 4 -year presidential term – there are several]Dennis Taylor (World Snooker champion) -- Bon Scott (Lead singer of AC/DC) -- Ken Livingston (Mayor of London) -- Lincoln and Kennedy (US presidents) Does a saucepan count as a gadget? I bought one of those recently. I was delighted. I’ve been using the same two scratchy old saucepans for about 20 years, just because they aren’t literally broken. It’s a really liberating moment when you allow yourself to upgrade. Are there any other TV contests you’d fancy taking part in? You know, Celebrity MasterChef , Strictly Come Dancing , I’m a Celebrity… , that SAS one… I came across a great work of literature recently which I hadn’t realised was split into multiple volumes, so if I can find another three of those that might work,” he says. The Owl and the Pussycat (by Edward Lear) ('The Owls', 'The Cat', Mediterranean 'Sea', and 'The Orca' is the 'boat' in Jaws)