Your colleague’s doing a 10k this weekend. Your best friend’s focused on their next triathlon. Your brother’s just signed up for an Ironman. Sometimes it can feel as if everyone is committing to a major physical endeavour. But if sitting on your sofa shouting at the TV or sipping a pint and munching some peanuts while putting your brain to the test is more your thing, now’s the time to get training your grey matter ahead of the new Comedy Central series of one of the nation’s best-loved quiz programmes: Blockbusters.
We spoke to expert question setters, as well as former Blockbusters contestants, about the best ways to get better at quizzes, whatever level you are starting out at.
Go on a trivia pursuit
Not every contestant on television quizzes takes the enterprise seriously. Lorraine Oakes appeared on Blockbusters in 1987 and recalls that she “didn’t train in any way at all. All the contestants [were] aged 16 or 17, so I don’t think many will have trained for it. All 16-year-olds think that they’re invincible, don’t they?”
But for quiz show participants today, including the students facing Dara Ó Briain in the new series of Blockbusters, there’s more of an incentive to do well. As Thomas Eaton, quiz-question setter for the Guardian, observes: “For the regular quiz competitor, getting an obvious answer wrong is a constant fear. For TV contestants nowadays, a stupid answer might make them an unwilling star of social media.”
So how can TV quizzers and those of us taking part in amateur contests improve our success rates?
Eaton talks about getting familiar with the basics. “People who are very good at quizzes almost certainly spent a lot of their youth reading encyclopedias, studying compendiums of facts and poring over maps,” he says. If your younger years were filled with cartoons and magazines instead, Eaton recommends a crash course: “For the novice who wants to improve, a shortcut might be to plough through lists of capitals, presidents and chemical elements.”
If this feels too intimidating – or simply too boring – don’t despair. “I find this kind of rote learning quite dull,” continues Eaton, “and it’s no substitute for wide reading. Simply reading a newspaper regularly will make a huge difference to the aspiring quizzer.”
Questions producer Julia Hobbs also recommends paying attention to what you see as well as what you consciously read. “There are questions everywhere if you look for them,” she notes, citing the example of advertisements for new plays posted around tube stations.
Hobbs’ advice is two-pronged. “Have a little bit of interest in a lot of things,” she says. “Try not to be too narrow in the things that you learn.”
And be sure to practise: “Do as many quizzes as you can if you want to get serious. Look up quizzes on the internet and maybe even join a quiz league. The more you take part, the better you get.”
Question writer David Bodycombe agrees that actually putting your knowledge to the test is essential. “It really is a case of use it or lose it,” he says.
“The amount of crystallised [learned] knowledge gradually increases over time, even into old age,” he explains. “That’s the good news. The downside is that the ability to react to new situations rapidly decreases from middle age. So maybe challenge your brain to do new things in novel situations to keep sharp.”
Step up to the challenge
Once you’ve brushed up on your overall knowledge and done some practice, how can you take your quizzing skills to the next level?
Getting familiar with the specific quiz is vital. “Each quiz has its own syllabus,” says Bodycombe, “largely dictated by what the producer thinks the audience want.”
Mark Whitworth, who completed two Gold Runs during the 1991 series of Blockbusters, credits his familiarity with the programme as a big factor in his success: “I had watched the show for a fair few years, religiously so in the run-up to my audition and actual recording, so I figured I had an idea of what I would be in for.”
It is important to use the question format to your advantage too. “Often information given in the question can help,” advises Hobbs, “allowing you to put the pieces together via elimination.”
The style of question used on Blockbusters can definitely be beneficial, argues Eaton. “Speed is of the essence. Buzzing in early will make the difference between success and failure. Of course interrupting is a risk – but having the first letter of the answer is already a big clue.”
And as for tackling nerves during the big moment? “Standing on the hot spot, about to do a Gold Run on Blockbusters, you’re under pressure – but that’s what you came on the programme to do,” is Eaton’s reminder. “So take a deep breath, listen to the question and think.”
What B has a brand new series?
The new series of Blockbusters – hosted by Dara Ó Briain – hits our screens at 8pm on Thursday 26 September on Comedy Central.
