When Stephen Havard, 46, was a young boy, he would spend hours in front of the TV screen watching game shows like Bullseye and always had his head in an encyclopaedia. "I liked reading atlases to get all the capital cities, it was probably a bit strange but I liked to get to know all the facts," said Stephen.
He never dreamed he would later appear on five TV game shows in his adulthood. With appearances on The Chase, Pointless and Eggheads under his belt, Stephen has seen the behind-the-scene worlds of these popular shows, won cash prizes and rubbed shoulders with well-loved game show hosts.
The IT software tester from Loughor who lives with his wife and two children first caught the game show bug as a teenager when his university were holding auditions for the Channel 4 quiz show Fifteen to One. "I didn't get on but it ignited the spark to get on a quiz show," said Stephen.
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In 2005, he secured a spot on Channel 5's BrainTeaser which was filmed live. "It was really nerve-wracking because you couldn't make a mistake. It's the only one I've done live and I was quite nervous," said Stephen. "But the adrenaline rush of being on that quiz show just ignited something inside me that I wanted to go on more. Which is strange because I'm quite introverted, but going on a TV show brings me out of my shell."
It was not until 2011 that Stephen and his supportive wife Cathy, 55, appeared on the wildly popular teatime show Pointless, hosted by quiz show heroes Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman. After a vigorous process of interviews, the couple made it to the Pointless studio and even bagged a £5k jackpot with a pointless answer which they used to splash out on a luxury holiday.
"They were really nice Alexander and Richard, it was a really nice experience," Stephen said. After a month of prep, spending hours after work prepping for the quiz show by studying lists of US states, Olympic host countries and UK prime ministers, the pair won the game with a pointless answer to the question, "Name solo singles by members of the Beatles."
"I'm a big fan of the Beatles so it kind of fell into my lap. That was the best category to get," said Stephen, who said his specialist subjects are sport, music, TV and film. "Once I was on Pointless I just got the bug and I was applying for all the shows there were. The next show I got on was on Eggheads."
Stephen applied to go on the legendary quiz show after meeting a group of fellow quiz enthusiasts on a quiz app and forming a team. Having never met before deciding to go on the show, Stephen's new team members hailed from London, Blackpool and Reading. Although they did not win together, the old team still meet up a couple times a year for quiz events across the UK and have become good friends.
Despite losing, Stephen was victorious in beating his egghead Chris in a sports round. The question he won the round with featured Welsh players for the Lions which, as a Welsh sports fan, gave Stephen an advantage. He later went on to star in an Eggheads spin-off show and won £700. Then he appeared on The Chase but was surprised at what he saw behind-the-scenes.
"When you watch on it on TV you think The Chase is a really big studio but when you get there it's really quite small," explained Stephen. "There's no audience either, it's just really quiet." His favourite show to star in was the daytime revival of Fifteen to One, which once had the reputation of being one of the toughest quizzes on TV.
Stephen travelled up to Glasgow for the show, where he spent three days filming and getting to know the other contestants. The show's host, Sandra Toksvig, also spent a lot of time with the contestants and Stephen described her as a very nice lady who made everyone feel comfortable.
This experience was slightly different to his appearances on Pointless and The Chase, where they film up to four shows a day and the presenters move on to the next show pretty quickly, Stephen said. "On The Chase and Pointless they don't get to know you as well. It's more like a conveyor belt. Once you film the show you just leave. Bradley [Walsh] says 'well done' and 'goodbye' but you're not really getting to know them as well as we got to know Sandy."
Fascinated by the magic behind making the TV shows, Stephen said it is a great experience going on the quiz shows. "You get makeup and hair done, which covers up all the blotches on my face! Usually, you've got to take five shirts with you and the costume department picks the one that is best for TV."
Stephen always rings his wife for a pep talk when he is about to go on a show and said his two teenage children and supportive family love seeing him on TV. On what his dream quiz show appearance would be, Stephen said: "It's got to be Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I've tried loads of times but I just can't get on."
No stranger to the interview process for getting on to a game show, Stephen said it is all about making yourself interesting. Some shows like Pointless do not even test your general knowledge, they just want to know a bit more about you, he said. "You're trying to say all the things you've done in life and trying to make your job sound more interesting. It's hard to make IT more interesting!," Stephen joked.
Stephen plays every Wednesday for an online quiz league and attends difficult quiz events run by The British Quiz Association, he said. He has even been inspired to write fiction books based on his experiences on top quiz shows, his recent murder mystery 'The Duel' draws on his behind-the-scenes insight into the niche world of game shows.
On what young Stephen would think of his unique accomplishments, he said: "I think he'd be shocked, really. I was quite shy as a child so I think he'd think I've done really well."
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