Fingers On Buzzers
Fingers on Buzzers is brought to you by comedian and keen amateur quizzer Lucy Porter, alongside The Chase's very own Jenny Ryan. Whether you’re a Pointless armchair aficionado, nostalgic for the days of Going for Gold, or a bona fide Mastermind, this is the podcast for you. Jenny and Lucy speak to a host of people who work behind the scenes of our favourite TV quiz shows, including James Harkin (QI), Roger Tilling (the ‘Voice’ of University Challenge) and Jenny Hawker (Only Connect); plus we hear from epic winners and losers of quiz shows past and present, from Bullseye and Blockbusters to Britain's Brightest Family and everything in between. Lucy and Jenny will also discuss the BIG issues including the etiquette of pub quizzing, new quizzing technology and how questions have changed with the times. All the BIG questions will be asked (and answered.) What IS the difference between quiz shows and game shows? With the help of experts and enthusiasts alike, Jenny and Lucy get to the bottom of that and much, much more besides. There's also plenty of opportunities to play-along, as week-by-week Jenny coaches plucky layperson Lucy on the ‘quiz syllabus’, and in-turn Lucy tests the mettle of general knowledge guru Jenny with a weekly pop-quiz. Whether you're an Only Connect know-it-all, still dine-out on your Fifteen To One appearance from 1993, or only indulge in Trivial Pursuits on December 25th, this podcast is for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
HELLOOO! So lovely to see you again! Lucy and Jen just wanted to pop in to announce that not only is a brand-new series of FOB imminent, but that they will also be making a reappearance at this year's Bolton Comedy Festival on Saturday 12th July 2025! Get your tickets HERE...
Our hosts also thought you deserved a fantastic guest for this little standalone ep and so decided to invite an erstwhile adversary of our Je...
He's beeeeen!
NOW it's Christmas, as our Lucy and Jen finally let us hear what happened when they spoke to the one, the only, Christopher Biggins earlier this year, live on stage at The Museum of Comedy.
As you would expect, there's not a game or quiz show in the land that hasn't been graced by this national treasure's presence and so we get to hear some cracking anecdotes from dinner with Sinatra to hugging B...
Despite being recorded back in the spring of 2024, this episode felt very much like Christmas Eve, as our Jen, Lucy and the audience hotly anticipated the arrival of Christmas in human form, Mr Christopher Biggins!
In act one of a fantastic night at The Museum of Comedy, our hosts quizzed and quipped in this very lively episode, where our star guest makes a brief appearance ahead of his big moment, which you'll be abl...
It's that time of year, where Lucy and Jen can't help but peruse the shelves for quiz books that will occupy the little grey cells over the festive period. This year they get stuck into some mind-boggling brain teasers from The Brain Health Puzzle Book by Dr Tim Beanland and Think Twice by the genius himself, Alex Bellos, plus there's fun for all the family with Kids Versus Adults, The Ultimate Family Quiz Book!
...As the nights keep drawing in and long hours spent over the festive season with family beacons, Jenny and Lucy are here to help break the tension, by showing us that EVERYTHING can form the basis of a quiz! From the birthday listings in the newspaper, to the ingredients on a cereal box, quiz is everywhere, and once you see it, you won't be able to stop!
After the announcement of Junior Taskmaster, our Lucy and Jen got all nostalgic for their childhood quiz shows and so, decided to revisit them, as well as some from waaaay before either of their times. So, IS Jen smarter than a 12-year-old from 1963?
Have a listen to find out, and you'll also get to hear which quiz shows probably shouldn't be adapted for kids to play... ooohhh I crush a grape!
All good things come to those who wait, as the fair people of Bolton know only too well, because this summer saw the inaugural Bolton Comedy Festival happen at the gorgeous Octagon Theatre AND guess who kicked things off for them. Yup, it was none other than our very own Lucy and Bolton girl done good, Jenny!
The crowds came out in full force to see the first, long planned for, FOB live in Bolton AND not only that, as ...
We all love a good pub quiz, but what if you've realised your appetite goes beyond being a member of 'Let's Get Quizzical' every Wednesday down at The Crown?
Well, did you know there are various quiz leagues you can join to step up a notch, without sending an application for Mastermind?
In this episode, Lucy and Jenny are on hand to talk about all about how you can pursue your int...
For anyone out there who has tried to write their own quiz (anyone else getting lockdown PTSD?), you'll know that it's not a straightforward process and that you'll soon be made aware if a question hasn't hit the spot, or even worse if you misjudged the audience entirely.
Luckily, Lucy and Jen are on hand in this episode to give a few pointers, and reveal that their own perspectives on the same questions come ...
With diversity still severely lacking in all areas of quizzing, Jenny and Lucy look at the ways women could (and should) be more visible and at the trickledown effect of having so few women hosting TV quiz shows. What does the lack of questions about women, ethnic minorities and marginalized groups say to the world about who is allowed in the inner circle?
Thank goodness our hosts are here to q...
The gang are back together again, as our Jenny and Lucy come together to bring a brand-new series of FOB, and what a glorious start it is, as the one and only Pop Master himself, Ken Bruce is on the show!
Yes, Lucy's restraining order was lifted for one weekend, so FOB could host a Q&A with the legend of the airways at the beautiful Warner Hotels at Studley Castle, with the Radio T...
Something incredible is happening this summer involving a number of our Lucy's favourite things, which are (in no particular order)
Ken Bruce
PopMaster
Jenny Ryan
Quiz
And our Jen also won't be disappointed either, as she'll be spending the weekend of 23rd - 26th August 2024 at the beautiful Warner Hotel at Studley Castle, Warwickshire, immersed in p...
It's that time again, when our hosts get all festive and invite past guests back to contribute a question in their quizmas open house!
It's a yuletide trip down memory lane, where the wonderful people who were kind enough to appear on the show are also generous enough to be bothered for MORE of their time and come up with a question that will stump our Lucy and Jen - and possibly you, too!
And this isn...
We're back to the cutthroat world of crosswords in this episode, as we hear from The Times Crossword Champion 2023, Matthew Marcus!
Matthew tells us about his journey to the top and how he managed to snatch victory from the reigning champ.
Matthew also shares his quizzing life with us and it would appear that he's not too shabby at that either, also doing pretty well in US quiz show, Jeopardy … although some of ...
As Christmas was looming large at the time of recording, Lucy and Jenny are fully focused on how to keep the family entertained on the big day itself, and so test out two of this year's big hitters -and one could argue rivals - in the festive boardgame market.
How does playing Taskmaster IRL compare with an in-person version of Richard Osman's House off Games?
Our hosts get involved and have a play, to help you ...
It's finally happened! After several attempts, diaries finally aligned with the stars and Lucy and Jenny could welcome the delightful Robin Ince to the show... Well, almost aligned, as it turned out that Jenny had to dash off for a secret TV gig during Robin's visit, but for a short time, we were able to have all three in the same room.
Robin, as you can imagine, has infinite stories about...
This week, Lucy and Jenny are delighted to welcome a man to the show who has worked in more TV shows than even he can care to remember, from Blankety Blank, to Odd One Out with Paul Daniels, and Talking Telephone numbers in between.
Nigel Crowle has had an incredible career in TV and radio production, working on a huge number of shows and tells us about some of the productions he's been behind, and how he had a hand in ...
As the need for filling up the Christmas stocking gathers pace (at the time of record and release, anyhow) Lucy and Jenny have decided we deserve an early Christmas treat in the form of a snippet of their book, Fingers on Buzzers: From Bullseye to Pointless, a celebratory journey through the history of the Great British Quiz!
As well as being available online and from all good bookshops in print, it's also in audiobook ...
Join Lucy and Jenny in their wild celebrations of the show's centenary episode, when you've guessed it, the quiz they night away with the theme ONE HUNDRED as a guide to the games and questions.
It seems there are indeed a hundred ways to quiz your lovers, and the team show no signs of stopping now and are certainly not letting the fact that this is the one hundred and FOURTH episode stop them.
So get involved ...
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