Q. What are the surnames of the TV comedians, the Two Ronnies ?
A. Er, Herbert and Sherbert is it?
( Brains of Britain, mid 70s )
Q. Who is the current Chancellor of the Exchequer?
A. Adolf Hitler.
( Top of the Form, late 60s )
Q. Where is the Taj Mahal ?
A. South Road
( Radio City night phone in quiz, late 80s. The Taj Mahal in question here was a restaurant in South Road, Waterloo, Liverpool. )
I cannot remember the exact question here but I very definitely remember the answer, so to make it make sense, let�s invent at least part of the question.
Q. Which British Army regiment�������..?
A. The Royal Arse Hortillery
( A Radio 4 mid day quiz in the 70s )
Q. �Pennies are to Cents as Pounds are to..?
A. Kennels?
( Top of the form, mid 60s )
Q. Which Stone was reclaimed or stolen depending on your point of view, from Westminster Abbey in December 1950?
A. Mick Jagger?
( Radio 1 phone in quiz, 1980s )
Q. And your name, please?
A. The life and times of Thomas Alver Edison
( Mastermind 1970s. The contestant was so so nervous, her carefully memorised answers for the pre-lim� just evaporated. )
Q. What is the capital of Finland?
A. F
�No, sorry, the capital city.
A�.C ?
�..No, erm, the major town of Finland, like London is to England?
A�..Oh, sorry, yes, don�t know.
( Roving breakfast time reporter stopping traffic each morning to ask the driver, either GMTV Or TVAM, cannot be sure which now. )
Q. Who became president of the USA in 1944 after the death of President Roosevelt?
A. Freddy Truman?
�.Close, try again.
A. Geoff Boycott?
�Stuff it, you got the surname, that will do.
Reported in the Sunday Mirror, mid 80s, cannot recall which show was mentioned.
This one happens, and in reverse, time and time again. I first heard it in a school quiz, then on radio quizes, not sure if it�s ever happened on TV though.
Q. According to the Bible / Christian beliefs, who was the first man on Earth?
A. Neil Armstrong
Q. Who was the first man on the Moon.
A. Adam
This one reported in the Daily Sketch, 1967/68, cannot recall exactly, but, like many news items to fill a paper, I suspect it wasn�t true, but, if it makes you laugh, no matter. Supposedly from an Aussie TV quiz.
Q. Which English King is famous for burning the cakes?
A. All of �em.
�.I beg your pardon?
Q. You �eard, mate, all of �em, the Poms can�t f****ing cook.
�.Commercials. Now
Now, got to have one semi serious one. Last heard on a Radio City quiz about 3 years ago, and have seen / read / heard this before in / on various paper, radio and tv quizes. Trouble is, the wrong answer is often accepted as the right answer.
Q. What was the first name of the Indian spiritual leader ( or any one of various titles / descriptions ), Gandhi ?
A. Mahatma
This is wrong. Mahatma is a title, not a name, but, like Michael Caine once said, not many people know that. Mohandas Karamchand were Gandhi�s proper first and middle names.
From a current affairs quiz in 1969, cannot recall the name of the show but the much missed George Chisholm was a regular on one of the teams, and he answered this one.
Q. What State are the Rolling Stones in at the moment? ( In reference to a US tour in 1969, although I suspect this was contrived, but no matter. )
A. Not too good, last time I heard.
With this one, I suppose many could claim that they did not know it was / still is a common trait for some film directors to insist their names are part of the popular titles for one or more of their films; but still, the answer was right there, due to an error by the quiz master, and this is another common gaff you see in many quizes where the answer is given along with the question, but, not normally on this particular show. A very very rare gaff from Bamber aided by the question setter, in a 70's edition of University Challenge; and I reckon the humour of this saw it survive the editor's splicer.
Q. Who directed 'John Ford's the Quiet Man'?
A. Alfred Hitchcock.
US Celebrity Squares, about 25 years ago. Not only was the question invalid, wait until you read the answer. I think it was old stager Don Rickles who answered, if not him, then someone of his look and ilk.
Q. Where does the Prime Minister of England Live?
A. 221B Pudding Lane
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