I just love pub quizzes, especially 'SpeedQuizzes', those quizzes which dispense with pen and paper and use apps, rewarding speed as well as knowledge
I try to fill in what pertinent details that I can. I use google maps like a diary, and you will find more information if you zoom in too the map above. At the moment this page here will give you the pub, place, my personal rating, a few details, a review of the last visit and its date. PressCTRL S to search for a term. I aim to flesh out the reviews here and perhaps include pictures.
If I don't like the way a quiz is run, I should either learn to like it, or not go. The former is preferable! So on the subjective bits please take my opinions with a pinch of salt. I have been disdainful of many quizzes which are chock a block, so what do I know?
Steve Kidd 07462 27 25 52
They are rated
Quiz Of The Year
Quiz of The Month
Most Excellent
Highly Recommended
Recommended
OK
Meh!
Defunct
So, incomplete and unsatisfactory. (I deduct points for bitch slap rounds, and excessive fast tracking, and my time of the month)
Invite me too a quiz! :)
Much love, No host makes me madder than I make myself. :(
I'm a bad guy... d'uh. :)
Here goes! (This is definitely work in progress, ignore some of the weekdays when they might be one-offs)
1331 Bar, York, YO1 7HU, with Phil Qua
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at ?? o’clock
Telephone: 01904 661130
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £20 limited voucher Format: 4 rounds including sensible music
A very good quiz run by a bloke who knows what he is doing (Phil works at SpeedQuizzing HQ). Great coverage, I was lucky enough to have pefect reception in a different room on a different floor to the host, and it didn’t seem to affect my performance an iota. £5.90 a pint of wheat beer! Jeezy Peets. £2 a person to enter and only a £20 limited time voucher for the winner so.. Highly recommended, but I gave the voucher (I.e a three pint first prize) to Pippa, Molly and.. and… and Peggy (it wasn’t Peggy, but that’ll have to do. Think about it. Three of you go to Witherspoon. 3 pints will cost you £5. Ergo buy three pints and you have won first prize at this quid for a parnd cheaper. I won’t be going back, not that I didn’t enjoy the quiz, I just can’t really afford it! I really should keep up with my diary at the time. Curious Spanish National anthem (with words!)
1887 The Brew Room, Blackpool, FY13NX, with Not Anna Holding!
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.10 o’clock
Telephone: 01253 319165
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £75 voucher for winners and pretty hefty takeways for second and third Format: SpeedQuiz with specialist round, good speed bonuses, specialist round and a buzz in round, with fast tracks to 15 and for unique
What a place! Was shown around the brewery by the proud owner, comfy chair, warm fires, nice people, as far as I can remember nothing not to like. Fair play to the family who have this pub. Full of nice people and dogs, great quiz, loved the musicals round (some teams liked it even better than Ashton and I) Loved the buzz in round (nobody liked it better than Ashton and I), BRILLIANT prizes, and the host is hands on behind the bar and sweet. Long gaps between rounds (spend some money!) and reasonable coping with error (Showboat/Oklahoma). There was a dude here who tried to make friends with Alfie, but Alfie was nervous. This guy was just the best, and remembered me from last March! He says I won! I’ll take that. Front runner for QOTM
98 Highgate, Kendal, LA9 4HE, with Simon Perkin
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £40 voucher for two pubs Format: Straight 67 4/1, 6/1, 12/1 and 30 for nearest
A great friend said “I expect tonight’s quiz will be a good one”. How bloody right. I do find it difficult not to let things overlap, so first I am going to list the good things about this quiz. The pub, £4.50 is not a cheap pint but its a bloody nice one, enough room for a dozen teams at a push, so no hiding place for modern teams, but friendly. The Landlord/Quiz host, Simon, is welcoming, humorous, articulate, generous, but amongst these great traits I perceive he is maybe the safest pair of hands in the business. We had a lovely talk afterwards, he bought me a drink! He will not tinker with the stuff unless he is sure. I keep banging on about what SpeedQuiz send is EXCELLENT. It is possible to add things that tailoring for the audience can bring net benefit. It is equally possible to go the wrong way. I am absolutely sure as I can be that Simon will not go the wrong way, but will have a pub where the tables will be booked a week in advance when he tweaks things to the right balance - As it is now, it is a pure meritocracy, great for me and teams like John and Fiona, but who wants to keep me happy! I reckon a fast track up to 15 on the last will excite all teams. What a great bloke. Where were we. Ah yes, the staff; I only met Connor (was it?) and he was sweet. I believe other staff members were in the pub participating and they were a credit. The competition was strong. I was behind after the second round, and during the apres quiz was flabbergasted to find that aforementioned Fiona and John were doing their first SpeedQuiz!! Scary. The tech was perfect, with delivery of scores and system to the handsets, and the sound was just right, maintaining the intimate nature of the pub with perfect balance. The quiz was straighter than a Texas fundamentalist (!?!) with the entire SpeedQuiz set delivered with aplomb. So there you have, that is how to do a Speedquiz. The perfect start to a Cumbrian Quiz Odyssey (look at the Find A SpeedQuiz map!) I haven’t finished yet though. I’d parked above the town 3 km from the pub at Scout Scar. On the map I saw a “Pile of Stones” marked on the OS map. I had to visit. The following morning I did, and I cried like a choild. The short walk was one of the best of the many thousands I have done, It’s up there in the top bracket with Glen Nevis and the Sentiero degli Dei, Dubrovnik, Rame Head, Loughrigg… It seems sacrilegious but – just go there.
Ace, Oldham, OL8 2QD, with Ashlee Aspin
Recommended
Sundays at 4.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 624 7832
Cost: ? . Prize: £25 tab Format: SpeedQuiz
Busy estate pub, Scott, the landlord has an AMAZING memory, he remembered my name after a year!! Such a good pub and quiz. Despite bitchslap to the last question you get 125 questions all before 6. Wow. That last question was an a or a b and a photograph- is this man coming or drumming?" it was Evil mode so I got it wrong (I went drumming). The bottom placed team just hit at random, but it could have been any of the other ten teams. And were correct and took 60 pints off me, hence the team which won had never got a single first place in the last round, the most mediocre team in the top 4 to win. At the time I didn't realise it was 100 points . The trifecta of Random Question, guess format and bad luck can happen. I liken Ashley to Little Britain. People love it and there is a moment half way through the third episode when you think “OMG, this is actually quite fun”. It’s actually a lot of fun. I’m an evangelical convert. Without doubt Ashley puts a heap of work into his quiz, with a specialist round on Keith Sweat (who??? whatever next, Care Bears?), Sensible music, A Wheel of Misfortune, Buzz in round (how I love those), loads of questions and a DJ persona (that’s hard to explain, but it involves a slight voice and accent change, you’d know if you heard it). The pub is full, and buzzin’. Don’t ask me about the scoring system, you can’t see it! Don’t ask me what the strategy is, but I think skill and luck are needed. Terrific teams (e.g. The Bitches of Eastwick: Lisa, Faith and Kaitlyn) can get stung by the wheel of misfortune and me getting a 100 point nearest wins. Real community feel. The wonderful Ashley is not, I perceive, the sole architect. Scott, the landlord is just the best, most welcoming, good natured bloke, and I am sure it is his vibe which permeates this estate pub in the far flung asteroid belt of Manchester. Not a quiz for purists – in the most admiring sense of the word. Just a bit of fun. :)
Acorn, Bebington, CH63 8PT, with Simon Davies
Meh
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0151 608 3216
Cost: . Prize: Format: SpeedQuiz
Im afraid “It’s all very close at the top, but you can’t see the scores” means that having my tune selected and simultaneous on-line teams, £1.50 to enter and no prize to write home about means ‘meh’For the sake of consistency I think a quiz would have to be very special for the host to get away "it's all very close at the top but you can't see the scores" and not get a meh. So meh. I didn't want All By Myself as a tune, and although ostensibly a sensible idea, I felt having an On-line game at the same time diminished the vibe in the pub. Simon was a good clear host, but no screens, and random evil modes fast tracks to the end, and a Eurovision round out if the blue seemed at least inconsistent. Definitely DJ before quiz host.
Actress and Bishop, Birmingham, B3 1EH, with Jamie Cartwright
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0121 236 7426
Cost: £3 per person . Prize: £50 cash Format: 4 Rounds, including buzz in and sensible music
3 pound odd for a juice. £3 to enter. The biggest mistake i made yesterday was rushing. No score on screens for round 1 but 6/4 sliding suited me. 50 point start for newbs suited me. Round 2 was a buzz in 10/5/-10. Yay. Must've played quite well on round 3 music which had a unique nice angle. - Does the song contain Who What When How,Why or a combination in the title.. Round 4 discretionary Bitch slaps (accept 5 for self or deduct 10) and some fuckaboutery on questions 4, 8, 12 and 16! Jamie is helpful, welcoming and I'm going to give him the benefit of a bit of fun. Highly recommended. - so close to QOTM There was a wheel of fortune for those four questions in the last round. Some big shifts including a complete zero reset for q4! Well its only like three fast tracks. A team then got 40 points for q8. Q12 I got in first and spun for... karaoke!! I had to sing or not sing for 0, 10, 30, 50 or 100 points on a vote. Well, if you can't win by skill, that leaves cheating and luck. You can't cheat at karaoke. 100 points and 50 quid. I’d be fuming if I was James Ward. :)
Adelphi, Preston, PR1 7DP, with Dan Mcdermott
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.45 o’clock
Telephone: 01772 201397
Cost: £3 per team . Prize: £25 voucher, £10 voucher Format: Lotta nice content including a Kelly Round and an World Book Day Picture round, as well as GK, 10/10 sliding all the way through
Very very good quiz. Original tailored content (birthday round on Kelly's for Kelly), generous 10/10 sliding, clear and great screenage, both on devices and TV screens. Very prompt answer on the phone always is a great start! Anyway, the quiz is the complete package, with a warm, and clear host, who should have great pride in what he has put together, slickly presented, engaging in it’s idiosyncrasies, reeeasonable prizes and reasonably fun feckaboutery. The pub and staff are on the money, and £3.25 a pint at 6% proof is bangs for bucks. It is going to be tough to beat for the best quiz in March.I now want to talk about the ‘Modern Team’ I have chided teams for using mobile phones to get answers, both as an observer and having joined up with them (remarkably I’d say it seems the default position). Now, when a game has a low speed to correct answer ratio, googling can be a huge advantage. On ‘evil’ mode (lose points if you are wrong) even more so. Nevertheless, not every answer is googleable quickly so, SpeedQuiz is pretty good in this respect. But it is far from infallible. Just say “What is the stage name of Dave Evans” into your phone, and the first thing mine says is “The Edge”, Anyhoozy, speaking of ‘edges’ there is a team with a very specific feel to them that beats me sometimes, These are the tells: * Usually large, perhaps six or so* Usually young, but not exclusively* Usually mixed,* RARELY in first place (often being eclipsed by several other teams on speed)* Usually in a place where observation is not easy* Where the last round is ‘evil’ mode an absolute step up in performance* Unique, or rare, correct answers to tough questions that are easy to google. Today we were beaten by Shannon’s furry fetish, who managed to beat every other team in the pub by a chalk. They looked like a truly Modern Team
Aether, Liverpool, L1 3DF, with Helen Kinsella
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 6.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0151 703 0702
Cost: 1 . Prize: £30 on the slate Format: SpeedQuiz set finishing a buzz in round
Well, it's a lovely place to sit in the heart of rejuvenated Liverpool. Very TV21 on the verandah, Helen seems sweet, I really want this to work for her. What do I tell people like her? The truth I guess. I do like Doja Cat. Highly recommended. Buzz in round at the end! I am going to have to put in another grade, as there was room for improvement in this quiz I really enjoyed, but might have gone wingy about had I not won. The questions and choices on the phone would enhance the experience, and she did change her mind in the last round from 10 to 20 buzz in questions, which was great by me, but perhaps it should be 20 full stop. For the muggles I would put the buzzer round in before the fast track round, and turn fast track off at least 5 to go. £30 bar tab for first and bottle for second.
Air Balloon, Blackpool, FY4 2QS, with Chris and Carol (John Gallagher RIP)
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01253 362400
Cost: ? . Prize: 1st £20 Gift card 2nd £10 Gift card 3rd Wine Format: SpeedQuiz
Pretty Solid quiz apart from perhaps an hour wasted in the middle. Wine is '5 a bottle on a Wednesday, so '
Albion, Sheffield, S2 4LE, with Lachlan
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 NOT 9 o’clock
Telephone: x
Cost: Free . Prize: Kitty (£15 today) Format: Straight 66 SQ
They are all score concealers! This was the best pub I have been in for vibe. Even little bitchslaps in the last ten questions couldn’t spoil that! So it gets a highly recommended and I’m not going to scumb to rating inflation
Alhambra, Middlewich, CW10 9AG, with David Lee
Meh
Tuesdays at N/A o’clock
Telephone: N/A
Cost: N/A . Prize: N/A Format: N/A
FUCK these people. They advertise on the SpeedQuiz site, have no phone number on line, I can find no real prescence, for them or Dave Lee, I go to the place during the day, I phone them up on the number above their door to book a wedding for 60 people, expense no object (no I ring em to ask if their quiz is on, but they don’t know that), and leave a message. A huge problem with online free advertising is people just do it, and never tidy up after themselves. SpeedQuizzing do a great service there, and it is just wrong to abuse it. There is a notice on the window saying they are shut Monday and Tuesday! Unless they court eager customers they will be shut forever. I think the place name they want might be Il Padrino. After a message exchange I am standing by this. They claim it wasn’t their advert – OK, let’s accept that. They did not address the lack of response on the phone. I did start my message with “this might not be you”. The first response was an auto reply. Apart from a quick “Fuck auto reply” to the auto reply message I was, as always, direct, helpful, and conscise. I don’t need telling for a third time they are shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. I told them I’d inform York and wished them luck. In summary I spent at least three hours and drove 20 miles to identify there was a mistake, certainly not of my making. The mistake was fixed, easily, to the benefit of El Padrino, SpeedQuizzing, and their valued customers/potential customers. Of pretty stiff cost to myself. Did I get a thankyou? No, of course not. I was however told by Alan at SpeedQuizzing that I had been abusive. I had, not been abusive to a person, I had told a mother fucking auto reply to get fucked. What? Bots have feelings now? are they gonna pass the turing test? How do they self identify? Cunt Fuck Shit Bollocks Radiator Fuck your arsehole DOES NOT MATTER! It’s all in your stupid little head anyway. Telling someone something is when it isn’t DOES matter, at least if you want to be treated as reliable. So FUCK these people.
Anchor Inn, Wimblington, PE15 0QA, with Simon or Ashley
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01354 741940
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Lucky dip of 4 envelopes. We got £200!! Format: Straight 66 SQ, 4/1, 6/3 Sliding, 10/3 Sliding, 20/20 evil
Ah. A perfect quiz in a friendly unpretentious pub deep in the fens. Si and Ash were good hosts (Ash was having a week off), A double rum and coke is nearly six quid (I missed that boat 30 years ago!). No phone but prompt replies to messages. Ashton had to leave early, but I held on. It may be it’s isolation, but I’m not sure the crowd, who were welcoming and appreciative (at least those who we met), quite ‘got it’ regarding the game. We definitely held back as much as we have ever done. Long may this quiz continue, and if you are in the area call in. Before 7 so you can get some food.
Anchor, Tring, HP23 4BH, with Owen Andrew
Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 01442 823280
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Owen is such a good host (see Gade and Goose for a quiz of the month) but today there were a few aspects which were not quite up to snuff starting a post facto exclusin from a round after I had taken notes during an 'observation' film then the rejection of a perfectly good answer for which I was penalised. I'm not sure something else wasn't going on Owen did say he was poorly. Whatever still well worth the visit!
Ancient Foresters, Bradford, BD6 1QP, with Steve O
OK
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01274 670345
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Bitch Slaps. Hidden Screen (from me at least) nearest wins movable totals
Angel Inn, Lees, OL4 3BW, with Lucie Sharpe
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.15 o’clock
Telephone: 07500 558301
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: 20 Format: 3 rounds with 20 GK and 10 music in each round
I obviously really enjoy Lucie’s quizzes, she is such a live wire, plays great music, delivers the questions straight, is super clear, has fairly consistent scoring and zero feckaboutery. I would pinch myself and say I only like her ‘cos she flutters her eyelashes, and compensate for bias. But If any male delivered this quiz I would highly recommend it and more. Yes, the music is niche, but it comes in three different batches of niche, the prize is good, the beer is £3.20 a pint, so there are no objective faults. Ergo, flipping fantastic quiz. I was late so only took part in two rounds. James treated me to an extra round, so 5 stars all round
Angel, Bicester, OX26 6LP, with Chris Matthews
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01869 360410
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Kitty and Mug for six from Sinha Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music. Separte Six from Sinha for a mug
Cute pub, £4.40 a pint which means I'm allowing myself more than I thought. Nice car park too, which means I'm allowing myself more than I thought. This is a lovely quiz, standard fodder on the questions, no scorage on screens which I find frustrating, the six from Sinha were separate from the main quiz, sensible music, and I'm pretty sure no cheating. 80 miles south of Derby and the beer was £2.50 a pint cheaper (£4.40). Rich (Nottingham Forest), Chow (Polish Plastered) and Graham were a great bunch of lads. It's a recommended. Show us the scores goddammit. If somebody doesn't want to look at them they don't have too. Would revisit all the live long day (It’s the only SpeedQuiz for 25 miles around at least). Completely fat fingered an easy question on last round to lose.
Anglers, Saxilby, LN1 2HA, with Wayne Brown
Meh
Sundays at 3.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01522 702200
Cost: Cancelled . Prize: Cancelled Format: Cancelled
Not on. Being not on sucks but that's not what really gets to me. It is the denial of culpability. Wayne said "we didn't put the advert up". So what, Speed Quiz invented it?? I just wish people would say "We are sorry, there has been a mistake, we will try to sort it, would you like a cuppa?". Until such a time it's a big fat Meh!. AND a reminder to ring up first you idiot. I just thought nobody would invent a 3.30 Sunday start.
Angus Tap and Grind, Liverpool, L2 2HT, with Natasha Pratt
Meh
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: Lost my cool!! Format: SpeedQuiz a few bitch-slaps wort a fuck tonne for and against
Fuck I love Quizzes. I love Natasha. I love Helen. I love beer. It can.... It CAN last. This pub should be jam packed to the rafters. 3.99 a pint us pricy but I'm still living in 1980. Get it old timer. No. I won't. Inflation sucks. 90 minutes later... Never again. Great quiz apart from bitch slaps in last round. Which made it a horrible quiz. I've written about bitch slaps, but fundamentally they are initiated by stupid people for stupid people. Spoiled night. And if it improved the night for others there is no hope for humanity. I believe there is no hope for humanity. That is the major reason why life sucks. I got bitchslapped 3 out of five times for 60 points, I refused to bitchslap on the other 2. I lost by perhaps 20, the beardy fucks who bitchslapped me on the last didn't even win. It so disappointing. I really believed it could last. My optimistic faith in human nature is repeatedly dashed. Why bother? As an addendum, there was a 50 point 5 question bonus round chosen by a team, which was good, but at 50 points was a bit weighty. Like the bitchslap, perhaps it needs reducing a tad to less than what was in effect an entire 20 question rounds worth of points. I think last round fast tracks 1 to 15 evil mode, excluding multiple choice or counting races should be default. This keeps all teams involved, but doesn't totally fuck anybody. I'm not sure but it may be fair to add that I did have a couple of pints and and maybe should have just kept quiet. But however well or badly I played doesn't take away from the absolute fact that I was bitchslapoed by two teams, I did not slap them back, despite having the opportunity, and yet still one of them treacherously f***** me again. That is how wars start, and people die.
Anvil Arms, Darton, S75 5HG, with Harry
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01226 805225
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £25 voucher Format: Straight SpeedQuiz
Lovely little quiz in a friendly small space, hosted by staff members! Why the feck else would you go to a ‘pub quiz’? It is like being in your front room with friends. Over the 60 questions you only ever get one point for being first, so not so much emphasis on the speed. It is the intimacy of the place, and it's unplugdness which I like. I get more pleasure, more value, than I would have got from the vast majority of written down ones. £4 a pint of nice beer. That’s almost OK nowadays! Zero airs and graces, just beer and questions, 60 straight. Started at 8, finished for 9.30. Kudos to pub and SpeedQuizzing. FastTrack recommended
Arcade, Cannock, WS11 0DR, with ??
OK
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01543 462990
Cost: £1 per person? . Prize: Dunno Format: 30 GK, 15ish on biscuits, 15 on fictional places 20 choral music versions, nearest wins
Such a nice spot. Little bar full of shtuff and conjoined Siamese twin to a guitar shop. I should definitely have more tats and a beard. Beer is £3.60, delicious and I have parked in an abandoned car park 100 yards away so I’m due for a skinful. My rules are to make the most of every situation, even if it a super bitch slap. And don’t press on evil mode unless I’m comfy. FAIL!!! Actually I was comfy on my wrong presses, but that’s immaterial. I was.. a bit bored. The pub was full, making the most of its limited space, everything was OK but it wasn’t my cup of tea. There were perhaps 30 GK questions, and the rest were specialist. I will detail why I did not enjoy them so much. Biscuits? Faces superimposed on biscuits may as well just be faces. Which brother is this I couldn’t even see the image. Who wrote a tune for Beetlejuice? Nobody would recognise an image of Danny Elfman, let alone on a biscuit. It just seemed a little contrived when the question alone would have been fine. Seems like a lot of extra effort for no return. Fictional worlds – It seemed to me that half of them were from PC games, not my cup of tea. Time was slowing down, Then a finish of 20 music questions, all choral versions of hits, all listen for a minute and then “Tell me the name of the (Pause for dramatic effect).. Artist (or song). The music was not interesting to listen too. The questions were mainly boring. The set lacked imagination. At 10 plus five for fastest on evil mode, they were just quick on the draw. Because of the scorage differences it all really hinged on that round, which, the man did kind of allude too when reading the scores out. Damn. I would not recommend the quiz. I’d recommend everything else but the quiz just didn’t do it for me. Only two score checks, not on the screens, one of them was end of night. I feel there was admirable effort, but it wasn’t quite speed, and it wasn’t quite quiz. And the place was chocker, so what do I know? Would suit a modern team.
Archive, Leeds, LS3 1HD, with Ian
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07444 710139
Cost: Free . Prize: £40 the £10 voucers Format: Straight SpeedQuiz
£10 for two pizzas. I like it already. Prizes are a £40 then £10 tabs. These are strange spaces on Kirkstall Road. It's like Fakeblock HQ in Arrested Development. I really must exercise more and not let the bastards grind me down. Told Ian to put fast tracks on. He did. I played great only dropping three of the last 20. Done for 8.20! Bridgewater Arms here I come!
Arden Arms, Bredbury, SK6 2RZ, with Steve O
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 480 2185
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 token Format: SpeedQuiz
Free to enter, £25 tab prize. Yes there was a bitch slap round but not to the end, yes there were five big numbers right at the end, but ... I'm definitely getting far more tolerant to the extent that I am genuinely for letting Steve O do what he likes. Lovely little pub and landlord, there should be 50 teams, not 5. I've completely flipped on this quiz. The first time was meh, the second time I loved it, and the third time, I think it's absolutely wonderful. Steve, he's such a sweet guy who runs an innovative, clear, quiz with a buzz in round. Richard the landlord is one of the nicest landlords I have met, and behind the bar Charmaine and was it Charlene? they were terrific, the guests Claire, I was talking to her afterwards and her son Connor was just a good person. Next time I'm going to see big Steve and sleep next to the lake.
Arkles, Liverpool, LL4 0TJ, with Kevin Jay
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0151 263 9496
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Top two shot at the money Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music, bitchslap buzz in on penultimate round, and huge speed points on last evil round
I love Kevin's quizzes, the quiz and competition (Tim, Brian) is great. Definitely the best pub for parking! (My car is at Anfield under some trees about 100 yards away). Super frequent score updates, perhaps was as nice a quiz night as I can expect on my own. 4 pints, surviving all the feckaboutery, people really nice to me, good atmosphere reasonably priced beer, and Tim.. and just 100 yard to the car which is locked in at night from 1:30 until 5. What's not to like about that? This whole bitchslap thing I am not a fan of, though presented by Kevin it is not fatal, and a good team can tread water. Cab be super busy, with every table and most bar space occupied. Kev uses only one speaker and should have a conversation with Ian McKendrick regarding speakerage (see Isle of Ely). Kev doess cancel the buzz in round when people just keep buzzing whatever which he (and I and many other customers) find most frustrating. I’ve never seen a host do this but perhaps block out the handsets for the round which transgress? That would be fair?? Excellent.
Ashby Lodge, Scunthorpe, DN16 3RL, with Mike Taylor
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01724 842831
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: First second (Carvery for two and two drinks) and third place (wine) prizes plus cash on the bingos Format: Six rounds including music
What's not to like about Greene King pubs that do quizzes? (They don't pick up the phone or call you back!). As usual the prizes are great but Mike King delivers the bonus of his own slant on the rounds. Clear and articulate I did like that he asked around the music rather than just name the act name the tune. No fast tracks is always great IMHO but that does gear it to the better teams winning all the time. Ten feels generous but the fact is everything is kind of right. Excellent
Ashton United Football Club, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 8DY, with Chris Judd
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
No real judgement on this as there was no real quiz (hardly anone turned up bar me and about 4 at the bar) but Chris threw a few bones out for us, by doing a quick 20 questions, which earns great brownie points
Askwith Arms, near Otley, LS21 2JQ, with John Allen
Quiz of the Month
Fridays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01943 465343
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
My Quiz of the year 2019. This quiz really needs reviving, it was a great trip out to a Yorkshire pub in the Dales that Americans come to L’il ol’ England to envy. John, the landlord is warm and welcoming, and a prodessional entertainer. Jane, (I hope it’s Jane, it’s been a while) was a proper hostess, looking after everybody, and the quiz was the old cake mix, cooked perfectly. Post COVID the quiz faded out, but I have got to persuade John to start it up again. Heaven was this place on a Friday Night with Jake, Bailey, and Dylan
Baker Street, Preston, PR1 3BN, with Matthew Ashton
Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07592 176054
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
'Saturday' night fever. Extended scores on buzz when you hear the tune. A good quiz, provoking food for thought. It seems unfair on Matthew to dock a mark for a mistake, nevertheless, it blotches the copybook. The question was "press your buzzer when you hear a Bee Gees song a day of the week in the title". I left Night Fever well alone. That was the one he wanted. I pointed out, I hope nicely, that Saturday Night fever was the film and there was no Saturday in the song title. He dismissed me immediately and a little disparagingly. This is what should have happened. He should have said 'whoops here's your 10 points. Everything else stands because I can't be bothered changing it.' simple. I've also realised in retrospect that this buzz when you hear the tune round is a waste of 20 minutes. At least Matthew put a bit if a twist in, but it just seems like treading water. Much better like last night asking about the music. It was though a great quiz fabulous prizes. The food for thought hasn't ended yet. I spotted a couple, cheddars, who I seen many times On-line. They were terrific and absolutely hammered my ass! They also 'knew' me. But of course they don't know me. It was definitely frosty when I introduced myself. That is such a shame because they seemed like such nice people and I know I'm a nice person, we have so much in common, but... It's fine, but could be better. And the same people who pointed the finger at, pursued, prosecuted, tortured, ostracized, and hung the witches and the Catholics and the reformers and the gypsies and the niggers and the gays are merely a bit frustrated by, still inadequate, legal systems, but still knock at my door leaving their car alarm on to draw attention to the entire street what a bad person I am. This lovely couple in the pub would be the first to say we would never participate in forming judgements about people on hearsay and inadequate information. But 'we' can't help it.
Ballencrieff, Bathgate, EH48 4PB, with Steven Bootland
Most Excellent
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: No Answer, no reply
Cost: Free . Prize: £15 Voucher, and shot at money for three teams Format:
My furthest north quiz! Pretty far west as well!! Pub music is clever nowadays. What about the quiz, here in Bathgate, home of David Tennant and Bernard Gallagher last night? I’m sat at a window table cashing in the token I won. Mmmmm… Well, it was pretty straight with some unusual aspects. Long time on the timer press, the first music was ALL 2010 (I didn’t get a single point out of the 30 available) and the films were meant to be from the 2010s, hence I didn’t tap for Hurt Locker. Damn. 2/1 followed by 3/3 music and films, followed by evil mode, then a balanced music round with HUGE potential gains for nearest wins on the date followed by bonus up on title and artist. Now I have to be objective and say this was a quiz with lots of questions well delivered and would have scraped a highly recommended, even though the first music was perturbing; it might have been 1970 as much as 2010, so benefit of doubt. Two things then happened. Last round – buzz in! OMG, perfect for me. In retrospect it becomes a no brainer. Unusual (nobody likes change) but fair. And it suited me much more than it didn’t. There was a nearest wins at the end which any of the top three could have won, but that’s gotta be accepted. And I thought that was that. I went back to the pub for fish and chips the next day, when Adam from behind the bar came to my table, I thought he was gonna say “Eat your meal and don’t come back”. Far from it. He was beautiful, gentle, funny and praising. He said I was like Clint Eastwood. That’s one of the nicest things anybody has said to me. And it has nothing to do with the quiz. But I’m so easily swayed by flattery! Slam slam dunk!! I may have overdone it on the exclamation marks this time ‘round?
Banyan, Horsforth, LS18 4QB, withEmma Thornton
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0113 258 8439
Cost: Free . Prize: Quite a lot of stuff, including beer, drinks and a reasonable play your cards right Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Barton Arms, Worsley, M28 2ED, withMike Prince
Recommended
Sundays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 728 6157
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 Voucher Format: Speed Quiz
A tad late but, but whatever. Don't think there's much reward for Speed, but there's no on screen scorage so.. Mike is an old pro, so .. its just a bit of fun! Damn. I just can't make up my mind. I won today a 'super fast track' on q15 out of 20 on the last round and went 5 for five on the remaining questions. I played great, but I just don't know how great. So, much as I enjoy Mike's quizzes, I can recommend them but that's all. Super fast tracks negate the rest of the quiz, and fast tracks just on the top one in effect make every question a likely super fast track. Still loved the quiz, and it's busy, so I guess everyone's happy! 20 voucher and bang on time. Mike is clear and fun. Of course I enjoyed it tremendously
Bayhorse Inn, Hatfield, DN7 6RS, withDarren Lorimer
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01302 840201
Cost: ?? . Prize: ? Format: Three rounds including Buzz in, big last number, then a top two play off
I enjoyed the quiz and Darren's delivery. It was his third quiz, and he is getting used to the formats. The winners did have to give up first place in a nearest wins one on one winner takes all final what's in my pocket question, but hell, it's only a bit of fun, and at least they had a fair chance. He does a buzz in round ' AWESOME (but he needs IMHO to initiate agree or disagree and punishment for wrong.)
Be At One in Manchester, Manchester, M3 2ER, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 01
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxukTOjYMKx2jA-dvBltkFFAGxIUXiqj
Bear Grills Cafe, Congleton, CW12 1BP, withSteve
Meh
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 01260 400160
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Bottle of wine Format: SpeedQuiz
Why was this the worst SpeedQuiz I feel I've been to all year? It's up against a lot of decent competition and one has to be the worst. :( From the get go we were given literally two minutes warning that the quiz was going to start (I had been in for an hour). As far as the Quiz-master (QM) knew we had never played the quiz before he did not ask and when I asked for five minutes (To get the app downloaded and get set up) he said "Two!" Hey... Welcome to Congleton!!!! There was no hello howdy doodie from the QM (The staff were lovely though) (and there were only a dozen other people in the place so it wasn't like too busy) 10 for a correct answer 1 for speed made it more of a get the answer right than be first negating the 'Speed' bit and making it more rewarding for cheats (not that that I thought there were any in particular just sayin') Bitch slap round. Why make friends when you can create discord? Not using the On-line score visualization. Asking for the names of ALL FOUR members of a band during a buzz-in round. It wasn't the Beatles ergo it was a little specialist and if the quiz-master had changed it from 'name three' to favour girls he knew were McFly fans I wouldn't have been surprised. I have never known SpeedQuizzing set an 'All four' question. Haphazard fast tracks* in the last round. We were not told clearly which questions were fast tracks and which were not but to cap it all.. A 'random' golden fast track'* when whichever team got in first the answer were fast tracked to the top of the scoreboard thus making their first 90 minutes entirely redundant and especially curious in that we were not told which question it was until AFTER the answers were in - very handy if the QM wants to peg back the leading team of give his friends a little wind in their sails (not that that I thought he did in particular just sayin') £2 per person to enter for a bottle of wine first prize was not particular value for money OK now for the credit. I loved the venue and thought before we started that it might end up being my favourite quiz of the year I've been to plenty worse written down quizzes The owners and staff were were sweet table service and friendly welcome One chap was nice enough to talk to us and swap congratulations afterwards The QM gave us our bottle of wine and a congratulation (but I wouldn't have described it as effusive!). In conclusion there are some easy fixes here to make it more welcoming fairer and clearer. *I am not sure about the legality of paying for a product (e.g. a quiz) and then altering the value of the good (e.g. 'fast-tracks') for different people. The vendor should at least make it crystal clear about the nature of volatility and even then it is a bit iffy. Fast tracks are a reasonable thing but only when used in such a way as to give hope to all competitors as opposed to stimying the best ones
Bears Paw, Frodsham, WA6 7AF, withGary Jones
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01928 731404
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 transferable Hungry Horse token plus second and third prizes Format: SpeedQuiz sensible music
Good natured. That's the way to describe Gary and his quizzes. It was outdoors! Midsummer night and that was exactly right. Pretty standard sq set sensible music, 20 question last round fast tracks to 10 or 12, some good competition who we blew away in that last round, they must have succumbed to evil mode and we played great, very up market Green King pub, so although Ashton thought the breaks were a little lengthy, I'd give it a slam dunk highly recommended. And feck the old Brexit Bag and her team which nicked our table!
Beartown Brewery, Congleton, CW12 1QN, withOliver Dodwell
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: £1.50 per person . Prize: All sorts of nik naks for all teams Format: 60 + nearest wins, 20/20-20 last round was effectively the meat
For the second night in a row (last night was Cannock) we have a quiz in a place which is not just a pub. In this case it is a brewery. We were actually sat at tables put up in the brewery itself, surrounded by vats and kegs and tubes and crates, and it goes to show what can be done with space. The beer was, of course, delish. And the first pint was free!! pretty straight SpeedQuizzing set, well delivered, albeit with some technical delays but no game breakers, scores on handsets and frequently on big screens, and really only one bit of feckaboutery, which was the leading team were blocked on a 100 point nearest wins question at the end of round two. It didn’t make any difference today, but given if we hadn’t been there it would smell like a golden snitch. Given that it was a good job we went balls out all game, and played as well as we ever have (I hate people who say how good we are but we got 55/60, were first 30 times with a healthy 15 teams – I hate me). I wish they had a human on a phone as opposed to on line booking – fekking skynet. So.. an absolute slam dunk Highly Recommended.
Beaumont Arms, Kirkheaton, HD5 0BH, with??
OK
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01484 517777
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Beaver, Beverley, HU17 8AX, withCal
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01482 862160
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Beckwood, Scunthorpe, DN16 3PZ, withMike Taylor
Highly Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 01724 855990
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I maintain that Mike runs one of the best quizzes, but OMG I wish he'd smile more. I won't be coming back here as a '20 food tab lasting two weeks is not really worth it, and the competition is not challenging. Local quiz for local people.
Bedford, Southampton, SO15 2DB, withNot Connor. I really should reember this guy’s unusual name
OK
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 023 8033 3705
Cost: Free (I think) . Prize: £20 limited voucher. I took a bottle of wine and gave two cocktails to two people at the bar Format: 20 specialist, 20 general
What is right about this quiz: Nice, tough, original, questions Free (I think) (which absolves all sins regarding the quiz itself) What is wrong about this pub: Personal feelings aside (The hostility probably ended up being mutual).. When I arrived, having phoned up first I was told I should have reserved a place. I had already. I was waved onto a table, but I did panic a little. Whatever. There was room and capacity for a dozen more teams at least – there were only 7 teams playing, one was the host’s Mrs, and another was the bar staff! Really – I may have been refused entry???. No wonder there was only 5 real teams (if that). BTW 30 minutes after I sat down the host reserved a table right next to me anyway, for his Mrs Rule inventing, ergo; I plugged a phone and tablet in to charge, but I left them in my briefcase, as the plugs were next to three VERY drunk guys, and I feared for them getting kicked. I was litreally about to bite into my cheeseburger, my first genuine burger for six months, my mouth, mind and taste buds were primed, I was told “You can’t plug your tablet in”! I asked “Can I charge my phone?” (It is a ‘smartphone quiz’ after all). I was told “yes”. I said “thank you, very kind” (a touch of Father Jessop, the most sarcastic priest in Ireland had started creeping in! :( ). I took my phone out of the briefcase and left it in kicking distance, plugged in (along with the tablet which I was using for the quiz). Timing - Oh come on to fuck! Tell me BEFORE my food arrives, or at least ask me to move it when my plate was empty. I sat at the corner of the bar watching people being served, CONSTANTLY trying to catch the eye of the bartender, who constantly avoided catching mine. The bar was perhaps 4 metres long. The bar was empty. She started polishing glasses. I walked the five paces and said “Could I get served when you have finished polishing glasses?” (By this time I had the conviction that there was hostility, I may be wrong. I certainly felt hostile, though I restrained myself to sarcasm. After a pow wow between three members of staff, the original “You need to book”, “You can’t plug your briefcase in” one came up and asked “Can I help you?” I asked the price of a bottle of wine, ordered one, and asked for two cocktails, to use up the voucher I had won in the quiz. I asked for the wine first, as it was late, I had been waiting perhaps 20 minutes, and I really wanted to go. I was giving the cocktails to a couple at the bar. She deliberately stalled, and kept making the cocktail. Even if it wasn’t deliberate, it was against me, the customer’s reasonable request. What was wrong with the quiz: Only 40 questions. Let’s call him Connor gets 66 questions just by activating. If you’ve got ‘em, flaunt ‘em. If I wanted 20 general knowledge questions, I wouldn’t drive 20 miles for them. Too tough. Throw people bones. 20 of the 40 questions were about The Grinch! And when I say tough, on a 4/1 scoring system the leading two teams after 10 of them had only 14 points. One team hadn’t scored. Neither Jim Carey, nor Doctor Seuss was an answer. This specialist round on the Grinch had been chosen and announced on-line, making it an ambush for the itinerant like myself. Low speed bonuses. Normally I wouldn’t bother mentioning this, after all, some of my favourite quizzes have 4/1, 6/1 scoring systems, but on a personal level, I like a SpeedQuiz to be a speed quiz. Goalpost moving. Because my lead was decent, the last question had it’s value upped to the point where whoever got it won (unless they were one of the bottom two teams). The old golden snitch. The World Darts championship was on the tellies during the quiz. At the end of each match the Darts players were given their last dart, and whoever got the highest score with it won. (Only kidding!). Why do I even bother?, as if it’ll make any difference. This place should be rammed. 15 miles up the road, in the small town of Chandlers Ford, the Monks Brook will be absolutely packed to the rafters with 40 teams, paying a couple of quid each. Here in the middle of Southampton’s bustling night time quarter, the pubs either side are busier with nothing on. Don’t forget to book. OK – just. Addendum: About the last question. It is wrong to suddenly change the value of a final ‘nearest wins’ question based upon the positions before it is asked. If we enter a quiz on the undestanding that the last question is worth, say, 30 points (Thanks Marc Coates et al!) we can pay our money and take our pick. Same value to all. If, on the other hand, a questions value is stretched, on the hoof, as it were, is just wrong. (if it is a pay for, without indicating this might happen at the time of purchase, it is not only wrong, it is illegal). There are better, more imaginative, more consistent, and fairer ways of leveling the chances of teams and keeping them ALL involved (Not just the top 80%). Whatever. Don’t move goalpsts. BE CONSISITENT. If the question says “Give the surname of the brothers who directed Burn After Reading”, don’t look at the scoreboards, see that one person you don’t want to win has answered C (for Coen), then add “and No Country For Old Men..” etc etc etc. I haven’t finished. That final question was “If you took the number of pages in The Grinch, and multiplied that by the amount of minutes long that the original movie is, and then multiplied that by the amount of minutes long that the 2018 movie is, and then divided that by the amount of songs on Tyler The Creator’s album inspired by the film, what number do you get?”. The answer he was looking for was 977. The actual sum is. 72 x 105 x 90 / 6 = 124,740. In effect the quiz was: Forget the body of questions, who can give the worst answer!
Bees Knees, Halifax, HX1 2AF, withShaun from LSI Entertainment
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01422 350110 ·
Cost: . Prize: Format: Speed Quiz original content, Well structured
Curious one this. The scoring system was a mystery, and the individual scores concealed. Shaun told me he couldn’t put them up anymore (which given I did other quizzes at 6 and 10 which did seems like absolute bollocks!?). Nevertheless, lots of content, good screens, great delivery, fast and clear, sensible music, original content and a moveable prize, I’m compelled to give it a…
Behive Inn, Combs, SK23 9UT, withMartin Bank Manager (I think)
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01298 812758
Cost: Free . Prize: Dunno Format: 60 written down, with ten pictures and ten film anagrams
"Fun quiz". 60 questions written down at what we agree was one of the prettiest pubs we have had the pleasure to visit. I don't know the guy's name but his question set was just right. He took an obvious pride in what he was doing and did it well. 12 teams, we played pretty good, no actual scores read out at the end, we had 51.5. By amazing coincidence, two other teams tied with us. If ever there was a case for announcing the scores!? Highly recommended (with a cocked eyebrow).
Bell Inn, Broadway, TA19 9RG, withMatthew
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01460 52343
Cost: Glory . Prize: Glory Format: SpeedQuiz
Welcoming quaint pub in deepest Somerset, '5 a pint, but a great quiz, well described, consistent scoring, a buzz in round, bespoke rounds, a contender for quiz of the month
Bell Inn, Tong, TF11 8PS, withJack Craig
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01952 850210
Cost: Can’t remember . Prize: 8 Pints Format:
Nice big old building it looks like a farm from here, and the quiz gets a lot of ticks. It was a standard hashing speedquiz four rounds, free, prizes for top 3. Jack's sister, Abbey recognised me from the Star in Wedensfield last September and remembered by name! OMG. It came back to me slowly but I remembered sitting next to her and her mates their dad just behind us. Now.. much as I'd love to highly recommend this well timed and clear quiz, I do find buzz in music a waste of good tunes and time, and the non reveal of scores and questions curious. (I won by two points out of 400 on the last question). Recommended. I do like Jack and especially Abbey who was so nice to me. The last two night illustrate, to me at least, how we are seduced by other factors rather than just the quiz itself. The Clarendon in Kenilworth may be the best Speedquiz I've been to, I loved it, but I enjoyed tonight just as much. I think it may have felt different had I not won, I hope that doesn't make me a fraud. I am easily seduced.
Bellringer, Stoke-on-Trent, ST2 9ND, withJonathan Statham
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01782 765503
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Bent Brook, Urmston, M41 7NW, withJonny Spangles
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 748 7478
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Green King Voucher, Wine and Kitty at Random Format: A whole shit tonne of questions.
Jonny Spangles is beyond appraisal by mere mortals such as I! That he spends three hours taking money off people? I wish I could! That he spends another three hours on play your cards right? He did give £300 away! That he asks 60 questions on the bounce? I’m not complaining. That he doesn’t put one’s scores on the handsets? In this case, de nada, he puts regular scores on the boards. He does that thing of making a quiz seem random when it really is a meritocracy. Loads of great original and interesting content, nice mix of Christmas and normal, lovely dynamic music round and a frenetic buzz-in year round. He can swear, dismiss, and offend, and his force of personality, on top of a quiz built on firm foundations packs a pub. The daddy. And all in a Greene King pub. Bring on the Scampi
Berretto Lounge, Stockport, SK1 1SA, withDoug Spence
OK
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01614 777244
Cost: Free . Prize: 4 Bar vouchers Format: SpeedQuiz, 4 rounds including sensible music and nearest wins
Meh! So, not only do we have concealed scores, but on this one I'm calling chicanery in the first degree. We thought that Doug massaged scores the last time we saw him at the Hesketh. We suspected he changes the scores to stop teams winning multiple rounds. In the second round today we scored AT LEAST 126, comprising 17 correct answers worth six each (102) and six fastest fingers (4 apiece) (Though we didn’t know how many ‘places’ we got, but given six first places and 17 correct answers I would bet well over 20 on the 4,3,2,1 scoring system) . We ended up with 113. It is lying. Untruthful. Dishonest. Which may be all well and good but don't go whinging when you get unfairly fucked if you think it is well and good. There is every reason to believe we were constrained in the other two remaining rounds. A terrible aspect is that every team which has ever won or lost here must now think that, unless it was in the first round, they were getting shafted (stop it) or bumped up and must question their perceived merit. So, onto to the positives as the sun sets on Freckleton. Prompt start, straight 8. Excellent, all hosts should aim for that. Super fresh orange (£4.80!), Good questions, I can’t complain about 80s pop music sensible style. Consistent scoring 6 then 4,3,2,1 for speed. Split prizes are a good idea. Free. Good delivery, and gentle up clues are the same for many. Especially not us! That is not a bad thing. In conclusion. Meh! Is too harsh. Doug is not a cunt. Most cheats are not cunts, they are just cheats. I’m sure he has just established the habit and doesn’t think twice about it. It would not be cheating if he was up front about it. This system does not really give succor to the lower teams, it is just pick four from the top eight and give ‘em a prize each. He did say at the end “Democracy Manifest were by far the strongst team in the building”, and Annabelle said “He’s a lovely person”. Whatever. It’s better than sitting at home and watching I’m A Celebrity. So O.K., but just a little tweak could make it so much better for everybody (and NOT CHEATING!).
Berry Brook Farm, Wednesfield, WV10 8QD, with??
Highly Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 01902 866006
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Beverley Inn, Edenthorpe, DN3 2JE, withSteve Gladding
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01302 882724
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: 8 Pints Format: SpeedQuiz
I never quite know what to make of the scoring, but I win, so it can’t be that bad
Billy Goat, Mossley, OL5 0JS, withLucie Sharpe
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Format:
Wow. Have I died and gone to heaven? Look, it's not going to be quiz of the month, but it might well be the first one I'd go back too. Why? Lucy is the sweetest host. The pub is cosy. The village nestles at the edge of the Pennines within 30 minutes bike ride to the centre of Manchester but an hour from the summit. ( Going up) or 15 minutes (coming down). Anyhoo, this is not about my love. It's about the quiz. 3 rounds GK, ***** . The three music rounds were fillers and I should not mark down for that. Highly Recommended. Please god of quizzes get this place rammed, they deserve it. £40 bar tab = 13.33 per team, and one of them was Maz behind the bar.
Black Horse, Liverpool, L4 5PW, withKevin Jay
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: . Prize: Format: SpeedQuiz
Lots of content good host, good competition, great risk/reward, Greene King pub so great prizes, good scoring systems, excellent screens, sensible music and reasonable jeopardy to tempt the lesser teams. The last round was 5.15! Wow
Black Sheep, Chapel Allerton, LS7 3QY, withStaff
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 268 8494
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Always a nice pub to visit
Bletchingdon Cricket Club, Kidlington, OX5 3BS, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 04
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxukTOjYMKxD9Kh6oIu3p7xLqYDnMo_Q
Bloomery, Sheffield, S10 2PQ, withWill
Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01142 671157
Cost: Free . Prize: $50 voucher, 25 voucher Format: Four rounds with a very high value flag round at the end
This is one I couldn’t sleep after. On a relisten I was worse than the quiz, nevertheless, I hate any forms of taking points off other teams, for very good reasons that I have explained elsewhere. Ashton would have loved the last (flag) round, I didn’t because it was huge value and jeapoardy, which turned the whole thing into a flag quiz really. I am angry with myself for going for Ukraine when he said t”his is easy enough, it’s been in the news for the last year or so” – It was Israel. Bad clue, even worse play (and dispicable government). Without that and being fucked for 15 points by another team (Fuck knows what I had ever done to them!) I’d have won. But I’m livid instead. (It may have been a carry over from last night, which I also would have won if I’d have played his silly stopping round on another team instead of myself – I’m a self righteous prick. I don’t like Sheffield quizzes.
Bloomfield Brewhouse, Blackpool, FY1 6PW, with??
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Andrew and I went, enjored the quiz, were welcomed and writing this three years and more later makes me think I really should go back
Blue Ball Inn, Worrall Sheffield, S35 0PD, withEmma Shepherd
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Local pub for local people, straight quiz
Blue Bell, Attenborough, NG9 6DN, withJason Van Gellicum
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01159 250621 (no answer)
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Two vouchers valid for next quiz (20 and 10) and a bottle of wine for third Format: Quiz of the year with music and an forgivable feckaboutery
Bonus points for reviews and pictures online. Really don’t like these. By all means give somebody half a beer or one pont to acknowledge – but not half a round. Oh I’m in a bad mood. :(. Master mixes taking classic tracks and mixed by someone who thinks they can make a better job of them by cutting a minute off each end and altering tempo. Despite a round’s worth of points for frippery, there was a lot to like about this quiz. The fast track gamble was novel, and finishing with ten questions to go made it a quiz players quiz. On a re-listen I lost it – that is MY FAULT, not Jasons, so it has to be HR
Blue Bell, Warrington, WA1 1TS, withAdam Reid
OK
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01925 638401
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £25 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz questions with feckaboutery
As I prepare to write this review it has dawned upon me; everything before the but is not necessarily horse-shit. To whit: The pub is lovely, Julie the landlady is just nuts, sweet, tolerant and a born communicator. Adam, the host, likewise, is clear, friendly, and has that Glaswegian humour without the sectarianism, I liked him. The teams were sporting enough, and whatever beer it was at 7% certainly tinted my specs a nice shade. The questions were a standard SQ set (ie good) and we won, which never does any harm. But… :) :( There was too much fuckaboutery (bordering on chicanery but not quite) # 15 teams at £1 a person … £25 voucher is nice but not spectacular, and the other negatives kind of framed the value # ‘Super fast tracks’ on seemingly random questions trigger my cynicism alert. Any quiz which you can win by turning up for the 14th question of the last round needs fixing. Yes, I endorse fast tracks, but only if the top two or three get the question wrong. Like remind me next time to turn up for the last round – with SpeedQuizzing speed throttling I’d say we would have been 10 to one on to go to the top of the table by one point (as it was, after 74 questions we were behind by one point, and with no sliding scale buzz in on the last 5 questions we HAD to get a first places. # “How much shall we make the last nearest wins question worth?” is more annoying in retrospect. Just say “99 points” - asking people what they want is pointless and patronising, like pressing the button on a pelican crossing, it has no effect and allows stupid people to imagine they are exercising some control, whilst fundamentally indicating how stupid we are. Baaaaaa. # Buzz in when you hear the tune is just a waste of music and time. Time wasting (Bingo/horse races etc.) I can accept within reason, but wasting music is sinful. Far better to use the clips and ask ‘Who is this?’, ‘what’s it called?’ or even better, ‘who sang lead vocals?’. More bangs for bucks # No scores on handsets. Again, more bangs for bucks showing them. Most everybody would like that, and then we could be informed that the sliding scale was on, and reminded what the scoring was #Bitch slapping bad (for us). If the teams hadn’t been so nice we could have lost a lot more than the 30 points we did. Ocracies are functions of power, and that shifts. When power shifts to an idiocracy it becomes an inefficient form of rule for EVERYBODY. Was the throttling on for this round? So many good things about this pub and host. So many things which would need the slightest tweaks to make it a contender for quiz of the month. I enjoyed myself tremendously. But I would not recommend it as a quiz player when there are other quizzes to go to which don’t rely on goal post moving and concealment. OK.
Blue Moon, Cambridge, CB1 2LF, withN/A
Meh
Wednesdays at N/A o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: N/A . Prize: N/A Format: Written
It’s not just that they have no phone. It’s that when you turn up an hour before the quiz they take great delight in telling you they don’t want one. And the irony that are they really going to ask ONE person to leave when the quiz starts? It’s the arrogance that I find upsetting. It doesn’t make the world better. Gloating entitlement (Probably misplaced ) may be good business in the short term. So is slavery. Doesn’t make it right.
Boars Head, Poynton, SK12 1TE, withAlistair
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8 (ish) o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £25 bar tab and kitty for places Format: Written down, sectional format
A rare (nowadays for me) written-down quiz. And do yer know what? It was terrific. Well, it was terrific with Ashton who was truly imperious, enabling us to win by ninety odd points to 80. I am pretty sure he would have won on his own by 10, but I’m not so sure about me at all. I don’t think I would. At all. (He beat me 14-3 on the 10 sport questions; that’s it right there on the first round) Anyhooz, the quiz: 20 pictures, 10 sport, 10 current, 10 science and general, 10 geography, 10 entertainment worth a point each, and 10 music worth ½ + ½ + 1 each. Several questions had bonuses given for additions. The pub was beautiful (the food awesome!), the host clear and helpful. I’d quite forgotten why I liked some written down quizzes so much. The big difference between this and SpeedQuizzing sets is there were no wasted questions, none of this malarkey about “how many letters are in the word DOG”. There were two football questions, which given the more than 100 questions and the fact that we are in the throes of a World Cup is entirely appropriate, unlike the SpeedQuizzing sets which can be 4 footbal out of 60. The music was very me-centric (1962 to 1995) (that is a negative criticism), but I guess he (she) is setting for an audience. It was gentle enough to make one not feel stupid, but robust enough to mean 100% was not going to happen (n.b. there were no ‘stoppers’, every question carried value). This is in the lead for Quiz of the month for December. Today is 1st December. I will consider it on the last day of the month as well.
Boat House, Irlam, M44 6DN, withPhil Brooks
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: . Prize: £50 voucher to be spent in the pub at one go Format:
A Very Good Quiz. The pub is beautiful, Good host and screenage, Ashton’s favourite so far, good competition, low speed bonuses, accommodating landlord and staff, sensible music albeit a bit Now 50ish. A genuine contender for QOTM
Boot and Shoe, Tockwith, YO26 7PR, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 05
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxukTOjYMKx1rsVWWBXp_IvjIrRxKzDo
Botanist, Ipswich, IP1 1DD, withMalcolm Watkins
Most Excellent
Tuesdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01473 933000
Cost: Free . Prize: Vouchers for top three and loads of lyttle spots Format: 112 SQ music
I’ve got too give this a most excellent, for a music quiz with 112 questions, with the proviso that it has a gravity around the year 1992, and half a Birra Moretti (the cheapest beer) is £3.35!! (A pint of beer in ‘spoons can be less that 2 quid). It was absolutely super-competive, some gentle entertaining non critical feckabouter and loads of nice little spot prizes. Ipswich looks a lot more like Bruges than Bradford. Malcolm Watkins, the host was just right, welcoming and busied himself spreading himself around and has done that thing of dumbing up a quiz, so know you have a regular clientele of pretty brilliant pop people. IMHO there were ten people at least in here today who coud win a Pop masters. And I should get with the program and realise that Inkspots might be a bit past their use by date! Love it. But lost!! :(
Boulevard (General), Wigan, WN1 1LD, withRob Star
Meh
Thursdays at x o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
How different from the Sunday Music quiz. Concealed scores, all teams, bar the winner who got a weighty points question at the end, within 3% of each other at the end? No, that does not happen in a rational universe. Disappointing. I'm an ungrateful get, it was free beer (from a previous prize) but I did want my friends to see how good SpeedQuizzing can be, and it wasn't. :(. Fundamentally the scores were stitched up, we may as well not have played for points. The scoring system was never revealed the scores were never revealed until the last question, even then he didn't say the last question was worth 100 points and lo and behold one team wins by 95 and points and places around the rest of the table within one or two pints of each other. Never ever happened before. Never could in any rational universe happen. It's such a shame that the thing I love is so degraded by small-minded little parochial DJs who brush it off "it's just a bit of fun". It's not. Bitch slaps are not fun. Not revealing scores is not fun. Not giving scoring systems is not fun. Bringing down talented players at quizzes is great fun for a lot of people. Then again so is exterminating fucking Jews. Not. This has to go down is the worst quiz I've been to, not because the questions were bad, but because it's extra unsatisfying that the scoring was meaningless. And, it was the first time Dave Atherton, Ashton, and myself have played together. It should have been a cause of celebration. It was still fun the entire process but it just completely skewered my faith in humanity is that people don't object to it. I'm pretty sure that this is not because we lost. This is because it was cheating.
Boulevard (Music), Wigan, WN1 1LD, withCalvin Snape??
Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: 2 . Prize: £50 bar tab Format: Round 1: 20 general pop Round 2: Identify 20 tracks from Guitar Hero 3 Round 3: Buzz-in general pop 10/5/-10 Round 4: 20 general pop, evil mode, first five catch-up v. top two, last 15 bitch-slap
This made me think how good is a SpeedQuiz? Despite the wrong start time advertised (it was 6:30, not 8:30, I missed the first round) and not picking up the 'phone (a modern malaise, a generation bought up the understanding that phone calls are free, therefore are of little value), and even bitch slaps going over the last 15 (I got hit at least six times), a last question basically being a 'this is for the quiz', and not really knowing what the scoring systems were (They were not shown on the hand sets) I STILL give this a seven. The host was a good guy, The OJ was not a rip-off, the prize was great, the questions were balanced, and my settee was super comfy. Wouldn't take anything to make it an 8. Wouldn't take that much to make it a 10. Great Prize
Bow Legged Wíth Brass, Halifax, HX1 1HA, withPaige Carter
Recommended
Thursdays at 6.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Hardly any speed bonuses, but a straight quiz an early start
Bowling Club, Pudsey, LS28 8JQ, withRich Hod and Sam
Highly Recommended
Saturdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Many and varies Format: Loads of Speedquiz with some original content and sensible music
The first person I saw after I arrived in the car park was the awesome Raz Bainbridge from the Commercial. Sam, who played the part of Richard Osman, is his mate who I met first in York pre lockdown. Anyway. Father Keith Cullen. Standard Halloween quiz. Highly recommended. Why not? Ten teams, nice place, £3.50 a pint. 4/321 scoring. Nothing else to add. Very decent quiz. Raz was super unlucky. I fucked up two questions in the stretch and then hit 2039 for nearest wins for 30 points. Loads of prizes. Fuck, I spoilt it. :(. I should give myself credit though, but i just feel so guilty about benefiting from fuckaboutery. In the cold light of day, I realise there was nothing to be ashamed about knowing the right answer, I mean, that’s the whole idea, innit? But there are things which you do and you don’t, and one invariably feels that it could have been done better. I actually let Razz’s team partner (there were three of them) colour my judgement on pressing quickly. Hell – they weren’t holding back. What am I doing wrong now? I should be composing this high in the Pennines, not in a car park in Pudsey!. That is where I’m off. TTFN. I’m such a pessimist, Drove to near the top of Earl Crag pondering what a good quiz The Bowling Club at Pudsey was, with original content, sensible music and great prizes for everybody. I got a really swell polo shirt and all sorts on nick nacks which I really like. Highly Recommended
Box, Headingley, LS6 2AD, withCharlie Coyle
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 224 9345
Cost: Free . Prize: At least a case of beer, spot prizes and real chance of huge bar tab Format: SpeedQuiz
Follows the recipe
Box, Leeds, LS1 2JS, withJohnny Corner
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 532 7010
Cost: Free . Prize: Many and varied Format: SpeedQuiz
Johnny Corner gets a free pass to do what he wants. Expensive pub but...
Bradford City Football Club, Bradford, BD8 7DY, withJiminy Butfuck
Meh
Saturdays at Cancelled o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Cancelled . Prize: Cancelled Format: Cancelled
Advertised but not on. Tried phoning but no answer (“It’s a saturday, nobody is here”!) Bullshit should be illegal
Bramley Cottage, Redditch, B97 5QB, withJason Moore
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1.50 per person . Prize: £30 £10 £5 and spot prizes Format:
Dead good quiz, busy (23 teams, many of them who knew what they were doing). At least two rounds of original content, if not more, and little touches such as hand the card in to gain points. Lots of spot prizes, three cash prizes of £30, £10, and £5. Some questions must have taken 39 minutes to put together! Highly Recommended. So why did I hate it?! It's on me, I think. I know. 1. I was riven with cold sustained walking around Bewdley two days ago when it slung it down 2. Pissed off with the pub last night, not telling me it was off. 3. Pissed off with a pub near Bewdley today not telling me it was on until I'd got to Redditch. 4. Pissed off with general waste of time and recources bullshit 5. I played terribly. 19 out of 23!!! 6. I got impatient. "This is a pIcture of Mowgli... BUT..." some question for which you didn't need the picture. 7. Overlong question timeage that might facilitate cheating. 8. Some really good teams. 9 I saw a single magpie first thing this morning. Before you say anything, the Roman Empire lasted over a thousand years predicated on the behaviour of chickens! 10. I can't spake. 11. It was more oriented to modern pop culture. I'm getting too old for this kind of shit Make some lemon and honey Steve, and try to learn. I want to stress, the quiz and Jason were top notch, Jason was attentive to mood and people, and his little game at the end, boys v girls, was ... brilliant. On the re listen, i played incredibly badly, and there were perhaps two dozen general knowledge questions. The best thing i can do is accept that! :)
Brew York, York, YO1 9TT, withPeter Martini
Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
BrewDog, Bradford, BD7 1AJ, withCameron (Staff)
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: Tab for a week that can be converted into Brew Dog products, which are pretty tasty Format: SpeedQuiz
This should be better subscribed. It will be. One of those where I would say 'use fast tracks'.
BrewDog, Huddersfield, HD1 2RA, withLewis
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01484 369417
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 limited voucher Format: 60 SpeedQuiz set all 10/1
Nice, straightforward, acoustic, quiz. Nothing needs changing.
BrewDog, Hull, HU1 2PQ, withMillie Clarke?? (It was a lad)
Meh
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01482 422776
Cost: Free . Prize: Dunno Format: 60 SQ with games
Halloween 2023 2: I was interested to see what would happen with the questions, specifically if I would recognise any from the day before. I had a choice of several in Hull and plumped for BrewDog, and why not? It might make the most objective compare and contrast with BrewDog Huddersfield. A combination of bad luck, bad organisation, inexperience and rip off dragged me to a place where I left the quiz early. Calm but super disappointed, with a big Meh! A pertinent aspect is that my criticism of the pub ripping people off could have equally applied to yesterday in Huddersfield. But have not. Bad Things: When I walked in (thanks Jace Everett!) the quiz had started. It had been advertised for 8 on the SQ page. I was there just after 7.30. I asked if I could join in, the host, a young lad and member of staff, said aye and I was on it immediately. I needed to be let in by the host. I asked him. He said I might have to wait for the end of the round. I told him he could let me in. I was right. Meanwhile two questions had elapsed, I had verbally given him both answers. It would have been nice of him to credit me. The sound wasn’t exactly right, I could not hear exactly what he was saying sometimes Somebody nicked my name from last night (Matthew Perished) :( The software was really glitchy and deteriorating throughout the night (He had one small black router for a pretty huge pub) He said the second round was hand written – some of the questions were. Many were not, at least by him The trick or treat game was inherently a good idea. But. I felt sorry for the team that lost 50 points. I was way the most entertaining, and dare I say bosses hate that.; when a mere underling steals their thunder. (I did the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz) (And everybody clapped and I was congratulated). There were no scoreboard checks. Before I left, after I could not latch on for the bingo after two rounds, I asked if I could see the scores. He told me I was seventh. So that was a no. Why didn’t he just say no? WTF could he not just put the scores up at the end of every round. Sarah last night had them up between each question, increasing the value of the experience for no cost whatsoever. Normally this would all add up to an ‘OK’. I hated it because: I went for a half a beer (Beer in BrewDog is expensive, I get that) I asked the lad for one of the lower alcohol ones which was on the board at £5.20 (ergo £2.60 a half). It was 3.8 proof. Just below it was a 6.8 proof beer also at £5.20. I said to the lad, bugger it, I might as well get bangs for bucks, give the stronger one He obliged and I swiped my card. I looked at the screen and thought he had charged me for a pint – I queried the £5.20 and was told that is what it was for a half!!!!! WTF . Now, I could go on for ever about how this was not clear on the price board, but at the end of the day, if they were not out to fuck you, why in the whole of Fucksville Humberside don’t they just put prices up per pint? And purleeze, don’t insult me even further by making me feel I should read a relatively tiny addendum at the end of the board and a cryptic hieroglyph next to the price on a board the size of the size of a minibus and it was somehow to do with responsible drinking. I asked if I could exchange my beer for the cheaper, ‘responsible drinking’ one. The lad was going to but his 14 year old manager, refused. I told him to keep it. £5.20 a half a beer. Not in any reasonable 2023 in Hull. And BrewDog are a prime example of a company that takes Green-washing to a whole new level. But that is a different story
Brewery Tap, Kirkstall, LS3 1HJ, withJohnny Machin
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 Voucher Format: Round 1 20 questions 4/1. Round 2 20 questions 6/2. Round 3 20? Music 4/4321. Round 5 15 Pictures on specialist subjects. Round 6 20 questions 10/4 -10. Fast tracks through much of the quiz but not the last 5.
This is a model for the new pub for sure. I like it. Its a big cross between an office/modern brewery and pub £3.60 a decent pint. I wish I had Johnny's voice. Smooth as putty, deep as a glacial lake! Note to self: On 4/1 its not worth trying to be first. Squandered at least 8 points. Joint last out of seven teams No matter. So far so good :) Note to self: On 6/2 round it is hardly worth being first. The music scores 8765/4 and is sensible. Lots of content, much original, delivered well. Own scores are on the screens, some overall updates but would enjoy a few more. Good stuff. Fast tracks up to the right point. On reflection a great quiz.
Brewery Taproom, Horsforth, LS18 4JZ, withAshlee Aspin
Recommended
Thursdays at 7.30 ish o’clock
Telephone: 0113 2581118
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 voucher (2 months), and other vouchers for places, round of drinks for nearest wins Format: 20 specialist, 20 great pop, 15 buzz in, 20 Evil/Bitchslap/Fasttrack on last round, One nearest wins
Do I start with the good stuff, or the negative stuff? Save the best till last. Ashlee doesn’t put the scores or scoring on the handsets. There were only two overall score checks and one at the end. The last ten questions are bitch slaps with a deal of clout (minus 20 points each) so given the penultimate ten questions were fast tracks in evil mode, and that the very last question was “is this guy A) Coming or B Drumming” for double points (i.e. a potential 120 point turn around) turns the quiz into a lottery for the top few teams without really bringing the minor teams into the mix. Bitch slaps are the worst. Invented by a thick person who hates people who are good at quizzes, and wishes to camoflauge they own percieved inadequacy. Which is a shame. I could have played the last round 20 questions and still won, two or three times. Daft. Normally enough to put a quiz into the bottom two ratings for me, but this one is hauled up to recommended by an excellent, copious set of questions and some seemingly nice competetive teams who left me alone in the stretch, and were appreciative of the win. I did go all out charm offensive during the quiz with the teams near me, having said that, that is a nice thing to do which I enjoy tremendously. Gxtjkggxqfmjk was a good team name in the circumstances.
Brewhouse, Portsmouth, PO1 2DD, withMe
On-line
Sundays at 6.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: Free . Prize: Glory Format: 60 SpeedQuiz, 20 of my own
Lulu’s birthday, so very informal. The tech seemed to work OK, though I was definitely not as au fait with it as I was when doing it more regularly
Bridge, Sale, M33 7QH, withSteve Sale
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 9623030
Cost: Free . Prize: 8 pints, and other prizes for places I think Format: 60 SQ, 20 Music, 10 on make up
An object lesson in quiz competence. This guy started right on time, and when he flipped into presentation mode he did a Henry Sellers. Clear measured, affable without annoying, earthiness. I'm so jealous! 20 GK, 10 on make-up, 20 more GK, 10 music, 20 more GK. Fast tracks to 15. This is the recipe. He took the cake mix, baked it, decorated and added to it, presented it perfectly, divided it to the micron, gave time to savour without stringing it out. Steve aside, the pub, location, 19 teams, Paul from The Nags head, good sound system. Damn! Steve made it look easy. A seasoned pro of the first division. Sometimes I imagine this was not quiz of the month because it was early on.
Bridgewater Arms, Burley, LS4 2DG, withSam Hart
Meh
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 203 8752
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 voucher £10 voucher Bottle of wine Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music and buzz in
I had written several good things about the 18 quizzes I had recorded of Sam’s. On my last visit with my son he banned me from his quizzes, absolutely out of the blue for no good reason. If I cannot go to a quiz I can only not recommend it. Such a shame
Brighton Belle, Winsford, CW7 3NQ, withDavid L
Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Cash take (winners £25) Format: SpeedQuiz daft music
David L was clear, on-time, delivered a good set, and was a genuinely nice guy. But (sad face), I can't give him a highly because of the 'buzz in when you here the tune' round (I think it's a hashtag quiz thing). Even a balanced set this would demote a quiz, but today's was 12 records from ... Now 99! Jeezy Peets I stoped buying Nows at around 60! And I'm not being a boring old fart here, music is just not as relevant from charts post vinyl, let alone post CD. So, a Green King pub and £2 per person entry prizes from the take so... Recommended, but please, just play the same tunes and ask who made them. Then it'd be top notch. Still go to it again.
Britannia, Mossley, OL5 9AJ, withElliott Blenkinsop
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free? . Prize: £20 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz
This is such an interesting contrast, as compared to the Ace earlier on today. This was not a hostile pub but it was so kind of unwelcoming only the bar maid has anything like time for me. The quiz great, the sausages were great, the questions were fantastic, but... this is weird it gets a highly recommended for the quiz even though so the Fastrack went on to question 17 which was just a little bit too far, but.. I'd rather go to the Ace which was only recommended. I think it's down to the publicans. And despite a lot of good original content three or four 100 nearest wins questions given that the first round was only four two edge it into the recommended category actually in summary a trip to East Manchester on a Sunday afternoon starting at 4 in the Ace on to the Britannia plenty of time to spare and a finish for 10 is an excellent way to spend the day 200 questions that could be just so much better a tiny tweaks here and there are and a “how do you do well done”
Broad Oak, Connahs Quay, CH5 4UQ, withReplacement guy
Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: ?? Format: Loads of SQ including THREE music rounds!
Very interesting quiz loads of questions, in the post match atmosphere of Wales having qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in my nearly 64 years, and I was so privileged to watch the match against Ukraine in the pub. This is the most recommended of recommended quizzes. The thing is there were two listen to music rounds, one Disney, one Post Punk Power Pop, and one question based music round, along at least two, I think now three, General Knowledge rounds, so I absolutely loved it. But for the sake of consistency I would advise variety. Damn. I loved it!
Bromfield Arms, Chester, CH2 3BD, withStephen Carroll
Meh
Mondays at 9.17 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: ?? Format: SQ more fuckaboutery than .. I don’t know
Nearly half way through the year, and of the 152 quizzes I have been too, this was the least enjoyable. The daft thing is, hardly anything would need changing to slam dunk it as a highly recommended, but, like a decent meal spoilt by misguided poisonings, this fails on these, obvious counts. A) It was advertised to start at 8, on phoning I was told it started at 8, in reality it started at 9:17. The regular teams were turning up at 9, so it really was meant to be a 9 o clock start. By advertising the wrong time, occasional visitors might just get pissed off and either leave or not return, if they become regular they will turn up when they want to, so bar maybe an extra pint sold, nobody profits by the bullshit. Now, Stephen is a good host, and was kind enough to offer to let our pound cash entry slide (we didn’t have too, we found some stuff called money). He apologised for the late start (at 9) and then continued to prevaricate. In between rounds he would say “5 minute break”, but the shortest break was 14 minutes. Why do people have such a problem reasonable accuracy? B) There was a waste of time ‘buzz in when you hear the tune’ music round, when half an hour was spent being unchallenged and the scores hardly changed. C) The scores were all multiples of 5. If you are going to do that why not just divide by 5 (Petty I know). D) The last round. OMG :( . We were obviously the best team, we played well we had a solid lead going into the last round (we started 1011 points) and we were the best team in the last round, yet we were placed 7th. Now, it is one thing to bring the best team down a peg or too, but to prevent them winning is just wrong. And what is daft is, the lower teams were not involved in this mess of points at the end, so it wasn’t as if the host was maintaining engagement. We were right 15 out of 20 times in the last round, I would wager more than any other team; we were first 5 times (definitely more than any other team, by a chalk) and we had 400 points taken away. Bad losers? In this case damn right; Bad losers? You’ve just been mugged and I wouldn’t blame you!. E) He announced the winners had “A huge score of 971” – No it wasn’t huge, we had 40 more than that before we got fucked (The winners were pretty lame really, their trump card was not being in first place until after the last question). Conclusion: This quiz feeds into that schadenfreude fuelled, fallacy ridden, adversarial and myopically selfish steak of humanity that will doom us, our descendants, and planet. Meh.
Broom Hall Inn, Alcester, B50 4HE, withJason Moore
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01789 773757
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: All cash back to first and second and lots of snacky little spot prizes on odd questions Format: A tapas selection of short rounds of ten questions each
This makes me want to review myself. From 39 teams in Leamington last night to 9 tonight. Last night’s quiz was good. Well presented in a bangin’ pub, I didn’t win either of them, but I loved this one so much more.. What do I write these for? For hosts? For people? I’ve spent 36 hours reflecting and fundamentally, they are for myself (and perhaps Ashton) – members of the Gripe Generation who like quizzes. I felt so guilty only giving Steve an OK last night, but it was a rating not based on the host, but on content, specifically it’s pro-flake bias. And lets face it – ‘OK’ is… OK? Anyhoozy, back to tonight. I loved it. It was not particularly heavy on General Knowledge (20 questions in total), but it was the intimacy of this quiz, along with the integration of the host that made this so pleasant (and I had a chance- my bad entirely for not winning). Jason had this round where he visited each team’s table, and gave them a fifty fifty question. Thank goodness there was not 39 teams! This was just right. I reckon a dedicated room always adds a bit to a quiz, and this was just so – It brings people together. I’m going to suggest this had a structure that did not make it a cakewalk for me (I promise you. 100 General Knowledge and it would have been), but neither did it exclude me. The teams were good, and I continue to be amazed at how fast people are, no more so than on Jason’s brilliant Boys v Girls round at the end. Smiley Face. Yeah, Ashton, visit this quiz with Lucy and the Kids, You’ll love the place, the food, the host, the people and, most pertinently, the quiz. I’m sure the kids will just LOVE The Clarendon Arms in Leamington in 15 years time with their mates and shots for 35 Xmeta credits served by an AI Drone. But let’s face it. Old people are embarrassing! (I speak for myself). If I’m still around let’s do a written down one in a real ale pub instead.
Buccleuch, Dalkeith, EH22 1HZ, withJames Veal
Most Excellent
Mondays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01315 639901
Cost: £3 per person . Prize: £20 Voucher Format: Was never quite sure of the actual scoring, but lots of questions with a big sliding scale I think
James Veal – A splendid quiz with very good presentation. There should be LOADS more teams participating. Nice gentle ten questions on sport, and sensible music, along with a shedload of GK questions. £3 to play and just over £3 a pint in a good pub, in a good town in a good country. Love it
Bull & Bush, Shepshed, LE12 9JF, withPaul Burroughs
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Glory Format: SpeedQuiz
Engerland flags outside, skinheads and Doc Marts are still a thing here, and the landlord looks as hard as fuck. I really want to be friends him! I should really lose this one. I'm told a 7.30 start. I'm here now. They were collecting for a local, Steve O'Donnell, who has had a stroke in Fuertaventura and needs flying back. OMG. that's like worst nightmare shit. Wish I was richer. Now, let's get super positive and say that Paul's rounds are either standard (tick that), or terrific original content. The current affairs was on the money, and who am I to complain about 80s one hit wonders?, And the Google views of local landmarks was, regrettably for me, exactly the right round to play. Apart from a small 'guess the year of these five records' it was as good a quiz content-wise as any I have been too. Even then, I only don't like those particular rounds because of the the ease which people can cheat on them, nothing to do the host, or the round itself. It has to get 5 stars. There may have been 120 questions, hardly any wasted, lots of original content done at a fair old lick. A proper quiz person's quiz
Bull & Sun, Bridlington, YO16 7JT, withNessa
Recommended
Fridays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Host, Prizes, Atmosphere, Prizes. Bitch slaps
Bull & Sun, Bridlington, YO16 7JT, with??
Recommended
Fridays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Host, Prizes, Atmosphere, Prizes. Bitch slaps
Bull’s Head, High Lane, SK6 8BH, withLandlady
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01663 766195
Cost: Free . Prize: 2 pizzas and a round of drinks limited to two weeks Format: 60 written down GK including 10 fictional logos and 10 music artist and song
I didn’t like it… I LOVED IT. We had been umming and ahing where to visit this Thursday night, I was agitated, perhaps had a little too much time to dwell upon negatives, it’s a written downer, and at one minute to nine I was on the point of driving back to Yorkshire. And the fact is we got a straight quiz, smartly delivered, with marking in between rounds, with decent questions [One of the answers was ambiguous, most consumed fruit. - I maintain tomato (“are fruits” - Wikipedia), not banana (“In 2021, world production of tomatoes was 189 million tonnes”, “In 2017, world production of bananas and plantains combined was 153 million tonnes”) – but we’ll let that slide]. It was the clarity and pace of delivery which minimised cheating (still possible, especially on the logos) that transpired in the scores. So a super quiz with 60 questions, all done before closing time, this was terrific. That’s the quiz review done, but I just want to add we teamed up with Karen and Dave, and I have never played in a team that dovetailed so well, our ages being 33, 36, 50 and 64 and each of us knew what we were doing, providing remarkable insight, suggestions and answers, an absolute privilege for me. Captain Scarlet/Stingray was the ONLY thing we left out there. My bad :( !
Bull’s Head, Repton, DE65 6GF, with
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01283 704422
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £30 Voucher and bottle of wine for second Format: 50 to 60 questions written
Written down and I liked it. It seemed pretty staight, the pub was beautiful, and £4.10 a pint isn’t so bad for a place with soft top Bentley four seaters outside. You know it was so nice that I’m going to let him off the salt and pepper (meh! It’s a fair cop) and “Spell Pterodactyl” (But you don’t have to spell it right!) (Wrong!!). Ergo 50 questions plus – borderline benefit of the doubt
Bull’s Head, Sandbach, CW11 2TY, with??
Meh
Fridays at na o’clock
Telephone: 01477 500247
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Cancelled Format: Cancelled
No phone answer in mid morning. I’m glad they cancelled so I could go to Stafford Cricket and Hockey club
Bulls Head Glossop, Glossop, SK13 7RN, withSam Cattermole
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Bulls Head, Astley, M29 7BP, withMike Prince
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 vocher, £10 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz
Diverted from Scotland to Wigan. I am off to Ireland next week. And here I am for a second dose of Mike Prince, who I think I enjoyed last time. Ashton is coming over, I have a voucher for 20 quid, it's a lot cooler today, so things are good. Any DJ who plays the Who and Zedd and Foxes can't be that bad. I think we had a long conversation about the rating of this and that I may have been persuaded to mark it as ‘recommended’. But I can’t for the life of me remember why I should.
Bulls Head, Hale Barns, WA15 0HG, withTim Tighe
Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 903 1300
Cost: £1 per player . Prize: £30 voucher, £10 voucher and perhaps a 320 voucher Format: Written. Dingbats, Anagrams, Pictures, Music, General 120 questions. Excellent work
Speed Quizzing v Written Down QuizzesThe pros and cons of differing quiz formats.If one enjoys pub quizzes, as I very much do, there is a distinct difference between a traditional, ‘written down’ quiz, using pens and paper, and those quizzes that have adopted digital wireless technology. For the sake of it I will refer the latter as Speed Quizzes much as I would call a vacuum cleaner a Hoover, though SpeedQuizzing is a brand name, and other companies (RedTooth for instance) have a great deal in common. I wish to explain those differences, and the relative merits.CheatingWe must accept certain fundamental inevitabilities regarding cheating. It is not “do people cheat?”, it is “how much?” Without going into too much detail of the mechanics, it is easy peasy to cheat at written down quizzes. I have played written down quizzes with high ranking officials of quiz leagues who have cheated overtly, (and chastised them for it). It doesn’t make them bad, it makes them human. I should not be too precious. I have cheated at written down quizzes with the full cooperation of players who would be regarded as pretty ethical. People cheat at written down quizzes without even realising it. Zipping up your fly and talking about “was it Tina Turner or Bonnie Tyler” with a fellow competitor after spending a penny is not cheating after all is it? Well.. yes, it is, if the quiz sheets are still on your table unmarked. The larger a team is the greater the probability that one player will sneak a look at google and bask in the perceived admiration of his team mates after delivering the answer which wins them the quiz – ergo – the majority of the team don’t even know they have cheated. And we all lack curiosity about things that benefit us in certain circumstances. Let us not forget, good cheating is not systematic, it is selective, judicious, used by competitors in all adversarial pastimes, but very sparingly by the best. Now. SpeedQuizzing proudly boast “No Cheating”. Spoiler alert, that is total bollocks! For the first time in this piece I am going to take a guess. I guess that more people attempt to cheat more often in a Speed Quiz than in a written down one. But.. it takes time to cheat. Speed Quizzing can not prevent people cheating, but it reduces their window of opportunity, from “Here are your anagrams and pictures and dingbats at 7:30, hand them in at 9:30” (2 hours) to ten seconds. I imagine that cheating in Speed Quizzing is rife, I have witnessed it often, conducted without compunction BUT, it is easier to detect, apparent to other team members, and due to time constraints, has a diminished chance of success. Coupled with bonuses for being fast it means that, without cheating personally, I can win a high proportion of SpeedQuizzes. I cannot win a high proportion of written down quizzes. The best team has a great chance of winning a SpeedQuiz, even ranged against a whole platoon of cheats. The best team is up against it if a pub has just one cheat who is part of a half competent team in a written down quiz.So, on the issue of reducing the impact of cheating, Speed Quizzing wins hands down, We can all take measures to diminish cheating, in both written down and Speed Quizzing. Speed Quizzing is far more enabling in this objective. Shout out to Alan at SpeedQuizzing – can you reduce that ten seconds? :)ContentYou can ask the same questions, so quality of questions is no different, it depends on the setter, not the format. Speed quizzing can have the advantage of displaying the questions in written format without resorting to printing which, although aesthetically pleasing is kind of wasteful and time consuming. Regarding pictures Speed Quizzing has a definite advantage. Typically a written down quiz may have an A4 sheet with a dozen pictures, each one perhaps an inch square, somewhat grainy. With SpeedQuizzing high quality images can be delivered the size of the handset, be it a mobile phone or an 11 inch tablet. Not wasteful. Better quality. Regarding time, that is governed by the host, and ample opportunity can be afforded players to establish they can’t recognise something. If you want to look at a picture for three hours with your mates organise a trip to the Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight – it’s fekking great (and free!).Regarding amount of content it is a no brainer – Speed Quizzing wins hands down. The clue is in the name! To be fair, pace is very much in the hands of the host, but SpeedQuizzing makes no demands on repetition, or answer sessions at the end of the nightFairness. Yesterday a team only gave us half a point for ‘Twilight’ instead of ‘Twilight Saga’. Whatever. With SpeedQuizzing such ambiguity/pedantry is taken out of the mix. T. One point, no argument‘Fun’Ye gads, how I disdain that oft trotted out adage “it’s just a bit of fun”, normally used in circumstances when a quiz has ceased to be so (more often than not because “that’s what’s written on the sheet” is demonstrable tosh). Nevertheless ‘fun’ is the most admirable of objectives, dovetailing pretty nicely with selling beer. Speed Quizzing, in itself, is just so much more fun. Think about it, A typical written down quiz will have one instance of a team winning. At the end. A typical SpeedQuiz will have 80 opportunities, when a team’s name is announced after each question, emblazoned on all screens - even, nowadays, with their picture. OMG it is just so much more fun. Old conservative farts have been the curse of dynamism and innovation for as long as there has been progress. WE ALL HAVE MOBILE PHONES. I am inherently, a Luddite, nevertheless, Speed quizzing is so much faster (i.e. more bangs for bucks), perhaps less consumptive (no paper), and, most importantly, robust (less cheating) which brings benefits to all, not just the factory owners. It can perform everything that written down quizzes do. And it brings so many more desirable aspects that written down quizzers can only dream of. I will continue to occasionally visit what can be excellent written down quizzes. But they will only reinforce the unerring knowledge that there are better ways of doing things.
Burghwallis, Burghwallis, DN6 9JT, withRichard Anderson
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: ?? Format: standard SQ set with GREAT music
8.30. The nearest SpeedQuiz to me and I've never been here. £1.60 an orange bottle. Lovely spot in the country 2 miles off the A1. No scores on the handsets. Good look at scores between rounds. Face mash worth 50. 20 questions 8 plus 10 sliding. I like that. Richard is very clear and seems OK. Buzz in round 10 minus 10 and 5s. Excellent. Music coming up. £3.60 a pint of John's. I'm not a fan of pre recorded mixes of music. The music round was simple and well scored as 2 and 10 sliding. 2 from each decade from the 60s onwards. Dropped Cilla Black and LF System. D'hoy!, so much for downloading number ones from the last two years. I'm reckoning its close too a highly. Very good quiz. Fastctracks to the end but it kind of felt fair enough!. I don't think I was reaslly in the mood, but it was very good. If Richard showed the scores and finished the fast tracks before the last three to five questions. Such good content, so well presented and despite my criticisms…
Butcher's Arms, Forsbrook, ST11 9AS, withStuart Provan
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: 1 . Prize: £20 voucher Format: Lots of questions speedquiz
Haven’t been here yet, but I’ll stand the drop of York if it’s not a near perfect quiz. Stuart sets such a capital quiz. Highly Recommended. So - I better review it. Stuart didn't let me down, with another terrific quiz, £1 to enter (I think) and a £20 tab prize, along with a bottle of wine and a bag of peanuts. Sensible music, a buzz in round, 10 teams who made a fist of it. In retrospect, three things happened which I'd like to note. When 'things happen' that is usually bad luck or misunderstanding, but we should try and learn from them. There was a 'name the film from the cryptic clue' I said 'The Third Man' and was denied the points. I always think if an answer is right it should be given points (The answer wanted was Aquaman). It rattled me and should not have done. I must work on that. On a buzz in round the question was "In Einstein's equation, what does the 'c' re....". I said 'velocity of light' I was given the points (given light speed always behaves as a vector and scalar, velocity and speed are synonymous). I got bugged when a team said velocity was wrong. It was finnicky. In retrospect I realise they were bugged because they had 'disagreed' with my answer therefore not been given points. They should have argued that disagreeing was not necessarily wrong, rather than attack my answer, but now I think they were not doing it to do me. Stuart, bless him, did say prior to the countdown Speed or Velocity On the same buzz in round Stuart asked "In monopoly.." and a team buzzed in. After a little muted conversation with them I assumed he was going to scratch them and keep the question live. He wasn't doing that. He did not announce their answer, just restarted the question, then said 'they said Mayfair' prior to which I was going balls out for £20 (Second prize in a beauty contest) Tap tap tap like a fool. He wasn't asking the question he was giving it for an agree or disagree. I must learn to curb my enthusiasm. It does seem a shame to allow spoilers to waste good questions though. I would have been wrong. It's £10!!! Bonzer quiz and host. Shite me :)
Buxton Inn, Gee Cross, SK14 9NG, withDave Bradley
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: na
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 undated voucher and prizes for 2nd and third Format: Consistent scoring throughout, Dingbats, conundrums, Maths, frikkin great music questions, and loads of GK
On my 65th birthday I only met one person who I had known previously – Dave Bradley, the host, who does this quiz on the road out of Lancashire fortnightly. Thank goodness it was, as I left feeling buoyed up, my bubble only bursting in Barnsley after being led down to some road works and sent back on a five mile diversion for 250 yards, when I am pretty sure there were dozens of better alternatives. This is not a road review – see my transport pages. Where were we? Ah yes, Dave is .. I can’t spake… fekking great. Altrincham Tuesday and the Buxton Wednesday should definitely be on my Quiz across Britain itinerary, as Daz Jones and Dave both deliver absolutely fantastic quizzes with very different approaches, but some pertinent things in common (For example consistent scoring and not penalising good teams, no golden snitches, original content, original formats, novelty, delivery, and, IMHO, decent music). Gaz, last night had 19 quizzes under his belt, Dave is a seasoned pro of the first order yet both have an honesty about them bordering on the naive – and I mean that as the highest compliment. The pub was great, Moretti was a fiver, the garlic chicken baguette was to die for, the staff super helpful, and you could have eaten off the bog floor. If you go visit Werneth Low just a mile up the road, trust me. Dave aims to deliver the package. OMG he does – with his quirky non quizzy rounds and evil on last ten, a perfect 3/3.2.1 scoring system throughout, and a 30 point hit on the last Nearest Wins, I’d say this balance is perfect to enable the quizzer who plays well to win but give hope to teams. Double bubble (for unique answers) and Midwife crisis (a Mulligan) are rare but welcome and fun. Last month’s QOTM host delivers an exemplar once again. Thanks Dave
Buxton Inn, Hyde, SK14 5NG, with??
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Caldecotte, Milton Keynes, NN2 8DJ, withOwen Andrew
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Busy pub in a beautiful place by the lake. Exemplar speed quiz. Owen delivers.great quiz, original content, good structure, lots of questions, just a really good night, like the last time I saw him at the Gaydon Goose
Calder Brighouse, Brighouse, HD6 1JZ, withMatt
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Calvert’s Court, Stockport, 13 St Petersgate, Stockport SK1 1E, withIan
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01614 746750
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty. £14 today Format: 65 written down, split into sections
Wetherspoon, quiz at £1 per person, winners take the pot. What’s not to like? Err… nothing – it’s all good man. Advertised as a SpeedQuiz, Ian does a written down one. Over 60 questions, fair enough, promptly delivered, nobody overtly cheating (though the gate was left open during the break). The questions were a great standard, with no fillers, all legitimate. I think.. Dammit I KNOW that if Ian and his crowd adopted and embraced SpeedQuizzes there would be 140 people doing this quiz, not 14. And it would be less work. This good written down quiz has illustrated to me how spoilt I have been.
Canal Turn, Carnforth, LA5 9EA, withSteve Kidd
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01524 903815
Cost: Free . Prize: 37 sweets and a pint Format: 30 question UK #1 shout out, 10 geology shout out
First night at the pub for Lou and Dave. The pub has not been open on a Tuesday night for months. During a smoke break it was literally two dogs and a man (Alan)! The pub was quiet – but great. I was noisy – but great
Carleton Hotel, Pontefract, WF8 3PQ, with??
OK
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Quizbit Quiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Carlton Tavern, York, YO24 4HA, withStaff
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.40 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 781181
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz
I think this may have been their first quiz. Great big pub, which should do well
Carousel, Stockport, SK5 7HR, withTony Murphy
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Format: SQ original content and novel formats and themes
This is why Tony Murphy is one of the untouchable ones. Not only great entertainment and questions, but his innovative formats are a delight. It's going to be hard to see past this one for Quiz of the month and I know as time wears on my love for Tony will only accentuate my bias. I’ll not go into too much detail, just say if you want to see how a professional makes amazing look easy, go to one of these. (Hell, I should knock points off for a single genre music round [Acts that have appeared at the Hacienda], but he somehow legitimised that!! - fekkin genius])
Castle Grounds, Coventry, CV1 2UR, withSteve Keeling
Highly Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
This may be my quiz of the month. Original content (Peep Show Round and fairly balanced music), consistent 4/4 scoring throughout, zero fuckaboutery, and absolutely great prizes for EACH round and cash overall for first and second, lots of it! The scoring system means I can be consistent against teams, I'm presuming lots of which are at it (I called out one team next to me red handed, I'm pretty sure they weren't unique). We'll worth the visit. I was second by a question. I do not like overloud or overlong triumphalism, especially from teams of about ten.
Castle on t’ Hill, Wigan, WN2 4BW, with??
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Much nicer pub, but they still should get a phone. They started in time hence I missed the first round. The second round was a boring buzz 8n when you hear the tune. I bet it made as much difference as a single question. Was he swapping first places around? Not reveling scores going into last round ergo, I have no idea how I'm doing relative to other teams. Why wouldn't you tell people there scores. Played shockingly, but it's my fault. Even missed Eragon. That's what you get for losing patience! Like a fool I want a fast track, but I'll never know what I have scored like, ergo can't strategize appropriately. If it's only a bit of fun, why not add to the fun by giving us the scores? It's time I stopped whinging about B slaps and fast tracks just put it down if people have them and get on my life! The thing is I really think I would have one without the fast track and without the Bitch slaps. I won anyway but it's all all hollow? Fuck it, I was imperious on the last round despite not getting Marcus Rashford. Got bitchslapped 4 out of ten for a loss of 80 points and still won by 60. Idiot rule, and at £2 to enter I'm not sure fast tracks and bitch slaps are legal. Damn, cos it was a nice pub, lovely host and good quiz otherwise.
Cedar Court, Huddersfield, HD3 3RH, withWayne Thompson
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: . Prize: 5 £10 vouchers, one for each round Format: SpeedQuiz
So.. it's ten past eight and I'm in an underground bunker at Ainsley Top. What a peculiar venue, posh hotel charges as much for parking as I do for a room, and the pub is decorated in.. undecorated fashion, it looks like it's work in progress. Anyhoo, it's the quiz that counts but there is only two other lads here so far. From what i remember, Wayne likes his fuckaboutery, but is a very good host at the same time. No fresh orange. Just j20. Say what. It feels like they are laundering money.. the picture shows an unfilled space for a plug socket. I'm not cherry picking! Nearly half eight nine people. J20 is £2.90 So... This could be quiz of the month. Great prizes, great presentation, great variety, great level of edge regarding winning. Life is not fair. This place should be freaking rammed. And it's not. People are stupid!
Chequers Inn, Headington, OX3 8JN, with??
Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Very well put together quiz, almost too convoluted
Cherry Tree, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 1NZ, withMartin Quinn
Highly Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £25 voucher £10 voucher transferable Format: SpeedQuiz
Another belting quiz in N-u-L! Really good competition, loads of questions done quickly, good prizes. Lose the 5 from which year music questions and it would be perfect.
Chesterfield Arms, Newhall, DE15 0QA, withLulu Ruebens
Highly Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
It was Lulu, it was perfect!
Church Inn, Chelmorton, SK17 9SL, withBuxton
Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Church on the Hill, Shawlands, G41 3DJ, withDavey Davidson
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0141 3437569
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 voucher and a bottle of Gin (I Think) Format:
Imagine I was a great and respected literary reviewer, chair of the Booker prizes, a regular column in the TLS, whose opinions on Proust, Catton, Hardy and Hemingway were sought and solicited for ‘A Good Read’ and ‘In Our Time’. Pretty straight forward most of the time, JK Rowling can tell a story, Stefanie Mayer not so much, The classics are generally classics, and Harold Robbings is “transatlantic trash”. Then I get a copy of Viz. Where TF do I place it? I dunno, but 31 teams with no repeat handsets tells its own story about Davy’s quiz here at the top end of Queens Park overlooking Glasgow. A great big pub charging nearly six pounds a pint of Moretti where I was an hour early and all the tables were booked. And no wonder. 100 questions including 20 sensible music which were very much in my 20. I think it may have been ‘young’ sets as I was getting grumpy (my bad), I reckon there may have been 200 people in the place and If you told me I was the only person over 50 I’d have believed you. Now here’s the thing. No personal score on the handset (Though ‘scorage’ was). And cagy, especially later on, with the overall scores, and a promise of a music round to finish after feckaboutery had me thinking ‘recommended’. But he did this wheel of fortune on 8 questions (5, 10, 15, and 20) in rounds 3 and 4. And it worked. Brilliantly. I went first. Tic tic..tic…. TIC BOOM – EVERYBODY’s score was wiped! I was the centre of attention and I liked it, and there were still 54 questions to go (It was I reckon about a 1/30 chance and could not happen again on the evening). A couple of teams spun for 100 points to put them on top of the table which was great. I went again, and lost MY score, much to the delight of everybody, even myself!!! This quiz stumps me. It was a fantastic night out, Davy is a perfect host, and the pub and crowd were why people go out on a night, I saw Princess Merida and realised why I love Scotland. So.. Like Rich Howson, force of personality and pure personality compel me to tuck away my negative criticisms and rate this pub quiz highly. It is not The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists; neither, thank goodness, is it the Sun. It’s Viz and it is fekkin’ fun
Church Tavern, Mossley, OL5 0RD, withNick Lowe
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: £20 Bar Tab valid for a week Format: SpeedQuiz
More like it more or less to time (give or take 25 minutes) lovely welcome from Emma behind the bar and Nick the host. And super cheap orange. Two neutral rounds to start 20 easy questions no speed bonus worth four each kind of boring and then a buzzin when you hear it round which is just not my cup of tea and places too much emphasis on speed and hearing and little on knowledge. It turned out great two speed rounds a decent return the people in the pub including Joe Sarah and a host of others were proper friendly. Lucky enough to win 40 on okay your cards right!
Clarendon Arms, Kenilworth, CV8 1NB, withDavid Frost
Quiz of the Month
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01926 852017
Cost: 3 . Prize: Too many to list Format: 101 SpeedQuiz questions a buzz-in round, sensible music and a specialist on a vote
If this does not get quiz of the month I'll stand the drop of York. The guy was upstairs in this beautiful pub in a beautiful village with literally a mountain of prizes and games and set up an hour before the start with his wife and baby. He took 15 minutes out to tell me the crack. Come on Dave. Do it for the kids! On track after a 4/1 start round buzzer round 6 -6 3, sensible music. And some brilliant competition. Vikings who rattled me! That's GOOD. I shouldn't worry about them. It's me. Never forget Timing. Perfect Rounds . 5 equals 101 questions Fuckaboutery. Close to Zero Prizes. Copious and good. I was second and got a 20 pound voucher Competition. Claire and Scott were amazing. Just amazing. Host. Personable clear, welcoming. Rain. Just started 11 pm Games in between. Fast and fun, again loads of prizes. Location. Perfect place and pub. Room. Exclusive Staff. Great, table service. Breaks. Enough. I can't see how I could score a pub higher. Leader for Quiz of the Year. I must add that there were some great quizzes I went to this August QUIZ OF THE YEAR 2022
Clarendon Arms, Leamington Spa, CV32 4RZ, withSteve Teeling
OK
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01283 704422
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £50 voucher, £25 voucher and other stuff I think Format: 80 or so questions with specialist rounds
Where do I start with Steve for the second night on the bounce (quite by surprise, on the location app he is shown as ‘Phoenix Coventry’). First off I have never been in as busy a pub on a wet Wednesday selling beer for over six pounds a pint. There were 39 teams, I’d say the average size was at least four a team and I reckon I was the only person over 45. Every table booked and occupied in quite a large pub covered by three routers. It was thinking it had to be a highly recommended, just not aimed at me. Was it aimed away from old twats? Doesn’t matter if it was or not, the pub was rammed. I sat there falling deeper into the slough of despond, watch wimmin’s football on Sky TV, interspersed with adverts from first class cunts Geoff Stelling and Roy Keane and all their whore friends telling us to gamble, erectile dysfunction tablets for action man, and something about shingles. (Sorry, that is disrespectful to whores and cunts, but I can’t think of polite words strong enough to call people sometimes). There was another board from The Mayor of London of all people telling you to say “Maaate”, if somebody said “Have you seen the new girl” - “I’d give her one” i.e. I don’t FUCKING know. I reckon if anybody said those two things to me I would say “Yes” (If I had) and “in your dreams”. But I haven’t had a friend like that since I was 14 (and still a virgin). Maybe Sadiq Khan should be concentrating a little harder on Wayne Cousins and his ‘Maaates’ and stop wasting money in pubs full of nice people 100 miles away from anything to do with him the twat (sorry twats). And I can’t slape. So: Last night I gave Steve the benefit of the doubt, that he changes things about, and the Millennial TV quiz was a one off. It wasn’t. The last, music round today had 16 records from the following years. 1964, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2007, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2014, 2015, 2020. No number ones. Average chart position of 18. Trust me there’s plenty more I could pick holes with but I won’t. Steve is a good host. If you were born in 1990 you might love this quiz. But Max Martin sucks and you are not going to save the planet with electric cars, subsidised public transport or shit houses in shit estates miles from where you work, with no pub, church or shop. I found today boring and frustrating, and that was not, under analysis, surprising.
Closed Shop, Sheffield, S10 1GG, withDan
Meh
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: 2 . Prize: Kitty (£80) Format: Speed Quiz with best team precluded
Very busy out of town centre pub, every table reserved by mid afternoon! Wow. The pub five yards away over the road is nothing like as busy. I was told it was an 8 start. I'm agog! 8.40. Poor sound system. Poor for everybody. It was listenable during the quiz. No score, no scoring system on screen, and no score at the end on round one which was 6 and 54321 on a pretty standard set. He's dishing out the pot but keeping no record of whose paid. After round 2 and a decent Pixar round 10 sliding 7, still no idea of my own score or anybody else's. There is only one good rational not to reveal the scores, and that is to manipulate them. If it's 'really close' its going to have to be a meh. I hope its fair which would mean a standard curve and at least an OK. Look, i don't want to be negative, but has he had an 'ask who wants the scores hidden'? I'd have a bet on nobody. What do i know?, its rammed. Well.. it falls into the worst three quizzes I've been too all year. There are only four which have been truly negative. Why so horrible? On question 11 of the last round the team that were first were asked to take points off another team. 20 points. It was, i think 10/10 and evil. That continued for the last ten questions. I think I was hit five times, another team was hit once, I was first twice, and then found out I could accept 10 points myself, and two teams took the ten as well after me. There was rounds of applause each time I got hit. It became a little muted towards the end, and there was at least one team who applauded me for not slapping. The moral is, with this quiz, don't be good, and don't pick a memorable name ( like One irection). And if you are good, don't go to it unless you stay under the radar. It bought out the very worst in the crowd, and illustrated their stupidity in that with 13 teams, taking 10 points gives you a 130 point advantage, whilst slapping 20 gives you a net benefit of ..20! It must suck to be a student nowadays. I rarely, if ever so far, diss a host for lack of personality. Trust me, this guy today was no Tony Murphy. And the pub was chocker. So were lynchings. :(
Coach & Four, Wilmslow, SK9 1PA, withSam Gandy
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: 8 Pints Format: SpeedQuiz
Sam Gandy is frikkin' untouchable. The benchmark quiz presenter he should be on national TV. I'm so jealous of his poise and presentation
Coach & Horses, Barnburgh, DN5 7EP, withMarc Hodgson
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Cash return, £21 for first today Format:
I enjoyed myself so much tonight. This is the closest a recommended quiz has ever been to a highly recommended but if Mark is going to put fast tracks on to the last question I cannot in all integrity give it the top rating. Mark is a great host the quiz is fantastic the beer was real ale twat excellent, the pub exquisite. Definitely one to try. On a listen back, it is at least puzzling why hosts don't use the excellent facility of own scores and scoring system on the tablets. The scoring dodgy! Mat, my Polish friend and guest seemed to enjoy it, I certainly loved him coming along. Have you seen how many SpeedQuizzes there are in The United States?
Coach and Horses, Pinvin, WR10 2ES, withWes Mason
Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: x
Cost: £2.50 . Prize: Cash back I think Format: GK, pop and GK with blind bitch-slaps
I don’t know where to start here. OK here goes – one step and all that. Wes is a super host, lose the bitch slaps. That’s that! Now let’s colour that in. Wes is personable, articulate and super-hard working in that he sets up a lot of kit of his own (Large TV on stand, large speakers on stands, Play your cards right board, bollocks bingo), thinks about what he is doing, writes his own (good) questions with a most excellent music round, ergo has the core ingredients in surfeit. OMG, dare I say he doesn’t have to do quite as much? Today’s pub was a super pub, but the quiz was in a fecking cold hall around the back. Wes did all the work setting it up, lugging a ton of kit through the bar, when really it could have been in the bar itself, which would have been warmer, cosier, and would not have affected any of the two or three customers in the bar adversely (IMHO it would have improved their lot). His questions are great but, nowadays, so are SpeedQuizzing’s - I imagine he is spending the best part of four hours putting together his general knowledge plus the music, when he could spend one hour weeding the set he is sent with the activation (plus the music), for the same net result. I used to set all my own questions and perhaps, just perhaps, it was not the most efficient use of my time for a pub quiz. I think that may be praise for SpeedQuizzing’s sets. I would like to see my on-going score. I’d gamble that all competitors feel the same. And now the bitch slaps. :( . It is a fine line between making a game of it and not. What Wes has in the last round is a bitch-slap where whoever is first gets ten plus five and has to take 15 off another team (I think it is 15), but they can only nominate a number on the table, which you cannot see. It is messy, and unfair in that the better teams lose a disproportionate amount of points. It is inefficient as it does not offer hope to the teams lower down the table. IMHO it is just not fun. If you are going to use bitch slaps, at least don’t have the slap exceeding the value of a correct answer, don’t have them in the last round, or at most the last few questions and … and.. just don’t have them!! blind or not, get rid. There – I’ve said it! I’m angry with myself cos now I’m writing this I realise I didn’t adopt my philosophy of refusing to participate. I didn’t want to offend the lovely Wes. I should have just point blank refused. Damn. This is such an unsatisfactory review in that my first rule is to tell quiz hosts to do what THEY WANT to do, and I’ve gone off being all prescriptive. But I would emphasise, that with a couple of tweaks (involving less work) this would be a quiz of the month. But what do I know?
Coach House, Humberston, DN46 4UJ, withMike Taylor
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.45 o’clock
Telephone: 01472 812222
Cost: Free . Prize: 4 decent prizes Format: SQ with buzz in when you hear the tune
Part two of the Grimsby double. I better read up on Mike Taylor! Mike Taylor is pretty consistent, buzz in music was a little wasty but a solid quiz without many flan fights!
Cobbler, Pontefract, WF8 2LG, withChris Stansill
OK
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I love Chris, but this is just 25 easy questions and 5 challenges, a couple of what’s in my pocket and GREAT food. It is really busy, but then again, so is MacDonalds!
Cock Inn, Leek, ST13 6HN, with??
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Cock, Whaley Bridge, SK23 7JE, with??
Meh
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Written
Comfy chairs in a Peak District pub doing a quiz a friend is just idyllic A total cost of 8 or 9 pounds for 18 dingbats and 30 downloaded questions from a quiz-master who has to prevaricate for 20 minutes before he finally allows 'elevator' as a synonym for 'lift' and losing our unbeaten run of perhaps a dozen quizzes by being 33% beaten by a team of two women and one bloke in a room by themselves.
Commercial Inn, Glossop, SK13 7SH, withShelly Hibbert
OK
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: 2 bottles wine Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Commercial, Pudsey, LS28 8BS, withRaz Bainbridge
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: 8 Pints Format: SpeedQuiz
If I remember rightly I got a lucky wi. Raz is a good guy
Compass, North Petherton, TA6 6PR, withNick Burrett
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01278 551082
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £30 Voucher for a week.Something for second Format: 4 rounds, one music, 6/4 sliding all the way through
Quite simply an excellent quiz. The music round was outstanding, I loved the consistent scoring (6/4 sliding), the timing exemplary, the sound pretty perfect. I was not in the zone. Why? Long way from home, cut it very fine to start, nervous. That is mad. Perhaps I am. I think we all are either mad or deluded! Great quiz. PS. The food next day was TASTY!! That wine is not gonna drink itself now is it?
Conservative Club, Rothwell, NN14 6EP, withSpanky (Steve
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Despite having a bitch slap round this gets a'
Cookhouse, Widnes, WA8 7ER, withChris Fairclough
Recommended
Thursdays at 8.40 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £30 voucher for a week.(I paid £4.50 for 4 prawns!) Format: SpeedQuiz with music
It was 8.40 eventually. So. Recommended. Recommended means if you like quizzes, you'd enjoy this I think. There's definitely aspects which need working on. The sound system was not particularly good, but 24 teams didn't mind that much. We were never sure what was going on regarding fast tracks and scoring, but I doubt that I'll ever be convinced that hiding the scores makes it somehow more fun. If it's close- show the scores. If it's not, put fastracks in, but above all. BE FECKING CONSISTENT. Fun and fairness can coexist. There is only one good reason that I can think of to keep the scores secret, and that is to have control over them. Anything else is imaginary. Rant over, good quiz. Decent prizes for top three
Cornhill, Bridgwater, TA6 3BU, withAmy
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01278 429292
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £30 Voucher for a week. £20 voucher for second Format: 4 rounds, one music, 6/4 sliding all the way through
This was the same format as last night at the Compass, i.e. excellent. With one addition. There was this weird, understated give away of £500 at the end! I didn’t quite get it but kudos all the same. A perfect example today of how a pleasant and reasonably competent host can nail a quiz presentation perfectly
Costello's Bar, Altrinchham, WA14 1DW, with??
Meh
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
This was a reasonable written down quiz, in a nice bar absolutely lovely staff at 3.50 a pint that was spoilt by 'jokers'. There were 5 rounds, the first a picture round. In each of the other rounds we were given a topic and asked if we wanted to play our joker too double our score. Our round scores, out of ten, were: General 9, History 3, Who am I 7, and Music 7. I think the average round scores may have been 7, 1, 5 and 5. We, played history and it was ridiculous, eg "in what year did Altrincham get it's charter?". I may have scored zero on history by myself. And it just scuppered our chances to win. Had we played our joker on any other round we would have won. Had there been no jokers we would have won. The host was pedantic. (He would not allow Rolf instead of Rowlf) and petulant ("unless you're quiet I might stop doing this quiz"). I can guarantee that given a couple of hours training, and overcoming the natural conservatism of the punters, that the host, or Amy or Jen (staff), could do a standard Speedquiz 33% more questions, mainly better questions and 500% more fun for EVERYBODY.
Cotton Tree, Middleton, M24 2WH, withBrian MusicVision
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.50 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty (£11 today) Format: Just a boatload of questions (I think I counted 128)
The consummate quiz host. Nothing 'flamboyant', yet nothing wasted. 6 teams and a great start to November. Sam the barmaid is ...lovely, i bought her some Stollen. I didn’t steal it which shows how lame I’ve gone. Quid to play 8.50 start. If the super large team in the alcove wanted to cheat it would be easy for them. Especially the music round. Only one team got 1991. They didn't go wide. Brilliant. Father Mick McEvoy. 6/4 sliding, 6/6 sliding, 8/6 sliding fastrack top 2, 8/6 sliding sensible music, 12/10 sliding evil. The prize was the kitty of eleven quid. Just a lovely little quiz, in a lovely little pub, and a lovely big host (But hitmix bingo is not what I went for!). Just a speculation, but I think I may have spooked other teams into making mistakes (I had a great last round),
Counting House, Doncaster, DN4 7JA, withRyan Gray
Recommended
Thursdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 tab Format: SQ a buzz in round
This may be the most interesting week of quizzes in terms of critical appraisal. This was a restaurant rather than a pub, the food was awesome, the staff super pleasant the ambience terrific but this is not a food review! The quiz is a couple of tweaks short of being highly recommended, nevertheless it's only borderline ok. The fundamental negative is fast track to the last question. Yesterday's quiz in Wetherby had fast tracks to the last question but they were done in such a way yesterday to almost legitimise them. Today the last round 8 for a correct answer 1 for fastest . Even if you were fastest on the last question if somebody had fast-tracked you, you would not overhaul them. In the Mews (yesterday) it was a more welcoming atmosphere, perhaps because Rich is a quiz person first. I thought Ryan, today, was a nice bloke but a little on the back foot, as there was no real competition here for Mike, Lulu and myself. It would have been a very hollow victory had someone burgled in two or three questions left. It felt like some hosts (Rich Howson and Tony Murphy this week) wanted all teams to do well and enjoy the humour, whereas Ryan to a slight degree and Stephen in Chester on Monday were more of the 'how can we peg people back' type. They will probably deny that till the cows come home but I've seen a lot of quizzes! :) It's OK, in fact it should be a badge of honour, to have very strong players in your quiz. So.. tech issues aside (and today's quiz was beset by them), a little improvement in the sound, more frequent score checks, especially at the end of the rounds and in the stretch, and ( I guess this might be selfish) embracing the competition, would really bless this quiz. Recommended, just!
Counting House, Goole, DN14 5QE, withJon Davies
Quiz of the Month
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01405 767444
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 Transferable card Format: SpeedQuiz
Li'l John is THE most welcoming host ever. Makes me glad to be alive. Salt of the earth. After my review of March and much deliberation over a month of great quizzes, this is QOTM
Cremorne, Sheffield, S2 4LH, with??
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0114 221 9412
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Cricketers, Guildford, GU3 3AA, withAndrew
Recommended
Fridays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01483 575901
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Well, this is the only quiz in the South East of England on a Friday night, so it has to get a wee thumbs up. I do wish hosts would not place fast track to the end of the quiz though! Good for Madness.
Cricketers, Knaresborough, HG5 8JL, withDanyell Tate
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01423 862878
Cost: Free . Prize: Pints for 1st and 2nd Format: Straight SpeedQuiz
Go-to quiz. Simple, cosy, ace
Crigglestone S&S, Hall Green, WF4 3LA, withLuke Petit
Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Quiet social club, don’t know if this’ll last
Cromwell's, Collingham, LS22 5NZ, withRich Howson
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: £100 bar tab a week to spend Format: SpeedQuiz
Rich does a pretty straight quiz though I think the 100 points at the end of rounds one and two might be a tad OTT! But solid sensible music and a FANTASTIC first prize of '100 bar tab (though it has to be spent is six days - which is sensible but a bit hamstringing)
Crooked Billet, Owston Ferry, DN9 1RN, withSimon Bollin
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07546 855899
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £25 Token, £15 Token Format: 60 SQ
8 prompt. Beautiful pub. £24 for two very decent cheeseburgers and chip mountains, 2 Stellas and two Johns, which seemed like excellent. Standard SQ set. Round one was 4/1, round 2 was 6/1 with fast tracks, and round 3 was buzz-in 10/5/-10. I fear my love of a buzz in round is perhaps not everyone's love! Whatever, all things considered, I am looking forward to returning here, perhaps as a springboard to a trip around East England (Doncaster is one hell of a postcode area). Jackie, the landlady, was lovely, The River Trent flows not 30 yards away, and err.. a lot to like. Could do without the hitmix bingo myself, and a team which does not arrive until 40 minutes after the advertised start, and delays the the second round by ten minutes SHOULD be welcome to join in, but SHOULD NOT be given fast tracks. That is not good business.
Cross Keys, Liverpool, L3 9NS, withJohn-James Gallagher
Meh
Wednesdays at 6.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0151 236 3715
Cost: . Prize: Format: SpeedQuiz
No matter how good a host (and John was) it’s an automatic ‘meh’ because it’s “Really close at the top, but unlike every other sport in the world I’m not going to show you the scores”
Crossbar, Chellaston, DE73 6PP, withYer man!
Highly Recommended
Saturdays at 7:30 o’clock
Telephone: 01332 703931
Cost: 4 . Prize: Kitty Format: Standard SpeedQuiz, 67 questions, some sliding, some evil, no fuckabotery at all
I do like this kind of space, single room, local. Music can definitely be unadventurous nowadays. £4 to enter the quiz. £3.70 a pint. £7.50 a pizza. So 15 quid! What's not to like about pizza, pint, and quiz?You Make My Dreams just doesn't get old. Unadventurous I know (but it never charted in the UK). Wicked Witch are quite handy. The money got dished out in the end. This quiz – it was so gentle, on a Saturday.. It has to be a contender for QOTM, as the perfect deployment. I was back in Pontefract for 11. Don’t know the guy’s name, he was one of the lads, but he doesn’t need to change much, apart from fix the scoring system (there was a wee bit of crossbar moving) and IMHO put a fast track in the penultimate round. Highly Recommended, of course:( When I go back in ten years time it will be housing between here and Derby
Croston Sports Club, Croston, PR26 9RR, withCraig Howard
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01772 600261
Cost: Free . Prize: 3 bottles of wine (I think!) Format: 60 question SQ 4/1, 6/2, 8/6,with ‘what is biggest’ found and Bingo
This is a monthly quiz in a lovely club that does great beer and food, full of nice seeming people and a host who takes the cake mix and adds a few sprinklies and cream to make it his own and even better. Free to enter with three bottles of wine, one bingo, and two with gravity to the better teams but, with everybody having a shot. Today I want to talk about scoring these things, and where the balance is between fairness and entertainment. Because today there was a fast track on the penultimate question, the last was a gimme and I was thoroughly entertained and I hold it up as an example of fairness. Why? I was second by a point, gleaned on a multiple choice, giving the winners a power boost over the line. Well they were sweeet, and IT WASN’T EVIL MODE. I had two chances to win. I could have hit the right answer on Jonathan the Tortoise, and I could have been first on the last question. But I didn’t, and I wasn’t. Jonathan the tortoise would have been faster!! So the right team won. And any team under those circumstances would have been the right team. And I thoroughly loved it, and I can’t believe I’m saying that - but perhaps, just perhaps, a good format brings out the good me, as sure as an unfair format brings out the ranting curmudgeon. Today the balance was right. Win, win, win. Don’t get me started on the road works on the M62.
Crowd of Favours, Leeds, LS2 7EA, withJohnny Machin
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 246 9405
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Excellent quiz, well delivered. Not sure about the specialist rounds which can verge on a little esoteric
Crown, Horwich, BL6 7QJ, withNick Lowe
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01204 693109
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Speed Quiz buzz when you hear music
This was the chap from The Church Inn at Mossley, where I had a great time a few months ago. His first two rounds are just no Speed bonus, and the music is throw away, but it got good later on some SpeedQuiz rounds. This is an example of where I should write more as soon as possible, as it all fades quickly! :(
Crown, Lymm, WA13 0DJ, withGary Stephen Jones
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01925 752485
Cost: Free . Prize: A bottle and some shots Format: Speed Quiz with sensible music and buss in 10 questions
This might be the busiest pub I've been in this year. Gary deserves it. I can count nearly 100 from where I sit and its got lots of space hidden to me. What a great quiz to review, in that I played like an idiot, yet still appreciated what a good quiz this was, with balance and variety – and a lovely host indeed. Yes the scores were not on our app screens, but they were shown at the end of each round and, I consider pertinently, Gary told me I would have won had I not pressed wrong on the last question, and I believe him absolutely. He has front, and demeanour, all good. (Like Jonny Spangles, he already has a QOTM)
Dalesman, Horsforth, LS16 5EA, withMatthew Kelly
Meh
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Speed Quiz interspersed Bingo
Local pub for local people. I went with Peter. I must steel myself for a terrible review despite the quiz content itself being terrific. We spent 30 quid and never were told any scores. I asked before we left and we were lied too.( "I can't let you see the scores cos we have to do another round of Bingo"!).
Darrington Hotel, Darrington, WF8 3BL, withStaff
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Quizbit Quiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Deramore Arms, Heslington, YO10 5EA, with
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
A tad too much fuckaboutery
Derwent Arms, Osbaldwick, YO10 3NP, withSteve Quizzing
Most Excellent
Tuesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 413498
Cost: £2 per person I think, perhaps 1 . Prize: £20 voucher plus cash jackpot Format: Standard SQ with round 3 pop round. 4/2. 6/4, 4/2, 10/10 evil and fast track.
How does Google Maps know you are going to drive abnormally and still gets your time of arrival to within 5 minutes? I was told that I would arrive at the Derwent Arms at 8.38. Instead of my usual sub 60 mph tagging along behind lorries I tore down the A19 for 80 minutes at more than the speed limits for much of the time and still only got there 4 minutes early. Well shame on me – never rush to get anywhere, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t make a quiz. And shame on the Beacon Lounge in Redcar for bailing on the meeting. And (back on thread).. I’m kinda glad I made it in time for the start, because the quiz was great. Not only that, Alan Leech, the head honcho at SpeedQuizzing was there, Kaylee and Carrie made a fuss of me, and Rod the landlord was from Saltburn! (James Arthur kinda was too for a bit). I had by a curious set of coincidences come back from Saltburn where I had been promoting SpeedQuizzing. Jeezus, I do get distracted, but whatever, my diary might as well go here as anywhere. Lovely pub on the south-east edge of York with sensible prices, good atmosphere, absolutely nourished by the quiz, which was the sole reason for it being busy. Steve was the perfect host, getting all the technical stuff right, adding nothing silly, but his unique music round was a douzy; quite original, nothing was too obscure, but neither was it too patronising, all sensible questions – I suggest that for a gentle pub quiz his is precisely the model that hosts should be aiming for. It was a godsend in that THIS is why I want to promote SpeedQuizzes. This is what makes it such an excellent product. 5 stars all round (I rimmed the beer pong glass – the only downer of the night was it not going in for the jackpot! So maybe 4.9999999!). Damn – was it fast tracks to the last?, I didn’t even notice.
Dessies Place, Cadishead, M44 5BQ, withSimon Lee
Recommended
Mondays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 07948 962636
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music
Why was I not 100% satisfied with a massive quiz in great company? Maybe it was just that great company. I would wager that we are the best team Simon has ever seen at his quiz. Now when I get a team that good doing one of mine I make a fuss about it. With Simon it was just a never ending bunch of fast tracks, including the last round which was 30 music. So in effect it was a 30 question music quiz, where only a team with real music talent had a shot. (we won, by 4 points in 400, but only because At the end he did say “Wow, that was a good performance” (no he didn’t). He was one of those hosts who seems to begrudge good players, with his fast tracks, and bitch slaps, and nearest wins and ‘it’s just a bit of fun’. Nice enough guy and terrific and copious questions, maybe I’m being a bit harsh. The team was Toni, Annabelle, Ashton and Joe, and wow, that was some firepower! Should have banned us from the get go. Wouldn’t swap it! :)
Dhillon's Spire Bar, Coventry, CV1 2PS, withSteve Teeling
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.20 o’clock
Telephone: 02476225905 No Answer
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £25 cash, £15 cash, and two beer spot prize for leader after #2 Format: 80 or so questions with specialist rounds
I did not like the TV round which was 18 post 1990 questions and two pre 90 which EVERYBODY got (Only Fools and Horses and Yabba dabba doo, ergo gimmies). I never like a host saying “It’s really close all the time” – that is normally shorthand for “I’m fixing the scores”. It perturbed me that there were so many good teams. I mean super competitive and fast with it; all that post 90s demographic with their Fraggle Rock hair and well paid jobs in service industries and tech (all complete conjecture on my part). And then the LAST round was music and you just knew it was all going to be Britpop, Craig David and Norman Fucking Rockwell. Given all that I was stymied, BUT (and everything before the but is horseshit)..If it had been 60s and 70s TV I would not have complained, and he swaps those rounds every week at the behest of the runners up. GOOD IDEA! It was REALLY REALLY close all the time, as amazingly contested a quiz as I remember. I HAD to ace round two to be one point in front and win two beers. I had to get the last two in first place to be one point in front and win those beers. I felt like I was playing 4 Evan Lynchs. There were SO many good teams. 15 in all, top six genuinely within 10% of each other 0800 106 107 struck me as being the kind of people you want on your side, on the Arrested Development song sheet and awesome. Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House was a GREAT name and made me regret not calling myself Kenough. Other teams were at the top for stretches. I had to play my balls off and had a lead of about 312 to 299 going into the last music round; I was doomed. I won 374 to 368 with the pack snapping away. I don’t normally write how good I was, but on this occasion, I had to be, as the rest of the set up was so awesome, and I want to reflect that. Outside, beautiful space, stone dead consistent scoring (4 and 4 sliding), 100 and odd questions, sensible music, great staff and an intelligent, imaginative and articulate host, Steve Teeling. Brilliant.
Dice Cup, Nottingham, NG1 3GY, withJonathan
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01158 458729
Cost: £3 per person . Prize: Cake Format: 60 SQ including a buzz in round plus a 40 question tenable written down round and a nearest wins
I love the Dice Cup in Nottingham. I love the place, the people who go there and the people who work there. I think I loved the quiz too. Heck, there were 5 teams but they were pretty handy, and I needed luck to win a cake for a fiver! So what we have here was a very tight group of teams, I felt somewhat an intruder, but most definitely an intruder who was .. honoured to be there. I love my daughter Julia so so so so much. I am sad that I feel so much affection, yet live in a world where its expression is denied. Feck it anyway. Great quiz to visit once if your a quizzer (hell, maybe a bit more on reflection. Plenty of questions). A Mecca if you like games. Bless.
Dock 29, Leeds, LS10 1PZ, withJohnny Machin
Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Expensive!
Dockyard, Didsbury, M20 6RA, withTom Guy
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 434 2407
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
From what I remember this was just a really good solid quiz, well presented decent competition. And a Buzz-in round! Did I learn anything today? I hope so. It was a really really good quiz lots of questions, lots of homemade questions 6 rounds, good start time, good finish time and on the road for ten. There were loads of decent teams I played terribly but worst of all three times I looked at a muggles answer and three times they gave me the wrong one - my bad absolutely. The current affairs round might have been the worst round I've played for a long time and I dropped from joint first place after one round to maybe 18th. Top notch fight back, but squandered it by negging on the last question (Rita Ora). Still got 20 cash, so mustn't grumble. The best structured quiz so far, probably best all round.
Dockyard, Portsmouth, PO1 2RY, withQuizzing With Mowgli (Carl)
Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 023 9286 3341
Cost: £2 for a raffle ticket . Prize: £50 Voucher, Shot Round, random Spin the wheel for raffle ticket Format: Goodness, there was a lot to go at. Three GK rounds, One and two halfd music rounds, six from Sinha with Fast tracks, 3 nearest wins
Prompt start. 8. £1 pp. 20 gk, 10 family fortunes, 20 intros from noughties bands. So far so great. But not my style. My problem! Really good, especially for the Uni audience. The Music was made to shazam. In retrospect I think there may have been a bit of pitch shifting, there were certainly a couple which didn’t get got. Anyhoo, a lot of great stuff going on, but there are some buts. The sound wasn’t perfect. Bar a quick score rundown on the big screens (which were plentiful) in between every three rounds, there was not much to latch on to, either one’s own progress, or what the scoring was. Now, I don’t think Mowgli was manipulating the scores. He was, however, moving goalposts. The second music round was far more my style, I was doing uncomfortably well, he started skipping loads, then flpped to another…. Noughties round!. Make a plan and follow through goddamit! Now this is right at the top end of recommended, but.. 40 teams all paying shitloads of money. He has his own system, and it definitely works. More fool me. Great to meet Craig from Watch Me Win, Watch me ne ne
Don’t Tell The Duke, Wetherby, LS22 6NQ, withPhil Cain
Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 01937 587897
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Managed to sneak in under the radar here Phil, who really is the enigma. He gets a guarded thumbs up from me, delivering an in yer face commentary, good quiz and decent albeit short shelf life prizes. I don’t like press when you here the tune rounds.
Dragonfly, Bolton, BL1 1DP, withDamian Kelly
Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01204 533708
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Nothing to do the quiz but it's two quid a pint before 8 o clock. No point being healthy at that price. Got two. Not wanting to be too snotty, but there are some two pound a pint customers. It was an eye opener today in that three girls sat at my table prior to David arriving. One, R. claimed she knew what she was doing. Her confidence never wavered right at the end. She must have supplied 40 out of 80 incorrect answers. Even after David and I had pressed on a perfectly good answer she would insist her answer was right until it was announced. David said she was coked to the eyeballs. A terrible advert for democracy I mean I'm sure she was a perfectly nice person that if you gave her a vote the odds are she would get it wrong. Play by yourself Steve. The quiz was well listable no fastrax no B slaps buzz-in round what's not to like about that? Left a bucket load of answers out there, it was very distracting sitting at that table. Learn. I suppose that's starting after 9:30 is a negative, having said that it's now 12:30, 3 hours later, done and dusted after plenty of questions a 5-mile drive and preparing the van and cracking a German beer. 2 for 3 this week. This was the loss.
Dry Dock, Leeds, LS2 3AX, with??
Meh
Fridays at Not on o’clock
Telephone: 0113 391 2658
Cost: Not on . Prize: Not on Format: Not on
Not on, no phone answer
Duke of York Inn, Gate Helmsley, YO41 1JS, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 09
Stay tuned I’ll put links up eventually
Duke of York, York, YO1 8BH, withAiden Russell
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 676065
Cost: Free with booking . Prize: £50 voucher Format: 3 rounds of SpeedQuiz
Straightforward 60 questions in 3 sets of 20. What's not to highly recommend about it? Good prompt start just after 8 and a £50 voucher which for the centre of York is handy. There was a terrific competition from a team called sussed who were Rachel and Damn, I forgot his name but I hope we see them again. We were '9mm. Safety Always Off ' ( Grom and I), there were 8 teams and we were 10% in front but played great quite frankly. £1 per person to enter. Did it with the tablet along with review and this diary. Actually ok!,
Duke William, Shelf, HX3 7PF, withLucy Fielding
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01274 974527
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Dulcimer, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 0AE, with??
Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 860 6444
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Famous King George, Oldham, OL8 3AA, withSteve O
Meh
Sundays at 2.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Cancelled . Prize: Cancelled Format: Cancelled
It seems a shame to put the diss on Steve O’s pub, but there is no phone that works, I would have have just done it anyway, there was shit all over the bog, they had no orange, the only non alcoholic drink was a Sol light. There is no magic wand, good as Speed Quizzes are. I like Steve O and his quizzes are great
Farmers Arms, Swinton, M27 5TP, withJonno Johnston
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 258 8267
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 cash Format: Well over 100 questions
Last time I saw Jonno I wrote he gave us loads of questions, hid the scores, but was straight. What can I add? Super quiz in a sweet pub, and Clayton, the landlord, is my man. With a Rochdale accent. Vincent won £500 and bought everyone a drink. Why can’t I give life the love it deserves?
Ferry Tavern, Penketh, WA5 2UJ, withLeigh Jones
Meh
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01925 791117
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Dunno Format: 3 GK round, 1 sensible music
One of those. What I mean is, that although the questions and presentation was good, the whole thing was spoiled by not giving the scores out after round 3 and 4, only giving positions of the top 5 after 1 and 2, so one had no idea what was going on, apart from deducting that the team which won was 75% behind after two rounds and were only first on TWO occassions out of 64. There was no sliding scale, I was first 16 times, another team ('Mmm..') were first 12 times, Ergo the team that won (‘Monkey Arse’) must have played better than any quizzes I know. A group of 5 women tucked up in the top corner of the top floor. It is amazing how the more concealed the scores are the more likely that "It's really close". Meh. There is one way to reduce suspicion - show the scores.
Firs Sports Bar, Cadishead, M44 5AG, withJoe O’Connor
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8 ish o’clock
Telephone: 07572 012814
Cost: Free . Prize: £15 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music
Joe should be contending for QOTM here. He is the warmest host, and super articulate and if it wasn’t for the bitch slap option in round two it would have to be a shoe in (You may like bitch slaps, so factor that in. You may like gobbing in peoples consommé, personally I’d prefer a giving world); but it was round two, there was a giving option and people in the pub were nice. So it is contending. I like Joe. Great scoreboardage
Fleece Inn, Skipton, BD23 2NS, withTim Anglish
Meh
Sundays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Couldn’t really judge it as I was late. I can judge that they had the wrong time on the advert, that they did not seem bothered, and have still not changed it six months later
Fletcher's Arms, Denton, M34 6EG, withPhil Brookes
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01613 365555
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz
My diary entry on the phone was utter nonsense, so here is a complete rejig on Sunday morning. Contender for QOTM, The quiz itself was great, the music sensible, the host remembered us, there was little to no real fuckaboutery (you don't notice TWO rounds of fast tracks to the last when you are playing well), the big number questions were not that big, and there were some humorous touches, all for a free entry, 9 o'clock start and a £20 voucher valid for 3 months in four pubs. Well decent. This pub is less than 100m from the Trans Pennine trail, which is rammed fuckaboutery, but that's a different story!
Flying Coach, Hazel Grove, SK7 4DJ, withTony Murphy
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01614 652710
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
There are a select few hosts who are untouchable and Tony Murphy is one of them.. He can put whatever Bitch Slaps and Feckaboutery he wants into his shows 'cos he is a made man and who are we to argue genius?'
Flying Dutchman, Lowestoft, NR33 8QS, withChris Moore
Most Excellent
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01502 561391
Cost: £1.50 per person . Prize: £40 first, podium prizes Format: SpeedQuiz with buzz in round and bespoke current affairs, Fast tracks through last two rounds to last ten questions
This was a super quiz, I would unreservedly highly recommend it; Chris seems like the best of hosts and most congenial of landlords. Why am I writing like there is someone pointing a gun at my head? Because I feel like there is, but I don’t know for sure. I rang the pub around dinner time, spoke to Chris, booked a table, used the name ‘Steve Holt’ and thought “he knows of me”. I’ve been within 20 miles of Lowestoft just once, ten or more years ago. At tea time I got a text from a friend (in Manchester!) asking if I was the ‘Steve Holt’ who had booked into a quiz! There are social media groups, I know, you can’t hide. After lockdown there is a fairly robust connection between people who conduct and participate in quizzes, especially Speedquizzes. There is a specific group of quiz hosts of which I used to be a member and contributor but I left, frustrated by my feeling that a few people are dicks and the greater frustration that groups let them get away with it. I don’t know how much they talk about me. Whatever, I was a known person to Chris, and by other competitors in the pub. They were good to me. But I’d rather be anonymous for several reasons, for one because I don’t want my presence to affect the quiz. Sitting here, the most Easterly person in Britain the following morning, greeted first thing by two magpies, I hope that if I am known to quiz hosts and it spooks them when I turn up that might be a good thing. Fact is, if they do a good show I want the world to know about it and promote the excellence. If it puts them on their mettle, why, that is not a terrible thing, (I’d prefer cold anonymity, but you can’t change what is). If they hate me, that’s a shame, but fuck ‘em. People are wrong to hate me. Doesn’t necessarily make them bad people. But it probably makes them do bad things. A few people hate me, we are human. Bah! This quiz was a good structure and great set of questions with bang right appropriate fast trackery, and excellent score levels. The current affairs round was mint, but left me well exposed! There is one aspect that I must write about in full sometime, that I am personally evangelically opposed to, that is the concealing of scores. If I had lost by one point and been a bit grumpy I would have been very suspicious. I can’t help but think “I don’t have as much access to information as I would like” No other sport or game does this. I am sure that if surveyed, all competitors given a choice, would like to see their scores. I am sure that good teams know they are good and lesser teams understand. I know that the busiest quizzes I go too show the scores. But a drippingly scrumptious meat feast pizza for £9 goes a hell of a long way to distracting me. Shows us the scores for quiz of the month? Don’t be offended by my frank analysis! :)
Foresters Arms, Adwick le Street, DN6 7AA, withMarc Hodgson
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07800 631354
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Foresters Arms, Prestwich, M25 1AZ, withFrank Callaghan
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07827 850232
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 Limited voucher Format: SQ perhaps 100 Qs including sensible music, buzz in and bitch slaps
This could so easily have been a highly. This is why bitch slaps are wrong. I've long suspected the fastest team get delayed. If this is the case its a triple whammy, of not getting the bonus points, not getting to hit teams which are your rivals, and losing points. They promote war not love. In addition they only help the moderate teams in the top, say, third. A host should want to keep everybody in the mix if he is going to employ fuckaboutery. At least in this pub it's gain ten lose ten if you get it right, not gain lose 20. I reckon Sam and I got hit for a third of our eventual total. It was free, so its a recommended. Replace bitchslaps by the positive fast tracks it would be a bloody contender. Sam n Steve. £30 limited voucher. Buzz in round was nice. Music round was good. Look, I'm shite at golf but the last thing I'd want to do is take strokes scored by players off them. Shame. Nice little local town pub, with some decent players.
Forresters Arms/Fozzies, Burntwood, WS7 2PH, withAsh Webster
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: 1 . Prize: £20 voucher Format: Ash puts his own tilt on a SpeedQuiz set with little bits of Bingo, Play Your Cards Right, Turtle races and a non-inflated nearest wins. Good specialist section.
Highly recommended. But… Burntwood is the town around which this pub orbits. Burntwood is one of those places like Mexborough and Leigh and Neunkirchen and any amount of places that has spent over a century supplying coal and and steel and now is, to a degree, redundant. There is a type. That is a sympathetic criticism, more of the bourgeoisie than the working people who still live in these places. Fuck, who am I, Friedrich Engels? So we have a great quiz (lots of questions, gettable ‘soaps’ round) with good people in a WMClubby type pub, just 9 teams, with only a couple of score checks, a bit of feckaboutery but nothing mean and therefore its a sweet local for local people. It is not fair to participate balls out as a single figure quizzer. And it is not the most fun either. Oh, I don’t know. I love the quiz for the quiz's sake, and I like people, and I suppose I have a strong instinct of being a stranger in a strange land and there are some conflicts within that. I think what I’m trying to say is I’m glad I went, the quiz was tip top, but I’m, not sure that a team containing Kevin Ashman, Evan Lynch, Pat Gibson and Paul Sinha would find it challenging! :) Bless. And Jorgia and her sandwiches were the best.
Fox And Goose, Wigan, WN11XR, with??
Meh
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01942 517605
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Made absolutely sure it was on. Got there an hour early. The quiz hasn't started yet. I must not be bothered about these things. It's fine! :). There, that's better. Fact, if I don't play well, I don't play well. But I should play well. Keep quiet, talk less, smile more, and don't give money away. Squander the prize rather than try to create a good impression. Yesterday's quiz I wasn't nervous at all! Make it the same today Poor show! Tried phoning during the day. No answer. Tried phoning at six. No answer. Got there at 7 for an advertised 8 start. Told it started at 8.30. they cancelled at 8.15. it's fine, but I won't be going again in a hurry
Fox, Flixton, M41 8QW, withSam Gandy
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 748 5431
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 voucher Format: Sammy’s Speed Quiz
Pricy beer (£3.90). Cheap orange (£1.50). Nice pub. There is no two ways about it. There are people who let their luck and success dictate their opinions about the external factors upon which that luck and success is predicated. And there are those who say they are impartial judges. The lying bastards! By rights I should hate Sam’s quiz, I was 5th, there was a bitch slap round, he does bingo, and he is from Manchester. And yet.. It is the benchmark quiz, the gold standard, the “this is how you do it” example for pub quizzes. The daft thing is, it is not complex what he does. He just does it some originality, faultless diction, comfortable humour without resorting to patronisation, I think the perfect balance between meritocracy andf fuckaboutery, and, as a stand alone quiz, it is just most excellent. Add the that, the jammy twat has some absolutely great teams participating, specifically Yancunians who are the best team it has been my priveledge to play against; and they (Karen and Dean) didn’t even win!!!! It is gonna be a hard choice for quiz of the month, though technically, this should make it an easy choice. BUT I WAS FIFTH !!! :)
Fox, Troon, KA10 6AB, withMax Irvine
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.30 ish o’clock
Telephone: 01292 435900
Cost: Free . Prize: £45 voucher, £20 voucher Format: 60 SQ, 3 sets, 6/2, 10/3. 20/4
No scorage on Screens. That is bugging me more and more. No need for it, I am assuming that all players would like to see them. The difference between this and Greenock last week is that this, IMHO, was not diddled. I can’t tell for sure because the scoring was slightly more intricate with sliding scales, but it just felt like I was lucky to get second, ergo, no fixing. The winning team did score an extraordinary 387 points in the last round to my 358 (4 wrong) which was 20 questions worth 20 points each and a sliding scale of 4,3,2,1, They were right first three times (I was 5)(though I never registered as having ever scored an odd point, which cocked an eyebrow, but on balance I think it just wasn’t showing)
Friary, Derby, DE1 1FG, withKieran Wall
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 9.20 o’clock
Telephone: 01332 253711
Cost: Free . Prize: Vouchers and shots Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music
Beautiful big pub, with free coffee, Charlie and Felicity. 9 start at least. £5.90 a pint of wheat beer. OMG. I think its great to be back on the road again. South Coast beckons. Target ten days. Kieran sells points for shots!! Great plan. Kind of randomy which of the top teams wins, but fair enough. Highly recommended
Friary, Leicester, LE1 5AW, withSunth
OK
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0116 261 9196
Cost: Free . Prize: Cash (£50?) and Vouchers (£50) & lots of shots as spot prizes Format: 3 rounds, mixed scoring, last round music
This is far from the worst quiz night I’ve been too, though it may be the one I’ve least enjoyed. I wish to be objective with my criticisms, I worry that what I write may be tainted by my personal disappointment. With that in mind..Sunth, the host, did introduce himself, kind of. He recognised me, knew my name, and said this wouldn’t be my kind of quiz (in not so many words) (I thought really?, that would be a difficult thing to run) (he was right!). I thought I knew him, asked him his name and he initially would not tell me. When he did I realised that I had had quite the correspondence with him when he was starting out with on-line quizzes, encouraging and advising him. My overarching recommendation at the time was “do what you wanna do, and stick with it”. I can find no record on FB or WhatsApp, so it must have been Zoom. What I am trying to say was that I had tried to be helpful and spent time out with him in the past. “Steve, welcome, it’s me Sunth, it’s good to meet” would, IMHO, have been nicer. That’s just personal, nothing to do with the quiz, but I guess it may have derelaxed me. Whatever – here is what was wrong with the quiz itselfObjectively.Slam dunk easy fix. Put the individual scores and game scoring system on the handsets. I doubt there is a player on the planet wants them concealed, The only rational reason to hide them is for the host to control the scores as well as the quiz. It is a button press, as it was one can’t tell what questions and speed bonuses are worth, or one’s personal progress.Tougher fix. The sound system was poor. Sunth has a velvet voice, but there were many times when I really had to concentrate to cut through the hubbub just to guess at what he was saying today. Yes, the sound was passable, but definitely poorer than many venues, and that lets Sunth himself down, wastes his talent. More pertinently the capacity of the pub is not being used. There were loads of spare tables, though Sunth’s corner was busy (16 teams). Given the scoring systems were not on the handsets, they were not always clear over the PA. BooYou may not think this is a fix. Points for social media posts are neither “Quiz” nor “Party” and should not be part of a quiz scoring system. By all means reward them with gratitude and payment. I’m reviewing a quiz here, not an exercise in self-promotion.More subjectively.The music (which was a huge part of the quiz) was a relatively narrow band, post 1990 (with a couple of exceptions). The quiz was more a survive the General knowledge, be born after 1980 and listen to Radio 1, than tread water with the music and enjoy the quiz. FFS I can win music quizzes, but was nowhere in the ballpark with this one. I’ll have to get a hearing aid :(The scoring was somewhat haphazard, with scores doubling here and there, what were those first three questions, sing along for a bonus but you don’t know if you’ve got it. I gave up after Love Is An Open Door. I prefer Clarity. By Zedd and FoxesTotally subjectively and off-topicLeicester (like many cities) is a shithole. Get rid of the one ways, get rid of the traffic lights and impose an appropriate congestion charge. Econ 101. Price goes up with demandTotally Subjectively and on-topicOf the last 50 SpeedQuizzes I have participated in, I have won 36, been second 11 times, and had a third, a fourth and a fifth place (thanks Sam Hart, Gary Jones, and Alan Leach – I thoroughly enjoyed each of those last three)Today, excluding two teams who had stopped competing, I was 14th out of 14. The team of lads next to me exclaimed “How the fuck did that happen?” when the scores were announced. I had way most the first places in the first two rounds, I even had two in the last round. It was not just a poor last (music) round. I was 14th after round one. It is very difficult to prove that hosts fix scores. Hiding them doesn’t help.In SummaryI don’t think it’s just me. Aspects of this quiz seem like great fun and Sunth makes Tony Blair seem positively uncouth. But I reckon this pub should have twice as many teams in.
Friendship Inn, Prestwich, M25 0PD, withRay Holmes
OK
Tuesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 773 2645
Cost: Free . Prize: 8 Pints Format:
This is why we must keep contemperaneous notes. The reason is, I'm writing this up after a week thinking this wasn't so bad, then I read what I had written at the time - “the worst speed quiz I've been to all year” (edit note, it wasn’t) for precisely the same reasons that Macclesfield was worst last year. Not the pub, that was absolutely fantastic and the food the best I've had all year for free, and the landlady was lovely. It is the "whoever gets this right first goes to the top", at seemingly random occasions chosen by the host, on the spur of the moment, even after people had put in answers. What that means is you might as well go, do fuck all, and wait for him to put in his super fast tracks. He said "this is the last one" ... Then he put some more in. This is what makes people bad, attempting to equalise outcome as opposed to opportunity. and people accepting it. Disgraceful. If somebody in my pub had come in and been as good as I was I'd have praised them to the high heavens. That's why people will always be local people, and a counter productive insularity born by instinct will doom intelligent cooperation. Gave the 8 pints away. The curious kicker on this is that it hasn't got a 'meh'. That the quiz was free, and the staff, building and Pizza were awesome, that Ray wasn't horrible, despite the shortcomings I would suggest you go, not take the first part of the quiz the respect it should have by rights, and just wait for a super fast track to go balls out at. HOSTS: If you ever read this - have your plan sorted out before the quiz, don't fiddle things half way through - Last round 20 questions evil mode, fast tracks based on first three not answering on the first ten to fifteen questions keeps everybody in the game, enables wins for outsiders, but doesn't preclude the good teams winning.
Fullwood Arms, Aigburth, L17 9PW, withEmma
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0151 728 9038
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £25 voucher + 2nd and 3rd Format: Speed Quiz and sensible music
It's busy with a few quiz teams that look like quiz teams. £25 tab prize.This is a great case of a member of staff doing a terrific job. Really good music round but I reckon spoilt by a team scoring 18 out of 20. They were only a middling team in the Gk Smelly Ben. £2.70 A pint in a 4 pard a pint world! Another lovely team came over after the third round which had 5 bitchslaps. I'm gonna let Emma off with that cos they were pre ordained. On relistening It does emphasise the vagaries of fast tracks and bitch slaps, Bitch slaps are just horrible and I was so proud of the way I dealt with these 5, but.. on a multiple choice it is just pure wrong, as are fast tracks. I got smattering of admiration for not exercising bitch slap. Didn't make any difference, a great team won and I wasn't in the prizes. Great quiz, I’d like to see the screen scores and hear what bitch slapping is going on. NB. A few days after this I congratulated a bloke on a great music round and he told me that they were shazzamming, and that it was absolutely endemic. There was no guilt in it, but it maybe shed some light on how I can win music quizzes, yet not be so strong on played music rounds.
G.O.A.T., Bridlington, YO15 2NP, withJules Lee
Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: 1 . Prize: Quite a haul! Format: Standard SQ
Undersubscribed quiz. David and Charlie Anne are SUCH a good team. Apart from Bitch Slaps, everything is good, right on the harbour
Gade and Goose, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3LB, withOwen Andrew
Quiz of the Month
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01442 214850
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Owen Andrew is an example of what a quiz host should be. Fun guy original content finger on the button.
Gardeners Arms, Hull, HU5 2PP, withSteve Jackson
Most Excellent
Mondays at 8.15 o’clock
Telephone: 01482 342396
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £50 voucher or money gamble, Another voucher for 2nd and Wine 3rd Format: SQ set plus buzz in round, Turtle race and Sensible, albeit modernm, pop
This was a GOOD quiz, aimed at younger people but with enough grist for us old bastards to give it a go. Very busy, good prizes, £2 a person to enter but I’m not sure if there is a skim off that. The business, with a buzz in round. With a lot a frivolous buzzes it should be two strikes and you are out for the round, cos it is the same few all the time. Speaking of which, I lent a tablet to Danny, Tash and Ben so sat with them, which was challenging, but fun nonetheless. Ben does a SpeedQuiz on Thursday nights! I played a good game today and won by the very narrowest of margins
Garrison, Barnsley, S70 2HZ, withClair Ganey??
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Gate Inn, Swinton, S64 8DQ, with??
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01709 571724
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Gatsby, Sheffield, S1 4GE, withJake Barrett
Recommended
Mondays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0114 216 9378
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 tab, round of shots Format: SpeedQuiz
9 o clock start and 6 people in the pub. Two of them sad loners! It didn't start until 9.27. It's a recommended, as only four teams could join in, which is tough if it were correctly set up, but Adey was in Demo mode. A little more structure, a slight improvement in sound, prompt start, larger speed bonuses (it was 4/1 6/1 10/1 over the 3 sets of 20) would all help push it up a grade. Still loved it despite it being 5 and 1/2 quid a pint! Because of the shortage of handsets I joined up with another team and let them use mine and it was great being around that table with Dylan and Ben and the two others. It's very easy to get caught up with a team, even if it's only 10/1! There was a round of shots for the best team name and a £50 Bar Tab which is an effect 9 pints of beer Note to self. Revisit later in the year.
George and Dragon, Hazel Grove, SK7 4AH, with??
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 456 8690
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
George Hotel, Hayfield, SK22 2JE, withLandlord
OK
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01663 745295
Cost: £1.50 per person for mountain rescue . Prize: ?? Format: I think 3 SQ rounds
I walked after two rounds. Why? Because I just couldn’t be bothered suspecting chicanery and taking an inordinate amount of time to proove it or be unable to do so. Show us the scores. If it’s “really close at the top” Show us the flipping scores and make the quiz as nice as your pub and village
Gillygate, York, YO31 7EQ, withAlan Leach
Highly Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 01904 654103
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Gipsy Queen, Gospel Oak, NW5 4BS, withOwen Andrew
Most Excellent
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 02030 920598
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Dunno :( Format: A big quiz with lots of bespoke questions, lots of great visuals
I’m imagining that of the many good things about this quiz, specifically Owen Andrew, is his infectious camaraderie which pervades the pubs he hosts in. I really caught it in Hemel Hempstead, and tonight some people seemed really up for it in the nicest way. By extraordinary coincidence Liam, who I complimented so highly in Bolton was at the quiz, what are the odds, he is a most excellent SpeedQuizzer. The quiz is a monster with eclectic selection, some home grown, variety, just right on the fast tracks and evil and a split between sensible and buzz in pop, and a lot of damn good teams. I really would have liked to see the handset scorage, which is the only smudge on an absolutely terrific, very well crafted show. Top notch
Glass Works, Barnsley, S70 2SB, withPhil Langham
Meh
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01226 209175
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £51 kitty Format: Very good structure but.. see review!
Cheat. Such a shame, because there was no need for Phil to cheat, and otherwise it was all in the right place. But this is like going for a poker game and finding the dealer has been giving his mate cards from the bottom of the pack. He was instructed to do so by his boss, which casts a big question mark over all of Marc Hodgson’s quizzes. (Incidentally, I could not have been fairer myself to all parties concerned at each stage of this shit show)
Globe, Calthwaite, CA11 9QT, withDH T
Meh
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01768 885238
Cost: ?? . Prize: £30 token and a mug Format: 3 rounds 4/1. 4/2 sliding bitchslap, 4/1 Fast track on top 2
This is why I hate life. This is why I hate ‘quizzes’. This is why I hate humanity. Why??? Life is beautiful. I have always loved quizzes. Humans are wonderful. Was it this quiz? The pub and village were perfect, The host seemed like a real nice guy – when I said ‘seemed’ I mean he was a lovely person, as far as I could tell. The quiz was a 60 question SpeedQuiz – tried and tested excellent product, delivered perfectly. The people in the pub were people in a country pub on a Thursday night, undoubtedly people who could be great friends, lovers, team mates, artists, doctors, teachers, bin men, whatever! So we have the perfect recipe for awesomeness. So why did I leave this pub in an absolutely foul mood, refusing to shake hands with the winner, abandon my Cumbrian Quiz Odyssey and contemplate never going to another quiz again. Bitch slaps; mean spirited, negative, divisive, unwelcoming, unmeritocratic, spiteful, thoughtless, BITCHSLAPS. Humanity in a microcosm, demoting excellence, promoting mediocrity, the enemy of co-operation, the trigger for destruction.And the stupidest thing was, they (the mean spirited, negative, divisive, unwelcoming, unmeritocratic, spiteful, thoughtless, BITCHSLAPS) didn’t make any difference. The team which won, God bless ‘em, would have won anyway! They could have walked in the pub with four questions to go, been first on the coin toss question, held their ground by answering the last three gimmies and ker-ching – they would have STILL won. The only thing the Bitch Slaps did was give me an excuse not to shake hands. At the end of the night I walked over and said ‘well played’ he offered his hand – I refused it, telling him “no – you took points off me”. I was wrong not to shake his hand. Yes he did take points off me, yes, it was 100% unprovoked, I had never done anything wrong to him. BUT, and this is important, he was kind of forced into the position by the stupid Bitchslap system, which was clumsy and imprecise, based on a number, not a name, and is morally wrong in the first place. Twice he had not picked number one, the last time he did. It was a cheap shot, and it got filed away in the ‘fuck him’ drawer. And this is what bitchslaps do. Introduce animosity into what should be an opportunity to foster friendship. I loved and admired the Mancunians (A BRILLIANT team from an Ulverston quiz). They Bitchslapped me. Now I love and admire them less. I hate myself more. I suppose I’ve got to ask – what do I do now? Sat high in the Yorkshire Dales on Olivia’s birthday at ten past seven AM in the clouds on the B 6270 (It is quite desolate and beautiful) I realise that typing this is cathartic. OK, for now: Refuse to play bitchslaps. Play the quiz, but, if there is no get out, like take points one self, or give points to another team, just refuse. Peaceful protest.Just a bit of fun my arse. Meh!
Golden Beam, Headingley, LS6 1BL, withMolly
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 278 8521
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty (£45), voucher and shots Format: SpeedQuiz straight 60
Well! This is what I would call a Witherspoon going cheap yet delivering the goods. Tiny sound system, but a screen and a sweet girl who was collecting glasses in the breaks, no feckabotery, just the business. And done for 8.30, and only a mile away from the Hedley Verity which starts at 9!!
Governors, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 7EQ, withJames Bailey
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 488 4222
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 Voucher, £20 voucher Format: The number of questions (there were plenty) was a movable feast, and we will do better at the music next time. Very trippy
Very interesting. James is, I think, relatively new to hosting, but he does a great job, an absolute natural. The nice thing is he was playfully disparaging of us; his feckaboutery worked definitely too well for us, and I am going to guess too well for him too. I’m not a fan of goalpost moving, but I can see why he did it and I’m sure he will smooth those things out. Damn, I woke up this morning thinking about it but I guess its gotta happen occasionally! I want to tell you a story about another team. They were in second place and James picked them out as having too many players (They had seven, six was the max)(daft rule!). I went over and asked if any of them would like to join ours (two). They declined (fair enough) and they pointed out one girl really didn’t speak English, that she was Lithuanian. I said ‘Nastrovie’ and felt chewed out when she said (in pretty good English) that that was a RUSSIAN word. Whatever, but given the situation at the moment I felt super awkward, Fucking Nastrovie* is cheers is slangervoor is salut. I then thought to myself it is also Polish. Is Lithuania like the Wales of the Baltic, where you go into a pub and they all start counting to ten in their own language? I’m not Vladimir Putin, and I’m not Edward Longshanks, and I was only trying to help. I went to James, told him that one of their team was not English and he should let them play (what a busybody eh?) One of their team came up saying they were not doing the quiz, and I said “No, you have too” and changed her mind. By the end of the quiz, by dint of us absolutely crashing our score and them getting a nearest wins or a Bingo score with plenty of points they won. They live in Cheadle. I’m sleeping in a van. And they probably reckon they are sole architects of their own success. Fair play – I consider myself the architect of my own failure. But I’ll be the first to admit I couldn’t have done it without a great deal of help from a lot of people. Chin chin! *Nostrovia is now used as English slang for “let's get drunk” (duotrope.com)
GPO Food Hall, Liverpool, L1 6BW, withMike
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 food voucher Format: 4 sets including good music
After visiting the Aether to claim my prize from a month ago and being denied (Eric the shaker bailed them out by being awesome) I had a pretty decent wrap here at the GPO. So far Liverpool center is not doing very well, so fingers crossed and hope I play better than Friday! Friendly enough start a handset straight up. Straightforward first 20 4/4. What will the music round bring? It bought a well sensible 20 questions, and allowed Putin is a Prick to get really on track. There were only five teams, and it was a two horsse race, but a really good quiz. It deserves more people. Perhaps fast track up to 15 in last round and once a week.
Graduate, Sheffield, S1 2LH, with??
OK
Fridays at x o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Grafton Arms, Manchester, M13 9WU, withDJ Dizzy
Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: free . Prize: £30 and £20 vouchers for top two Format: SQ with lots of modern culture
It's a wet Wednesday and I thought I'd give central Manchester a shot instead of staying in Middleton. So, the question at the end of the night is, do I say ‘Recommended’, but with a lot of room for improvement or ‘OK’, just not entirely my cup of tea?I’m going to go OK, which means what it says!! These were the objective negs. It started at 9, as opposed to the advertised and stated 8.30. Lame-o buzz in when you hear this tune music round, No scoring on the keypads. 20 points for a facebook selfie. Now my personal preferences (which don’t count). Celebrity picture round (How dare I criticise this, it was good, I was just shite at it!) . Low return for quick presses on the last round (It was 10/1 evil mode, last ten questions. Fast tracks over first place, same scoring, not evil for penultimate ten. Very trash culture orientated. Dizzy seemed a personable guy, the eight teams seemed real sweet, the beer was only just over three quid, close to Manchester centre. The prizes were great £30 and £20 vouchers). How dare I say OK when it is really a recommended, but not for boring old farts like me. Good stuff. Recommended. LOL
Grange, Grange Moor, WF4 4DX, withShaun from LSI Entertainment
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 Cash Format: Straight SpeedQuiz plus sensible music
20.58 and nothing mentioned yet. 4 short rounds in and very good. Perhaps a bit too much emphasis on 5 nearest wins for 30 points each. Like an Oscar contender released in November this is in the mix for QOTM. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. GOOD sq content the shit taken out. Good original content. Especially good 5 questions on the barmaid, Michaela, whose birthday it is. P11
Green Dragon, Beverley, S75 5HG, withStaff
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Good quiz nice pub great competition what more can I say?
Greetland Social Club, Greetland, HX4 8JE, withGeorge Leadbitter
Meh
Saturdays at Cancelled o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Cancelled . Prize: Cancelled Format: Cancelled
To say there is a place in Hell reserved for these people might be a tad of an over reaction. But when you phone up at 8:PM on a Saturday night and ask “Is there a quiz on?” and are told “Yes” then enquire “What time does it start?” And are told “Now” and so you say “I’m on my way, stall, faint, anything” and you risk your license and peoples’ well being through Bradford’s ridiculous traffic light systems and inconsistent 30 mph zones to resignedly reach the destination expecting to have missed a round to be told “There is no quiz”. Let’s just say a place in Purgatory. They can stew there with all the other Mehs, after all, its only a bit of fun?
Griffin, Cheadle, SK8 5BE, withDuncan Laing aka Spunky
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Top three totalling vouchers for one bottle and three glasses of wine and 14 pints of beer with no time stamp and Pizza for everybody!! Format: SpeedQuiz with early tomfoolery
A very good quiz dressed as 'just a bit of fun'. I suppose we start with the nuts and bolts, of lots of questions including original content, and a music section that was "a great round, really inventive questions". The feckaboutery was delivered early, with three nearest wins at the end of round one and bitchslaps for mercifully only the first ten of round two. The last ten questions were extraordinarily guessy, in evil mode, but, that was the same for all; uncomfortable for purists, nevertheless good for maintaining interest I imagine! (I'm a purist, but I'm working on that). Pretty great prizes, it was not a pushover, with a lot of very decent pressers in the house, fast as feck, and although I would have loved to see more scorage on our devices (I could not really deduce what the scoring scales were), I'm assuming a straight game. Late finish, but that's as much down to quantity as the 9 o'clock start, good sound, welcoming host. Ignore the crudity and the hoards of extras from the Goonies and Hannah Montana, this was a bloody good quiz, and I am looking forward to seeing Spunky Dunky again. There was Pizza as well!
Grosvenor Arms, Worcester, WR2 5NP, withAlex McFee
OK
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: Bottle Prosecco Format: SpeedQuiz with bitchslaps all through last round
This could so easily be a HR, but it is waaay not. Why? Bitchslaps. All the way through the last round, but by nominate a number not a name. In effect fuck the top teams, and reward mediocrity without, and this, IMHO is critical, without keeping the lower teams involved. It was just take points off number one every time. Horrible. FFS Fast tracks are so much better, morally, and in terms of paying customers. I would have liked to have left the pub with new friends. Instead I am just disdainful (I even Bitchslapped myself on the first go!) and disliked. Shame because Alex is a good bloke, nice pub, great staff, decent punters and cute puppies. Feck, I really backed off all the way through the quiz as well. Addendum: Give Alex credit for a) Great scorage, at least during the first two rounds, and not inflating the nearest wins at the end. OK is OK. Damn, I hate bitch slaps.
Guide Post, Ryhope, SR2 0RN, withAdam
Quiz of the Month
Saturdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01915 235735
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: 3 cash prizes - £50 for first place!!! Format: 60 SQ 8/17, 12/17. 20/17 evil
There is a difference between bent and straight. Now, perfectly straight is practically impossible except as a mathematical concept. Likewise perfect integrity IMHO, cannot exist within humans. 'Lying' can make very good sense, from not just a pragmatic, but significantly from a moral standpoint also. There is a whole grey area of continuous change of shade that we inhabit when it comes to doing the right thing. Last night's quiz in Tantobie was not evil! It was a great exemplar of the hosts doing something they thought was right, but wasn't. It had more costs than benefits. It was bent, and they had not even recognised that. How refreshing tonight's quiz was, to have 60 questions, one speed point per person (17 in this case, I'm the only other host I know that employs that simple, consistent, algorithm), evil mode last round, bada bing, bada boom. Done deal. A joy. Now the prizes - £50, and I think £20 and £10 for silver and bronze (Adam told me that generosity was a holiday special, normally nearer £30 in total). That is up there with the Hedley Verity BUT it was only a pound per person to enter, which probably makes it the best reward ratio of any of the hundreds of paid quizzes I've been too. Adam was clear, his timing was on the money, he was engaging without a hint of hyperbole. The pub was a local pub for local people but the competition was good, and the atmosphere what a pub atmosphere should be - sociable, fun, communicative. Given it is a mile from the Durham coast doesn't do any harm. Even the lad behind the bar emulated the welcoming of the publicans with a 'well done' at the end of the night after they had filled my water bottle. £3 and a bit for a pint. It is only as I sit reviewing each aspect of last night that I realise it was near perfect. Who knows exactly what the right formula is. This month I have seen Owen Andrew and the imperious Marc Coates, but they already have a quiz of the month. I've had a few bummers this last couple of weeks. But this restored my appetite and has to be in contention. And fundamentally, all it was, once the basics had been covered, was STRAIGHT.
Hare and Hounds, Ramsbottom, BL0 9RY, withGaz McKenna
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01706 822107
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 Voucher, £10 Voucher Format:
They are piling in now. Nice pub, sooner walk and swim from my parking spot, I'm stoked.. a bit. Phew. On the screens it says £5 a team. But Gaz says free. Buzzer round coming up as well. Happy birthday stevaaan. It's gonna be an 8.39 start. Good sound. Gaz knew me! Fark. Looks like a load of kids back from Uni.really great quiz well presented. I think hosts miss a trick by being reticent about showing scores. Not that I think Daz was, but it could help them massage the outcome. Good prizes 20 and 10 Greene King. Recommended. A button press away from being highly recommended.
Harrogate Arms, Harrogate, HG1 2QU, withLuke
Most Excellent
Thursdays at 7.30 ish o’clock
Telephone: 01423 531735
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 limited voucher for first, prizes for places and a shot the the kitty Format: 25 at 4/1, 25 buzz in, 20 spot the pop, 30 at 8/4 with go wide and evil (4 or 5 cumming or drumming), 25 buzz in jeopardy, Nearest wins. Thats about 126 questions.
This quiz is nearly there. Score checks after every round and it would be a slam dunk quiz of the month. As it is it is in the mix anyhow. Starting with Luke who is a big handsome Rhode Islander speaking Mid-Atlantic with a great humour and welcome. Worth visiting the pub just to see a human! Then the questions. Yeah, “swap the buzz in when you hear”, for “Name the tune, band, film etc.” But still 105 Quiz questions, 50 of them on the buzzer. Absolutely made for the quiz gourmet. (OK, dismiss the 5 cumming or drumming for the round century). Few and far between are quizzes with that amount of content, and decent prizes too. Like the crowd, Chris from SpeedQuizzing was a pleasure to meet, the staff were good and the bogs were clean. Make your own mind up about the prices, but this was a douzy. I wonder if a flexible fast track would be a good idea. Ergo.. No fast track in a local pub for local people where the winners swap round every week, but a trigger, perhaps a certain quantifiable lead kicks in for the last round. Today I didn’t know how well I was doing relatively, but I would have liked it if the people in the pub knew and had that carrot during the later rounds. Yes, even if it fecked me. Fast tracks. Last round up to question 15 is the way to go.
Harvest Mouse, Heswall, CH60 7RQ, withGary Stephen Jones
Quiz of the Month
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 0151 342 7985
Cost: . Prize: £20 Greene King Voucher Format: Speed Quiz music
Quiz of the Month, May 2022 Green King is a great start. Gary is even better. There's a buzz in round! Gary seems like just the best, really nice person and just a great little quiz the right balance, if anything favouring me. £20 green king voucher. Perfect. Quiz of the month this month against some really stiff competition, the likes of Dan Nicholas, Danyell Tate, Dean Barnes, Helen Kinsella, James Dowd, John Lowe, Kevin Jay, Sam Gandy, Shaun from LSI, Kevin Jay, Steve Jackson and Wayne Johnson, and there’s brilliant hosts who just edge on little points
Harvester, Colton Mill, LS15 9JH, withDavid O’Donovan
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 264 1541
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 transferable token plus second prizes Format: SpeedQuiz buzz when you hear the tune
It feels like 7 o’clock was the right time to get here. Not a good sound system..… So let's give it a highly recommended off the bat, in that I'd love to do a quiz like this every night. When Dave sorts the sound out, becomes more familiar the software, and, I hate to say this, puts the fast tracks in the last round as opposed to the penultimate round he would be in the frame for quiz of the month. Seemed like a really nice lad, oh yes, he even got away 'buzz when you hear the tune' which would automatically knock a point off, but when it's 80s music I'm going to lose objectivity aren't I? But much better to have name the artist tune film or year etc. Transferable 20 voucher and very tidy timing, I cycled back to Ponty 12 miles and didn't need my lights. Wow!
Harvey, Swindon, SN5 7DL, withJohn Rayner
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01793 872400
Cost: ? . Prize: £30 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz
Good quiz, good pub, good competition, would like more consistent scoring, and perhaps no fast racks on ABCD questions.
Hastings Hotel, Hull, HU5 5BE, withJohn William
Most Excellent
Thursdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: na
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £50 for winners, pints for secons, Celebrations for third and Haribo for last Format: Standard SQ with interval diversions
Two kinds of review vex me. The first is the outright and unrepentant cheat. I try to give them every chance to fix their chicanery, and am reluctant to whistle blow. I feel put in a bad place by trying to do the right thing. I put them off for days, even months. Horrible. The second one is the one I save ‘till last because I have so much praise for it, and I feel hardly capable of articulating my appreciation. Like taking a photo of a beautiful view – it’s just not the same as the real thing. Today was the latter. The pub was an ‘estate’ pub, no groups of students or Adele listeners out for a meal and cocktails. If Ronnie Pickering had walked in I wouldn’t be surprised. I was apprehensive. Now at the end I said thanks to the landlady and her husband who were totally sweet, so the pub gets the thumbs up. What I told them was that John, the host was an absolute gem. From the get go he was so welcoming. Not smooth welcoming, but just a genuine, slightly nervous, eagerness to please, that pervaded his whole evening. I listened back at x1.54 speed, and he was as clear as a bell. His standard SQ set was split by bingos and play your cards right, plus a turtle race, so despite a long evening he maintained interest. He is not a ‘quizzer’, but he is an empathic human. I saw him once, a year ago, at the Oddbottle, nearby, and I thought he was great, but needed to find his comfort zone. I predicted he would. And holy shitsnacks – he has. If you live in Little Whinging fuck off to Spain for the World Quizzing Championships*. It’ll cost you an arm and a leg, but at least you’ll have one arm left for the circle jerk. If you live in West Hull, make this a weekly night out. Book a table. You may not have to at the moment, but I hope I do if I come back. Jeezy Peets you can tell the sun is shining this morning! :) And I nearly forgot – the prizes are fantastic.*Better still, seriously, for more serious fans, OQL (Online Quiz League) is so much better than Quizzing, who are really the MySpace of the Quiz world.
Hawkhill Tavern, Guiseley, LS20 8AR, withPhil Cain
OK
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01943 662410
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 voucher plus two spot prizes of shot rounds Format: Speed Quiz Buzz In Round, Sensible Music, Fast tracks in evil mode to the last
Phil is a very good presenter, welcoming, interactive, clear, sweary! It is, however, a such a shame that his style takes the top teams down rather than let lower teams who play well occasionally to win spectacularly. The pub itself is great, doing half price pizza on a Thursday night, The quiz is free, and the prizes generous. Phil's music round today was sensible and well balanced and that he does a buzz in round would make it a hot candidate for Quiz Of The Month, BUT... :( Ok means ok. It could be so much more fullfilling for very little change. The easy fixes would be to let people see their own scores and the scoring system on the handsets, and, most importantly, don't leave fast tracking on until the end. Dare I say Phil might want to look for ways to give people points when they deserve them rather than dismiss them out of hand. [The argument of making sure the same team doesn't win every week doesn't hold water, The team which fast tracked on the last question (The top two teams left it alone) won last week]. It's a thorny one. Would you rather write for the Sun or The New Statesman? I'd certainly rather get paid Sun wages, but I am cynical of people who do
Head of Steam Hull, Hull, HU1 2JJ, withSteve Jackson
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01482 217236
Cost: £1 per peson . Prize: Cash Format: SpeedQuiz with buzz in and music
Sorry there is no review here yet
Head of Steam, Didsbury, M20 2SG, withDuncan Laing aka Spunky
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 434 7259
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz with early tomfoolery
Remarkably, neither of our trips to see Duncan over the last 2 days have been planned but how fortunate for us. My thoughts from yesterday were born out today in a very positive way, I played with Paul, who recognised me from the Urmaston hotel and Tim bobbins, a great welcome from Duncan for me, just lovely quiz! I repeat. A great quuz disguised brilliantly as 'just a bit of fun'. Remarkable. !
Head of Steam, Headingley, LS6 3HG, withJohnny Machin
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0113 278 3608
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
No walk, no film. I realised this morning how many questions I've heard and am not getting. I'm also get a shit tonne, just sayin'. I've won and lost Johnny's quizzes before so let's see how it goes. I think I love these. Went to 30 quizzes in January, 5 were mine on Saturday nights, and two were cancelled, ironically I won both plan b's, the second one my quiz of the month. I hope Johnny doesn't leave too long between questions and timer. No delays so good. No score right now but whatever. I don't think Johnny would massage. I only got 40 odd and thought I played well. Perhaps he missed one. He did! It was a really good quiz, lots of original content and super delivery. Delivering the scores on screen would up it to 10.
Head of Steam, Hull, HU1 2JJ, withSteve Jackson
Most Excellent
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01482 217236
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty for winners, 4 pints for second Format: SpeedQuiz with buzz in and music
I know it’s good already. And it was. More of the same as the last two times I visited. Great Host, great quiz, good competition, and decent prizage
Head of Steam, Leeds, LS1 5DQ, withJohnny Machin
Recommended
Mondays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 247 1712
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Headingley Taps, Headingley, LS6 3HN, with??
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 230 7168
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Hedley Verity, Leeds, LS1 3HQ, withDan Nicholas
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 390 7590
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £100, £50, and £25!!! Format: SpeedQuiz
I should really say don't go to this Brexit bastad pub but for a '100 tab prize it is hard to refuse!! This is a Weatherspoons so the prices are well reasonable. The quiz? I'm tipping a big team will win. Very students pub, not PhDs! Start time is the same for everybody. Goodness this is a huge place. 236 230 295 293 482 470 = 20 points difference between me and second places on the last three quizzes oh my god it's been a lucky week.
Hercules Revived, Sutton Cheney, CV13 0AG, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 02
Stay tuned I’ll put links up eventually
Heroes of Waterloo, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 9DQ, withChris Judd
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 830 0999
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Hesketh, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 6JZ, withDoug Spence
Recommended
Wednesdays at x o’clock
Telephone: 0161 348 7150
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Could have been a 10 but for concealing scores
Heworth Inn, York, YO31 7TQ, withAlan Leach
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01904 289484
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Alan is the man behind SpeedQuizzing. He can do what he likes. But he is reasonably entertainig, though the pub was not particularly … friendly?
High Peak Book Store, Buxton, SK17 9PY, withBen Knight
Meh
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0129 871017
Cost: . Prize: £20 voucher, £10 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz with original content. Last round 10 fast track, 10 bitch-slap
Yesterday I wrote “I am thinking that it is very difficult to be objective ..” Today I walked 15 miles get to this cafe. 24 kilometres exactly, from Buxford Basin to Butt-Fuck Buxton. It took me six hours, and I should be pleased as punch. The thing is although the first 18 km were wonderful, the last quarter was horrible. How horrible? There was nobody else walking it, so ask them. It was a long, pretty straight road with no pavement or off road walkway for at least 90%, where cars were at liberty to drive past you at 60 mph, but in many places not at liberty to cross the solid white line in the middle of the road, hence passing within one metre. A beautiful walk, just ruined, where I should have been lauded for trying to do the right thing, and never once making a noise, polluting the atmosphere, endangering a life other than my own, and never stopping other road users, I was placed in a noisy dangerous cocktail of poison gases. It’s just a bit of fun. Today’s quiz had bitch slaps over the last ten questions, where one HAD to nominate another team to lose points. It doesn’t matter how good a guy Ben is, he served an exquisite meal and then put an old tampon on the tiramisu. It makes me feel like I don’t want to do these quizzes anymore. Also the landlady was a bitch, insisting we should lose points for giving a perfectly good answer (Secret Steven) Meh, meh, meh. I should re-iterate at this point – Ben Knight is arguably the best host on the circuit, and a lovely bloke to boot. This is not about him, it is about the quiz, and my feelings about it.
Hilton Park, Leigh, WN7 1SJ, withPaul Moon
Meh
Wednesdays at “9.30/45” o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ?? . Prize: ?? Format: ??
They don’t have a phone. Called in. Couldn’t make it for the start. Turned up half an hour late and was told I couldn’t join in because the software doesn’t allow it. Why do people lie? Just say “it’s a local pub for local people and we don’t like strangers”, And don’t put it on the SpeedQuizzing site.
Holmfield Arms Hotel, Wakefield, WF2 8DY, withKieran Wall
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01924 367901
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Never quite sure about the scores
Horn, Messingham, DN17 3NU, with??
Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 01724 761190
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Horns Inn, Ferndown, BH22 8SS, withAndrew Watson
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01202 572080
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
This might be one of the best quizzes, really good competition, but needs a slightly better sound system to cross the line as it were. Brilliant current affairs round and some decent teams,, I like the hangman round. Dash, get a soundbar Andrew!!
Horse & Groom, Lincoln, LN1 1RH, withStaff
Meh
Mondays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01522 548866
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: ?? Format: 60 written questions. 10 Pizza postage stamps, 10 “what’s the Age limit” 10 Chemical symbols, 10 on dogs, 10 Song and Film, 10 who is the oldest sibling
Don't hold back Steve. This was one of the most unenjoyable quizzes I have been too. I can think of two in perhaps a thousand which might compete for paucity of content (the Bedford in Southampton and Navigation, Buxford). And just ‘cos the girl may be perfectly nice, she is no more a quiz host than she is the sous chef. It started half an hour late, poor, unimaginative content, no pen (although one was promised) and points denied for perfect answers where they were given to wrong ones. The quality of the pictures on the sheet were the worst I have seen, the ropey sound system was at best adequate. The music round was perfect for ‘researching’ she even gave them two shots to go for it. Nowt to do with the quiz but the fish and chips were lovely. But they should have been for sixteen flipping quid, and our empty plates remained on our table for 45 minutes. Binley Mega Chippy serves a huge deal more for less than a tenner! Andrew left half way through round three, bored shitless. I stayed to give it a chance. I should not have. It made me a worse person. I learned nothing. I never do. There is a pub, The Mailbox, which does a SpeedQuiz on the same week night which is 7 minutes walk away. It is not as cosy as this pub. But everything else is better. And though I was pretty scathing about my visit there one year ago (don’t think I’m some agent sent by them to garner custom), the quiz at The Mailbox was just a whole fecktonne of more interesting than this expensive waste of time (unless your a thicko who likes guessing games, google and Shazam) (and even then the SpeedQuiz wins! ) This is why I don’t go to written down quizzes more than once a blue moon, as its only service was to remind me how truly meh! they can be. :( N.B. There was one thing worse than the quiz – me. I turned a piece of what, in effect, was merely very shoddy workmanship, into something cryingly horrible, all between my own two stupid ears.
Howards Neighbourhood Bar, Denton, M34 2AF, withSanaan Shah
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 971 7673
Cost: Free . Prize: £10 Tab Format: Straight SpeedQuiz
Slam dunk highly recommended. Why? Because the guy just takes a straight SQ set and delivers it well in a lovely atmosphere with no frills. He coped very well with a tech double whammy. Sweet. 8 start with a £10 voucher prize with AD and SR. I just wish goodwill on this pub, as there were only a few people in and it deserved more.
Howarth, Hull, HU6 7LD, withPaul Bishop
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01482 498951
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 bar tab and a bottle of Perry for each round Format:
8.30 start £2.50 for half an orange. £3.10 for a pint! Why am I doing this? :) Look its three guineas and it’s on my way home, it’s new, so WTF not? Set up in good time and a prompt start 8.30. Free. Easy lead after r 1 and a bottle of Perry. Man after me own heart. Just a great quiz, but once again, more for fwends than me. Massive lead with 6 from Sinha and 20 20 minus coming up. Damn. £4.70 a pint of very nice beer. Hells Bells. On a relisten I have to put this as a QOTM contender! Prizes, promptness, clarity, Bowling for soup. Great Shtuff
Hubs, Sheffield, S1 2QQ, with??
Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 0114 225 4111
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Jam packed, didn’t stay till the end
Huntingdon S&S, Huntington, YO32 9RU, with
Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 01904 768025
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Nice busy Sunday afternoon and a pretty straight quiz
Iron Forge, Scunthorpe, DN17 2AB, with??
Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 01724 410440
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Iron Horse, Thornton-Cleveleys, FY5 4LH, withChris
OK
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 01253 820269
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
A couple of good teams make this challenging (good) but' It falls into the bracket of turn up 20 questions left and the quiz is well winnable silly super fast tracks. I don't like 30 points for Facebook but its all generally non impactfull on the score as it turns into a ten question quiz for the prizes.
JLR, Royton, OL2 5QD, withChris Judd
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 6.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 652 6457
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 Voucer, £10 Voucher, Bottle of wine Format: Speed Quiz Buzz In Round, Sensible Music, Fast tracks in evil mode to the last
We are blessed on Sunday another double coming up! Good quiz, Chris is a decent bloke, like to see scores on screens but still highly recommended so far. Lots of questions, buzz in round, two good specialist rounds ('Oz' and 'Summer') and a very explanatory approach and not overdoing fuckaboutery. I really hope this cute bar swings. Nice staff pervades the customers. Highly recommended Great prizes. (£30 voucher, 2nd place voucher and a bottle of wine for third). This would be a contender if I hadn't made my mind up about Kenilworth!
John Gilbert, Worsley Brow, M28 2YA, withSam Gandy
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.45 o’clock
Telephone: 01617 037733
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £15 voucher + nice prizes for bingo Format: Speed Quiz, 20 GK, 4x 5 Specialist, 20 pop, 20 GK Bitchslap, 20 GK fast track evi,
What a great selection of questions. Sam, if you ever read this, I’ll never convince you that you are the best. You are though!
Jolly Carter, Hyde, SK14 2ND, withDuncan Laing
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £10 voucher and free shots FOR ALL Format: SpeedQuiz
Heavy praise for this, the first night for a SpeedQuiz at the venue, I super enjoyed it, despite it being an easy set of questions. Why did I love it so? Joel and Ashton were both in the pub, quiz titans, and they (we?) played like heroes, never going in until ‘the red zone’ juggling our handsets and not conferring. The Landlord and landlady turned out right nice but… but… (and everything before the but is horseshit) but – Duncan might be the host I would first recommend to anybody who wants to see how its done. He really is an everyman, and today set up that quiz for sceptical locals and hooked them in, despite there being three as good players as you are going to get turning up. If I had three wishes, if I wished this pub could build on today and go from strength to strength I fear I might be wasting a wish. It should do anyway.
Joshua Bradley, Hyde, SK14 5EZ, with??
Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 406 6776
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Junction Harrow, Harrow, HA1 2DH, withLeroy Morgan
Highly Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 020 8426 0947
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Kelly’s Sports Bar, Ossett, WF5 9HA, withAndy Mathery
Highly Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Kestrel, Drimnagh, D12 NN8A, withRay
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 voucher to spend on a Friday Night Format: 4 Rounds of Speed Quiz
9.30 start! Local pub for local people. I do feel more comfortable looking at teams who have their own families rather than people who play computer games, watch football, and understand TOWIE. It's an estate pub and I feel I can do well, so I promise to back off for the first round which is 4 1. So far so good. I'm up 63 46 and I really have backed off. I literally couldn't help being first three times. LOB ALOFT is bloody football innit?. In conclusion. Good host, good quiz, good prize, easy win, well worth the visit, but beware of bitch old blokes complaining!
Keymaster, Willenhall, WV13 2RN, with??
Highly Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Keystones, York, YO31 7PE, withGeorgina
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Georgina is cuter than Johnny Spangles or Owen Andrew. Straight up 60 questions good prizes ('50 voucher redemable in many pubs) and some solid competition. 8 'til ten what's not to like? (seeing the scores would have been nice)
King’s Horse, Stafford, ST16 1BE, withJustin Follos
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01785 255599
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Standard SQ spot the intro
Friday quiz! I liked it reservations last time. Absolutely terrific quiz. I played so naively. Free to enter, 8 start, perfectly on time in 90 minutes. Same as last time I'd prefer a real music quiz and to see the scorage bar at the top of the phone, but the essence is 81 questions and no real fuckaboutery. The couple opposite me cast dispersions on the winners getting the last number bang on. I raised an eyebrow. Highly recommended.
Kingfisher, Northwich, CW9 8UW, withPaul Fairclough
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01606 354720
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £30 week limited food voucher, bottle of wine for second Format: three blocks of questions, in addition to standard SpeedQuiz, iterspersed with original content, there were two super sensible music trivia rounds, and a super hero round
Such a dichotomy how to review this quiz. I must think of a name for them – great content, played fair, but lacking in delivery. It is like getting a meal plonked on your table without a knife and fork! (Yes, I like that analogy:) ). I.e. terrific food, but it could be much more enjoyable. The place and staff were lovely (Though don’t try and find the pub car park, there isn’t one, use the shopping centre car park right next door). At the end of the metaphorical meal the table was cleaned up sans bonhomie by a quiz-master who gave the appearance of begrudging you what should have been a wonderful experience. Not even so much as “Was the food alright?” On a less esoteric observation, the prize is sensible; a £30 week limited food voucher with a bottle of wine for second place, but for £1 to enter per person isn’t particularly exciting. I learned something today. I think. If the scores aren’t going to be shown, and the scoring system not revealed, fuck it. Try not to worry about it, no matter how frustrating and irrational that is, just go balls out. Normally I would ease off if I thought it would make a game of it, but when you don’t know what the game is... A very thin recommended.
Kings Arms, Bebington, CH63 8NR, withDJ Milky (Dan)
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 ish o’clock
Telephone: 0151 644 7855
Cost: £1per person . Prize: Take for the winners and one in 5 prizes for 2nd, I got £20 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz with spot the music
Now – here is a thing. Big beat up Greene King pub – that is an observation, not a criticism, Greene King is always a good start ‘cos you know the food is going to be cheap and decent, and that the beer probably likewise, and the quiz prizes generally transferable. This one did not let me down. Pretty standard SpeedQuiz with music, with winners scooping the entry money, and a £20 card for yours truly, so all good. I reckon Dan the man is a brick. He is consistent with 2/1 all the way through, fast tracks for unique answers (I don’t know if this lasts the whole game), some decent teams and – get this – last four in must-answer evil mode. Ha – I got three wrong (Again, far from a complaint, just a rueful shrug). Anyhooze, there are things you can ponder upon but not really write about, but I repeat. I strongly suspect he is a bloke who tries to make the world a better place. What more could one ask?
Kings Arms, Wakefield, WF1 5SE, withStaff
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01924 377527
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Written, RedTooth
I used to love this quiz
Kings Ransom, Sale, M33 2AA, withDarren Goulden
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01619 696006
Cost: . Prize: Format: SpeedQuiz
Only manged the last couple of rounds here, but given that was a much better scorage than last time I saw Darren, he gets the thumbs up, I’m going to write the aticle on ‘5 big numbers’
Lamb Inn, Bicester, )X26 6JW, withChris Mahew
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0186 9324122
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Decent Prizes for top 3 and lucky 13th, with a jaclot at the end of the month for all the monet! Format: 60 SQ including buzz in round plus a sensible music round
Ahh, with the benefit of hindsight I know this was a very good quiz, but I wasn’t framed up for it properly. Like life! Chris is a perfect host, who delivers a ripping quiz in a decent pub. Yes, I’d love to see the scorage on the phones, and more than two pre 90s music questions, but it was a good, mixed clientelle, great prizes (I was third and got drinks and pizza next week), and bangin’. Jeez, I put my foot in a few today!!!
Langley Hall Social Club, Solihull, B92 7HE, withRichard and Adam
Quiz of the Month
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0785 5813695
Cost: £5 per team . Prize: A drink apiece Format: Quiz rounds interspersed with games rounds incorporating draing, dancing, vocalising
Please, please, please be quiz of the month! Richard is lovely, and as for the Cannon and Ball song! I've had a rotten day, a rotten 4 years, and a seemingly wasted life. But I haven't wasted it. It's just people make me feel I have. But music is ace.This is going to veer away from a quiz review, into a place review, and then into a life in general reflection. First the quiz: 36 hours later things never shine quite as brightly as did at first sight. We can always say "Oh I just loved Wicked, it's my favourite" - we 'know' something was wonderful but it becomes a stored memory, recycled for reference. This is why live shows with a friend are better than cinema films are better than TV replays of the same thing. The moment, the thrill of the moment. I am sure that Richard, an absolutely seasoned pro who right from the get go welcomed ME, put as much effort into looking after his 20 or so friends and myself tonight as he would have done on an opening night of Starlight Express; the mark of a man IMHO. Now, before I go further, how do I describe Adam? I don't know for sure, because you never really can tell who does what apart from what you see on stage. But I am going to take a guess. I fecking hate Wind Beneath My Wings so that analogy is ditched. I thought of Richard being the painting and Adam being the canvas - but that is far to blunt, after all, though a canvas is critical, it is easily replicated at the outset of a project. Then I thought of Peter Taylor and Brian Clough. Oh yeah! I am not going to elaborate further, if you don't know, look it up. I really hope to see Adam again. There were perhaps 60 questions (I think the shittiest ones may have been edited out). 4/2 or some variation thereof, with evil mode on the last round. The sound was great, the room was self contained. The host was competent. The teams were great. WTF else do you want? I am only just realising how hosts 'get it'. Feckaboutery is just ace when it is conducted in an inclusive and overt style, wearing itself as a badge of honour to the delight of all. I'm not going to go into the intricacies of the games, just rest assured they were FUN and FAIR (enough :) !!)This shows what can be done. The prize was a drink - and yay to that. When you go for a meal, you don't judge it on what's in the doggy bag. That is how it should be. Preparation and presentation. I love these guys.Now - that drink (a pint of bitter) had a profound effect on my evening, but that is part of another story. That the manageress of the venue was instructed by her nan to be mean spirited may not have been her fault. That she felt compelled to fabricate lies, was a trainee police officer, and watched while a gang of drunken thugs did her dirty work was. Life can be shit. Some people make it so. Richard and Adam contributed to creativity and cooperation, doing their darnedest to celebrate and improve humanity. The Langley Hall Social Club wasn't, and didn't.
Larchwood Farm, Kidderminster, DY11 7DT, withWes Mason
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01562 549069
Cost: £2.50 per person . Prize: Format: 2 Rounds SpeedQuiz, One music
Standard suburban Greene King pub in a new estate. Lovely clear approach. It's a monthly thing, but if it were weekly it would be kicking. Imho. 4 plus 321 for round 1. £2.50 to enter. 6 teams and it should be 60. Wes is a sweet bloke. Really nice host. Highly recommended. There was a sensible pop music round which was right up my street, i.e. nothing after Jessie j and lots of the 60s 70s and 80s. The last round was an interesting twist on a bitch slap in that teams could only nominate a position, not a team name or above or below. This meant that neither of the the favourite teams won and a team of 4 people who played quite well burgled a win by one point, absolutely perfect for the host and the pub, a better dynamic. I was livid with myself though! :-). I reckon that putting the extra round in (Wes only used two of the three SQ sets) would be ok, and the old bugbear of on screen scoring and scores is only a click away!
Lathkil Hotel, Over Haddon, DE45 1JE, with??
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01629 812501
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Written, Local
Sorry there is no review here yet
Lawnswood Arms, Lawnswood, LS16 7PH, withSteve Gladding
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8 ish o’clock
Telephone: 0113 267 1823
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 Greene King card Format: SpeedQuiz, including Buzz in and sensible music
I am always a little daunted, beginning a review of a pub. You can’t really write what something is, you can only hint at a flavour, i.e. doomed to fail! Anyhoo, I am looking forward to saying I am fond of Steve, that this pub is a very well kept secret, not advertised on SpeedQuizzing’s site, my second new quiz in as many days, not more than a couple of miles away from each other. It’s a Hungry Horse so two burgers, a pint of orange and a pint of beer for thirteen quid constitutes a good value night out in this day and age, especially..ESPECIALLY with Steve’s excellent quiz. Yes, he doesn’t show scores and scoring system, but apart from that, it is just about perfect, the usual 60 questions, a buzz in round, fair measure of evil/fast track up to Q10 in the last round, and sensible music. I reckon Steve should set up in a quieter part of the pub, as it is a little, how do I say?, Friday night boozy uppy in the bar. Fed, thirst slaked, Quizzed up, all for an hour’s wage, what more could you want? I’ll tell you what – company! Hannah and Laura (Lauren?) were just meltingly nice. I am super fragile, and just to be sat at the same table makes me feel all worthwhile. I could top myself that the world can be made so horrible by people when it is so fantastic. I digress! Great quiz, highly recommended.
Lea Gate, Preston, PR4 0XB, withChris and Carol (John Gallagher RIP)
Recommended
Fridays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01772 329760
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 transferable Hungry Horse token plus second and third prizes Format: SpeedQuiz
Clear introduction and what to expect three prizes. Very good quiz, including straight music. Prompt start. 21 or so teams. 'Super fast track' on the last round, and goalpost moving on the nearest too means I just can't give it the top rating, but man, I'd go to one of these every night if I could! The more I think about it the more I think just too, pre-ordained fast tracks half way through the last round, are legitimate, especially three prizes
Leopard, Doncaster, DN1 3A, withMarc Hodgson
Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01302 739460
Cost: 1 . Prize: £30 taken plus the take Format: SpeedQuiz, four rounds, including one buzz in, and one music. Fast tracks and evil to the death plus a number round, 4/3. 6.6, then evil,n 10,5 half way through 10/10,o sliding last evil
Marc is a very good host, love that he does a buzz in round, I'm not sure about his music, and no quiz should be fast track to the last question, nevertheless It's better than watching Love Island. I have to say that my shortcomings were far more significant to my enjoyment than any of the quiz itself. Ain't that always the case? Good quiz, good prizes.
Library, Leeds, LS2 3AP, withMatthew Kelly
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.15 o’clock
Telephone: 01132 440794
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty (£80 today), Massive meal for two, two bottles of wine Format: Six rounds of twenty questions, icluding two speciais rounds (Landmarks and country outlines)
What an enigma Matthew Kelly is. Last time I was here was 22 years ago with Danny Dorling and I wasn't drinking alcohol then! Eat a dick life. Anyway; 8 o'clock, nice and busy, 'themed quiz' is ominous! :) For the second time in two nights Love Story by Taylor Swift is on and i think it is the Scooter Braunless re-recording. It's hard to tell. Anyway. Small orange from a carton is £2.60. Advertised 8, ready to go but I'm tipping nearer half past. £1 per person to enter. 80 quid prize. £3.20 a pint of Doom-bar. There were no scores or scoring systems on the handsets, screens, or PA for THE ENTIRE QUIZ!!! I asked about the system, apparently it was 6/5 and sliding. I wish these guys would use the tech. Still, it's a quiz. I'm going to stop giving score hiders highly recommended. Now he’s started he is cracking through. 20/10 and evil on round three. I should not let anything phase me but this has got "its really close" written all over it. Lots of questions and games in the middle. I got a bottle of red for gluttony! The specialist rounds were landmarks and country outlines are coming up. No scorage so only recommended. Loads of content lifts it back up. 80 questions so far and 40 to go. In the cold light of day this has to be compared to The Dalesman, which I visited in early August. Same guy, same quiz content, same being kept in the dark about the scores. Fuck, I’m not wrong. This was better ‘cos there wasn’t bingo between every round, At least I found out approximately what the scoring might be (and speed reward, I’m not absolutely sure), and the competition was markedly better. The Dalesman was a Meh! This is a Highly Recommended but with a massive ‘but’. If we were given the scores and scorage it would be Quiz Of The Month. No exclamation mark - fact. The final scores, 10% out in front of the pack, were 1220 v 1222 between Father Desmond Coyle and Dan Burns Missing Finger (Dan is studying religion and was just the nicest young man and a genius buzzer, I really really hope I see him again). How AMAZING would it have been to see he tussle as it progressed? A waste of fantasticness! Fast tracks, IMHO, are now absolutely de rigeur.
Lily Bar, Ambleside, LA22 0AE, withStuart Townson
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: 015394 33175
Cost: £1.50 per person . Prize: £25 token, £15 token, Bottle of Wine Format: SpeedQuiz
Cosy pub, 4 quid beer 2 quid orange. Plugged in everything that can be plugged in. That's not to do the quiz! I reckon half nine us a bit of a late start, but it gives me chance to set up Saturday. Max came over to say hello and make sure I was nice! I fear not a great deal of competition. So prove me wrong! Wow! In many ways, in every way perfect for me. Four rounds. 2 10/5 GK. 1 six from Sinah 29/10. Buzzin 10/5. Nearest wins 60. I'll write more tomoz from some laybye. The £25 token was well spent on Sarah Peter, Josh and Eve who is now 25 years old. Fuck I love people. I'm in a lay by! So, has this been my favourite quiz so far? it seems like everyday i go to a quiz and the quiz i go to becomes my favourite. 66 questions 50% speed bonus. Consistent scoring. Clear voice. Comfortable pub. Decent prize. (in effect 6 pints of beer) . A buzz in round. It is nominated at least.
Lincolnshire Poacher, Lincoln, LN2 4QT, with??
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01522 511788
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Lion, Moulton, CW9 8PB, withAndy and Pete
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01606 606049
Cost: 1 . Prize: £20 for winner, beer and wine? Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music, bitchslap buzz in on penultimate round, and huge speed points on last evil round
What a lovely welcome from Andy. What with the open fire after a swim in Pickmere, and a lot less than 2 quid for my orange juice makes a good start. I wish I had a fwend with me. It is really tragic not sharing this. But it's really nice doing it though. Well i like it. Dehoey, what's not to like about two straight sets with 1 nearest wins so far? Quid per person to enter and the beer is 3 pound something. 4/2, 6/3 and 30. I would love to think I'd have been just as praiseful of this quiz had I not been lucky enough to win. It went to the LAST question. There was luck and skill involved. Fast tracks to q15. Exactly how it should be. I want to be best mates with a lot of people. Jade was awesome, as were His Vajesty. Very good quiz in a super pub. Highly recommended of course. Feck I love em
Little Castle, Chesterfield, S44 5HP, withKieran Wall
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01246 488390
Cost: ? . Prize: Bottle of Wine Format: SpeedQuiz
Poor old Keiran seems to not like doing these things. Fair play to him he started just me respect for that but .. got three rounds so I'd rather do it than nothing but it was a long way to win a bottle of wine. Can't see the scores in a post modern pub. Jake the barman was lovely it was just all a bit sterile. Look at me moaning Minnie free night out and I'm whinging. The thing is I feel it could be so much better. As usual who am I to talk?
Little Taproom, Aigburth, L17 9PJ, withSimon Vanderbilt
Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz
Lovely little micro pub, with Mark who's a season ticket holder at Anfield. So far so good. Nice proper music round on Liverpool bands. Another score evader! Good competition. These put me in such a quandary. I so enjoyed the night, the questions and Simon were terrific, Dan joined us, he was handy, and ... and... a last round of Bingo on top of not having any idea of the scores or values. So. Loved it, recommended, but cannot in all good conscience give it a top rating with that level of fuckaboutery. I just can't . :( It was the best walk back to the van, past a takeaway where I was clocked by this girl who shouted 'Bonner Kebab'! She was most pretty, with her boyfriend Harrison, who'd been at the pub last night, then along this road without cars through a wood to the seaside, or at least the Mersey Estuary. Aigburth is definitely a place for a quiz/camping week!
Lodge, Bridlington, YO15 2PB, withDean Barnes
Quiz of the Month
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07496 026068
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 bar tab for the winner of each round, Meal for four for overall winners, then a £Deal or No Deal£ game for cash and zany prizes (I refused £8.50 and got a plastic stethoscope! LOL) Format: Three rounds of twenty questions
What a find!! I mean walking along Brid Seafront in November is like the end of Planet of The Apes, desolate and windswept, then there is this one door to the pub, up the stairs and it is BANGIN' full of people and a great atmosphere, and a straight up quiz loads of prizes, but the kicker is that the prices are low, and the food is good. (Great Pizza for 8 quid, Fresh orange for a quid). Highly recommended, can't wait to go back
London Bridge, Warrington, WA4 5BG, withCalum Goulden
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01925 267904
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 Voucher Format: Speedquiz with Buzz in
Calum does a simply excellent quiz. Sensible music, buzz in, and the final four nearest too questions are not worth so much as to turn a game totally on its head with a couple of lucky shots. I maintain that short of accurate handicapping, fast tracks 1 to 15 on the last 20 are the way to go, nevertheless, Calum shoots a real straight die. Highly recommended, no question.
Lord Gascoigne, Garforth, LS25 1PX, withSam Hart
Meh
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0113 286 2451
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I had written several good things about the 18 quizzes I had recorded of Sam’s. On my last visit with my son he banned me from his quizzes, absolutely out of the blue for no good reason. If I cannot go to a quiz I can only not recommend it. Such a shame
Lord Wilson, Huddersfield, HD1 2PZ, withGareth Brittain
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01484 411020
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Pot. Usually very healthy (£100 +) Format: SpeedQuiz
Good Quiz, excellent prize. The breaks could do some fuckaboutery at least
Lost and Found, Leeds, LS1 5RN, with??
OK
Sundays at 7.40 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Paper
One of those where they couldn’t get the tech to work. I sympathise, and give them credit for handing paper sheets out, but I don’t want to compete with google
Loxley, Sheffield, S6 4NG, withWayne Thompson
Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Lutley Oak, B63 3QT, withJustin Follos
Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01215 503280
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 Greene King Card for first, Sweet voucher for second, something for last Format:
Jiminy there are some good teams in here tonight. I know I’ve left a couple out there but am I losing it?? Show Us Yer Snatch were so unlucky, I mean it. For all the good quizzes I perform, this was a luck-out today on a golden fasttrack on question 11 last round and us playing as badly as each other. Greene King, Clear host got the job done in not much over an hour, boring buzz in pop, relatively small prizage, but free so, yes, I like fast track quizzes, and would definitely recommend
Machair, G4 9HT, withMark O'Neil
Quiz of the Month
Sundays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01413 373111
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £50 vouchers, unlimited time (I gave £10 to emnmnm (Matt and Mary?) Format: 60 SQ, 12 music, low speed returns
How to run a pub quiz with a great app, a bit of charisma, and without breaking your own, or more importantly, anybody else’s balls. Starting just about on time (we’ll give anybody 20 minutes), scores on handsets, updates at the end of each round, sensible music (starting in the 70s then two from each decade), no feckaboutery (‘Evil’ mode is NOT feckaboutery, it is the same for everyone and totally non-discriminatory), good prizes, a nice little ‘write a joke’ game for a break and shots, good timing on questions, rounds, and breaks (what is good timing on a break? Perhaps 5 -15 minutes). Tonight’s quiz was a £50 voucher; last Friday in Kilmarnock was £30, £20 and £10 vouchers – not far off the same. Kilmarnock was free, this was a pound a person. So really the only difference, bar the pound (which went to a jackpot anyways) was handset scores, scoreage and score-checks. That’s enough to make the difference, and why I have added ‘Most Excellent’ to my ratings. Apart from the quiz, this was a super pub, very easy to get too and park within a couple of 100 yards, and all in all nigh on exactly what one would go out for, most especially if you like a quiz. (That was reflected in that there were some VERY good teams playing who I think I managed to spook, despite low speed to answer points ratios). Most Excellent!!
Magna Charta, Nottingham, NG14 7DQ, withClivejason Mallia
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
This was a very enjoyable quiz in spite of the fuckaboutery! 4 and 4 made it great for speed, clear delivery, visible scores and quick turnover. Refreshing after the last two in Lincoln. Good start after one round. Clear and 4 plus 4 makes speed a thing. 18 teams! There's only 18 folks!! Enjoying it as I can see the scores and it's a quick turn over between question and answer. Third place deservèd. Didn't shine at the music but a decent second round. I don't matter. What matters is it's a great quiz. a few additions to give it CJ's own watermark, and spread the love.
Mailbox, Lincoln, LN1 1TR, withRonnie Byrne
Meh
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
This is the same guy as yesterday. I still wish he would put the scores up. It's like playing golf without knowing what you've got. It's a good quiz, no doubt, but it kinds of takes the edge of it. Without a doubt if a host wants to fix quizzes, the best way is to conceal all the scores all the way through. I don't think this is fixed, and I don't think there is much cheating, though there is ample time to do so, but it's hard to tell. I must ask Allan if hosts can stymie first buzzes. I've had plenty so again I've got to blame myself for dropping a couple and praise other teams for being good. I don't know if I'd actually be enjoying it the scores. I think I would. It's definitely not a total pleasure without. I have never been first so many times and not been top 3. At all. Keep track tomorrow. Think I've not recorded the music round but still had a least 4. Ah, it's not important. How I play is important and I could've done better. At least three in a row on the music which I could have got easy. I ended up third and only by a couple of questions. Gillette may have won it. :( Meh. By the way the last round was lose 20 points even if you don't answer and it was the same yesterday. We would have what yesterday almost definitely. Having listened over the last round several times, I just can't tell what the winning team got. I can't read what the winning team got. The winning team very very probably don't even know what they got. Ronnie or whatever his name is, his delivery of very rapid fire, is maybe a laudable effort to move things along but things definitely get lost in it. Believe it or not I'm not stupid, neither is Andrew but neither of us knew yesterday the last round was you must press otherwise loose! I only just detected it today. I've listened back to the tape and it almost gets lost in the babble. Not knowing the rules might be detrimental to my performance and I want to perform as well as I can. It would be an easy fix just show the f****** scores and if people want it 'exciting' tell them not to look FFS. Man. I thought we played really well last night. Given the rules we now know AND HOW!
Market Square Tavern, Bingley, BD16 2JS, withPhil Cain
Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Phil does a pretty solid quiz and it is worth taking a walk around the river. Great prize (timeless £50 tab) and some good competition. It should be busier. I would like to see the scores in the stretch!
Market St. Tavern, Stoneclough, M26 1HF, withCraig Mortimer
Recommended
Sundays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 voucher Format: Three rounds, including 1 bitch slap, and pointless buzz when you hear music
Good points: Absolutely heaving pub, where we were sat it was nice and clear, staff were lovely, host was a charm and had the best tattoo since I got Mario on my left shoulder, prompt start to time, decent big screen (again where we were, I don’t know about elsewhere). Not much to crticise. But (there she is!!!), but, if I highly reccomended this I would have to invent another category for quizzes which # showed us the scores on our phones (such an easy fix) and # showed us the scoring systems on our phones (such an easy fix), # had a working telephone which was answered promptly during opening hours # didn’t have bitch slaps # had proper questions for the music rounds # didn’t give points for social media posts Many a host would declare “but people like these things” – perhaps they do. People like The Sun (newspaper), McDonalds, Manchester United, street lighting and Little Jimmy Osmond. That doesn’t automatically make any of them ‘good’. I maintain my finics listed above can all be justified, and perhaps I will be inspired to write why. I really enjoyed this quiz, but it could be even better. Good pub, good quiz. Recommended
Market Tavern, Preston, PR1 2ES, withSte Ashurst
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 6.15 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
6.15 start! Only happened upon this 20 minutes ago and here I am. Bonus. Ste was at the Roper Hall a long time ago (4 days!) and I gave him a 10. Steve did not let us down another great quiz, this time stiffer competition. 100 and odd questions, sensible variety of music, 5 fast tracks whi CV h go it the jackpot for a sweet young couple from Cho to let, and all before 8.45
Markham Main Pit Club, Armthorpe, DN3 2FE, withMichael Olney-Watson
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01302 831609
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty (returned) Format: SpeedQuiz with daft music
A victim of me not writing up at the time. It was trigger music I think. Now, this was excellent, not least because David and the in house system system made this the best sound I have heard in a quiz. It seemed better than real! The quiz itself was usual good with a buzz in round, and a moveable total for the last nearest wins question. Fast tracks for unique answers really advantaged me more than the rest, which was not the desired intent! I was really proud of my conduct today, as it was the first quiz they were holding and I really held off. I threw it! With about four questions to go I hit Z for John McCririck, and finished fourth. Apart from that 64 points for how long is the Gothard Base tunnel? What is a man to do??.
Marquis, Rawmarsh, S62 7RX, with??
Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
McMahons Bar, Maynooth, Main St, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, withKeith Shanley
Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Bottle of wine for first and second Format: SpeedQuiz
Westernmost quiz evah! Nice busy expensive pub. Beautiful town. He’s playing Weeknd. Modern life is crap apart from Aldi and speedquiz and Archer.9.30 start. Quite postgraddy I think. Mmm. 9.45 start and I can't have one irection as a team name! Some plusses and minuses here. If it is “really exciting”...SHOW THE SCORES! considering its 3.50 a Fresh Orange and £5 s soup, and I’ve won a bottle of wine, I reckon the pubs not far off break even on me, and I won and drank hardly anything. Great atmosphere, and a good host who was very forthright about deducting me for discussing answers Noah john eustace and Stefanie, all summer students. So a recommended. But a fond recommended. Had I lost it may have be in different!
McSorleys, Ranelagh, D06 A2P4, withIan Tumulty
Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Dunno firt:(, £25 voucher for second :) Format: 4 Rounds of Speed Quiz
He's on the Web app. It's rammed. Poor sound, but it seems straight and I don't think there is anybody On-line outside the pub.
Meadows Tap (Aka Damm 27), Newington, Edinburgh, EH9 1QB, withJody Jamieson
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01313 857570
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Don’t know Format: 60 SQ and 10 music (I think)
I floundered in this quiz, but I am really happy with it. There were some very good teams playing, I’m pretty sure it was a ‘young’ set, it was definitely a young set of people in the pub and a young set of (sensible) music questions (Olivia Newton John and the Beastie Boys might have been the only tunes which Diana Spencer would have heard), but that’s personal to me, a 65 year old geriatric who lost interest in music with the House Sound of Chicago. Jody (a bloke :( ) seemed like a really good egg, and there was a score check between most every question. Zero feckaboutery. Take your 30 something kids. Great stuff
Melville Hotel, Stretford, M31 9RE, withTim Tighe
OK
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: 8 pints time limited Format: GK round, 2 Xmas GK rounds, Buzz in music, 10 picture tie-breaker, bitchslap leader last round
This is an awkward one to write about. It’s Christmas, Tim seems a nice guy who delivers a varied quiz promptly and clearly. The pub was comfy, cosy, and friendly enough. But it is a meh!, like a decent meal spoiled by a poisonous final course. It is one thing to level a playing field by boosting minor teams. It is another thing entirely to roger the best team repeatedly without Vaseline. A couple of times this year I have been party to a quiz in which the host, in effect, says he is going to do as much as he can short of kicking them out of the pub to stop the best team winning. On each occasion, it was never going to help one of the weaker teams, it would only help teams in the top few who were not the best. Tim’s particular take in the last round was 20 points for a correct answer, ten on a sliding scale for speed. Fastest answer gets to either take ten off the top team or give ten to the bottom team. My friend and I were easily the best team, so much so that we ‘backed off’ being first. In effect, by not being first we were losing ten points a chuck. That happened to NO OTHER TEAM. If we got one wrong, we were 30 points down. All this palaver is dressed up as ‘just a bit of fun’. Well so were fucking lynchings. It is NOT fun for the lynched, it is not fair, it does not help the teams who most need help, it is divisive and, proof of pudding, eight teams in a great pub with a good host and decent questions in the heart of a residential suburb 4 days before Christmas doesn’t indicate a resounding commercial model. FFS hosts who feel so insecure that they feel the need to bring good players ‘down a peg or two’: Put fast tracks in to 15 on the last round, by all means pop in a nearest wins or even several, at the end (without tailoring the value on the hoof) drop the stupid bitch-slaps, they are horrible, immoral, and counter-productive. A good night spoilt. (And buzz when you hear the tune rounds are pretty much a waste of time).
Merlin. Alderley Edge, SK9 7QL, withDJ Ged
OK
Mondays at 20.57 o’clock
Telephone: 01625 599959
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 voucher Format: SQ with sensible music, all 2000s though, Bitch slap round
Bitch Slaps may be great for business. I don't think they are. People argue in their favour without any evidence whatsoever. "Just a bit of fun" and all variations on that statement are not evidence. I personally hate them because I perceive they penalise inordinately. An example of evidence for this was that DJ Ged, after I'd established that 5 of the top six teams stated they did not like bitchslaps, asked "shall I take points off the top team?" He only needed one little "yes" to hit me. Revealed preference - screw the top team. People say it brings social cohesion. REALLY??? Where is your evidence? I'd say it brings social division, my evidence being that I FECKING HATE THEM AND THINK LESS OF ANY TEAM WHO PARTICIPATES IN THEM. Is that divisive enough? Compulsory bitch slaps in a quiz where the fastest teams are pre stimied anyway = meh. Not the host, not the pub, not the main body of the quiz, they are all great. But a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Annabelle told me the five teams who stated they didn't like bitchslaps were lying. I walked. The lying bastards. The deceitful, self serving, duplicitous LIARS (I personally don’t think they all were). I walked. Annabelle won of course. How did she know they were lying? How could she be certain? How can I win against someone with psychic powers? Nb i forgot to pay my tab, returned to pub just as he was asking the last question " yadda yadda yadda nearest wins for 100 points " I said to the barmaid "220" he announced "225" . So once again my base, headstrong, chimp paradox kicked in, emphasising what a failure I am, how I have so easily snatched defeat. Fie on people who like bitch slaps, Sam Gandy stated he wanted to cash me outside because of them. How's that social binding going? Nb. At least one team revealed their preference by stating, after being first, that they didn't want to bitch slap, to which DJ Ged said smoothly and authoritatively "oh you have too". He lied. They didn't have too. Given that the first question wasn't asked untill 8.57, nearly an hour late, I'm not feeling quite so guilty. Nnnb. Last time I did one of his quizzes I auctioned the first prize and it gave it to Medicines sans Frontiers. Yes. I'm a cwunt. When a team didn't pick the top team DJ Ged said I'm not having a good night with these. He sounded disappointed. The last two times I have been specifically agitated by peoples defense of Bitch Slaps, I won the first and would have easily won this. Guess who walked away with the prizes both times? Annabelle or her team. I truly am rope a dopable. But I try not to lie. And I don’t invent evidence. ADDENDUM: Annabelle sent me £25! XXX. The right thing to do, and makes me look foolish (I’ll leave this review unedited as a testament to that). I do like people sometimes believe it or not!
Mews, Wetherby, LS22 6NQ, withRich Howson
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Format: SQ, the crap weeded out, and replaced and added original content, part of an ongoing championship a buzz in round
If I remember rightly I enjoyed the last quiz I did with Rich in charge. 100 points for a nearest too at the end of each round is disconcerting, but I guess we'll let that slide as it's the same for everybody. Paddy Spooner would enjoy that! I really enjoyed the quiz! Am I getting better, was it really enjoyable, or was it both. I got rogered by a fast track on the last question! The thing is, the question (put these films in chronological order) was pitched in such a way as to give me a real shot. Not like an ABCD. So I knew I had to go for it, but it was gettable, and my fault I didn't. Everybody was involved till the end and it was free, and it was fun, the crappy SQ questions taken out and replaced original content, a well sexy good music round and a buzz in round too. Nice pub, good host, great opposition (David and Vicki, aka dead parrots) it was also a league structure over ten weeks. If Peter said go for it I would!
Micker Brook, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 5NU, withMike Prince
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 482 8139
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Millhouse, Worksop, S80 1NN, withMark Churchill
Most Excellent
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01909 470044
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £20 voucher plus a fair shot at the kitty (today was 12 keys for £450 odd) Format: Two GK, 1 TV and films
£5 for a pint of Fresh Orange from a carton. That is 400% mark up at least. That’s not quiz. Didn’t start ‘till 9. I reckon cos I had got there at 7.45 I was a bit tetchy. Now the nuts and bolts. A most excellent quiz from a very good host, delivered clearly and quickly without being rushed. (I could play the tape back at 1.5 speed and Mark was as clear as a bell. Fair prizes in that my shot at the money today was realistically worth £35 at least. Zero feckaboutery, scores on screens and checks in the break, The middle section was all TV and film but IT WAS BALANCED. It showed in the audience that ranged from students back from college, right through to me and all points in between. I’m writing this and regretting giving the vouchers away – I think I would like to go back. Hell, it just put me in a great mood! Mark, I thought you were awesome, 32 teams think you must be pretty good and I bet the pub loves you. This is what a quiz should be (and I was home for 11:30)..
Miners Welfare, Llay, LL12 OTH, withJohnny and Jamie Bryan
Quiz of the Month
Mondays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01978 852286
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 limited voucher Format: 60 Hand crafted questions on 2022 with increasing value each round. A buzz in Music round with Christmas choons. A name the year music round. A final 20 question multiple choice round in evil mode for 20s plus 10 for speed.
Beautiful building, nice people i think. 4 Quid plus a beer. Mick and Kylie invited me to join them and are sweet. Jeez. Its different to Kent and Hampshire but... all hand written 100 plus questions. proper atmosphere. OMG its just a really good quiz. An absolute plethora of questions, zero fuckaboutery, not just original questions, the last round, 20, multiple choice, evil and esoteric was unique. And still fair with free entry and a decent prize of a £50 tab with 2 litres of shot slots libdrally scattered throughout the night. I've got to give it a gold cup, despite two already going out this month (and Jonny Spangles wasn’t even in the mix, he has one already!). The thing is, they are so different. Johnny gave me such a nice introduction and big up at the end. A truly great quiz, in a local club for local people but the the kindest welcome for a sassensch. Not just a bit of fun. A whole lotta fun! :) ***** joint QOTM
Mitre, York, YO30 5XF, withMelanie Wright?
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Monks Brook, Chandlers Ford, SO53 2FS, withStarman Dickens (John)
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 7.30 ish o’clock
Telephone: 023 8025 3020
Cost: £3.50 per person . Prize: £79, and I’m not sure but the wealth was re-distributed, some to Children in need, and there were other prizes for jumpers and position. Format: Too much to list!! Link round, evil round, fast track round, image round, music round, all SpeedQuiz. Great content
Waaaa! I wish these hosts would show at least the scoring system and personal scores on the individual handsets. I was talking to three guys who were regulars, and damn fine quiz players after today’s and the COULD NOT AGREE on what the scoring system was for the last round! And now it puts me in a predicament. John gave us loads of questions and great formats with original content. His clarity, welcome, and system, in a pretty heaving pub (A large Greene King, where they just managed to squeeze me in by splitting tables). So it’s not a predicament. It’s highly recommended. But it’s not going to be quiz of the month. Only in quiz do you not know the match situation. Really great quiz though (and I hated the picture round, could have been written by me to snooker me!). Got some curious solo answers, and a fast track on Bill Murray despite taking ages to press. I’ve just noticed. Is John related to Nick de Souza (Salisbury)? Very simialar formats, standards, and the same subscription and position!
Moorings, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2AG, with??
Highly Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 01422 833940
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Mortys, Wigan, WN1 1BG, withJohn Norcott
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: £5 per team . Prize: £50 plus shot trays, + hamper Format: Straight Speed Quiz silly music
£5 a team! A good idea, in fact an idea I would endorse entirely, but it sucks to be me! One of those half 8 for half 9 starts. .9.15 maybe! Good first round 10/5 go wide, likewise round 2 without go wide. Own score on screen and a verbal score check. 5 fast tracks at the beginning of the last round and no bitch slaps. Nearest wins for 100. If it started on time and replaced the spot the music sensible music, well that'd be perfect. It's so nice when a host plays it straight. And the most important thing was – Karaoke to finish (and £3 a pint)
Moss Trooper, Altrincham, WA15 6JU, withDarren Goulden
OK
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 980 4610
Cost: Free . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I don't really know where I was out of 12 by the end of the night. I know I wasn't first and never seemed to have a chance of being first. It was a GOOD quiz, but diminished by lack of transparency scores ( albeit read out at the end of each round) and scuppered by 5 nearest wins questions (for how much I don't know) at the end. Were there start bonuses for some teams?
Mount Pleasant, Southport, PR9 9BD, withPhil Todd
Recommended
Fridays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01704 514131
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 voucher and a bottle of wine for second Format: SpeedQuiz. 4 sets including buzz in music. Fast tracks last round and big nearest wins.
The first time I saw Phil, and I carried baggage into the quiz from a previous night. He is a very upfront host, and I felt I didn’t do him justice. I must return (Writes me four moths later!!!)
Mount, Orrell, WN5 8HQ, withAlex Bowen
Recommended
Mondays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01942 211516
Cost: Free . Prize: Voucher bottle of wine for second Format: 4 sets including silly music a 100 point nearest wins
Nice welcome and early set up. It being a hashtag quiz I'm presuming 4 sets, one waste music round and evil and fast track in last round. 8.30 scheduled start. I like a nearest wins at the end. I don’t like if the number changes the scores, so I’m not sure but today was 100 points. I think it should be de rigeur to have a bottle of wine for second place if you are putting in a nearest wins at the end, after all, its only 3 quid to the pub. Would have liked to seen the scores on screens
Moxy, York, YO1 7NE, withPeter Martini
Recommended
Fridays at 6.30 for 7 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 211043
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Some bar tokens Format: 81 questions with sensible music and nearest wins
The kind of night which corrupts my objectivity. Quite honestly, Peter Martini seems a NICE guy, and his sets are straightforward with sensible music, 81 questions all in all. No scorage on screens, just a run down in between each round leaves one a little in the dark about what is going on. Coupled with fast tracks right to the last (in ‘evil’ mode) would normally be more than enough to put this in the OK bracket (that’s a demotion) BUT… It was the night I’d keep out of all of them in 2022 for my own personal reward.Why?Because a load of SpeedQuizzing hosts were there. Talk about serendipity!! I am writing this from the top of the North York Moors near Horcum hole. It is the middle of November and I’m in a T shirt without the window insulation up on the van. The world is fekked. Here I go all self indulgent. The thing is, I’ve had a kind of rotten few years. I would rather die of starvation than die of lack of friendship. I’m so proud of my personal ethic, and, believe me, gutted if I have caused anybody any pain, and truly sorry for mistakes I have made. But isolation is part of the deal. SpeedQuizzing has rescued me, given me something to do which I love doing, and where I don’t have to be confronted with people who, understandably, don’t understand me, where I can make friends, albeit briefly most of the time, and see this beautiful country. And people are good. This evening made me realise how much I love what I have been doing. David Atherton, the person whose kindness has never come close to being matched by anybody in my life (not counting my family, but that’s a different type of kindness) was there. Tony Murphy. Sam Gandy… Annabelle for the first time. People who have knocked me out with their talent, Owen (I think he was the inspiration for my Quiz of The Month). Ben – God, he is so pleasant I want to give up!!, Then there were blokes I’ve only seen once, Gary from Leicester, blokes I have yet to visit, James from Sale and some bloke from the Fens. Phil Qua – I have got to got to got to go to his quiz ASAP. And Alan Leech, who by accident and great design has made this fekking terrific thing. And loads more who I am stupid enough not to mention. And now I’m thinking of all the terrific hosts who WEREN’T there. And so it was a Galaxy of great people under one roof and do you know what? They were just lovely to me. Seriously. My thoughts on suicide are like the doomsday clock, always nearer to midnight than is comfortable, But damn, these guys have rewound it an hour or so.Fuck haters and try to be awesome. Thank you. So much. Wipes a tear.
Nags Head, Crosby, L23 1TJ, withJohn Lowe
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0151 924 4696
Cost: 1 . Prize: Green King vouchers for first and second Format:
Love John, so I don't give a fuck. I really should be getting a bottle of wine for a fiver! May get a carry out. Greene King Pub, great host. What's not like? Goodness stuff like this makes it hard to judge the Quiz of the month when they come in the last week. Nice originality on the last round, a 12 question eliminator worth a tonne of points. 12 questions. Get one wrong and you are out. No speed. I guess it might boil down to prizes. Damn. Good on you John. (It's a great atmosphere too. I'm proud to say I got a huge cheer when I was eliminated, but folk were really kind afterwards. Highly recommended of course.
Nags Head, Urmston, M41 0SU, withGed
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Cheap beer Late finish horse races and bingo too loud to talk. I'm not sure but this may have left me a little bit unsatisfied, ergo, not sleeping well afterwards. Played great and did the right thing, so I should be very pleased, nevertheless I can't afford to be too charitable. So; what happened was I drove down to West Manchester to meet Ashton in what was essentially an estate pub. Ged, the host had a good quiz but it was too noisy and it did finish too late. That is to say, we could not have a conversation together, and Ashton left before the last round as it was after 11 p.m. the prize was a 40 pound token which I auctioned for MSF, and stuck in £10 myself. The beer was only £2.15, so I can't complain, but what the driving down to Manchester and a half hour drive to alderley edge where now I sit early in the morning, it all rolls into a £20 cost. My parking spot is very quiet apart from the constant background of Manchester airport some 10 miles away. Manchester airport is absolutely huge. Anyway finally getting settled down here and just playing 24/7 backgammon and chess was very unsatisfactory. It's almost 6 a.m., it's cold, I'm in the sleeping bag which was a great idea and... meh!
Nailmaker Tap 2, Barnsley, S70 2RD, withJack
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: x
Cost: Free . Prize: Open the box for jackpot Format:
Small, simple, nice. Full points from the free throw line
Navigation Inn, Buxford Basin, SK23 7NE, withRoger the Landlord
Meh
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 01663 732 072
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Written
Not my kind of quiz. Dingbats and suchlike, left after the questions. Written quiz a picture containing 33, clues/dingbats to film titles. I thought half way through these are all Oscar winning films. But the Life Of Pi scotched that for me. Then ten pop music questions from a book. I had a long drive home so I left my team too it after the answers had been given out. I would have been better off on my own, as a dingbatty round precludes conversation. It was Oscar winning films ( like Life of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook). I don't think Ashton would have loved it.
New Inn, Bilston, WV14 9LQ, withChris George
Most Excellent
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 07927 459470
Cost: £3.50 per person . Prize: Cash returned (£30 for first etc.) Format: Speedquiz with specialist round
I did love David’s quiz. I liked the pub. I thought the competition was ace. David is almost too fair with his feckaboutery! You know this has to be the first most excellent of the year, after a string of great quizzes this one crossed that line with a fine set on a Beatles special which Mark Kerr would have enjoyed – real meaty without being impossible. The fasted buzz in round ever – 20 questions in 9 minutes! handicapping of minus ten of each position up the top five last week, plus 50 for last place, and only two questions worth of points for the nearest wins. He uses the new wheel of fast track that never got used! If he let us see our scores on the handset I’d have to invent a new category of awesome. Technically David is just perfect, great voice and comprehensive screenage, and the sound was bang on. The quiz was meaty enough to have a loyal crowd of very good players (I got four first places on the buzz-in round, I would normally expect double that) Yes, a quiz for all, with turtle races and an expensive but rewarding bingo and expensive to enter with all back to top 3. The more I write about this the more I am nodding my head!
New Inn, Drighlington, BD11 1EA, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Sundays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 06
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxukTOjYMKyvAzYR4h0ZRFc3EmUurx3Q
New Inn, Idle, BD10 8NN, withPeter Mckeating
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 6.40 o’clock
Telephone: 01274 447765
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £50 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz with original content and a buzz in
Perfect quiz
New Royal Mail, Thorngumbald Hull, HU12 9NR, with??
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: Beer to drink within a month Format: SpeedQuiz
Tiny pub, straight quiz, limited time prize, what every village should have
New Trinity Club, Hull, HU9 3TS, withCarl South
Recommended
Sundays at 8.15 o’clock
Telephone: 01482 374233
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty. £20 first, £10 second Format: 60 SQ questions extending scores
When he said “Done on the hour” I thought he meant the quiz, not the round! New phone seems OK Two knuckle taps to record. Not cheap for a club (£3.40, but tasty beer) Straightforward quiz 4/1 first round, presuming much the same for two and three. There is something to be said for stringing a quiz out, but surely a pop music round on the fly wouldn’t be too much to ask. I was thinking that in Scotland they have little fuckaboutery (OK Greenock was an exception), yet I don’t win as many. I think the tradition up there may be more this is a quiz, not a games show, and people who like quizzes are loyal to them. Note to self, discuss that with Alan. Easy enough win I guess. Took a long time. Like the place and host.
New Wheel, Wrenthorpe, WF2 0JN, withLuke Petit
Recommended
Tuesdays at 19.45 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I think Luke needs to learn. His heart is in the right place,
Next Level, Halifax, HX3 5AX, withMcCauley Woodcock
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: A genuine shot at £1,000 Format: SpeedQuiz
Straightforward quiz set, on the screens, then a chance to win a grand. I believe it is genuine one in ten boxes, other prizes. Should really ink in to go back. McCauley has the best name in Quiz
Nickelodeon, Wednesfield, WV11 1BP, with??
Meh
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Norfolk Arms, Glossop, SK13 8PB, withAnnabelle Dunwoody
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01457 851940
Cost: Free . Prize: 8 Pints, 4 Pints, 2 pints Format: Lots of themed little SpeedQuiz rounds, with sensible music, buzz in family fortunesy round, Fast tracks for unique answers with a fess up
I am thinking that it is very difficult to be objective about somebody I regard as a friend, a quizzer, and generally a good egg (are you reading Sam Gandy?). I fail to divorce my personal tribulations from decent qualitative appraisal. I guess that is the whole thing about opinion – you are allowed your own opinions. You are not allowed your own facts. There was a point, with five questions to go in this quiz when I saw red. It was my bad. I endorse fast tracks up to question 15 on the last round – totally. So when one person on a table with four hand sets nails an ABCD on question 15, I’ve got to say it is on the limit – but legitimate. Galling – but totally fair, and necessary in the pursuit of involving all players. It was immaterial that the person who got it was Kai (“We are Morgan Feeman”) who was as good a player who it has been the privilege to play against, scarily fast and annoyingly tenacious. I’m an idiot. It spooked me, leading to a total f up on the next question, meaning that, given the last four questions were all gimmies in what had by and large been an easy quiz in terms of questions, we were doomed, and after playing so well. :(. Now – Annabelle is amazing, I don’t think there is as an accessible a quiz in terms of question getability, and there was lots of original content and admiral application to format, the pub was super, the sound OK, so ostensibly it was a pub quiz. Because it was! And the killer is, we were not the only team to f up. Whether by accident or design, it was frustratingly exciting. Could I have swallowed it if we had not won, reviewing it in the warm light of day gazing over the Pennines above Glossop? I hope so, but I’ll never know for sure. And that’s a GREAT thing about this quiz. There’s the rub.
Northern Way, Irvine, KA12 0AX, withRachel Steel
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: Don’t know first, but £10 for second Format:
Well at least I can see my crappy score! I wish it were hidden! (No I don’t). The scores went up before round 2, it’s fairly businesslike, both first two rounds 4/1 with go wide. I don’t know how good ‘Disconnected are for sure but they had 76 to my 51 after one round. I think I’ve picked them out. Anyway, we are into music bingo after two rounds so I’m killing time. 35 teams on the scoreboard 30 competetive. I’m enjoying it. Young persons’ set I think, but can’t say for sure, I think more probable is that round one wasn’t for me. Yes. Highly recommended, all it took was scores on screen.
Northern way, Paisley, PA1 1UW, withGillian Fleming
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.10 o’clock
Telephone: 01418 870105
Cost: £1.50 per person . Prize: ?? Format: 60 SQ, 6 buzz when you hear music
This would be a slam dunk most excellent but for two aspects. I guess a buzz in when you hear the tune is as good as nothing, but it seems a shame to waste the music when it could just as easily be “name the artist”. Now the tragic bit is nothing to do with Gillian, who was the warmest, most welcoming, fun, just purely up for it host I have happened upon. She really exudes the pleasure of the quiz, pub, people and music. A zillion times better than the vacuous tarts who you see on telly and hear on the radio. Nothing to do with the pub, which was great, with a beautiful crowd (though £3.80 for half an orange was curious compared to £2.70 for a pint of Johns – welcome to Paisley!!). Sad Face; I cannot top rate a pub quiz of 60 questions when 3 of them hinge absolutely on TikTok (I’m gonna apply it to 4 for football as well). A young person’s set is fine. But not when it verges on patronising young people or excluding anybody who is not at school. That is on SpeedQuizzing. Marr!, what do I know? Perhaps 5% of young people’s interest is in TikTok?? Any way, this place; yet another reason to love Scotland, I hope to visit this pub again in a year’s time. Though Robyn, her sister Amy? and their mates were distracting in the nicest way, this is a pub quiz to visit.
Nosey Parker, Lincoln, LN6 7AS, withRonnie Byrne
OK
Sundays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 and £15 Greene King cards Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music and entertainment rounds
Good clear quiz plenty of questions, Andrew came down and really was helpful, got a lot of ones I didn't know. His daughter, Sophie is ten months old. Aww. But... On a personal level I would much rather have been able to read the questions and scores on my screen and naturally, would have preferred more frequent and accurate score updates. We were second by at least 10 maybe even 15% and and I would suggest a fast track during the last round for maybe the first 10 or 12 or 15 questions. If they had been one would probably ended up third and out of the prizes. Sleeping in the car park - I'm back, super cozy a bottle of white wine and some chocolate and Brazil nuts. :)
Nursery Tavern, Sheffield, S11 8PE, withSam Connolly
OK
Sundays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0114 266 8934
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Printing money for the pub filled students
O’Donegan’s Irish Bar, Doncaster, DN1 3NG, with??
Meh
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Turned up, it wasn’t on
O’Donnegan’s Irish Bar, Doncaster, DN1 3NG, with??
Meh
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Turned up, it wasn’t on (AGAIN!)
Oak Tree Inn, Stanley, DH9 9RF, withIan/wife
Meh
Fridays at 8.26 o’clock
Telephone: 01207 235445
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Pot Format: 60 SQ 6/6. 6/8. 10/10. Lose 20 if you press before the timer
The Oak Tree in Tantobie some 30 km west of Sunderland. Small working village. Gentrification has not suffocated this part of the country yet. Tax the rich. Stop London weighting. No traffic hold ups. Nice but too cheap! (Driving, not beer). Ian introduced himself in a really friendly welcome. Minus 20 if you buzz before the timer! Nice bloke. 372 and 358 beat me . Meh! So many things wrong with that system. He didn't penalise me for Peter Crouch when I was stupidly and obviously too quick. Thanks but be consistent. I was in front of the timer on Duplo and was not penalised. I was not first, ergo Southern Invaders must also have been in front. They were not penalised. I closely analysed that answer, I guarantee it happened stacks of times. It was not, could not have been "before the timer" it was in fact "if i (the host) feel like penalising you". His wife took over for rounds two and three and i got stung too many times, at least twice when the question had finished and she had started the timer. Then there was this palaver at the end where she took ten minutes too work out the scores. I believe in round two she penalised me without mentioning it during the question. It was like sitting at traffic lights, seeing the light go flashing amber, putting it to gear and rolling a nanometre over the line and the light reverting to red a femtosecond later and that's three points on your licence. Fundamentally you have a great system (quiz not traffic lights) just trashed by the quizmaster bringing 100% subjective judgement into play. Jeez, just have no speed bonus if you want to prevent hot shots gaining by being quick on the draw. Just do a written down quiz. Nice place, lovely host and landlord, Ian, totally misguided about what is (spoiler alert, NOT) called a Speed Quiz. That's what purgatory feels like.
Oak tree, Newton-le-Willows, WA12 9UY, withChalky (Graham and Suzanne)
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01925 228668
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 drinks voucher for the pub – unlimited time Format: Speed Quiz with three high value nearest the pin 15 4/3 sliding, 15 6/3 sliding, 10/10. No feckaboutery,
I love quizzes just like this. The pub and staff are Greene King without being main chain, ergo it has a more indivdual (and awesome!) feel to it. So.. the quiz. Simple, fair and competetive, cheap to enter, with a half decent prize. Graham and Suzanne the hosts were super, personable and clear. 15 teams who stayed till the end. Last thursday in Leicester, for all the hoo ha, in a city centre pub there were 14 tems who stayed to the end
Oddbottle, Hull, HU5 5QQ, withJohn William
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 7:30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty (c £12) Format: Standard SpeedQuiz with buzz in music.
All good. Highly Recommended. Sat with Mel and his grandson Dylan, which was nice, and then had a drink with Painter John, which was nice AND interesting. Look, it’s not the pub for hot competition, but for a visit with friends it is perfect. John, the host has to find a comfy fit, but he will get there I’m sure.
Oddfellows Arms, Openshaw, M11 1LD, withMargaret Hallam
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 3718934
Cost: Free . Prize: Gallon Format: Standard SQ
This is what SpeedQuizzing should be showing to pubs. Small pub, landlady, not posh, local people, starts on time, driving back over the Pennines whilst it is still light. I loved it. I hope others will too. I wish the fuckers who shut the M62 were so efficient
Old Grey Mare, York, YO30 6BA, withAlan Leach
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: 2 . Prize: £30, £20, and £10 vouchers Format: 60 standard SQ + sensible music
Not only is Alan untouchable, but the prizes are pretty fekkin decent. They say familiaity breeds contempt, and having just written about the prizes, It bought it home to me. Alan is terrific, so laid back, self effacing, gently humourous, he is the daddy, and is allowed to take a vote on how far fast tracks go! *****. BTW, Orange juice is a quid, and I didn’t try the beer, but.. excellent.
Old Lloyd Arms, Grimsby, DN431 1BL, withSteve Gladding
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 4.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £25 timeless voucher Format: 8 prizes for the first eight first buzzers! 5 rounds including one sensible music (albeit a bit on the hoof)
8 prizes for the first eight first buzzers! What a great idea, you can only win one per person. 5 rounds including one sensible music (albeit a bit on the hoof) A buzz in round too. Super pub, Maria the landlady was ACE xxx It was a kind of rockers joint will all of Grimsby’s marginal peeps there. I like Steve. Is it King or Gladding?? What a GREAT start to the Lincolnshire Double
Old Market Hall, Mexborough, S64 9QA, withLeanne
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.10 o’clock
Telephone: 01709 599820
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Two bottles wine Format: 60 question SQ 4/1, 6/1, 10/1
Missed the first round. Not Leanne's fault. Its a 'Spoons so great price for beer and might as well get a curry. I might as well have been an hour late as 15 minutes as I reckon the first round started about 7.15 and the next will be at least 8.15. Full marks to Scott for being a good manager. 2 rounds of bingo. 2 parnd a line and 4 a full house! High demand. Now, Leanne was no David Stainer, nevertheless, it shows what can be done, just delivering the sets. I was Father Luke Duke, and he could, I think, have missed the second round and still won! It was £1 to enter, bottle of wine for the first two, I hope it takes off. Done for 9.
Old Market Tavern, Altrincham, WA14 4DN, withChris Matthews
Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: 1 . Prize: £20 voucher, £10 voucher, and wine Format:
I'm thinking I should not be reviewing the quiz ( which was a recommended with a lot of fuckaboutery and not many score reveals or information about what the scoring was and 4 nearest the pins for 50 points each which were all won by the same team! ) I am proud that under review our behaviour and acceptance was flipping close to exemplary. Well done. And it WAS enjoyable. And there was a second place prize. And we played GREAT. Well done the Shire. 5 blokes are happy. That's a result. Four big nearest wins questions are very rarely going to help the lesser teams. They will only shuffle the top teams. I approve of fast tracks, but not to the end. Ashton and I slammed the first round! It never happens
Old Nags Head, Edale, S33 7ZD, withJerry
Recommended
Fridays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01433 670291
Cost: £1.50 per person . Prize: 4 meals Format: Three rounds SQ 4/1, 6/3 and 10/6 evil mode
I just can’t wait to come back here again. I guess that is the bottom line. At the top! The quiz was a straight SpeedQuiz 60, basically hinging on the last round which was 10/6 in evil mode compulsory press. The sound system could do with a speaker revamp. There was some glitchy scoring which I hope can be sorted out. These are legitimate observations of things that can easily be done better (that last round is such a huge advantage to … me in this case). Whatever. Prize (4 adult meals), People (I liked Jerry and Jax, the publicans and Question master, and Jamie was an interesting cove), the pub was aqard winning nice and bustling busy in a rucsacky kind of way, and above all the place. Peak District pubs!! To die for, up a cul de sac and the immense kudos of being the start of the Pennine Way. I started walking half a century ago. WTF have I never been here before? It is less than 50 km/32 miles from my bed as I type. I state categorically. This review of this quiz has been completely biased by the non-quiz aspects. It fails as a review, but hang it. I couldn’t empathise with the flaws ‘cos I was dazzled by the beauty! Pub, Publicans, Prize, People, Place, Peak District and Pennine Way. Feck it – The Pizza was decent too!
Old Original Bay Horse, Horwich, BL6 7JF, withDean (Happy Quizman)
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
A really good quiz. I think the host was Dean and he keeps it simple and really cracks on it, a factor which made the music round worth doing! At £2.80 a pint there's nothing really to mark it down on. won a £25 token to use within a week so I auctioned it. Tom paid £25 I put a fiver in Dean put a fiver in.
Old Roebuck, Altringham, WA14 1ET, withGaz Jones
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.45 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 928 2755
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £40 credit Format: 6 rounds, all original, all 2/1 scoring, zero feckaboutery
Occasionally I hesitate to write, as I feel I cannot really capture the essence of what I am trying to describe. Fuck! That sounds pretentious, but it is broadly the case. Fear of failure which has dogged me all my life. Needless to say, this quiz was an absolute pleasure. Let’s get the negs out of the way. It was an 8:45 start, but given that the adverts say 8:15, that is fair enough. I was told 7.30 for 8 on the phone. De nada. The scores and scoring on the handsets would have been nice. And apart from that every aspect of this quiz was some combination of original and great. Let’s list:1. Gaz is articulate, accurate, and hilarious without any touch of in yer face. Such a good balance between the quiz and the comedy, the latter being a very dry, almost unremarkable, accompaniment to the main event. Good music IMHO. 2. Absolutely consistent scoring throughout: ergo two for a correct answer, one for being first. This is so rare it has been forgotten about. It is a quiz, not a circle jerk, and excellence should be aimed at throughout. Why make some questions worth more than others, unless it is to do this Madmen thing of ascribing values rather than reflecting them, so that gullible humans (like me) are fooled into misconception.3. Originality of form and content. Gaz put together six rounds all with a theme or angle, including one sensible music. Each round was different, simple, yet proper quiz. I don’t think there was a SpeedQuizzing question on the card. Balanced, pitch perfect.The rest of the stuff all ticked the boxes, pub decent, beer reasonable, friendly landlord and staff. If SpeedQuizzes were all like this Quiz Leagues would be done on handsets by now, and written down quizzes would be a rarity in pubs.Bear in mind, I write from the perspective of a quiz player (albeit not Evan Lynch). I fully understand the introduction of randomness, and endorse it. But this is a review of quiz, not cabaret. And this quiz was just that. Most excellent.
Old Tailors, Barnsley, S70 2EG, withx
Meh
Wednesdays at 6.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: x . Prize: x Format: x
No phone? WHY??? You can buy a burner for 30 quid and unlimited calls for £4 a month. Advert on SpeedQuizzing – sloppy at best, but the clincher is “Oh this, that, the other, just about everything bar “We are sorry – it is our bad, we shall fix it. A dedicated phone, at least behind the bar is a good idea, please come back next week for free entry and a drink”. The advert has been moved now
Old Wharf Inn, Stourbridge, DY8 4LY, withChris Roberts
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01384 378798
Cost: £3.50 per person . Prize: £40+drink, £30 and £20 Format: 61 questions including a buzz in round plus 15(20?) sensible music
This puts the cat firmly back amongst the pigeons for QOTM. Wish those scores were on the hand-sets. The quiz was right, Chris was a warm and clear host, the pub was decent, so all the ingredients went into a near perfect mix. What put daylight between this and Yesterday in Wedensfield? This was pricey to enter but the prizes generous ,with three of them totalling £90. The feckabootery was slightly less here, and worth less. No Facebook posts here. I think the fact that I scraped a win despite the worst last three questions, then won £70 odd on the sit down bingo has to colour my judgement. Nathan will be hosting his own quizzes next year I hope, Harry was a terrific player, and people were kind in their praise. Definitely in the frame.
Olde Lion, Cleobury Mortimer, DY14 8AB, withNic Cox
Quiz of the Month
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01299 271460
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £15 pus £10 for nearest wins Format:
So far so good. Two rounds, 1 Gk, one 'real or lookalike', both 4/1. Nic is unplugged on asking questions which I really like. The pub and village are straight out of an Ealing comedy- that, of course, is a high compliment. And Nic Cox has the best name since Halifax (McCauly Woodcock). I think there is a buzz in round and I'm parked 900 metres away by the River Rea. There was a great pop music buzz in round. And a final GK evil round. The quiz was £2 per person to enter, you can buy beer for £3.50 and cider for £3.30. So win or lose, a good night. Ended up being the perfect storm of awesomeness. Hell, it's in the frame for QOTM. I should not allow myself to review quizzes after 4 or 5 or 6 pints. Just a really good, rock solid quiz. I'm not worthy. On a relisten i realise i must list the content 20 gk 20 real or lookalike pictures 6 from Sinha 20 GK 20 film dingbats 20 sensible pop with 1 connection 20 GK in evil 1 nearest wins for a tenner 128 questions, but seemingly delivered effortlessly, with decent breaks. Outstanding in retrospect. He's used the cakemix then he has added a gateaux of his own! 8 start and done and dusted for 10.15. Kitty prize was 15 quid
Olde New Inn, Arley, DY12 3LF, withRick
Meh
Saturdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Cancelled . Prize: Cancelled Format: Cancelled
Bullshit should be illegal. Phoned up tonight’s pub yesterday afternoon “Is your quiz on tomorrow? “Try phoning back this evening” Phoned back last night “Dunno, maybe”. Called this afternoon “Turn up at 7 it may be on”, Called IN the pub at 5 “Turn up at 6.30, it may be on” I turned up at 6.30 “It’s not on” I told them it was advertised on the SpeedQuizzing site “No it’s not, it was an advert for last week” I showed him the SpeedQuizzing site “Oh we didn’t put it there, there is no quiz tonight” I didn’t bother asking why I wasn’t told that yesterday afternoon. Bullshit should be punishable by torture. Look, Erin, and Rick were very personable, I liked them, but I actually went to great lengths here, and was essentially fobbed off. It’s not that its not on that really gets me, It’s not being straight
Olde Red Lion, Little Sutton, CH66 1QQ, withKevin Jay
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: . Prize: Format: SpeedQuiz music round and a buzz-in
I saw Kevin a week ago and was confident that he would deliver the goods for my friend and I. He did; loads of questions, sensible music is always a big plus, a buzz in round is the badge of honour, good busy pub, starting on time, just what a quiz should be.
Olton Tavern, Solihull, B92 8NU, withAdrian Bates
Recommended
Sundays at 8.15 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £3 per team . Prize: £25 limited voucher Format: 130 odd questions, including an observation round and sensible music
Another of those recommended which it breaks my heart – I love these so much. I need a new category. Bugger it, excellent excellent quiz. I'll have to listen to the questions again, there were lots of them, lots of original content I think, but we could have done scores on screens and being told the last round was compulsory evil, I.e. if you don't press you loose points. Luckily we won by two points in close too 800. Some super excellent teams playing, so was absolutely thrilled to win, Ashton, of course. We played GREAT. £3 per team to play a £25 transferable voucher first. They will least 130 questions 60 general knowledge 20 current 20 on games 20 sensible music 20 on the observation round Nice. It would be favourite for quiz of the month if you could see the scores and the scoring system on your handsets.
On-line, On-line, withMe
On-line
Saturdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: Gift . Prize: Glory Format: SpeedQuiz
Ben Hales is a wandering star, who joined the On-line quizzes during Lockdown, and really runs the baton regarding setting quizzes. I know of no person who writes better crafted questions, literally some of them must take an hour. He strives for originality, emulates what is good, and dispenses the fuckabotery. He takes risks on format, and most often delivers. *****
One Bruce Street, Greenock, PA15 4LL 7.30pm • Wednesday 6 Sep 2023, withDave Gray
OK
Wednesdays at 8.10 o’clock
Telephone: 01475 910601
Cost: Free . Prize: ?? and four beers for second prize, and cocktails for bingo Format: 3 Question rounds including one buzz in, one 10 question film clip one person per team round, one 10 question film title emoji round
:( It was free, so I mustn't grumble. There were 4 bottled beers for ‘second’ place, so I have to say thanks. Nevertheless I would gamble that Dave, an affable host, massaged the scores, I presume to make a game of it, for example, in round one I scored 420, he announced I had 380 points. Moral is. For score concealers, don’t back off. I could go on, but if somebody leans – they lean, no point reiterating. In retrospect a week later, I can’t not back off, it is not my nature.
Organ, Stalybridge, SK15 2JR, withCliff Coffee
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 304 7237
Cost: ? . Prize: 8 Pints £ proper quiz prize! Format: SpeedQuiz
A local pub in that nice rough n ready way. Nothing not to like
Owl Hotel, Hambleton, YO8 9JH, with??
Meh
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01757 228374
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Very mysterious scoring system
Pack Horse Inn, Royston, S71 4QZ, with??
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01226 722532
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Packhorse, Egham, TW20 0BQ, withPhoebe
Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 01784 276777
Cost: ? . Prize: Bottle of gin Format: SpeedQuiz
Enjoyed the quiz but the boss needs to give Phoebe a little time and space to familiarise herself the modus operandi and the quiz itself. I want to ring up in a years time to be told it is booked up
Paper Mill, Bury, BL9 8RN, withWayne Thompson
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 767 9504
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: 5 x £10 Vouchers Format: Exemplary format with the famous snakes and lassers round. Too much to tell you
Wayne’s quizzes are bloody great. It has been mooted that in terms of variety, content, originalty, they are exemplary. I have mulled over what to write for 36 hours now. The only time we saw the scores was when the quiz had finished. We don’t know who won the snakes and ladders round, or what they scored for doing so. FFS all hosts – Show us the scores, on our handsets and on the boards. This could be quiz of the year, instead it’s a recommended
Parks Inn, Buxton, SK17 9JD, withMike Mortimer
Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 0113 467 2005
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Parkside Tavern, Leeds, LS2 8JE, withMike Mortimer
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 467 2005
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Good quiz, well presented, good competition too, starts bang on time
Parrswood Inn, Didsbury, M20 6JD, withDave Bradley
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01614 451783
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 voucher, £10 voucher and smarties Format: SpeedQuiz with well sensible music (for me) and buzz in
Two things going off here. Number One is what a great quiz, both content, and entertainment-wise. Yesterday we went to a written down quiz with kind of the same question types. 40 General Knowledge, Dingbats, Conundrums.. Lots of sensible music, at which Izzy was imperious. But this was just a whole heap more fun. Not ‘cos of the host (terrific). Not cos of the content (very good) – purley because of the SpeedQuiz, utilised by David to its best effect. I initially dropped my guard, and couldn’t get it back, cRaB pEoPlE were brilliant, and rode their wave to truly put me in my place. Damn respect! Number two is the pub. Absolutely spic and span, comfy, great staff, £4 a pint (that is so/so), so why was it not packed to the rafters? People baffle me – look, I know I love quizzes, but this was a quiz for everybody. Makes me want to fly post every house within a 500 m. Dave is not just a brilliant host. He may be one of the most amicable people on the planet. Love it. *****
Peacock Hotel, Chester, CH3 5TD, withColin Wood
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.10 o’clock
Telephone: 01244 349668
Cost: £2.50 per person . Prize: Two bottles wine for winners Format: 40 GK on keypads, 20 buzz-in, 20 music
A kind of yup, this is how you get a highly recommended. The usual 60 questions, with the added bonuses of regular score updates, Buzz in round and what Ahton said was as good a music round as he has heard. I agree. It was written by Julia who had been lovely all night. Chocolaes through the night for Brucie Bonuses, I reckon if he had another speaker or two casting beyond his corner of the pub it would fill the entire building.
Penny Lane Wine Bar Richard Thompson,, L18 1DQ, with??
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.15 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz, music centric
Free to enter, lots of music questions, 20 fairly simple ones on crime though there were a few I got lost on. Good competition too. Evil music trivia round.. two question cushion. I lost it myself through guessing and rushing on two questions. I didnt think Take That would be three different answers. Great quiz, good staff, good space, good host,History to die for (The roundabout and barbers are close by), Good prize highly recommended. Damn!
Phoenix Bar and Eatery, Romsey, SO51 8BW, withToni Pretty
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 cash and a bottle of Red – Perfect!. I think the rest of the take was dished out to the places Format:
A Manager does the quiz quiz, and all the better for it. Straight three sets of 20 4/1 6/1 10/1 evil, I think it was £3 to enter, £4.40 a pint, pub wasn't boiling, Morocco played well but lost to France. I played OK and won £20 and a nice bottle of Red. 9 start, 5 teams split into a dozen hand sets. Needs a fastrack. Highly Recommended. Father Daly.
Pied Bull, Newton-le-Willows, WA12 9SH, withAlex Roberts
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 1925558758
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Cash for first, £25 voucher for second Format: 4 rounds, 87 qs, including super sensible music
Why am I so thoroughly depressed? Not this quiz I can tell you. It was a terrific quiz, 87 questions, fairly structured, well presented, beautiful pubsuper host - Highly Recommended. A modern team played a Flo Jo. (I didn’t play particularly well in the last two rounds, but neither was I a total disaster. One night in Paris scored 142% above the top 11 average in the last round, getting 15 questions right!! They were first three times. A team called ‘me’ (not me BTW) were first nine times in a SINGLE round. I’m depressed because people invent things to suit themselves. They Lie. They don’t even know they are doing it. I may be doing it myself now. When faced with contrary evidence I will suck it up. I doubt myself. Most people won’t, and don’t. And the biggest tragedy is we all accept the bullshit. Actually the biggest tragedy is I could have played better. Then again we usually can.I stress though – Alex and his quiz were absolutely on the money, and I am a miserable twat
Pinnacle, Leeds, LS1 5BQ, withArun Bishop
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 Voucher, £20 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz, with sensible music and a unique last round
Damn I wish hosts would use music rounds for quiz, not trigger finger! That said, everything else about this quiz, host, and pub ticked the boxes. I wish it were other, but only 4 teams competing, myself included, leaves the whole thing a little hollow, and Arun, Leeds and the pub do not deserve that. Outstanding was the cost and prizage – ergo, FREE and great vouchers for first and second. The last round of sudden death is such a good original idea. And I really like Arun, and his man John Lowe (who was not there tonight). Cask beers at £4 a pint which is good for Leeds city centre, a great choice, and 30% off food on a Sunday, so.. I’m going to dismiss the daft music as a filler, and top rate this quiz.
Pitcher and Piano, York, YO1 9QL, withTom Stevens
Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 658580
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Dunno :( Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music. Fasttrack for last two rounds
Closest a pub has ever been to a highly recommended without quite getting there. Tom is a lovely host with a nice welcome, a sense of humour, and great music taste. 81 questions with my kind of sensible music, and a setting that is second to not many, overlooking the River Ouse. Feck. Why just 'recommended'? #A hint of goalpost moving, #£6.40 a pint, #"there have been four teams in the lead so far this round" #- no wonder! It was fast tracks for the last forty questions to the death. And #i played shite in the last round, which was not Tom's fault. And he was super magnanimous. Either 3.50 a pint OR fast tracks just to 17 and it would be a shoe in
Platform 5, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 7GH, withCallum Goulden
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 token for a week Format: SpeedQuiz sensible music
9 pm start free pizza if you register before 8.45! That's a good start! I constantly find myself getting angry at the things which are real. The only trouble is I also get angry things which don't exist. The girl told me it was a 9 start on the phone yesterday so why did I feel any angst whatsoever? It's only me makes me mad! Idiot. Enjoy this whatever, don't try to be first when there is no need too. Talk less. Smile more. Breathe quietly. This pub has the biggest car park in Cheshire Very good and highly recommended. Free to enter, buzz in round. Sensible music, 5 nearest wins for 30. So I felt lucky to win. I think now fast tracks are a must do in a buzz quiz. That keeps everybody in the mix. Today only the best teams had a shot. Still. I fekkin loved it.
Poacher Inn, Hook, RG291RP, withJayne Riley
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 voucher (I Think), 4 Beers, Bottle of wine Format: 20 football, 40 more questions including buzz in
Awww! A quiz after my own heart. Beautiful pub in a quaint place in a different country to Pontefract, emulating the Cricketer’s Knaresborough, in that it’s a Friday night, and the landlady, Jane runs it, and it is just right. The last round is a buzz in round!! Dash Nick De Souza a few days earlier, this normally would have been a contender for QOTM. What made it especially nice was that Jane gave me a hug and a wine glass to go with my bottle of white wine for third place!! Argentina scraped into the World Cup Semis.
Poet and Castle, Codnor, DE5 9QY, withClivejason Mallia
OK
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I could cry! I really enjoyed the last quiz of CJ's that I went to at the Magna Charter, and, apart from CJ himself (nice guy), this was all the things that wasn't. Never saw the scores after round one, but the cardinal sin was putting fast track in on the LAST ten questions, which on evil mode means the best team, if they play well, are super unlikely not to win if the last two questions are ABCD and one is a 'what's in my pocket?' question. At least there were three prizes, but I still feel diddled.
Pontefract Sports and Social, Pontefract, WF8 2TF, withPhil
Recommended
Saturdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01977 792152
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Written
Short (20 questions usually) Local quiz for local people
Porters @ The Prince of Wales, Macclesfield, SK11 6UT, withJohn
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ?? . Prize: Very limited voucher – bottle of wine Format: 8 x 10 questions written with a joker to play
This pub seduced me. A couple of real comfy armchairs tucked away near the fire place and next to a radiator, Timothy Taylor’s, and I didn’t have to think much as Ashton did all the hard graft. A written down quiz, but it passed muster. We are spoilt with SpeedQuizzes, and it is easy to be a bit snooty about questions where there are a lot of ‘gimmies’, but John, the big friendly host put together a set that people could relate too, and just did enough to sift out the hierarchy (we won by 108 -105, would I be so uncritical if we had lost??). There was plenty to go at and although there was a discrepancy in difficulty of the rounds, which introduced a random element into joker selection (you picked a round where your score was doubled), I’m assuming that moves around week by week. My own quizzes are so predictable, This is not. This is, in some ways, better. So.. recommended or Highly recommended? There was some real throw away stuff. Would I say to a friend “go to this quiz it’s ace”? You know I think I would.
Potters Arms, Winchmore Hill, HP7 0PH, withRichard Edwards
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01494 726222
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Potting Shed, Beverley, HU17 0NU, withStaff
OK
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 01482 870942
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Preston Brewery Tap, Brighton, BN1 6SA, withSara Wilkinson
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Standard SQ set, well delivered. I should love it as it was big reward for first place but I left two shockers out there! My bad. Expensive beer, I'm living in a different world. £5.50 a pint but they seem like really nice people. If I don't enjoy this quiz it is absolutely my fault! All things being equal after one round. It is so wrong of me to love quizzes because I am doing well relatively. I should love them for doing well against myself, but this one just suits me down to the ground. It seems like such a nice atmosphere to boot. And I love it, and I've missed loving a quiz for a week. Nah, that's wrong, I've just not loved the last two footrace music 120 questions and no scores. Especially pleased going for Edwin Starr on the last music question! The thing is, I trusted Sara to do the right thing on her own music round, and she absolutely did
Punchbowl, York, YO1 8AN, withMike Brooke
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 655147
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Top two, Dunno Format: 61 SQ, sensible music
Pretty straightforward 61 questions with a penultimate sensible music round, so excellent content with, if I remember rightly, 4/1, 6/3 sliding, 6/4 sliding (music) and 10/3 sliding evil mode. Mike is an affable host and good presenter who I believe has done zillions of these from the get go. But.. Fast tracks right to the end, Mike even saying “If you are not in contention and it is multiple choice - hit and hope” means I cannot highly recommend it. Which is a shame. £5 a pint when I’ll be paying less than £2 tomorrow. Cosy pub and the beer was tasty, only 200 yards from York Minster. Recommended. If I’m ever walking by at 10.30 PM I’ll dip in for the last round, get a fast track, and probably do better. And I played shite which is bad luck for any review :(
Queen Victoria, Stockton on Tees, TS18 3PF, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 08
Stay tuned I’ll put links up eventually
Queens, Lytham, FY8 5LB, withPaul O’Brien
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01253 737316
Cost: £2 per person I think. Maybe free?? . Prize: 5 x £10 bar vouchers Format: SpeedQuiz, 5 rounds, General (4x20) and Bingo half way
Very good quiz, in a beautiful place with nice people, specifically Alexa from Sunderland and Stephen Elliot, ex Irish International football player, and quiz player Andy Bennett. Such a good idea having 5x£10 vouchers over 5 different distinct rounds. Splendid. Now. What pub have I done a quiz in that’s at the best location? Lounge at Brid?, One of those pubs in the peaks? Dunno. This is the nicest seaside one so far. (Actually nicest location is an impossible call to make. Like my kids, it’s the one I’m thinking about at the time). Anyway about the quiz. Clear, prompt without being rushed, professional delivery, good scoring system; minus fifty on second round if you win the first round. I’d love somebody else to see this, consistent 10 plus 3 speed bonus all the way through, lovely level of temptation, nothing tricksy that I recall. Contender along with 1887 Brewery tap.
Queensway, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG, with??
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Quiz in The North? Poynton, SK, withAhton Davies
Highly Recommended
Saturdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: . Prize: Format:
Organised by Ashton, this was the best set of questions ever. Another notable day in that we had dinner in the evening with the late and lovely David Rainford. If there ever was a person who should dislike me it was him, but he was always first too the bar. A rare bird.
Railway, Burgess Hill, RH15 9DQ, withJames Boyle
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01444 247474
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
3 pound to enter. Cash prizes. I was thinking this yesterday but I would enjoy it far more if I could see what I was scoring. As it is we had a GK round worth 4 + 2 and we really don't know what we scored in that. Followed by a music round 4 + 4321 I think so that I am 87 in 7th place behind 113 doesn't tell me how I performed in the quiz part. Another two sessions the same. Mark down and a retrospective Mark down for yesterday. At least he could put our own scores in our own screens to gain reward during the music hit when you hear. I officially don't really think it's a great quiz. I think it's really a music quiz GK attached, but I don't know cos we can't sift out the scores. I'm 11th out of 17. 193 too 252. I've played well, so something systematic may be going on. It's probably speed in music, but there may be recycled questions. 11th by a chalk from tenth as well. Note to self. Don't guess evil round answers.
Railway, Chaddesden, OL9 7LG, withBrian MusicVision
Quiz of the Month
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07712 681176
Cost: Free . Prize: £25 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz, with original content and superb music questions
How can i enjoy something so much? This quiz started easy and progressed through 96 questions into a challeging and well contested competition in a great pub with beer at £2 a pint; all ingredients were just about perfect. Didn't get a BJ. But... On reflection and a re-listen I can only heap further praise on this exemplary pub quiz. I know I said Tony Murphy was a shoe in for quiz of the month, but this is not a beauty contest. Let's start with the negative, as usual, the start time is 9, later than advertised, but that's it. Everything else is more than good, framed within a perfect structure. Don't be fooled by the gentle first two rounds, there were some terrific questions, including my question of the year, is TNT the same as dynamite? 15 of the sixteen said yes, were wrong! and lost points. :( The music round was a joy, each question challenging but relevant. Who knew Andy Kim wrote Sugar Sugar? And before I go, Brian uses SpeedQuizzing brilliantly, with sliding scales throughout and fast tracks on the PENultimate round. Huge thumbs up. If someone asked me "How do you design a pub quiz?" I would now say "This"
Rathcoole Inn, Rathcoole, Main St, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, withJohn Connolly
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at Too drunk to remember (It’s a thing in ireland) o’clock
Telephone: +35314 589204
Cost: Free . Prize: Too drunk to remember (It’s a thing in ireland) Format: SpeedQuiz bitch slap last round
There's some lovely pubs in Ireland. I'll let you know what the craic is like later! Just ironically for at least the second time in as many weeks Hotel California is on the jukebox. It was 46 years ago when I went to work in the Isle of skye a tape of said album. So, from the hip, I really really enjoyed the quiz even though it had bitch slap and evil mode right up until the last question. I really don't think bitchslaps work because it doesn't involve the lower teams apart from as spoilers; it doesn't give them a chance to win. Having said this I think John and the pub dropped lucky a really really exciting finish which worked and in which I was the chief architect of my own loss. If I had played anything like I would have won easily. In John's absolute favour was that he limited the Bitch slaps to five. A) I should have acted on that immediately and bitch slapped myself five times or revenged and then just gone balls out - simple. Note to self if you are going to spend £25 on 5 pints understand what you have done and be careful. Beautiful pub lovely people my fault. The Bitch slap limit is a great idea, so highly recommended.
Red Goat, York, YO31 7YW, withDuke Witter
Recommended
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 731548
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: A Beer and a Pizza Format: 4/1, 6/5 sliding, sensible music 6/5 sliding and 10/1 evil mode
Well pizzas are a tenner. One of those interesting spaces. A can of beer is a sup short of 4 quid. Elkie who answered the phone is a real people person. Free at last, free at last, free at last! :). (I've been trapped in the house fo a week). £2 per person. Father George Byrne joint 5th after one round by an uncomfy 17 points. Rushed in twice by anticipating then not thinking. Stay level. There were four rounds. With fast tracks up to q15 ( although that last fast track seemed to be a very moveable feast, and Duke dismissed one of the last five questions at least. I cant help but suspect hosts look at the scoreboard and think "how can i stop this person from winning" We didn't see the overall scores after round one until the reveal. So.. much as I liked Alan's extended family it only gets a recommended, most notably because the prize was just a beer and a pizza. Nice pizza but you can get a beer and a pizza for 2 quid. Recommended still means recommended! Win, but not a satisfying one. Too much clouding by fast tracks and score hiding. Ah well, it's just a bit of fun.
Red Lion, Coleshill, B46 3BB, withBen. Next Gen Quizzing
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 07518 479730
Cost: £2 per player . Prize: Limited vouchers, high value of top three Format: More questions on 2023 than you could shake a stick at, including 15 music – not as scary as it sounded
The Blue Bell is a problematic review. Like the pronunciation of Coleshill there are different ways to interpret or pronounce. My heart wants to say ‘Most Excellent’, but my mind is saying “yeah but”. There was an absolute suite of great things I enjoyed about the night, but, IMHO, it doesn’t need to lose much to make it a classic. So. Here is a list of the many goods and few things I mark down for. Perfect host, great prizes, good screenage, terrific prizes, solid if predictable questions (Nothing not to like about predictable!), some interesting and novel angles, reasonable beer prices for 2024, I played absolutely great, and Alex who was celebrating his birthday became my new best mate after I sold him the £50 voucher for £25 which he turned into 30 and we slotted 4 large G and T’s and two shots down in 30 minutes. All in all an orchestra of good shit to make a most excellent quiz night. BUT! “But”s in the middle of questions is annoying. More often than not they are there to be part of a trip to a question, They turn a speed quiz question into crazy golf. Do a word search for ‘but’ in your question database and only use when absolutely necessary (sic). Being ambushed when hitting three in a row I think was more a forget to tell us about it beforehand rather than goalpost moving and it wasn’t that bad. I would say great idea, just let us know about it first (Boast: I was first on the first three questions, so perhaps I was the ambusher!!) (second boast: As it was a quiz of the year the safety was off on the first question with my trigger finger quivering a nanometre above the “S” – Jackpot! What was the title of Pr...) As with all ‘hashtag/next gen’ quizzes there is too much value placed on frippery, meaning a team which spends 5 minutes endorsing the quiz on social media gets a round head start. Some people (myself included) are disdainful of social media and advertising, and of course I would say with good reason. Maybe a few small rewards to say thank you, but not 25% of the quiz total (I’m not sure how much it was today compared to Friday but it was still large). I shun such things and didn’t join in and it could put me in a bad mood. I am trying to control that and did reasonably well. Very well. My most contentious criticism is on the new ‘spin the wheel’ facility which is visually satisfying and intrinsically a fantastic addition to the app, but it is a great example of fuckaboutery which benefits from fine tuning. So in the last, evil, round, the 5th, 10th, 15th and last question, first place got to spin the wheel. At least two of those questions were multiple choice meaning any team not in contention for winning would just hit and hope. One in every four of them is gonna be first, spin the wheel, and has the opportunity to do all sorts of stuff, most upsettingly stop specifically the best team winning. This unfairly disadvantages the top team. In a paid for quiz any aspect which reduces the value to specific customers is probably illegal. Look – I’m not being a killjoy here, but blowing the best team away with no avenue to get back into it is not right. Suggest taking the nuclear option out and using the spin on questions 1,6,11 and 16, or even use it on more questions just not in the last furlong. Turn the frippery into a thank-you rather than a bribe and you have a quiz of the month
Red Lion, Petersfield, GU31 4AE, withJason
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 6.45 o’clock
Telephone: 01730 235160
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £31 cash plus minor gifts for other teams Format: 6 rounds two specialist (Easter and alcohol) Big points and no speed bonuses on last two rounds
Part two of the most unexpected and unusual double ever. All quizzes in the South West were off. I was in Bridgewater, I’d always wanted to come to this one but instead decided I would wend my way back up north but… Swindon, then this, materialised which led to a bounce back down here for a perfect days quizzing, albeit with way too much driving. Now. This quiz. A Wetherspoon in the South Downs National park yet STILL £1.71 a pint of Greene King! With super welcoming staff – what a great start and it just got better. The host. Jase, was South African, and had humour and dedication to his job. Lots of original content, perhaps 106 questions, good vibe, and his mum Lindy, sister Samantha, her husband a South African Brick Shithouse Prop who plays number 8 marine were just - nice enough for me to see them tomorrow. Real nice. This felt to me like it had crosssed the line of critical mass. It will only get busier, Jase is such an endearing personality. What a great day. Super quiz. Needs speakers
Rendevous, Weymouth, DT4 8AW, withCarl Greenham
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01305 761343
Cost: ? . Prize: 30 Format: SpeedQuiz
Great location. I'd say that Weymouth was authentic until I was charged '3+ for a half of orange! Carl was good enough to reply to my texts today, and I did enjoy his quiz last night, so more of the same. I will never understand why hosts are sometimes reticent to keep us on top of the scores, Still. Very professional
Revolution, Cheltenham, GL50 3PA, withAdam and DJ Brad
Quiz of the Month
Tuesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01242 234045
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 cash Format: 6 rounds 20/20 sliding, super evil last round, two music
It is genuinely exciting writing about something as good as this, and pondering... What makes it so good. Well everything for a start, but the jewel in the crown had to be Adam, the manager of the bar and host for the quiz who, along with his man DJ Brad high in the pulpit (Yes, literally) uses the space in this big old church with his clipboard and suit to deliver as interactive a quiz as I can imagine. Now. The fact is, I started with a Moretti, hardly touched it but fairly quickly had been awarded a long island iced tea and a chilli shot and caved in to alcohol, but that only filtered my perceptions. 6 rounds, including two sensible music with dream scoring of 20/20 sliding all the way through (The last round was evil with compulsory presses). What this triggered me to do was go pretty much balls out, which is sooo much more enjoyable than backing off in a pub like last night in Worcester. The content was original, again, that makes a quiz even more rewarding, and then perhaps the most beautiful round of quiz ever, all famous paintings, all multiple choice. Wheel of fortune for random prizes, absolutely delightful staff, decent competition, brilliant vibe. Free to enter and a £50 cash prize? Jeepers. I just thought. One of the pictures in the quiz was The Creation of Adam, which not only took me back to the floor of the Sistine Chapel, and Arrested Development, but gave me a strapline for what should be quiz of the month and could be quiz of the year. The Creation of Adam! I would have loved to have seen the scores
Revolution, Stafford, ST16 3AQ, withMartin Quinn
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01785 336310
Cost: Can’t remember . Prize: £50 bar tab, 30 shots and 6 shots. OK hang me! Format: Speed Quiz
Second time in Stafford this week. I enjoyed Martin's quiz last time in Newcastle under Lyme. It was very good if my diary serves me well. Lot of people in a big spacious pub. I'll stand the drop of York if there isn't cheating. Still. Just play for me. I reckon there's 120 people playing for a £50 bar tab, 30 shots and 6 shots. OK hang me! Martin does not fanny about the questions, 10 seconds maximum hence people don't cheat . Even on the guess the year round tunes, occasionally only two teams were getting the year right out of 25 teams. Now... how come I can win by a country mile in this super busy pub, yet people are competitive yesterday? Neither hosts show the scores, but... this gets a highly recommended for Speed of delivery, three great prizes, and definitely no jiggery pokery. If a host is indignant that i suspect hanky panky just at least show the scores. It's a meer button press. None of that tonight definitely. On relistening, considering the frustration of not knowing much about scores and scoring in general, this was a really good quiz despite that. Really really! And 24 teams on a pure meritocracy I guess nothing apparently needs changing.
Ring O Bells, Widnes, WA8 9HU, with
Meh
Mondays at Cancelled o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Cancelled . Prize: Cancelled Format: Cancelled
The Giants of Manchester United were taking on the Titans of Liverpool, making each other both look normal size, so, they couldn’t pick the phone up during the day and they cancelled the quiz, therefore for the first time in my life I’m glad Man United won.
Ring O’Bells, Royston, S71 4NJ, with??
OK
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Rising Sun, Gawsworth, SK11 7XD, withSteve Green
OK
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Robin Hood, Yeadon, LS19 7EP, withLee Evans
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 7.45 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: £20 voucher I think Format: SQ with Buzz in
One round in and I love this even more than I disliked last night. Great screenage, Scores and scoring on handsets, scores up at the break. Simple as that. Now. Lee us never be doing voice overs for cars before Johhny Machen, but he does the job, and that is what matters. If he keeps going the same way it'll be in the frame for QOTM. Free to enter, reasonably prompt start (actually a super prompt start at about 7.45, I was on the bog!)
Rockingham Arms, Towton, LS24 9PB, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Fridays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 03
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxukTOjYMKxz5ZAkKZKXHoQwQwbtcgD2
Roes and Crown, Edgworth, BL7 0AR, withJoe Ashton
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01204 852320
Cost: £2 a person . Prize: £15 voucher and a bottle of wine for first two Format: 61 questions(2/1, 4/2, 6/3 with fast tracks and little bitch slaps on last round, and a 40 point nearest wins))
I would be deluding myself to say I have mixed feelings about this quiz. I don’t, I loved it. I must question my impartiality. Pub, Village, Host, Questions ticks all round. The fast tracks were really golden fast tracks on the penultimate ten questions, as it was only top player wrong to activate. This crosses the boundary into idiocracy, as people just go for random letters on multiple choices, and it really holds the top player up to ransom. There was bitch-slapping in the last ten questions. :(. Now, in Chester it was take quadruple the answer value off a team. Here it was take 5/6ths the answer value off a team – so a decent team could at least tread water, they were not necessary doomed. I still don’t like them, but at least you could take 3 points for yourself instead of hitting someone for five points. As it were today’s bitch slaps achieved TWO things. Animosity (I was good humoured about it, nevertheless I think less of the people who hit me and the pub). And an illustration of stupidity – LOOK you take 5 points off one team you get a five point advantage on THAT team. A FIVE point net advantage. How many times do you need telling. You accept three points and you only get three points on that team. But you get three points on every other team. With 13 teams that is a 3x12=36, a THIRTY SIX point net gain. And it made no difference any-ways today. Fuck, Bitch slaps are stupid, for stupid people. I have to remark that the pub was lovely, the staff awesome, the dogs waggy, the burger lush, the beer mmmm. There was one player – Shaun, with his wife Leanne. He was the real deal. My goodness if he really practised he would be dangerous. Pretty damn knowledgeable but lightning fast with it. It’s not like he were a 22 year old. He was 40 or more perhaps? I reckon he wins most of the time here, and would often bristle at challenges (good players do), but he was a perfect competitor and made me feel great. And didn’t bitch slap me. Chivalry is not dead. I got the breaks today so I am compelled to let the negatives slide. Absolutely loved it. (I hit 20/20 on those last 20 questions – my first full house ever)
Rolleston Arms, Swindon, SN1 5NX, withDan Harrison
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 3.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 cash Format: Two music rounds, two GK (I Think)
This is what I like, A landlord with enthusiasm, doggedness and honour who delivered a fabulous quiz to his regulars and let me get away with it. I swear to god that this could become the place to be on a Suday teatime in Swindon. Many would have quit before starting. Dan is made of sterner stuff. Despite my prescence I think it worked. It was oranges all round from the fabulous shop next door. Most Highly, one billion % recommended.
Roper Hall, Preston, PR1 2EE, withSte Ashurst
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: 2 . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Generous scoring suited to speed, lots of original content (today it was Dans, serial killers, music names), no fuckaboutery and generous prizes (30,20 and 10 pound tabs). Wasted on Preston! At the end I tried to tout my tabs off at half price. There was a guy at the bar actually spending 16 quid and I offered him my 20 ticket for 15, and he could not clock the math!. This is why we should have variable votes! Just traded em for three bottles of red and a tip for the staff. I wasn't quite in the zone for it, hence I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have done. Perhaps the trepidation of a week in freezing Lancashire! I loved the Magna Charta last week, but this edges it on paper FF or February so far. On device scores would round of the experience and I am of the mind that more than five fast tracks would be good for the quiz. I think optimal for a place is 15. I wouldn't like that but these things are to keep everybody happy. Also, NO fast track for Johnny Come Latelys. and I guess no multiple choice and reveal fast CV track answers are good ideas.
Rose and Crown, Nottingham, NG7 2GW, withKieran Wall
OK
Fridays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 & £10 limited vouchers Format: Hashtag SpeedQuiz
Kieran kept adding questions until another team won!
Roundhay, Roundhay, LS8 2HU, withSam Hart
Meh
Wednesdays at 8.10 o’clock
Telephone: 0113 2402998
Cost: Free . Prize: £20, and £10 voucher for 1 and 2 Format: Standard 60 with sensible Pop and nearest wins
I had written several good things about the 18 quizzes I had recorded of Sam’s. On my last visit with my son he banned me from his quizzes, absolutely out of the blue for no good reason. If I cannot go to a quiz I can only not recommend it. Such a shame
Royal Albert, Southsea, PO5 2SQ, withFlamingo Boss (CJ)
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £3 per person . Prize: 50% of take, plus an absolute load of shots and other prizes Format: Just a straight SQ. There was meant to be a buzz n round but he went straight.
Craig is back here. Lovely lad, I'm not worthy. Proper pub so I'm having a proper pint. Father Mackie. £3 to enter. £4.40 a pint. I'd forgotten how nice a quiz could be after the last two nights. What a great touch; the winner of the round gets to pick a raffle ticket for someone else to win a prize. Just noticed. Great music. Obscure funk instead of repetitive remixes. So.. Other than the cakemix, CJ, a Scotch git with zero affectation (that is high praise by the way) languidly delivers the shtuff, then gives a load of shots away at the end for anybody who wants to play bingo. Brilliant. Keep it simple. Great pub, nice customers and the awesome Craig. I must do a quiz with him one day. Southsea has the shelliest beach, the best shower, and the huggiest bloke. HIGHLY recommended
Royal Hotel, Norton, DN6 9EG, withRichard Anderson
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.45 o’clock
Telephone: 01302 702950
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Pot given to 1st and second. £20 for winner todey Format: SpeedQuiz 60 GK Buzz in round, sensible music
Grom said he had never seen me enjoy myself as much at a quiz. A lot of things were a part of that. Answered the phone, reserved a table, bike ride there through Womersley and back through Wentbridge, great pub, the best food, a fantastic quiz, and Rosie the 6 month old spaniel who just wanted to jump into your arms. We played impeccably. Damn. Spent a lot more than we won. It was the best part of 8 quid for two pints, we had five each and I bought one for Rich, so lets call that £50 with the food, so it is not as if we pillaged it, winning 20. Loved it anyway, if the scores had been shown on the handsets it could be QOTM. I’m not sure about fast tracks too the last. (I am actually – they are dodgy). Great night though.
Royal Oak, Bromborough, CH62 7EZ, withJulie Priestland
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0151 334 2917
Cost: £1per person . Prize: Greene King cards for at least the first two Format: SpeedQuiz with spot the music
The Royal Oak is just down the road from Port Sunlight. Coupled with the King’s Arms up the road from last night, I could think of worse trips than splitting these two pubs with a visit too the Lady Lever art gallery and watching the tugs go by down at the shore. This is a hashtag quiz, again Greene King, again, a pub on the list for refurb, but full of enthusiastic teams and a sweet host in Jules. Is that sexist of me, just because she is female? Damn right. Like my art appreciation, I’m of an age when I like to be able to tell which way up a picture hangs. I actually think everybody is of that age, but it is more difficult to own at the present. Anyway, 8.30 start and I was home by midnight despite driving through a reasonably hairy snowfall closing two out of the 4 lanes on the M62. Saw a car on the other carriageway pointing the wrong way. This is the worst quiz review ever. This has been the oddest quiz week. Topped off with the least likely win IMHO. I got a unique answer on the last question proper, and won by 3 points on a ten/ten evil. It is very probable that some of the contenders went Limp Bizkit. I was still livid with myself for getting two simple simple questions wrong and losing points on that last round and then not gong 35 for a number at the end. The thing is, after the first round I was in the bottom 4 and 50% adrift of the top. I pulled back but only too within a hundred with one round to go in joint third place. There were TWO fast tracks in the first ten questions. I left loads out there but did get lucky and got back on the front foot. Amazing. Forgive me the self indulgence, but perhaps I/you may learn that it’s not over till the fat lady starts singing. Anyway, pretty perfect quiz. #quiz – make the music rounds questions!
Royal Oak, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 0BQ, withTony Murphy
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 bar voucher 2nd Bottle of wine Format: SpeedQuiz with music, buzz in, and loads of original content
Sorry there is no review here yet
Royal Oak, Naseby, NN6 6DA, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 07
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxukTOjYMKxXg-9jEQOqtCKkP85kJqbl
Royal Oak, Ossett, WF5 9AU, withMartin Button
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.42 o’clock
Telephone: 01924 939933
Cost: Free . Prize: Meal and wine Format: Standard SQ
I am going to have to think of a name for these SQ delivering pubs. I can’t praise them any more than saying this is right. Just right.
Royal Sovereign, Eccles, M6 8AG, withGary Jones
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: Green King voucher and a bottle of wine for second Format:
I'm a huge fan of Gary Jones, the nicest host in quiz, and today he delivered, the bonus of some really good competition in a bangin' pub. He has sensible music, he has a buzz-in round, and he has a very high reward for speed. Kick-Ass!! (Green King as well). And a kind team next to me very good competition
Royal, Runcorn, WA7 1AU, withConnor Nicholson
Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01928 565460
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £20 cash, presumably the take Format: Speed Quizzing 40 general, 20 more football and crap music round
The set and scoring which SpeedQuizzing send by default is pretty good. There are so many examples within this thousand and odd I have visited of them being opened and delivered for a highly recommended, typically female member of staff who brings no ego to the table, – an absolutely great quiz night for very little effort. Other hosts really add to proceedings, a whole slew of them too many to mention. They do bring ego to the table, but more power to them for their amazingness. There is an inherent risk with tinkering with stuff. Today was a typical good set, in a big old pub but which needs a lick here and there in a town which hasn’t been gentrified by a Costa, with nice people and beer at two guineas a pint; that is hard to refuse! Cameron could do with getting the sound right, but that he wasn’t amplified does not affect my judgement. If I had not been able to hear him that may have been different, but I could, quite adequately. I like unplugged. So it is an absolute shoe in highly recommended until. 1. Football round:- which would not have been so bad if he had said “I ordered this because … “ As it was he denied ticking the box. Why lie? Is he deluding himself?? Just own it, it’s fine. And a football round (are you listening SpeedQuizzing?) may not be everybody’s cup of tea, whatever, but don’t put Sean Wright Phillips in as one of the first five questions of the next (‘General’) round!! 2. Buzz in when you hear the tune. This is a shit idea to start with. Compounded by a poor sound makes it quite the drudge. Add in the “Have I been slowed down by the software?” and it becomes frustrating. And making the value of the single first buzz in worth 10, when for the entirety of the rest of the quiz the scoring has been four for a correct answer and four bonus, given the effectively simultaneous nature of all responses is not perhaps quite the accurate barometer of ‘quiz’. A waste of music, just ask questions about the same tracks - it’s less bother, less time wasting, and just better. 3. Now this is the clincher. The scores were wrong (For example, the second placed team, the Altruists, could only have gained a maximum 64 points in the last round, it was probably less, yet they were credited with 100 points and odd more. It makes no difference if I won or not. Altering scores without informing is a very dodgy path to take, and one can trot out as many excuses as you like for it “Making a game of it”, “helping people feel better about themselves”, but without overt pre-ordained structure it is just plain dishonest. Now. The rating. I was going to say OK – because it was OK! But I have been thinking. It’s a new quiz, it is never to late to mend, and, significantly, the scores and scorage on the handsets were both illuminating and enabled me to spot the chicanery very easily. I would say naive rather than bad. So it’s a recommended.
Salisbury Arms, Cambridge, CB1 2DW, withMichael
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01223 576363
Cost: £3 per team . Prize: ? Format: Written down, Valentine themed, 15 Pictures, 10 general, 10 Anagram, 10 kazoo music, . Kazoo round for the music, 10 anagrams, 10 films
A written down quiz which was enjoyable. Kazoo round for the music, 10 anagrams of which I got one. Lovely pub, nice staff and host.
Salt, Lymm, WA13 0AQ, withGary Stephen Jones
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 Drinks Voucher 1st, Bottle Of House Wine for 2 Format: SpeedQuiz
Walking in it is easy to see the pub has the highest ratio of beautiful customers to ugly ones. 16:1. I'm the one! Standard quiz sensible music, but the kicker is Gary is such a lovely host a genuine big heart. If I could walk to a pub like this every night I'd be in clover
Samuel Hall, Nottingham, NG5 2JN, withTony Jones?
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01159 246230
Cost: Free . Prize: £10 cash plus 2nd and last Format: Straight 60 high reward for 1st, spot the pop
Spoons, always a good start. I would have liked to seen the scorage on the phones and screens, and spot the intro is a waste of time. But.. Tony (was it Tony or Gary?), was a super bloke, the questions were straight and there was zero feckaboutery… It is creeping up to a… Highly Recommended. I need a new level.
Scarlet Tap, Southsea, PO5 3PT, withQuizzing With Mowgli (Carl)
OK
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 for a raffle ticket . Prize: £50 Voucher, Shot Round, random Spin the wheel for raffle ticket Format: Lots of questions including 50 post 2000 music clips
I’ve put off writing this for 20 hours. I feel daunted by it, in that I really would rather praise than criticise, especially for a quiz like this which has SO MUCH good content, 20 GK, 15 on Biology, 20 GK, 10 on shapes, 6 “from Sinha”, 15 ‘evil mode’ GK and 50 ‘sensible’ music. Carl has taken the cake-mix that is a SpeedQuiz set put it together with extra cream and cherries to make what would have been a most excellent quiz but (and everything before the ‘but’ is horseshit), BUT poured in half a sackful of peanuts not told anybody, who might have an allergy, served it by throwing handfuls at people, then done a great shite in my lump, topped off with a dollop of jizz. OK, so if you don’t recognise the analogy.. I went to see Carl on Sunday, and pointed out that he put in an extra 00’s music round to stymie me deliberately. I could not be sure, for in the first place I hardly knew what score I was on, I hardly /never knew what the scoring system was (Carly has this Alan Partridgy style which is often difficult to understand and he makes no reasonable effort to keep you updated on the scores or system), and I could not tell what other people had. He flicks the scores up after three rounds, and given that 40% of those three rounds was 00’s music, had no way of telling how my GK performance was (though I felt I was doing OK). Today he went one better. Of the 50 ‘sensible’ music questions he put in today, they were all post 2000. Absolutely perfect if you were born in 1990. Given the ephemeral and bland nature of modern music (see Scooter Braun, Max Martin, global target of major companies to evidence validity of opinion), not so good for somebody about to draw his pension! Now, before you roll your eyes and say “ugh whatevurr, get with the program, Ed Sheeran dhurr”, I state categorically: 20 songs from the same decade might not be a particular person’s cup of tea, but may shake things up occasionally, and is part and parcel. But 105 out of 110 in two days is just plain fucking boring. And they were there for one purpose alone – To stop me, a paying customer, in a pub I’d never been in before, who had shelled out £2 for the quiz, £3.60 for an orange juice and £12.60 for two pints (?! say whaaat?) (You can buy a pint in Wetherspoon for £1.50 nowadays) from winning. An indignant landlord might say “Well go and buy a pint in Wetherspoon”. Which is exactly what I’m suggesting you do. ‘OK’ as a rating really means, look, if there is nothing else on, this is a port when there are no others. The team which won were 5 blokes with an average age of 34. In the 90 odd general knowledge questions they were first three or four times (they were not outstanding on the music either but I could not be bothered listening to that turgid hour of advert music again). There was a team called ‘No idea’ who were pretty great compared hitting perhaps 1 in 6 or 7 first (12 teams They were third on 874. I was happy with the way I played e (I hit one hat trick and one phat-trick (4 in a row), and reckon I was good for perhaps a quarter or better of first places. I was second on 898. I did not lose any points in evil mode, and scored well. 127 and game scored 956. Congratulaaations. It was “really close” with about 7 questions to go, and I got one unique (googleable in 10 seconds) answer and one where only another team got it subsequently. So either the noughties music did it (possible, but given No Idea’s great performance unusual in that they were good on both music and GK), or Carl manipulated the scores (we can never know because we can’t see them as the game progresses, and we don’t know the scoring system). Or.. there is this pattern which you might see if teams were googling answers. Not many first places, if they are first it is often a unique guess at a tough but very googlable question, like “In what year did Mohamed Al Fayed buy Fulham? (1997)”, and then acing the evil round. I’m tipping it was the Noughties music, as 127 were strong on the score check after three rounds. But whatever, that is just a long whinge which would not have been legitimate were we kept informed of the scores and were there some variety in the music. But we weren’t, and there wasn’t. I’m off to Southampton to piss someone else off. :( Ooooo K
Scawsby Mill, Doncaster, DN5 7UB, withRyan Gray
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty (c £15) Format: Standard SpeedQuiz with sensible music. Fast Tracks to last
Greene King pub barely 15 minutes drive from home. 8.30 start? Ryan's the guy we saw on Thursday night. Look. If its a quid for a quiz and you get fabulous food your allowed a deal more fuckaboutery. So. Providing its a sensible last few questions… recommended. The thing is, I can’t possibly highly recommend a quiz where you win or lose on the last question no matter what the situation. We were playing fast tracks and evil mode right to the last question, but this is the kicker.. It was fast track only if the First place team gets it wrong. Rich Howson can get away with fast track to the last, because he puts in an appropriate order question and there is the fast track on top three. The ergo here is If you are in the lead and get the last question wrong you LOSE the lead and the quiz. If the top team gets it wrong and you press random right and first you win. He does the same thing on Thursday night. It may be a bit of fun, but it is no more a quiz than a game of bingo. BUT: And it is an important but, Ryan (who was depping for the usual guy) is quite sweet, and its only a quid, and the food was pretty amazing sandwiches and chips, but real nice thick brown bread with terrific salad and fillings. Would go again for the food alone!
Shawside Sports Bar, Shaw, OL2 8HZ, withWayne Thompson
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Wayne and the Landlord Mark are welcoming its a great club, clubby without the dinge and Wayne puts a lot of work into a quiz a lot of variety and some unique rounds. Normally turtle racing would be a neg but Wayne actually makes it almost bearable! I personally would like to see the scores and I dislike any form of fucking your fellow competitors (he does a short 'blocking ' round where you can eliminate any other team from it.
Ship & Royal, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 5EH, withJohn Lowe
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
For some reason I didn't have a diary entry here. John is still a good host, but he still does buzz when you here the tune and 50 for facebook! :)
Ship Inn, Acaster Malbis, YO23 2UH, with??
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01904 703888
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Ship Inn, Faversham, ME13 8TL, withCharlotte Lamba
Meh
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01795 532408
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Gallon Format: 60 SQ Questions
SpeedQuiz set spoiled by chicanery. The team which won by a point got an IMPOSSIBLE score in that the last round was 10/2 NOT sliding – they posted an ODD number for the round. And won by … A point! Yeah right.
Ship Inn, Haydock, WA11 0AB, withRob?
Highly Recommended
Saturdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01744 881913
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £30 and £20 tabs Format: Three rounds SpeedQuiz 4/2 sliding. 10/6 sliding, 20/2, 5 nearest wins for 100 points each
Pretty cheap beer, Saturday night, Karaoke after the quiz, what’s not to like? I’m giving Rob a bit of benefit here as I think goalpost moving indicates a lack of conviction, and that “Just a bit of fun” is the lamest excuse for less than optimality (it was used at least twice). Having said that, I did suggest he used fast tracks. He should, instead of 5 nearest wins questions tagged on at the end, each one being worth 100, 25% more than a nearly perfect first round score is - ah just a bit of fun. I’ll write the dithering down to lack of familiarity, and I’m reasonably confident his heart is in the right place. The right place is a local pub for local people and props for that. (I did have a massive lead prior to the one, no two, no FIVE nearest wins, so a pretty perfect result really)
Ship Inn, Sheffield, S3 8UL, with??
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0114 273 7207
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Ship Tavern, Rochester, ME2 4UY, withMarc Coates
Most Excellent
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01634 290553
Cost: £3 per person . Prize: Top 5 money prizes, Format: Loads of 10 question rounds including two on pictures and two on music, Handicapping, some little fast tracking and two or three moderate value nearest wins
I’ve been to two quizzes over the last couple of nights which are just… almost as good as you could get (PUT THE SCORES ON THE HANDSETS!!!). A plethora of original content professionally dekivered in chocker pubs with great competition. Tonight it was three parnd a person, but all that goes into prizes, with £35 on the bingo and top five cash payouts. Marc does give score checks after every ten questions but sheeit; If he just flagged the scoring up on the handsets I’d have to consider breaking precedent to give him a second quiz of the month. The same could be said for Owen yesterday. Marc’s handicapping is just a slam dunk good idea, his stats contribute too why, in this part of South East England, some great quizzers have surfaced, Now all that wasn’t even the best thing about tonight!! Daniel is just the sweetest guy and a BRILLIANT quizzer who whupped me on points but couldn’t quite get the handicap back. Back to the quiz. Wether on the entire year’s quizzes for the area or the micro level of scoreboard watching Marc Coates has his finger on the pulse (I was particularly pleased with an Idina Menzel press, and he looked straight at me when it went in, almost as fast as I hit). Crikey, I’ve seen a lot of good hosts, but if someone said who would you think of first to tailor a quiz event, I’m thinking of Marc right now. He puts the preparation in. And he lays it out there.
Ship, Freckleton, PR4 1HA, withPaul O’Brien
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01772 965230
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Never have enjoyed such a good quiz less. :). I mean everything is right, huge sliding scale 20/10, £50 tab divided between four rounds clear as crystal DJ. Pub of the month during a good month so far. Absolutely on the money. I couldn't win dick!
Shooters pool and sports bar, Kilmarnock, KA1 1JN, withDarren Stevens
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0156 3501046
Cost: Free . Prize: £30, £20 and £10 voucher Format: 4 rounds, mainly 4/1 with buzzer at end
I reckon it must be a thing in Scotland putting the buzz in round last! This was a super adequate quiz with three excellent prizes, not much to say apart from Highly recommended. But very cagey on showing the overall scores until the end. Nice easy decision for my furthest west quiz on Great Britain. By a chalk.
Shoulder of Mutton, Weldon, NN17 3HP, withGary Catford
Recommended
Fridays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: Wine? Format: SpeedQuiz
Gary is a very conscientious host, but there are other ways to level things out without being pedantic, or adding points on at the end for order of registration! The pub is lovely, and though largely friendly (Stefan is the best barman ever) there was some uncomfortable hostility from a Karen, which must put poor Gary on the spot. Perhaps we should be dealing haters rather than playaz?
Silk Mill, Leek, ST13 6HP, withBen Knight
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: 3 . Prize: Bar/Food Vouchers Format:
Gotta be considered for QOTM. Great structure well presented. What's not to like? Ben was welcoming, super professional, and proves what a host can do with a pretty otherwise unelegant space. I played with Ashton, there were 13 teams, Prizes include a £30 tab, and tabs for the podium, Really BRILLIANT music round comprising tiny samples, £1 each to enter I think, and is what it said on the packet. Started at 8 and finished at 10. Book a table!
Sir John Warren, Ilkeston, DE7 5QB, withKieran Wall
Meh
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Not on, no phone answering, lame excuses
Snug and Chatter, Wetherby, LS22 6NQ, withRich Howson
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01937 38128
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 Bar Tab for a month, another bar tab and a bottle of wine Format: SpeedQuiz – and how! 25 GK, 25 Pictures, 25 Sensible music, 25 more GK, 9 nearest wins, with huge returns for speed
I really, really want this too be quiz of the month, but (and everything before the ‘but’ is horseshit) I must endeavour to be balanced. That I drove home after this quiz as high as a La Rinconada kite on Godfather OG should not be considered. The reasons why I did are what matters for a review. So.In terms of questions Rich is in the top drawer, that has to be a great starting point, with at least 109 questions, well delivered with clarity, pace, and humour; hardly one wasted, with super picture and music rounds included.The joint is sweet (despite calling itself a “gastro pub”), in a quiet corner of a nice town on my favourite river (It was called the Don’t Tell The Duke when I visited it nearly three and a half years ago), the staff just what you want, the customers friendly, all in all most welcoming. Over £4 a pint.The competition is hot, I reckon that David and Vicki were the best team, and that Motts looked all over it, and that I was in the right place at the right time.The prizes are definitely not to be sneezed at, with free entry and the best part of a hundred quids’ worth of stuff. I’d like that every day of the week.Now – the USP – Rich Howson’s scoring system is fecking INSANE! I’ve re-read my reviews, and realise that he has stretched rewards way beyond when they initially raised an eyebrow on my first visit. For example, after the first round with ten points for a correct answer and five on a sliding scale for speed there were THREE nearest wins for 100 points each – say whaat? And three more after round two. And three more after round three. That’s not the end of it. The last round was – wait for it, wait for it – 20 points for a correct answer, 20 points on a sliding scale for speed, 20 away for being wrong, unique answers fast track, top three wrong fast track and …… ONE HUNDRED POINT ADD ON for each first place! Ergo whoever was first got more points for their answer than many people amass during an entire quiz.Now here’s the rub. It was the same for everyone. I have praised Richard’s quizzes consistently, and now, just because I am the beneficiary today, adopting a huge change of strategy, nobody getting the last question, and me playing a pretty good stretch, I should not let my elation colour my objectivity. If one is a quiz purist who requires a more meritocratic reflection there is a simple answer. Come here every week. The longer one plays the more the luck will balance out, as Rich also has a league system over several weeks. If one wants a quiz where you get great questions and is exciting to the end for all, grab this one by the bollocks. Objectively speaking, this is just the best of quizzes, for players of any stripe. Ta da!I love writing about good quizzes. This is a good quiz.
Social 8, York, YO1 8RZ, withAlan Leach
Most Excellent
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: 3 envelopes with drinks etc. for top 3 Format: Straight SQ 60 with fast tracks
Precisely why I love SpeedQuizzes; good quiz, delivered well, with terrific humour, as sensible a music quiz as I've heard since Chatterton, the model scoring system with 15 fast track questions out of the last 20, engendering the perfect result of a lower team winning but playing great to do so. Alan's top three pull out an envelope is also, IMHO, a great touch. Highly highly recommended, with the added bonus of Rob And Jonothan who I absolutely loved seeing again. Great start to the year.
Social, Prestbury, M25 1AS, withOwen
Recommended
Sundays at 7.30 ish o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 time limited tab Format: Speed Quiz
So – this is the way I’m going on this. When the scores are not shown it is an immediate red flag to me. But, when I win I am forced to admit that there is no significant fixing going on. Look.., I don’t always go on about it but this was one of my best wins, against a BRILLIANT team (Where’s Tash) who were absolutely better than me, dominating all bar the last round which was double points where they must have crashed as I got the three extra questions I HAD to get, winning by 7 points in 800, a third of a question, on the last. Lots of content, Noughties pop music, sensible, a boring six questions on ‘Porn or Polish’ A time limited voucher – which I can’t use tomorrow or Tuesday!!!. I wouldn’t be surprised if Where’s Tash were thinking “was that fixed?” Despite which, a pleasant articulate host with lots of decent content gets a ‘Highly’. I’ll never know if that would be the same had I lost. I’d like to think it wouldn’t. SHOW US THE BLOODY SCORES! I initially had this down for a Highly but after returning a week later to feast I was told the voucher was for drinks only! Why?? I can only imagine it is ‘cos, given the wine I got in lieu of the prize cost less than £5 from Aldi, they are marking up over 400% on it, whearas the food is less of a profit. That’s how they get you. Show us the bloody scores, then, given the quiz is free, you’d have me.
Southfield, Middlesborough, TS1 3BZ, withDunno, but he played good music!
Most Excellent
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01642 210414
Cost: Free . Prize: £40 vouchers for quiz £20 for special Format: 60 SQ and 20 on a special. 1 point speed bonus throughout
On this Sunday night in Middlesborough and tomorrow in York we have two quizzes which are simple, with the basic ingredients of a good quiz, well delivered, perfectly paced, generous prizes, free to enter, good competition. Tonight there was zero feckaboutery, tomorrow in York there was not enough to eliminate the good teams altogether. FFS, why don’t all quizzes just put that shit on the table and reel in the ackers for the pub? This quiz had the USP of a round (horror films that was separate from the main quiz – GOOD IDEA. That I played with Chris Skidmore, an absolute SpeedQuiz Genius and Arf7 Octoberquest champion, who won both sections, was just the icing on the cake. NB the second placed team would have won 9 out of 10 quizzes. Phew
Spice Ship, Preston, DT3 6BJ, withCarl Greenham
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01305 561099
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
If I was umming and ahing about the ratiing, Carl has convinced me to top rate, despite a spot the music round and not revealing scores
Spinner’s Arms, Leigh, WN7 4SB, withNathan Standring-Tunnah
Recommended
Sundays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0737 5078085
Cost: Free . Prize: £15 and £10 limited bar voucher Format: SQ
Do I let someone’s blind loyalty to a cause affect my judgement of a quiz. Well, actually yes, if that person hosting the quiz misinforms us, if they trumpet their misguided opinions as facts. We are at a quiz to learn, not be indoctrinated. Some people didn’t like that I asked this question in one of my quizzes: “Maths: If the total number of atomic particles in the universe and all parallel universes are multiplied by the number of weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq after the 2003 invasion were multiplied together, what would be the result” (OMG – 40 years later the result is still zero!)” Yes – this was political and might be considered provocative. Personally I don’t like that we have killed perhaps half a million people for oil, and I don’t like the way our media kind of gloss over it. I don’t like that 19 Palestinians die for every Israeli in conflict, and I find it surprising that only 50 names or so are inscribed on the monument commemorating those who died as part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s in the USA whilst 40,000 a year die on their roads in the same country. But I will fact check and get the answers to questions about these things sourced and accurate. When this guy states bare faced that “J.K. Rowling wants all transgender people wiped from the face of the planet” it is just wrong, and damageingly so. Meh. Now the quiz. Pretty good. Nothing but a good set of SQ questions well presented in smart order. 100 point nearest wins only favours the mundane (In this case me). So of course I would say visit this quiz.
Sportsmans, Bolton, BL7 9JG, withSean Bennett
Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone:
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Super fast tracks
Spread at Darrington, Darrington, WF8 3AP, withJohn
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: 8 Pints Format: Written
Nice quiz for locals
Spring Inn, Rochdale, OL16 4PR, with??
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 01706 633529
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Square Brewery, Petersfield, GU32 3HJ, withRussell Hawkins
OK
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01730 264291
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £50 cash plus minor gifts for other teams Format: 5 Rounds, 1 buzz in, 1 Film stills, 1 Sung music
OK. Town, pub and staff are lovely. An intrinsically great quiz with a couple of downers to knock it down a peg or two. The music round, sung by the DJ was a good idea, but seemed to veer into self indulgence. It was definitely unbalanced in that all bar 3 of the 21 were post 1990 (That’s OK, luck of the draw, but certainly helps if you were 14 then and not 40). My next complaint is soooo valid. It may be SpeedQuizzing’s fault, it may be the host, but it certainly wasn’t my team or I.Swerve Question. Buzz in round. Host “Poseidon was the Greek God of…”Buzz (Me) “The Sea” Host “That’s not the answer I’m looking for”Host “Poseidon was the Greek God of the sea. What did the Romans call the God of the Sea”Buzz (Second best team) “Neptune” Net result, the second best team are twenty points better off and win by 14 and get £50. If you don’t understand what’s wrong with that you probably never will.I had an awesome team with me, 6 beautiful people, 4 South Africans, 2 girls, 2 marines, who were a pleasure to be with. Lindy, Dean, Samantha, Dagon, Chloe (? nah, but it was a C) and James. We won all three General Knowledge rounds, but suffered in the film recognition and music. We played a PERFECT last round which had no Speed Bonus. Damn. Can’t win ‘em all. I think I get more agitated when my team is screwed more than me personally. If you are driving through Petersfield go the The Red Lion on Sunday. Or call here on a Monday; it’s OK.
Stafford Arms, Barnsley, S75 3EW, with??
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01226 287488
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Stafford Cricket and Hockey Club, ST16 3WB, withRyan Young
Quiz of the Month
Fridays at 8.15 o’clock
Telephone: 07716 853940
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Don’t know, don’t care, the experience was the thing Format: 120 questions with large points an speed rewards. My kind of quiz Sensible as chuff music and a buzz in round
So far so beautiful. £3.50 a pint, lovely host and crowd, 30 questions to kick off, Friday night, idyllic setting, a few miles off Cannock Chase on the edge of Stafford. This is what I love quizzes for. I wonder if I get angrier playing with other people cos I beat myself up, or the host for perceived mishtakes. Damn it all - I wrote an extraordinarily hagiography about this place, The host, the sound, the structure, Les, James, Pam, Mmmmawhatts, how people were so welcoming and it was a local club for local people with a great big welcome mat, and it has all disappeared. :(. So unless this guitar shop I'm sat in in Cannock does it, this is Quiz of the Month for May 2023. Bloody hard lines for Rich Howson and Chris Roberts, who would have won many a month. Show us the scores!
Star Inn, Wednesfield, WV11 1PE, with??
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 01902 862980
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Station Pub and Grill, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 5PA, withSarah Coryne
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 03332 348130
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £30 tab to spend within week but not on day, plus prizes for second and third Format: SpeedQuiz
I love Sarah's accent (she is from Paisley) and she has great taste in music. Loved the quiz, I wold have liked to see more information, like ongoing scores, nevertheless, well worth the dip
Stocks Hotel, Worsley, M28 3JX, withDJ Daz
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01615 469131
Cost: . Prize: £20 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz haphazard super fast tracks – oof
DJ Daz is a sweet guy, very much in the Gary mould, Genial, welcoming, so much so that even a coin flip super fast track on the penultimate question STILL doesn’t demote. That’s impossible!! He must be nice
Stonebow, York, YO1 9TA, withMelanie Wright
Most Excellent
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 233412
Cost: Free . Prize: £25vlimited voucher for first, £10 LV for second, wine for bingo Format: 60 questions plus a nearest wins, with fast tracks
On this Monday night in York and yesterday in Middlesborough we had two quizzes which were simple, with the basic ingredients of a good quiz, well delivered, perfectly paced, generous prizes, free to enter, good competition. Tonight there was fast tracks, but only to about question 15 on the last round, and a nearest wins worth 30. Enough to keep most teams in with a shot, but not enough to eliminate the good teams altogether. Five stars. FFS, why don’t all quizzes just put that shit on the table and reel in the ackers for the pub? It was a privilege to meet Paul and his brother Richard, (Buster Keaton Fan Club/Bellender Carlisle) who used to do my online quizzes, and without me fast tracking could well have won. Also, Melanie is soooo easy to listen too.
Stonewell Tap, Lancaster, LA1 1NP, withTim Tomlinson
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.45 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 voucher, £10 voucher Format: SQ with silly buzz music, Buzz in 10 questions. Exponentila increase in scoring values per round
I am not comfortable rating this quiz, and I think perhaps the peripheral shit has diminished my assessment. Still, a recommended is a recommended is a recommended. So all in all a great quiz, in a beautiful place, but the just with the polish taken of, perhaps unluckily. No phone – FFS if you want to encourage business get a fekking phone and answer it. A burner from Tesco costs you £4 a month. Tardy start. With ‘Go Wide’ on - “The next question is just A or B… Oh, and if you press both you lose points” – Fuck you. Announce the penalty first. It’s not that deducting points for pressing both answers on an A or B question is wrong – it’s not, it’s a good idea. At least if you think binary answer questions are a good idea. But to tell you you will be deducted points for pressing both AFTER you have annouced it’s an A/B is just wrong. Without prior knowledge any good team is going to dip in. Unless, of course itrs just a local pub for local people, and you want to discourage visitors. The sound was not perfect. Silly music round, buzz when you hear the tune. So easy to make this a “Who is this”, “What is the title”, “Who was the castanet player” yadda yadda yadda. We got beat fair and square by Chris and Karen and their two mates (Not the quiz’s fault of course, that’s me being grumpy. What a silly fool I am). Would I have been Voldermorted had I been prosecuted for being gay 60 years ago? Good quiz. Get a phone.
Streetbridge, Failsworth, OL8 3QH, withFranny Ward
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01616 847592
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 tab, £10 tab Format: Speed Quizzing with original content, sensible music and random evil/open, and spins on wheel for rewards or penalties
I can't spake. I fear, I know, that my reviews are beset with subjectivity, that our lives are perceived rather than observed objectively. I have not re-read my review of Franny yesterday, but I think I touched upon how opinions are coloured by surrounding context. Well today I loved it, and would deny any other real quiz fan not too. As with yesterday, good questions, including sensible music, scoring that truly utilises the software, screen updates, fascinating pub, 11 teams, 20 and 10 pound tokens. Oh. And a super host. So what was different? Me? I think so. Prompt 8 o clock start, done for just past ten. No written down section (that really shouldn't matter but it does to me), the pub was less alcoves and you could see Franny and his wheel of fortune. The wheel of fortune seemed to work better today as the bottom team did fast track. With less teams it gave them more of a chance of getting in first. What I can't begin to understand is why everybody from last night doesn't turn up to this quiz just mile away. Is it because what I want is different than bread and circuses? Franny was so welcoming to me, he played it straight, didn't increase the value of the nearest wins at the end, and was frankly over the top with his announcements (in a nice way). He seems the same with everybody. He has given me a lot to think about over these last two days. I suppose that reinforces my philosophy that you must get to like a quiz or get out. Liking is better, griping is transient. Highly recommended. Feck it, if he wants to stop people buzzing prematurely, that's him, he's welcome. It's no thing! :)
Stumble Inn, Long Eaton, NG10 1JF, withMartin Dodsworth
Recommended
Sundays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: 07912 601475
Cost: Free . Prize: £10 cash plus second I think Format: 66 with minimal speed reward
Fix the ‘glitch’ and it would be a slam dunk highly recommended. I ‘glitched’ up two points in the last round. It was ‘really really close’ at several stages and in the end I won by two points (I went back the following morning and refunded half the prize). Dobber in third place (five behind) and Jim in second also had glitchy scores – Impossible giving the scoring system of 10-1 in the last round. Amazing performances in that in that last round I was first 10 times, Dobber once and Jim 3 times. What steely consistency they exhibit. Martin, the host and landlord was a top guy, and generous with the Bingo prizes. But I’m pretty sure he could fix that ‘glitching’. And he should
Summit Inn, Royton, OL2 6XF, withFranny Ward
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01616 242843
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Pretty great quiz. Busy Green King pub, Franny gets on a quiz some nice inputs of his own, would like to return for a full session.. Super fast tracks. Given that one was an ABCD, and I pressed C, and he reset and called it cheating (I was right) illustrates the ridiculousness of super fast tracks. I mean. When does it stop being cheating?
Sun, Bradford, BD1 2ND, with??
OK
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz huge fuckaboutery
I must revisit this place, as they still (February 2023) Advertise a quiz every Wednesday at 8 PM. I recall it was hard trying to confirm a quiz was on, and seem to remember it was dispersed and I won something more by luck than design, but left for the last train. The pub is primarily a gay bar, so I guess if I want knowledge I should go to university!
Surrey Arms, Glossop, SK13 8JF, withLeon Haynes
Meh
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01457 853192
Cost: 5 . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Seems like an 8 o'clock start, a personable host. Is it really going to be £5 a team? I've won my last two fiver quizzes but .. let's SHIG. So, here we go... this is the worst quiz I've ever been to to by by a long chalk. To compound the naffness of the event I was the worst person I could have been. Look, it's only me makes me angry and I lost it and left the quiz, stomped out. I should have kept my cool, seen the quiz out, not made any display of emotion, done what I could have done to to disrupt the people who had super bitchslapped me, left, and written this review. I think what gets to me is people not only let it happen they join in. It came at the end of a day when I had been to Wakefield and made no headway Helen, but that's a different article. Back to the quiz . The first two rounds were very good. Then evil(ok), bitchslap (meh), super bitch slap, and super fast track round all rolled into one. What that meant was on on several questions of his choosing he put in the super fast track and on questions 5 10 15 and 20 it was super bitch slaps when a team could lose any other team their entire score. The first time it happened whatever. the second time, on question 10 I had to point out to the DJ that it was a super bitch slap at which time the team promptly took me back down to zero again. It brings out the very worst in humanity. I'd had it, I lost it. I'd returned a bitch slap and refused another, he was just making rules and scores up as he went along, and I had to tell him that question 10 was a super bitch slap after I got demoted to feck all. Why do the first two rounds? In fact it's better not to do the first two rounds. Just aim for mid table mediocrity, as if you got very few points at least you avoid one super bitch slap and if you're happy to play you will get a fast track and probably a super fast track. I was awful and I should have just took it. Shit happens, people are idiots. Helen doesn't begin to understand what I'm talking about and shit happens in a local shop for local people not more than 5 miles away in Royston Vasey. and it was a fiver! Incidentally there's a tiny bit of me thinks that some teams played better in that round in terms of Speed they have done in previous rounds. And if the quiz was awful I was more disappointed myself, idiot. And if Americanos and Yankee Doodle Dandy were not sat at the same table they were pretty close. And they had an overtly vocal jew hating old skinhead. Nice.l
Swan, Abbots Langley, WD5 0NR, withLeroy Morgan
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01923 672539
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
So what you have here is a busy, Green King, pub, a SpeedQuiz delivered in smart time from a lovely host. It's a low reward for speed, which is great for teams, but the countdown is immediate which is bad for cheats! Zero fuckaboutery, so ten it is. Prizes for at least second place too, so I don't so much mind that the music was 95% post '90! That is so uncritical of me.
Swatters Carr, Middlesborough, TS1 3QW, withLuke
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01642 239060
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Pot Format: 70 SQ style on TV and films
There were a team sitting close to me (Fillies Whole) and I thought “Wow, they are genuinelinely the best team I have ever played against!”. Indidtiguishable from magic. Now normally that would be a sarcastic reference to somehow cheating, but not in this case. OMG, they WOULD have been the best team I’d played against apart from that it was the team at the next table (Pinkie and the Brains, fronted by Chris) who won. I’m really happy that I can get whupped and take pleasure and honour out of a quiz, and it helps that Luke set a super straight. interesting quiz which didplayed his enthusiasm for the topic. It was only afterwards that It was explained to me that it had ALL been TV and film! Kudos to the questions for being so engaing!! Is it a Witherspoon thing? My goodness if he had a decent sound system this would be as busy as the Hedley Verity. Instead it was as busy as The Golden Beam. What is not to like about a decent quiz in a Wetherspoon?
Symposium, Idle, BD10 9PY, withMichael Ellis
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01274 781969
Cost: Free . Prize: ?? Format: 3 rounds of SQ then a shit or bust music round
Good quiz, nice pub, but given the huge values, the jeopardy, and the fast tracks on the last (music) round the result was predicated upon knowledge of music and a bit of luck (Two of the fast tracks were on an anagram and a year, which a random group of chimpanzees would have got a fast track on). Am I bitchy? Fuck yeah I’m bitchy!! :)
Tabanco By Ambiente, York, YO1 9TY, withRob Scott-South
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 01904 809565
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Really sweet music quiz once a month, no pointless buzz in all solid questions from a variety of eras
Talbot Inn, Mapplewell, S75 6AS, withSarah Brown
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01226 385629
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Tattershall Castle, London, SW1A 2HR, withSean Wallace
Highly Recommended
Mondays at o’clock
Telephone: 020 7839 6548
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
This was some national quiz for a load of cash, won by Mike McPartland, Clive, Tony et Al. What a fantastic event, presented by Sean Wallace. OK, the tech failed, but the night was, I think I said at the time, gave more to quizzers in 3 hours than some prominent quiz organisers have done in a lifetime
The Bay Horse, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7PE, withGary
Most Excellent
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01388 609765
Cost: £1 per person (quiz), and £1 per person (Jackpot nearest wins) . Prize: Pot divided between top three today Format: 60 SQ
Feck, feck and triple feck more. Gary, this evening’s host puts me in such a pickle. I wanted to give him a ‘recommended’, mainly because there were no scores on the screens, the scoring systems were not really well explained, a couple more speakers would have been nice, and the evil mode questions seemed pretty random. Three of those reasons are all flags to perhaps indicate the host wants more control over the scores than is … fair. Twice in the last ten days I believe I have been screwed over by knavery, and I feared this again. Small town, local pub, local lad more DJ than academic. But I won, eventually quite easily, so – no jiggery pokery. A lad from the usual winning team (I think his name was Colin) was kind enough to congratulate me before the scores were announced. And the Pub and Bishop Auckland are real nice places, people were kind and complimentary, and Gary the host was, I think, PBP (I’ve just invented that, Perturbed but Professional); welcoming and … well ... welcoming! – what more could you ask? (Fair – he was - absolutely). I loved it, of course, winning the quiz, the nearest wins and then the entirely serendipitous icing on the cake, a music intros buzz-in quiz for fun which has been my favourite bit of quiz all year, right in my wheelhouse, three pints to the wind, and with add ons at the end to give the other teams a shot where I was imperious with five out of five. When he finished on ‘I’m A Boy’ by The Who (The Who were my specialist subject on Mastermind) it encapsulated the evening for me. Most Excellent. I’m such a whore! :). I’ll be back in a year.
The Isle of Ely, Ely, CB6 2BZ, withIan McKendrick
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8 + o’clock
Telephone: 01353 888731
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Dunno :( ! :) Format: Many rounds, including straight GQ, spot the intro, lots of conundrums, Observation round, evil, fast tracks to 15 on the last round, and 5 nearest wins worth a middling amount
Another very good quiz, with a superlative. This is, as far as I can remember, the quiz with the BEST technical presentation. Ian’s attention to production is close to, if not, perfect. The basics of good sound, and plenty of big screens are all there to start. Ian then puts together this package of rounds, sounds and effects which would not be out of place on a TV show, with individually tailored films for his teams (something I had not seen before), appropriate original content (It was a Christmas special today), Variety of rounds, and, I hate to say this, a frustrating, but fair, levelling-up structure. The pub is spacious, comfy and modern, without being ‘sterile’. It is a Southern Greene King that has the same menu as it’s Northern counterparts but 30% more on the price – hooray for London Weighting! If I might fess up, I was grumpy about losing, as ever looking to offload my failure on external factors. The reality is, I lost because I made a couple of howling errors, didn’t quite get the luck which helps on those five last nearest wins, and, gulp, there were a few pretty handy teams playing. If there was an external factor it may be that the lack of visibility for scores and scoring systems may have frustrated me – but that is something everybody has to cope with, and a good player should keep concentration no matter what distractions he perceives. It is still a valid criticism which I will repeat ad infinitum as long as hosts refuse to use the facility to inform the players what is going on. I doubt very much if there is a person in the country who competes in any game or sport who would ask for scoring to be switched off and for them to be kept in the dark about their ongoing performance and status. Ultimately I judge quizzes from the perspective of a curmudgeonly old quiz player who understands, and endorses quite a deal of feckaboutery to keep people in the game. This may be an office party quiz of the month – it probably IS. It was brilliant. I’m sorry it’s not mine, and might have been in other months quite easily. Two things for me to take away. Chill, and visit Ian again.
Thomas Osbourne, Roundhay, LS8 1AP, with??
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0121 272 5499
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Three Crowns Inn, Scouthead, OL4 4AT, withChris Judd
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0121 272 5499
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Fast tracks to 17, recorded announcements, Curse These Metal Hands were the team to fear, brilliant set of lads captained by Liam
Three Tuns, York, YO1 9NR, withShaun from LSI Entertainment
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 673097
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: ?? Format: Disney Special
Can’t remember much about this over a year later, just that I did it with Julian, and though I am half decen at Disney, it was a hopeless cause to try and win!
Tim Bobbin, Urmston, M41 5AN, withJames Dowd
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 749 8239
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 Spoons token Format: SpeedQuiz. 2 GK rounds, one tough Marvel round
So. The scoring will not be apparent, but it will be a decent quiz with a couple of trips. That's what it was when I saw James in St Helens. Omg midsummer tomorrow! Tipped it all. When I say decent, he did 120 or more questions. What James does is not reveal so much about the scoring, but I'll guarantee he doesn't massage scores or change rules as he goes along. He does make it hard to choose a quiz of the month. He seemed jolly today, and played fast tracks in the last round up to q 10, and my fellow competitors were nice to me after a strong win, but they were no slouches. Jeez James, if you put the scoring and personal scores for the handsets you'd be a shoe in for quiz of the month. 'Spoons pub, 20 parnd card for all branches, sensible music, and dare I say it sensible specialist round plenty of guessable multiple choices, a world apart from Mastermind level Marvel from last night. Highly recommended.
Toby Carvery, Endon, ST9 9BE, withSteve Green
OK
Fridays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01782 502115
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: I think it was two vouchers. I got two breakfasts valid for a month Format: Generally 10/1 general Knowledge, a couple of specialist rounds 11 nearest wins on years for 30 points each 4 golden fast tracks in evil mode last round
Dash it all. I really do want to be objective, I crave truth, I understand psychology, and given that this quiz contained a lot of good questions something tells me this should be highly rated. It is not. (“It is not” is a synonym for ‘but’). 10/1 scoring all the way through. More Quiz than Speed. OK. Toby Carvery wipes the floor with Greene King and Wetherspoon when it comes to food - not quiz, but it sets you up nicely. Lots of questions. Good fast pace. Own scores on devices. Two prizes (I only know what second place was because I won it). Then after that it is all downhill. * Never a reference to how many people got a question right. * Only three overall score checks all evening, given there were five rounds this was kind of frustrating. A bit like running 100 meters in the dark and then coupling it with a gurning competition, combining the scores and not knowing how you had done in either relative to the competition. * 11 nearest wins questions worth 30 points each may have been a tad weighty. * 4 Golden Fast tracks (whoever is first goes to the top) in the last round that was evil mode (if you are wrong you lose points) – If you are rubbish have a guess! After four rounds I was 150 points in front of the second placed team (564 to 414, 36%). I was 216 in front of the eventual winners (564/348, 62%). I got an answer right – I was fast tracked (did SpeedQuiz ‘weighting’ play a part?). I played terribly on the stretch, the winners played well, But it was, in effect, a ten question quiz. Ten questions where I had been shafted and distracted. I, in retrospect, played it out admirably, but am not strong enough to accept such fuckaboutery without going on the back foot. The best of competitors are all prone to collapses in circumstances, let alone nervous old me. Heck, careers have decimated after a bad Amen Corner at Augusta. Imagine if, instead of being totally responsible for their own demise, were golfers told with two holes left somebody they had been thrashing for 36 holes had been promoted to a one stroke lead cos they had played the sixteenth in par 1 second faster! The clubhouse windows would need reglazing, and some clubs would require a visit to the pro shop. * Rock n Roll Bingo is not quiz. It is a boring waste of time. * I just wish the host had words like “Welcome”, “Well played”, “Where are you from?”, “Unlucky” in his vocabulary. I suspected hostility, but that may be my paranoia. Still, a good host should not give that impression unless hostility is deserved; perhaps not even that. Now, the question I am asking myself is, is this the same bloke who did my worst quiz of the year in Congleton in 2021? We won that and it was a big Meh!. I came second today and I’m giving it an OK. Perhaps that is generous or unkind. But if it is (or even isn’t) the same bloke at least my rating is not being swayed by my position or personal performance. OK. Just.
Tom Foolery, Boston Spa, LS23 6AA, withPhil Cain
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01937 541500
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz music round and a buzz-in
Solid quiz, great prize, mystical scoring sometimes
Town House, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 1SB, withJohn Lowe
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01253 728252
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I wrote 'I can't wait to see John again'. I saw him twice more in the next 7 days! Everything apart from the buzz in when you hear the tune round and 50 for facebook was great (Yeah, I know, it's business!), John is a fab guy, and this pub should be rammed
Tramway, Cleveleys, FY5 3LB, withBryan Scott
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01253 858329
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Travellers Rest, Meltham, HD9 5NH, withCustomer rotation
Recommended
Wednesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01484 851320
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: Written
Sorry there is no review here yet
Travellers Rest, Thornton-Cleveleys, FY5 1EH, withBryan Scott
Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 07453 036841
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Bryan is straight up so much so that he would not put a fast track in! Ken the landlord let me sleep in the car park the beer is a nice at the price and its 100 yards from the sea front Not much not to like given that its free I can't criticise. I think Bryan should put a fast track in when someone is running away it. the beer was cheap '2.40. I was welcome to stay in the car park a used car lot. I do think Frank should put a fast track in, I won by easily 25%. Frank was good good clear concise how to like a little more up between the questions but that's his choice really. it was free and it was not so far off time that I didn't notice . And super close to the seaside !
Treehouse, Haworth, BD22 8NW, withGareth
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01535 646395
Cost: ? . Prize: £50 to spend ON THE NIGHT! Format: SpeedQuiz
Gareth is a terrific host who used to do Guisley back in the day, he recognised me on the 'phone! so.. what a memory. He should be entering the quiz. Spot prizes, great host, good TVs, no fuckaboutery, 4 / 1 consitent throughout.
Tribal Bar & Grill, Hull, HU7 3DB, withNick Borst
Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01482 458301
Cost: Free . Prize: Dunno Format: 60 SQ (I think)
Halloween 2023 3: After that debacle at BrewDog I went to what was an alternative venue, and asked if I could join in the last round. Half way through it he blocked me! Moral of the story is: Don’t do your homework. (Let me explain that I recognised most of the questions having been through previous sets and online sets all day– I didn’t want to leave myself wanting). Yesterday, towards the end of the quiz in Huddersfield I had lost, I knew that already. It was the last question, I was three points behind second place with a three point reward for being first. The question started with “..Netflix.. Horror..Science Fiction..”. It was a Halloween Quiz. I pressed S for Stranger Things and drew for second place! Hooray. Today I heard “..Netflix.. Horror..Science Fiction..”. It was a Halloween Quiz. I pressed S for Stranger Things with speed and confidence. It must have looked like magic. He blocked me. :) It’s funny. It didn’t matter. It was clumsy and unfair. But I understand. I bought a pint and enjoyed it. I thanked him and told him “all you had too do was ask” (I’d have backed off). I liked him. And he had been spooked. Well it was Halloween! I look forward to putting this quiz first on my list next time.
Turks Head, St Helens, WA10 2DQ, withJames Dowd
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01744 751289
Cost: 1 . Prize: £40 to spend in a week Format: Practically two full sets plus
9 o clock ish start. Good sound. Good music. Good set of questions, some decent competition, good balance. Was never quite sure of the scoring system, weather sliding or what, and the speedquizzing set definitely had trips in. So.. lovely busy pub and practically two full sets of questions makes it a highly recommended, but it's making me think about using another category for as good as it gets. James didn't seem overjoyed life. I wonder if he knows me? 40 quid voucher prize is nice on a free quiz. Gave it to a lad whose birthday it was.
Two Watermills, Newbury, RG14 7HB, withJulian Swift-Hook
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 7.45 o’clock
Telephone: 01635 800310
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £30 Vocher and prosecco for second Format: 4 Rounds GK and 1 sensible music
Julian’s quiz is near or top of the list in many aspects. He is as articulate a host as I can remember. Consistent scoring (4/1 all the way through). Absolutely zero feckaboutery, ergo, as meritocratic a quiz as imaginable. I would say that for a team who enjoyed gentle written down quizzes this is close as you can get to that ethos whilst retaining the thrill of first places. Great, great competition from Entertainment 720. Was there meant to be five bonus points for unique answers? On a personal level I met my match, fair and square. Damn. As a casual observation I would definitely consider fast tracks, though there was very good competition. Just an excellent quiz with a terrific, welcoming host
Unicorn, Wilmslow, SK9 2LN, withPaul Fairclough
Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01625 528351
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Yes. I’m piecing this together now, 3 years after the event. Paul Fairclough – the most unwelcoming host in Englad, with a really good quiz content wise
Unity Brook, Kearsley, BL4 8R, withJonno Johnston
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: Glory Format: 141 Questions! High reward for speed. All good
141 questions! That is penance enough for most sins. As always, I’d love to see the scores but there was no feckaboutery or chicanery, and there was no modern team. Jonno was clear and friendly, the pub was local. Ashton was imperious as usual. And do you know what? When I was told there was no prize it went up in my estimation. I reckon it was no sliding but high rewards for speed, so as a competition it could have done with fast tracks. As an event I would really put those scores and scoring values on the hand set. Real sensible music, a round on alcohol, a round on geograpy, a buzz in round, 60 GK. Fantastic content, I think there is wiggle room to do more with it. Good stuff.
Unsworth Cricket & Tennis Club, Bury, BL9 8QD, withTerry
Highly Recommended
Fridays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 766 8794
Cost: £7 per person minimum 2 . Prize: Hamper Format: SpeedQuiz
This was a one-off charity do in aid of the Brass Band organised by Brad, so it ended up costing me '56! But I loved it, I have to remember not to get sucked in!!
Upper George, Wibsey, BD6 1RB, withSteve O
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: no phone
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 voucher for a year Format: SpeedQuiz, with increasing values (It’s a long story)
How do you solve a problem like Steve O? Fact is, there is no problem. He is great, his quizzes are bouncing. That there is no black chair, or rows of 19 year virgins answering questions on existential philosophy is no reason to mark a quiz down. This is not just a bit of fun, it’s a lot of fun. There are loads of questions and though I dislike bitch slaps he does allow the option to take five points for yourself as opposed to taking 10 off another team. Other bitch slapping hosts take note. Though I know that questions about the music are much better than ‘buzz when you here the tune’, it’s still just a filler. Yes, I go for the quiz, but he is there to keep people in the pub, so, like any aside, it is ten/twenty minutes which doesn’t involve torture, so it’s a pass. Fundamentally, is the winner random, do the better teams have more chance whilst retaining hope for the teams down the table? Yes. Is the fact that the last ten Yes/No questions are worth a potential 400 points against the first twenty questions having a value of 100 all told crazy? Yes. Unfair? No. Deep gulp, a quiz player has got to accept feckaboutery in a pub quiz environment. That I get agitated is more fool me and a feather in the cap of anybody who agitates people who deserve to be agitated. Damn me. Awesome Steve O. :)
Urmston Hotel, Urmston, M41 9WE, withDave Bradley
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 864 3217
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Dunno Format: All sorts !!
Slam dunk highly recommended, lovely to sit Andy and Sam. Some very good competition too a good atmosphere. The more I see Dave the moor I like his quizzes, some great original content and the unique ‘Midwife Crisi’ of being able to recind an answer. Terrific Stuff
Urmston Sports Club, Urmston, M41 5UU, withJohnny Spangles
Quiz of the Month
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 0161 748 4660
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Johnny is one of those guys who – no he isn’t, he is a man alone, combining entertainment, quiz and a lovely welcome a great crowd. The daddy
Valhalla, York, YO1 8BB, withLottie
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01904 653999
Cost: 1 . Prize: 3 drinks and 2 drinks Format: Standard SQ small lyric round
I'm on a quiz not a study of architecture, but I have to say outside it looks like Swindon dole office but inside it's like Flourish and Blotts! Standard first round, ergo good. 4 and 1. Interesting how that one point for speed adds such zest! I got a bit grumpy not getting Lyrics from Layla and Bohemian Rhapsody, but Lottie playing Four Year Strong made up for it. She didn't go daft on the nearest wins so my 6 out of six first on the Sinah round in evil last round was a real feather for me. Highly recommended, duh. :)
Venue, Colne, BB8 0BS, withSteve Humbert
OK
Tuesdays at Not on o’clock
Telephone: 01282 863355
Cost: Not on . Prize: Not on Format: SpeedQuiz
I get the feeling it's not going to be full of students. It is the only one for 15 miles around. Good luck Steve Humbert. :) At 6 I was told it was on. At ten past nine I was told it wasn't on! Steve seems like a good guy and gave me 20 questions, which puts him on the list for a re visit
Vic's Bar, Prestwick, KA9 1PB, withMax Irvine
Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01292 677674
Cost: Free . Prize: £45 voucher, £20 voucher Format: 60 SQ, 3 sets, 6/2, 10/3. 20/4
I went to see Max last night, and 5 km down the coast this was a pretty loyal copy, same prizes, same format, same pub type, same host (d’hoy). Even exactly the same finish with me blowing the penultimate picture question and leaving a couple of easy putts out there to lose by less than a question (all pretty great, apart from the last on a personal level, but that does not count). And the same concealment of personal scores and glitchiness about reward scores. WHY?? I so want to highly recommend this wonderful country, coast and quiz, but I cannot whilst there is even a suspicion of false control. (Unlike other nights I do not think there was any jiggery pokery going on tonight, Max seems a great guy and the winning team were IMHO well deserving. Special shout to the £4.50 curry, excellent lad behind the bar and beautiful pub (non-quiz I know) and FREE, and Great prizes again. FECK – just shows us our scores, we all want to see them. Recommended. Can’t wait to come back next year. I live in hope that that button will not be clicked to hide our scores.
Vic, St. Andrews, KY16 9UY, withMackenzie Watson
Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01334 476964
Cost: Free . Prize: £60 Voucher Format: 4 x 20 straight 10/5 sliding scale each question
Such an awkward one to assess, in that it was a good quiz (80 questions) delivered impeccably (a tad over 90 minutes) by a nice bloke, who was effusive with praise for my performance (I was late, missed the first round and came second), in mother fecking St Andrews goddammit!! My walk to and from the car took me around the 17th green, over the Swilken Bridge and up the eighteenth fairway of the Old Course, the most iconic 500 yards in sport, on this Pale Blue Dot of 8 billion people blithely spiralling into self destruction. Whoops! If that was the good side what are the negatives? Wrong start time advertised (It was 7.30 slated as 8 on the SpeedQuiz map). £6.90 a pint. (for historical perspective Wetherspoon sell you a pint for less than 2 quid). Other than 10 for a correct answer and five for being first throughout, I still don’t know if there was a sliding scale (I’ll check the final scores – one minute… It must have been a sliding scale as I was the only team on a multiple of 5). Ergo no scores on the handsets, and only a reveal of the scores at the end. Mackenzie said he didn’t show scores because teams would alter their strategy. I would say well yes – that’s gaming. I have not met any quiz player who would not like to see their scores. Like a chef saying you can not have condiments because I say so. Back to St Andrews, the home of golf. Just imagine, we are not telling you the scores because you adjust your strategies!!!!!!! I’ve got to start being harder. Recommended is still recommended. You can wander round the Old Course without paying 7 quid a pint.
Victoria Inn (Fanny’s), Bolton, BL1 5AG, withDarren Goulden
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0120 4849944
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty to first two Format: 105 questions sensible music, buzz in, 5 nearest wins at the end
Last time I saw Darren was just over a year ago, and was not particularly enamoured with his quiz. On re-reading my review from 22nd April last year I reckon it was more or less the same format; a really really solid set of questions with buzz In, sensible music, and some interesting bespoke to go with the GK’s. So what has changed? Why is this now an easy highly recommended? I think some of it is me. I am resigned to 5 nearest wins at the end of the round. They still only shuffle teams around as opposed to embrace the lower teams, but - whatever :). Though I’d rather see the scores and scoreage on the handsets, there was enough reference between the rounds to keep informed. The pub, competition (Liam McCarthy), and company (Dave Atherton, Lucy, Alex, and the two Stephens were just terrific (I would have liked more of the handset, but I was not captain so, what ho). Still wasn’t sure exactly what the scoring was, but despite me only keeping a non competitive handset I was still on the podium, so it probably wasn’t overly weighted to speed. Sound was adequate, Darren should talk to Ian McKendrick. Timing was good. So I’m not sure, but I think slightly more score references, and the company edged it for me.
Village Hall, Barrow, IP29 5AN, withGary Woodland
Quiz of the Month
Mondays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01284 811467
Cost: £5 per person . Prize: £100 for winners, more cash for podiums, then just stacks of stuff – see review Format: 50 SQ then 20 brilliant musix
It has been eighteen hours since I finished this quiz, and my mind has been largely occupied with what to write. I still struggle. A thousand mile walk starts with a small step. I have been to some fecking terrific nights, not but not one of the hosts, with their justifiable egos could possibly begrudge the village of Barrow in Suffolk this Quiz Of The Year. I feel sad that I can't give away 365 quizzes of the year, but I can't, and in this case it is not particularly difficult. Considering how good many of these things are, I wish to emphasise how outstanding this was. Why? Because in every aspect it was top of the class - straight As, and more besides Questions: A SpeedQuizzing set - always good, 4/1 scoring that suits quizzers and quiz teams, consistent all the way through and an icing on the cake music round that contained such variety - from Olivia Rodrigo back to those dreamy opening strings on Ella Fitzgerald's version of 'Ever'y Time We Say Goodbye' OMG, all that stuff was on the money (did he curate the crap out of the SQ set?) The Host: Gary Woodland could have made this about him. He did not. Solid PA up on the stage and excellent mikeage, he delivered with proficiency, patience and humour without getting at all caught up in it. Exactly the right man and kit for the job. The place: Village hall in a village of 1,500, opposite a beaut of a pub, the Three Horseshoes where Gary normally does his quiz The crowd: It seemed like everybody from the village over the age of eighteen was in the hall, about 40 teams with half a dozen each The company: Gemma, Mia and Nick? let me join their team. They were expecting to come last! Afterwards we went to the pub where Jack and A Aron were in charge and listened to Ren all the rest of the night The music: A local choir, then a barbershop group, had me from the pitch pipe. By 'In my Room' I was crying The prizes. Furrrrrrr. Never, never have I seen so much stuff given away, Holidays, trips, Booze, god knows it went on and on. And on and on. Where did it all come from? See below. The Cause. A girl called Sarah used to babysit and then became best friends with Annie. Annie died in a car. I have spent the majority of my life advocating rationality in transport. She put on this great occasion as a fundraiser, and the donors were most generous. I heard the figure £4,000 plus bandied about. I know, Aaron is still driving to work tomorrow in Oxford, and she is not going to give it to Just Stop Oil but... nobody's perfect! This quiz kinda was.
Village Inn, Brompton, DL6 2RL, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 10
https://studio.youtube.com/video/ieRegBFa2Ig/edit
Vine, Sale, M33 7UD, withChris Matthews
Quiz of the Month
Thursdays at 9? o’clock
Telephone: 0121 272 5499
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Kitty (£40 today) Format: SQ with a TV tunes round which was perfect for us, but not so much for Under 25s!!
This was my prediction. Not much on the scoring, fast tracks to the end, 10 teams, win, Recommended. These were my initial thoughts: OMG! "You can charge your tablet but nothing else". Noooooo :) really. Phone, tablet, laptop, light, and brick for a FULL charge cost less than a penny, penny, penny, penny and 3p. Shakes head.These were my apres quiz thoughts: As with all mistakes it was probably a mistake (the chargers). I was nearly right on predicting the numbers and position. I was completely wrong about Chris Matthews. It was a terrific quiz, and he was the best. Write a GREAT review tomorrow. This is the actuality. Perfect scoring on a sliding scale (Yes there wasn’t much on the handsets). Loads of questions and sensible music round on TV shows. Fun game bottle chucking. Fast tracks to question TEN on the last round of 20. 5 nearest wins questions with NO inflation. Nice certificate as well as the cash. Ashton, as usual, was imperious, but Chris just exuded joy. A GREAT review.Highly Recommended
Vine, Uxbridge, UB10 0JQ, withDaniel Murray
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01895 259596
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Waggon Makers Arms, Bury, BL8 1TA, withNone
Meh
Sundays at Shut o’clock
Telephone: None
Cost: Shut . Prize: Shut Format: Shut
Shut. Now I don’t think I’ll get a message back from SpeedQuizzing saying “thanks for informing us Steve, we will take it off the database”. The last time it was “We hear somebody is causing trouble and insuting people” (I wasn’t, and I wasn’t). You’re fucking welcome.
Walkabout, Brighton, BN1 2RA, withJames Boyle
Recommended
Mondays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01273 256720
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
I'm getting too old for this kind of shit.A really good, buzzing buzz in quiz. Geared towards students and so it should be. The proof of the pudding is 28 teams on a Monday night. I'm very much down the table, but that is just an indication how the content is pitched on the sweet spot for his customers. Never got that 'damn what is he asking that for?' feeling. Lots of shots given out, lots of original content, the conspiracy round was awesome, and it's by the seaside! 10. What's not to like? Being 19th! :) Not getting Kirsten Bell or Kingsman. Damn those Ks.
Walnut Tree, Sandal, WF2 6BH, withAshley Aspin
Recommended
Sundays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01924 250480
Cost: Free . Prize: Prizes for #1, #2, and last Format: SpeedQuiz with music – taday was a food and drink special
This review is a compare and contrast with the quiz I did the night before at the Hedley Verity in Leeds. I have to say that Ashley puts a great deal more into his question setting, today’s set was all food and drink related, all pretty original, with sensible music. So far top notch. I like Ashley, and have rolled along with him before and enjoyed it. The best team won today and it wasn’t me. And I think I just lost interest. 95% of the quizzes I go to are SpeedQuizzes. I must establish a more comprehensive list but here are three things I think are decent rules to live by in conducting these things Keep it simple If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it Show me my score Ashley, like an adventurous chef, may be missing these basics. IMHO that squanders his talent. Great question set, bogged down by feckaboutery and concealment. IFSIMG. (It’s free so I mustn’t grumble). Damn :(
Walnut Tree, York, YO31 1AN, withPaul Waddingham
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01904 233083
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Wardrobe, Leeds, LS9 8AH, withJohnny Machin
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0113 383 8800
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Warehouse, Huddersfield, HD1 2RA, withBrody
Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01484 511698
Cost: 1 . Prize: £20 to spend ON THE NIGHT!! Format:
Nice big modern pub, which is quiet at the moment (7.30). I have an itinerary for the week, and finding 48 quid on an app for this chain is a frikkin' great start. The menu beckons. Faith is sweet. Avengers round. And it's not gonna be Emma Peel and Steed. There are 8 teams in the mix but it kind of feels like 8 individuals in two teams. And me of course. Brody is only on his second week so I'll let him off not putting the scoring system and personal scores up. I was right to be skeptical about the avengers round. I went fro first to last but one, and the top team must have scored at least 120 to my 30. I didn't play badly, I've just watched other films. Still, cest la vie. Meh on that round, let's hope there's no other tricks. And that's the way it turned out. The last round of three was 10 10 in evil mode I played it almost perfectly and won by 40 points. So for £1 to enter, nice staff, decent pub, I hope the presentation will improve along the numbers. A 20 pound voucher to spend ON THE Night was a little tight. Recommended. Afterthought. In the last round I went from 87 to 278, i.e. 191 points. I left three alone, ergo scored 17. I was first 7 times ergo it must have been only 3 for a first place. That is as good as I've played. Brody didn't increase the default bonus. He decreased it. So he can adjust shit if he wants too!
Wateringbury, Maidstone, ME18 5NS, withMarc Coates
Quiz of the Month
Fridays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01622 812632
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Cash for first 5 (£50 and £30 were top two), chocolates for last Format: 120 questions divided into 12 specialisms, with three nearest wins. All 4/3,2,1
Wow! I’m reticent to start this review, as there is a great deal to write. It is -8º on the 17th December, my Laptop is Frozen, my camping gaz is liquid (i.e. not boiling, I.e. totally low pressure if any), And My breath is misting up the screen and my glasses. It is fucking cold – but it is ace as well. And this is not a quiz review yet.Marc Coates sets three blocks of questions, each block being 4 rounds of ten specialist questions, plus one ‘nearest wins’. Each question is worth 4 points for correct and 3, 2, and 1 for the fastest answers, as so:Music Intros, Science and Nature. TV, Numbers, Nearest wins (10 points), Music Clips, Sequence, Sport, Picture, Nearest wins (20 points), Pot Luck, History, Movies, Geography, Nearest wins (30 points). The really good teams get handicapped There is zero fuckaboutery The questions were neither patronizing, nor were they overly esoteric. Balance is the word I keep thinking of, with every aspect of this quiz. The sets were absolutely fair in their pitch relative to each other. For the subject rounds you can play a joker and double your points.This, IMHO is an optimal quiz design for a quiz fan. Fair, consistent, clear, and balanced. He gives you a sheet with the subjects on prior to the start, so you know exactly what you have in front of you, as well as which you have the scope to strategise, with your joker, and speed of reply.The tech is good. No screens, and no scores or scoring on the handsets, but with a good, clear score-check every ten questions this becomes immaterial (The score-checks disappear in the last few rounds, only Georgina and Marc had the privilege of witnessing the Titanic battle in the final straight).Marc seems to know what he is doing, and there were no occasions I can remember when his diction was not perfect. He was welcoming. I was made to feel very welcome by Marc, Georgina, Steve Walker (An amazing quizzer who started of -91 and just ground his way to the top), Kevin (whose quiz I am going to tomorrow) and Jamie. The pub was nice and busy, with 16 teams.This is a genuine contender. OMG it has put the cat amongst the pigeons for my Quiz Of The Year
Waterside, Warrington, WA1 1PR, withDavid L
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01925 248380
Cost: Free, with an optional open the box . Prize: £30 Voucher, £20 voucher Format: SpeedQuiz with daft music
Good start, Bad start! Nothing to do with quiz. Everything to do with me vs humanity. Iona from Selkirk showed me my super little candlelit table right next to some plugs. Excellent. She then was nice enough to check my Hungry Horse card for me and told me there was £4 and odd left on it. Great!! I thought screw it, splash out on a £14 chicken salad. (I’m quite poor, I only make £28 a day from the lads in the house and perhaps £8 from pensions). The young man behind the bar says they could not accept it. I said they could. He said they couldn’t. I pointed out that I wasn’t sure, and that he was sure, therefore a £14 bet was a nailed on wager for him to take. I really am just the gift which keeps on giving. He didn’t take the bet. I said – Why don’t you just try it? He said no. I pointed out that bar a few tenanted pubs who just buy the beer and rent the house, this was the only Greene King Pub I had ever been too which didn’t accept them. He asked the manager. She said they didn’t, couldn’t, take them. I asked how did Iona from Selkirk find out I had some money on it? And why don’t you just try it? Finally she did. Shazam!!! It worked!!!!! I said “Today we learned”. I said “And you were sure” to the lad. He looked a little sheepish, smiled and said “Yeah, sorry, I’m bloody glad I didn’t take that bet” and everything was fine. That all happened. Apart from the last sentence. And that is why humanity is doomed. That lad is not the exception. He is representative of all humans. Great lad, typical human. Mistakes are fine. But failure to acknowledge and learn in not. And we don’t acknowledge, and we don’t learn, and that is far from fine. Of the five people in my immediate vicinity, a three and a couple four of them are on their mobiles, and have been for half an hour. Fuck. Kill me already. All five of them now.Buzz in when you hear the tune is such shite. Note to self. Write a piece about it.30 points for Facebook is immoral. Note to self. Write a piece about it.But… :)David, the host shoots a straight arrow. Increasing values for questions, evil mode last round, Fast track for the first ten, Nearest wins worth sixty – I endorse this formula. If it were Bingo instead of Buzz for the tune I would not let that affect my judgement. Ergo neither should I let the waste of music. It keeps people in the pub and it makes the result a little fuzzier. That is OK. The boring team were literally a great bunch of lads. It’s important to be nice. David, with his good humour, and Iona from Selkirk take it into highly recommended – hooray!!
Wellington, Farnworth, BL4 7NY, withDJ Daz
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01204 862180
Cost: ? . Prize: £20 Bar Tab valid for a week Format: SpeedQuiz
Loved this quiz shit tonne of original content even the dingbats were fun in this context and absolutely lovely people in my corner of the room Signature even bought e a bingo card and it was 90 p for a pint of orange. WAY TO GO
Wellington, Preston, PR2 1AR, withKatie Hickson
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01772 821288
Cost: 1 . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
This is the perfect example of why pubs should use speedquizzing. Pure and simply 66 questions, good beer excellent stew, in what we would call an estate pub. Kate was the first to admit to her dyslexia but it did not detract from the fun of the quiz in fact it may have added to it putting everybody at ease and making them feel clever! I missed the first round and was disappointed to do so. The home teams held on! Yay to that.
Wentworth Arms, Mapplewell, S75 6AU, withLeah Lockwood
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01226 390702
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 voucher valid for 12 months Format: SpeedQuiz, three rounds, 4/3. 6.6, then 10,5 half way through 10/10, last evil
Always solid, good prize
West Yorkshire Sports and Social Club, Sandal, WF2 6ER, withMe
LightSpeed Quiz and QU12
Saturdays at Noon o’clock
Telephone: 07462 27 25 52
Cost: 5 . Prize: Cash Format: LSQ 2019 12
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHxukTOjYMKyDDQKmx-P8FfNI8aP24EN1
Wharf, Bugbrooke, NN7 3QB, withSpanky (Steve
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01604 832585
Cost: Free . Prize: Bottle Of Wine and a few chocolate bars Format: Jeez. A lot. Two buzz in rounds, 1 order, 2 GK, 4 Bitch slap questions. A whole heap! 100 point last question Snitched!
Another welcoming host, who delivers one of those quizzes which contains just boatloads of questions and no shit. Steve is larger than life, and his quiz is waaay larger than average. Yet he really cracks on with it, without making it seem rushed. In retrospect, this is most impressive. And… This is a good thing… The prize is a bottle of wine. Please hosts don’t go all Alan Leach and reduce the prizes. What would I do without those cash jackpots and vouchers??? Nice pub, superb location on the Grand Union, excellent sound system. Just the dog’s bollocks; I will have to compare this too the Revolution in Cheltenham for QOTM. Goodness, there are good quizzes around.
White Boar, Bury, BL9 9LN, with??
Recommended
Sundays at ?? o’clock
Telephone: 0161 7642114
Cost: ?? . Prize: ?? Format: ??
There was a quiz, but not a SpeedQuiz, so I’ll mark this down as a recommended as I am recommending myself to visit it again (I didn’t stay this time)
White Hart, Cheadale, SK8 1PX, withPaul Fairclough
Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 491 3028
Cost: Free . Prize: £20 Voucher Format: SpeedQuiz
This could so easily be a highly recommended if only there were score checks and perhaps info on how many people were getting things right. I guess we are really pleased our score, but.. Nice rounds this week on James Bond, which was gettable, and sensible music
White Hart, Oughtibridge, S35 0GX, withAlan Leach
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 6.30 o’clock
Telephone: 07522 505265
Cost: Free . Prize: £50 token, £20 token Format: SpeedQuiz with sensible music
Nothing but high praise for the pub, host, and software. Not only does Alan get a pass on any misdemenours – he doesn’t need it, he gets everything right. Straight SpeedQuiz with pretty deeecent prizes, and Alan’s music rounds are the best. 20 real and varied questions to suit everybody a bit, but nobody a lot (unless your a clone of Tony Walmsley with Zoe Greene). The pub returned my phone call staright away, it was busy, friendly and embraced this, their first speed quiz. They put food on. Good beer £4 a pint. Nothing not to like. Apart from the one way system in the village, unconstrained car use in general, 421 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere, 820 million people starving and Keith Lemon
White Hart, Woodley, SK6 1NP, withDave Bradley
Recommended
Mondays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 430 7612
Cost: Free . Prize: Voucher for 1st and second Format: SpeedQuiz
Very good. Dave is a good chap, and the pub people were nice. Scores on screens between rounds would have been good (it ended up three points difference 988 985 but we didn't have much of a clue till the end. Now, alongside the many good questions and dingbat round, the novel midwife crisis card and good music. Dave did give two questions and mixed them up. “Where was Nicole Kidman born?” He said C Australia, when c was Austria. He then said “what is 152 divided by two. He meant 154”. Meh, these things happen. He said he would fix the scores and didn't. On the number I lost twenty points. Absolutely double checked! So. Much as I loved the quiz, the man and the pub, it's a score adjustment short of highly... But still recommended, and I'd love to go again
White Horse Bedford, Bedford, MK41 9PX, withStephen Fuller
Highly Recommended
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 01234 409306
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
White Lion, Disley, SK12 2HA, withTed
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01663 762800
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: 20 Format: SpeedQuiz
I guess 'most enjoyed quiz' will happen quite a lot, in that I have a few pints and I cannot imagine enjoying life more. Tonight was one of those nights, everything was just relaxed, Ashton was there, the landlord came to talk to us, Ted delivered a straight speedquizzing set with great mimicry and the best music, it was just Nirvana for me. Never mind the walk with the sun setting behind me over Cheshire, Lyme house, up over Cage Hill, a herd of maybe 100 deer not less than 100 yards away from me, and a bat spotter. Every moment of today has been somewhere in between idyllic and asleep. How perfect?
Whittletaps Cheltenham, GL50 1HT, withCharlie Glover
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 7.30? o’clock
Telephone: 01242 222989
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Round of drinks and pizzas, plus at the end of the month the top scores get ALL the money!!! Format: 60 SQ
Very clear, very well timed (i.e. not much thumb twiddle time) Outstanding performance from the winning team who, scored 156 points in the last sixteen questions (One of the questions at least was answered by only one person)
Wiff Waff, Ipswich, IP4 1FH, withDash I forgot her name,
OK
Wednesdays at 7.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01473 213985
Cost: Free . Prize: Vouchers for top 3 Format: No General knowledge – see review
This is good, but not for me! 20 true/false random questions, 20 odd film questions, 20 odd Disney film tunes, 20 odd, maybe 30 TV program themes. Which kind of is great for big teams who have a couple who watch telly. Having said that they were pretty good. Got a food round coming up. It’s a shame that the last round involved a lot of nearest questions for a lot of points. Fair enough, but I reckon a couple of them were wrong 24 time zones in the world. Statue of liberty 390 inches high? I was third with a £5 voucher. I asked if I could get a pint for it and was told “Not ‘till next week”. A fucking pint. Which they get for £1.50 or less. WTF. You know I earn practically fuck all yet I would gladly buy any of the people who come to my quiz a pint. Not a meh, because there was nothing malevolent about it, but only OK. If there was an alternative I would go to it. With a rope in front of the stairs discouraging one to not come in I fear it will remain cold and under-subscribed. At least it wasn’t the Doctor Who special which is on next week. Plus points for idosyncracy. £5.50 a pint of Pale
Wilberfoss Pavilion, Wilberfoss, YO41 5AB, with??
Highly Recommended
Fridays at o’clock
Telephone: 07719 914861
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Willow, Leicester, LE4 9JR, withGary
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at o’clock
Telephone: 0116 269 3549
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: £50 cash plus runners up prizes Format: SpeedQuiz
Well. It's a highly recommended despite there being a little room for improvement. 3 quid a drink welcoming host two GK rounds sensible music round bingo (meh- get rid of that. Not been to Gala yet where they've put a quiz in between games cos some people like it) and an either/or round which didn't really take us anywhere. I would have a fast track to 15 GK instead to keep punters in the game. I think Gary should too. Excellent prizes for top three and Gary will definitely find his way! Highly recommended.
Winchester Gate, Salisbury, SP1 1JA, withNick De Souza
Quiz of the Month
Wednesdays at 7.30 ish o’clock
Telephone: 01722 503362
Cost: £3.50 per person . Prize: 5 Bars of chocoate for first five nearest wins, £100, £60, £20 and a bottle of prosecco for first 4 Format: 5 nearest wins, 45 General, 50ish specialist all SpeedQuiz
Exemplar quiz. Nick is welcoming, clear, well prepared, a true pro. The questions are copious (c 100), many original, the crappy ones pre-discarded, and the format contains some nice touches, like the 5 numbers at the start. Zero feckaboutery, not even fast tracks. The pub is what Americans visit England for, with staff who were just lovely, Book ahead and get there for 7.30. Now, the specialist rounds could have been written by me for me, with orthodox football, ‘folk’ music, and stage shows, so I’m not gonna complain about the way they fell. E games? Mutter mutter mutter, but I’m a boring old fart and there were only six, and I didn’t concede that many as the format with go wide rewarded strategy. I love SpeedQuizzing sets delivered straight by a reasonably competent member of the bar staff – absolutely. But here we have a craftsman, adding so much. If I had been last it would still be hot favourite for December. I never write thank you – until now. Thank you
Windmill Tavern, Uddingston, G71 5QQ, withKirsty
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 9.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01698 802171
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: Voucher Format: 3 rounds GK and one spot the music
I definitely need another rating, but after nearly 1000 quizzes it would be a daunting task going back over them all and fraught with judgemental error. I guess it is too a degree anyway (fraught). It should be along the lines of ‘considered for quiz of the month’. I’m going to try it for August 2023. Tonight will not be considered for quiz of the month but I would highly recommend it in that there were a slew of questions, there was a buzz in round, it was straight, and we were told what was going on and could see the scorage and our own scores. Buzz in when you hear the music seems a waste of music, but no more than a round of rock and roll bingo or whatever, it was late starting, I could not always quite tell what Kirsty was saying, but bless her, that was me being a stranger, not her being inarticulate!!. The Buzz in round took me by surprise, even though I’d seen Kirsty nearly a year previous in Motherwell (she recognised me) and should have expected it. A good team deserved to win, I’m feeling that I should not back off until I am secure and confident, The pub was decent and the staff really helpful. I’d love one of these every day of the week.
Wine and Wallop, Knutsford, WA16 6ED, withSteve
OK
Wednesdays at 7.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01565 228429
Cost: Free . Prize: 2 tickets for the Hacienda Format: 76 SpeedQuiz, 20 of which were music. Fast Tracks in first round
Real positives. Clear, competent host, lovely town and bar, best, most helpful ever phone responses and replies, and bang on the money for timage with a seven start, scores on handsets, done well before 9 and 76 questions. And 'free'! That's some good shit. The negatives. The only relative score check we had was at the end. The well sensible structure music round was 20 tracks from between 1995 to 2015 at a guess. I.e.aimed at a demographic in a narrow 20 year window. If I was woke i would say ageist. But I'm not. It was just a bit boring and unbalanced. I dont think there were any choons from the last seven years which kind of excludes the bright young things. Did he do that to screw us? Maybe. But it risks alienating people. The pub was expensive. Two burgers (tasty), 3 pints and a fresh orange with very little change from 50 quid (to put things in perspective we went to Witherspoon in Poynton afterwards and had decent pints for 2.49 each). To finish was a nearest wins (fair enough). He asked a member of staff to choose the value. The lad made two suggestions, both not accepted by the host. So why did he ask? Just say "The value is two more than the difference between first and second" not "I'm going to move the goalposts and if anybody complains its just a bit of fun (drops microphone in triumph)". And the prize was not what I consider valuable. Two tickets to the Hacienda to see some person I've never heard of and not interested in, playing somebody else's records. Look. A bottle of wine is 4 quid. Would that be too much? I looked up "OK Definition". First hit on the adjective was "satisfactory but not especially good" i think i might prefer 'good but not especially satisfactory! I'm genuinely sorry if we spook hosts. I advocate 'evening things up'. I'd say hosts who embrace what they feel might be detrimental positively are in the right place. It's a fairly tight line I know. But some do. OK?
Winter Gardens, Harrogate, HG1 2RR, withJessica Davies
Highly Recommended
Wednesdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01423 877010
Cost: 1 . Prize: £50 Voucher, Bottle of Wine, Shots Format: SpeedQuiz a bespoke 20 on a topic
It's a Wetherspoon, and what a Wetherspoon. This is the most amazing pub space, I'm sure it was something else in years gone past, and it's worth coming not only for the drinks and menu which is is pretty good given prices nowadays, after 6 it's free parking and the place.. woah. I rang to check and they said 7. On the SpeedQuizzing site it says 7. Naturally it's 8! Even 8. 15 saying that Jessica is one of those pleasant confident staff members who is going to be the benchmark for other Witherspoon pubs. She cracked straight on through two rounds in half an hour and kept the scores on the board so, so far highly recommended. Dreading the logos round! :) A most excellent quiz, highly recommended. IMHO fast tracks half way through the last round would keep teams other than Cornucopia and myself in the game. Jessica is delightful.
Woodcutter, Motherwell, ML1 1JP, withKirsty
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01698 327239
Cost: Free . Prize: £30 token Format: SpeedQuiz with Buzz-in round and spot the music
Where were you when The Queen died? I was in Motherwell whilst Graham was getting his phone run over. It rained a lot today. As for the quiz, sems straightforward. 6/1 for first round. Not as ebullient today. Daft innit? Round two was buzz in for four points. Round 3 was buzz when you here hit from the naughties 4/1
Woodhouse Gardens, Failsworth, M35 9WN, withFranny Ward
Highly Recommended
Mondays at 9.00 o’clock
Telephone: 0161 681 3782
Cost: Free . Prize: Dunno! Format: Speed Quizzing with original content, sensible music and random evil/open, and spins on wheel for rewards or penalties
Recommended. But... :) Content, crowd, pub, and Franny are all most excellent. Unusually the quiz starts around 8.30 with two printed sheets containing 20 pictures, some dingbats and anagrams. In retrospect the 40 points available are relatively few, compared the rest of the quiz, so though some can be googled, ten points is rarely going to promote the cheats. I'd rather have them as SpeedQuuz questions, perhaps with a couple of clues, and though this is an expression of personal choice, why not? Less work for the host, far less time consuming for players, and if people prefer written quizzes, go to written quizzes! Are two printed sheets better than nothing? Yes, but I wouldn't go out for them. You are welcome to feel otherwise. This is developing into to the longest review ever and I haven't even started on the SpeedQuiz yet. Lots of good, original, content, (I imagined suited to younger end as opposed to real quiz twats!) and nice use of the Speed aspect, with sliding scales and large rewards for quick answers. It's always a huge relief to have sensible music rounds (as opposed to buzz when you hear), and it's always a plus when the host walks around to say hello to new teams, so kudos. So, why is this excellent quiz not 'highly' recommended? The feckaboutery, IMHO, has a disproportionate gravity of demoting better teams as opposed to promoting the triers. The net effect is that the lesser teams still have little or no chance of giant killing, and, given that an objective should be to smooth out the chances, to include all, is sub optimal. Though the wheel of fortune that Frannie brings along may be great fun, we could not see it, so the visual impact was lost. Small gripe! Perhaps we should get there earlier for a better seat. I really should be praising him for innovation. And now... the clincher... its a very minor thing, but it colours the rest of the critique. Franny does this thing where if a team presses early, by accident or design, he calls it cheating and warns them of sanctions if it happens again. This is just plain pointless, a little offensive, and impossible to sustain without abandoning objectivity. Let people press when they want FFS. The daft thing is though it raises a small titter, the people around us think it's daft. Oh bugger it, it's not my place to tell a quiz host what to do, especially one as good and successful as Franny Ward. This is a late edit, after much contemplation and 5 days later: Highly Recommended. What a pleasure it was to a) quiz with Sam Roberts and B) meet up with the mighty Liam from Curse these metal hands. We came fourth, and the top team were large but very good and absolutely deserved it. A PUB quiz should reward large teams, that's great business.
Woodside, Crewe, CW2 8JU, withKevin Jay
Highly Recommended
Thursdays at 8.30 o’clock
Telephone: 01270 569513
Cost: £2 per person . Prize: Cash return, £25 for first today Format: Speed Quiz Buzz In Round, Sensible Music, Fast tracks in evil mode to the last
Why did I not write a contempraneous account of this? Ashton, said this was the one he most enjoyed, in that it had all the ingredients of a great speed quiz in terms of questions, hot, pub, yada yada yada, the added bonus of knocking an entitled team off their peg! It was really busy, you needed to book tables, brilliant scorage popping up between questions, so nothing not to like (well maybe Kev could do a speaker system as opposed to the single location, especially as there was a music round which involved identifying songs and artists
Woody's Restaurant, Woodthorpe, LN13 0DD, withMike Taylor
Highly Recommended
Sundays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01507 450079
Cost: £1 per person . Prize: £30, £20, and £10 vouchers Format: 5 x 20 rounds, one music
I’m developing a grudging liking for Mike! He does five rounds (Buzz when you hear the tune is whatever), they are excellent, he is clear and very well paced, the prizes are great, the room is dedicated but comfy enough, the location is East of the sticks (it’s sweet, close to the coast), there are little things here and there and, what am I saying??? - he needs more fuckaboutery!! Not for me, I absolutely am in awe at what a straight bat he plays, so all kudos too him, but I felt guilty. It’d be nice to see the scores on our screens. I wish I could make Mike happy!
Woolpack, Burgess Hill, RH15 8TS, withDan Whaley
Recommended
Thursdays at o’clock
Telephone: 01444 245178
Cost: £1 pp . Prize: Pot and bottle Format: Written music quiz over six rounds
Excellent written music quiz, I reckon just a little bit too trusting on the marking. I actually don't think anybody was at it. But, you never know.
Wulstan, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 8BU, withStuart Provan
Quiz of the Month
Sundays at o’clock
Telephone: 01782 613329
Cost: ? . Prize: £20 food voucher to spend within a week in the afternoon Format: SpeedQuiz
As near to a perfect quiz as is easy to imagine. On the technical side Stuart was clear and attentive, he started bang on the advertised time, the score board was the default screen between questions. I asked him if he had removed the shite questions, like how many vowels in consonant, and balanced out a couple of the usual 4 or so football ones and he replied he was glad somebody noticed. He had connections between questions, sensible music, consistent scoring. A buzz in round. The more I think about it, this was a man after my own heart. Was it just for 'good' players? Not at all, he had fast tracks in the last round for ten questions. It happened today that the top two teams played extra well to divvy up the top spots, but they, like the quiz, were exceptional. I could go on, great pacing, sensible breaks, music which had us shazamming to find out who it was. This guy had the recipe. Highly recommended. QOTM April 2022
Yates, Halifax, HX1 1HS, withWayne Thompson
Highly Recommended
Tuesdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01422 353668
Cost: ? . Prize: ? Format: SpeedQuiz
Sorry there is no review here yet
Ye Olde Lether Bottel, Northfleet, DA11 9PH, withKevin Portch
Highly Recommended
Saturdays at 8.00 o’clock
Telephone: 01474 355226
Cost: £5 per team . Prize: Cash for first 5 (£30, £20, £15, £10, £5 and £10 for bingo) Format: 120 questions with three nearest wins. Varying scoring, One fast track round
Highly recommended quiz, with a super host, and whatever is the tech that Kev was using, I can’t remember hearing a better sound. This was very similar to the quiz I did last night in structure, though the scoring was slightly different. Because the scoring altered between rounds I would have liked the personal scores and scoring on the handsets. I also thought it was a bit mean having handicaps (good idea) and fastracks (good idea on their own, but make your mind up how many ways you want to royally roger good players), and fastracks which a handicapped team were not allowed to win. IMHO it was a lot mean!These last two quizzes in Kent have both been absolutely terrific. If I had not been there, the top two places at both would have been taken by other quiz hosts working for the same company. This needs to be adressed. The nice thing is, these guys are hosts because they are great quizzers, the problem is, it looks bad. A dichotomy.