Sporting Questions (Question of Sport, A)

Member Name: Lakerfanster

Product:	Question of Sport, A
Date:	16/04/09 (316 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great telly, Sport's quiz

Disadvantages: Not long enough??

**Introduction**

I like to think I have a wide range of general knowledge and As a big Sports fan I like to think I know my stuff so I like to challenge myself by watching TV quiz shows and the best Sports quiz on the box is of course A Question of Sport. It is set to celebrate it's 40th Birthday next year and is the longest running quiz show in the United Kingdom if not the World.

**History**

The first A Question of Sport aired on 5th January 1970 and was hosted by David Vine who later became known for presenting the BBC's coverage of Snooker and Ski Sunday. The first team captains were boxer Henry Cooper and Welsh rugby union star Cliff Morgan. Other contestants included the likes of George Best, Ray Illingworth, Lillian Board, and Tom Finney.
David Vine presented the show until 1978.

David Coleman took over and was the presenter from 1979 until 1997, With the new format there were a number of changes and Emlyn Hughes and Welsh rugby hero Gareth Edwards became the new captains. Other captains during the Coleman era included Willie Carson, Bill Beaumont, Ian Botham, Ally McCoist and John Parrott completed the captains from the David Coleman era of the show.

Current Host Sue Barker took over in May 1997 and has been the host for nearly 12 years. Captains in the new era have included John Parrott, (1996-2002), Ally McCoist, (1996-2007), Frankie Dettori, (2002-04), And the current captains Matt Dawson, (2004-Present) and Phil Tufnell. There have been more than 800 episodes of the show since it's introduction in 1970.

**The Show**

Like all Quiz shows, A Question of Sport has a format for every episode. The format for the show is as follows. The team captains each have two sports stars on their team who are a guest for that show and all the show is done with the two teams having three contestants.

Picture Board

The contestants are asked to pick a number from the board and are asked to give their answer for who they think is in the picture once the picture has been revealed. Sometimes they can be caught out by a Sports person playing a different sport than they are known for.

Action Round

This round is where the contestants are asked to watch the action and once the clip has finished they are supposed to answer questions on what they have just seen. This round is a little similar to the observation round.

What Happened Next?

This is one of the best rounds, A video clip will be played and the contestants have to guess what happens after the clip is stopped. This round can often be quite funny as the outcome might suprise a few people and some of the answers can be quite wide of the mark.

Mystery Guest

I am usually very good at this round when I watch the show on TV, The format of this round is basically watching the video clip of a star doing something not connected to their sport and trying to work out who the sports star is with a series of quick glances and not much view of the sport stars face.

Home Or Away

This round is where the contestants are given a choice of a question about their own sport for one point or a question about any sport for two points. The team captains always receive an away question.

Captain's Challenge

This is where the captain stands in the middle of the two teams desks and have to convey what they see on the screen to their team without saying the actual word or words they see.

One Minute Round

This is where each team has a minute to answer nine questions each about a range of sporting knowledge. Any member of the team can answer and sometimes they talk between each other about the answer.

On The Buzzer

This is the final round and was introduced with the Sue Barker years. The two teams are asked six questions and either team can answer. The teams can buz in when they think they know the answer.

**Overall**

This is a fantastic entertainment show as it's a testing sports quiz as well as a comedy show as the conversations between the teams can be very funny. With so many new quiz shows around nowadays it's great to see that one has been going for so long and is still such a popular show. This has to be my favourite quiz show on the BBC. If there is one gripe it is that at half an hour the show is not long enough compared to some other quiz shows.

Summary: Great watch.