15to1

For some reason I decided to apply to appear on 15 to 1. Well in fact I know why - as a student my flatmates and I were always finished by 4 in the afternoon (or more likely 1 in the afternoon) and had plenty of time to spare to watch the cream of afternoon TV. 15 to 1 was one of our favourite pastimes back then.

Watching 15 to 1 cannot be considered a complete waste of time however, since you tend to glean several new facts every episode, and so watched regularly it can become an invaluable source of trivial knowledge. It is an unusual quiz show in that the prize is just an antique vase (virtually unattainable due to the incredible quality of some of the contestants). No million pounds here, only really prestige for the winner. 15 to 1 definitely ranks alongside Mastermind and University Challenge as a heavyweight quiz show.

My audition was in Edinburgh and out of the 200 or so blue-rinsed coffin dodgers who attended there were a few young people. It seems that only students, the retired or the unemployed have the time to go on such shows. The audition was done in the style of the real thing, with 15 people at a time standing in a semi-circle in front of the other hopefuls. The difference between the audition and the real show was that the correct answer was not necessarily required for the audition. The purpose of the audition seemed to be to check you had a reasonable general knowledge and that you didn't get stage fright. If for example you were asked which Shakespeare play had a character called Brutus in it, and you answered Romeo and Juliet as opposed to Julius Caesar, at least you demonstrated some awareness of the subject and that was a better answer than none at all.

Luckily, I was selected to go on the show and travelled down to London in September for the filming. I stayed with a friend the night before filming (see Adam's Big Night Out) and we went out for a couple of drinks the night before. On the way home we had a curry, which I managed to spill down my front. Thankfully, I thought, I had another shirt with me to wear during the filming. When I arrived at the studios however the woman backstage asked me to change it as the blue checks would cause interference on the TV. She offered me one of their shirts as a replacement - a hideous black silk darts player type of shirt. This would simply not do however and so she took my curried shirt away for me, ironed it and that is what I wore on the day. The stains were absolutely not visible on the show, I checked.

As for the filming itself, there were some surprises. It is not all filmed in one go for a start, as it appears to be on the TV. They only ask about 5 questions and then stop, move the camera, and then do some more. The way they make the apparent continuity is to ask you to continue when you hear the buzzer. The two cuts are then knitted together so that the viewer doesn't notice. Also, the rapturous applause at the end of each round is a tape, as you are only allowed one guest each and so there is hardly anyone in the studio watching.

I was so nervous. I desperately wanted to get at least one question correct so that I was not out immediately. Thankfully I managed that at least.

The Questions

So here are the questions I was asked. Answer these as honestly as you can and within about 4 seconds. The wording here is exactly what I was asked:

Q1) ASTRONOMY. Which of the nine major planets in our solar system is named after the Greek god of the sky and heavens?

Q2) OPERA MUSIC. The Bayreuth Festival established in 1876 is an annual celebration of the work of which German composer?

Q3) Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body. What is the correct name of the study of the function of the body?

Q4) FAMOUS FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. What is the name of the spymaster hero, created by Tom Clancy, who has been played on film by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt For Red October and Harrison Ford in Patriot Games?

Q5) IMAGINERY PLACES. What, according to the title of Arthur Conan Doyle's book, is located on the volcanic plateau in Maple White Land, Brazil?

The Answers

Question 1. I knew it wasn't Mercury, Venus (love?), Earth, Mars (war?), Jupiter (king of the gods?), or Pluto or Neptune (sea?) so that left just Uranus and Saturn. I went with Saturn. Unfortunately the answer was Uranus, and so I missed my chance on national TV to say, Bill, you?re anus.

Question 2. I had to get this right to stay in. The question didn't start off well at all...opera. However the German composer bit gave this away and I said correctly Richard Wagner.

Question 3. Quite straightforward I thought, Physiology. I got to nominate two people and put one of them out.

Question 4. No idea. The answer was Jack Ryan. Both films were on the TV the week after the filming!

Question 5. No idea with this one either. It was The Lost World. Easy once you hear it I guess.

So there we go. I was the 6th last one out which was more to do with the fact no-one was nominating me than anything. I was pleased to have been able to answer at least one correctly so for me the even was a success, although I should have said the name of someone I know for Q4 and imagine turning down the chance to say Uranus on national TV for the first question. Ridiculous.

For more info on 15 to 1 check out this obsessed individual's fan page:

http://www.jones-cliffe.freeserve.co.uk/15to1/