Elstree Avenue Studios, Borehamwood. A quick forty minutes outside of London is the location of historic and still active film and TV Elstree Studios, where we spent a lovely afternoon in the audience for a taping of one of our favorite UK game shows, Pointless.
Avid readers of this blog with little else to distract them in their lives will recall that we also went to a taping last January, when we nearly froze our feet off, when, desperate to be first in line, we arrived to stand in a line outside two hours early. But enough about us.
Pointless is a quiz show hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman. whom we both find endlessly entertaining. Each episode of the quiz features teams of contestants attempting to find correct but obscure answers to general knowledge questions, in order to score as few points as possible, and become eligible to compete for the show’s cash jackpot. All questions used on the show are factual and had been asked to a panel of 100 in a public survey.
Contestants seek to find correct answers that were given by as few participants as possible; those given by no participants are termed “pointless” and are the most desirable. Every pointless answer given during the main game increases the jackpot and one pointless answer must be given in the final round in order to win it. Got it?
The tickets are free, but highly coveted. We weren’t so crazed this time around, and it was a lovely day, so we were in the middle of the long line of eager fans.
Unfortunately, no photos are allowed in the studio, so I can’t share the exciting set and the dynamics of our heroes in action, but I can assure you it was a day we greatly enjoyed.
In fact, we rushed home to watch tonight’s show, just so we can leave England with a full arsenal of Pointless shows under our belt.
(Our Pointless friends here understand.)
I would love to hear more details on the show that viewers at home couldn’t know. Thanks.
Pointless is a great show – somewhat the opposite of Family Feud in the US, only it requires a lot more knowledge on the part of the contestants.
In each episode four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but obscure answers to four rounds of general knowledge questions, with the winning team eligible to compete for the show’s cash jackpot. All questions used on the show are factual in nature, and are asked of a panel of 100 individuals in a pre-conducted public survey. Contestants seek to find correct answers that were given by as few of the survey subjects as possible (“points”); each round is won by the team with the fewest points.
“Pointless” answers, given by nobody, score zero points, the best score. Every pointless answer given during the main game increases the jackpot by £250, and one such answer must be given in the final round in order to win it.