Television critic Christopher Stevens has crowned Ken Bruce's Popmaster the best of Monday night's quiz shows, ranking it above BBC Two's Only Connect and University Challenge in his latest review.
Stevens opened his review by citing Only Connect host Victoria Coren Mitchell, who said a recent poll found that more than 90 per cent of British homes now resound to swearing and foul language. Coren Mitchell said the same survey found that almost a third of respondents felt comfortable using four-letter words at work.
The poll also found that 87 per cent of people would swear in public if they were in pain, according to Coren Mitchell. Four per cent of respondents said it was fine to curse in church, a figure Stevens said he hoped did not include Church of England clergy.
Only Connect and University Challenge
Coren Mitchell, a poker player and broadcaster who has presented Only Connect since the puzzle-based BBC Two quiz launched in 2008, has described the show as "more agonising than biting a piece of tinfoil." Stevens called it the only quiz he enjoys despite being unable to answer any of its questions.
He was more confident with University Challenge, presented by Amol Rajan, who took over the long-running student quiz from Jeremy Paxman in 2023. Stevens said Rajan made a hesitant start but has since settled into the role, showing "just the right amount of caustic contempt for the wild guesses and genuine sympathy for the near misses." Stevens said he correctly named all three books with "Death" in the title during one round, including one by Agatha Christie and another by PD James, a set of answers that stumped a team from St Andrews.
Popmaster crowned champion
Stevens named Popmaster, presented by Ken Bruce on More4, the outright winner of the Monday night quiz contest. Bruce honed the format over thousands of mornings on BBC Radio 2 before moving to Greatest Hits Radio in 2023, where he now presents Popmaster daily at 10.30am and calls it "the nation's favourite music quiz."
Stevens said the television version keeps the same brisk pace as the radio show, with the added pleasure of watching contestants enjoy both the music and the chance to test their knowledge. He praised the points system for balancing obscure and well known songs so that no contestant fails to score, yet none gets everything right either, keeping the lead changing hands throughout.
Stevens said he recognised Kate Bush's "Rubberband Girl" from just a couple of bars when none of the contestants could name it, but admitted he had never heard of Cilla Black's 1969 release "Surround Yourself With Sorrow."
