University Challenge - Irish Version

K4t

There should be one. There isn't one quiz show on RTE at present. We have far too many gameshows where vast amounts of money are given away in return for nothing except picking numbers and luck of the draw.

How about a proven quality quiz show on RTE1 of a night. We must have over 20 third level institutions in the country. The show could easily run for a few weeks.

Let's start endorsing this new 'smart economy' with a proper quiz show instead of this gameshow ****e.

Anyone else agree?

icdg

We had one. It was called Challenging Times, presented by Kevin Myers and sponsored by the Irish Times. Ran for a good few years in the 1990s until RTÉ uncermoniously cancelled it.

BigDinny

It was unfortunate that it was done away with it. I was involved in my college team for a few years and it was great fun both to participate in and to watch. In these austere times, it would be cheap and intelligent TV for RTE to show. I wonder if they will ever show some episodes from the archives?

EKRIUQ

Ya and while were at it bring back Blackboard Jungle as well.

Firetrap

Challenging Times. I remember it well. Kevin Myers could never quite hide his TCD bias

yurmothrintites

It would very cost effective to produce and popular for RTE. I'd definately watch it!

Ciaran B

Firetrap wrote: »

Challenging Times. I remember it well. Kevin Myers could never quite hide his TCD bias

I thought KM went to UCD?

dudara

Challenging Times was quite good.

Years ago, there was a quiz show on nearly every night of the week - "Where in the World", Murphys Micro quizm, Blackboard Jungle, Know Your Sport, Challenging Times, Quicksilver, Dodge the Question and others

All these were decent quiz shows, requiring a fair level of knowledge. Bring them back I say - I hate shows where people have no skill/ability (Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old really doesn't count)

KnifeWRENCH

It is pretty bad that there is no Irish quiz show at the moment. I'd love to go on one actually; probably wouldn't do very well but I'd say I have just about enough general knowledge to go on and not embarass myself! :P

I can remember watching Challenging Times when I was really young (like 7 or 8) Unsurprisingly I couldn't answer any of the questions but I still liked watching it.

NormanNicetouch

Ciaran B wrote: »

I thought KM went to UCD?

Definitely a UCD man. Interesting to watch the occasional old episode of University Challenge from the '60s or '70s they show now and then and compare the questions. Definite dumbing down with today's students having a much lower level of general knowledge. Likewise with the contestants on Mastermind.

BolBill

Challenging Times was great apart from having Myers as the host, hes grossly uncomfortable in that role but got the gig because of the Irish Times sponsorship.

Despite that, RTE should bring it back.

Knowing RTE though, they'll bring back Hot Milk and Pepper ....

Das Kitty

BolBill wrote: »

Challenging Times was great apart from having Myers as the host, hes grossly uncomfortable in that role but got the gig because of the Irish Times sponsorship.

Really? I thought he wrote for them at that point. He certainly did afterward.

Loved Challenging Times, It finished up when I was in fist year University. My husband was second sub for UCG in the final year of it. Actually our table quiz team is made up of the first and second subs, the team captain and lil ole me.

Both it and Blackboard Jungle were killed before their time.

bcoogie

Has anybody got any idea how one would go about getting a recording of a BBJ episode? A friend of mine was once on it and I am trying to source a recording to surprise him with at his birthday party!

pickarooney

I'd say the best chance would be to track down the parents of the other contestants and ask if they have a VHS recording. I know my parents and those of my team-mates still have the embarassing evidence of my TV débuts.

Elmo

You know that there is another channel that could do this too! It isn't the early 1990s anymore.

Anyone else notice the lack of general knowledge quiz shows on Irish TV.

Elmo

pickarooney wrote: »

I'd say the best chance would be to track down the parents of the other contestants and ask if they have a VHS recording. I know my parents and those of my team-mates still have the embarassing evidence of my TV débuts.

Where you one of the people who became semi-famous due being on the show nearly every week. Some of the team captains were nearly there for 5 years.

Einstein was the name of the computer.

JonathanAnon

Yeah I used to always enjoy the Challenging Times show. Maybe the title would be more apt now. They should put a few quid into this instead of wasting money on Jason Byrne, Baz, and Maeve Higgens roaring, roaring and speaking nonsense (respectively) into the camera.

Elmo

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Yeah I used to always enjoy the Challenging Times show. Maybe the title would be more apt now. They should put a few quid into this instead of wasting money on Jason Byrne, Baz, and Maeve Higgens roaring, roaring and speaking nonsense (respectively) into the camera.

Pity Kevin Myers presented it, I think that the guy who used to do the Arts Show on Radio 1 would be better.

Also anyone else heard of this independent station, wonder what they are doing?

pickarooney

Elmo wrote: »

Where you one of the people who became semi-famous due being on the show nearly every week. Some of the team captains were nearly there for 5 years.

Einstein was the name of the computer.

Not really. I briefly became an object of ridicule after almost blowing the final of CT with a ridiculous answer on the last question though.

Linku

Been watching lots of University Challenge recently, it's a pity RTÉ don't relaunch Challenging Times or another UC type show, it's gotta be cheap to make. There's plenty of ways to fill up the schedule with cheap, decent shows yet they come out with crap like their comedy nights.

8-10

bcoogie wrote: »

Has anybody got any idea how one would go about getting a recording of a BBJ episode? A friend of mine was once on it and I am trying to source a recording to surprise him with at his birthday party!

RTE Archives should have it, make a request here:

http://www.rte.ie/laweb/sales/sales_order.html

Try and find out which episode, maybe a familiy member could help? Good idea.

994

Could just hold an intervarsity quiz and maybe RTÉ (or TV3) would pick it up after a year or two.

Meeja Ireland

BolBill wrote: »

Challenging Times was great apart from having Myers as the host, hes grossly uncomfortable in that role but got the gig because of the Irish Times sponsorship.

Yes, he was a very unappealing presence. His florid eulogies of the teams at the end were skin-crawlingly embarrassing.

He also had the frustrating habit of stopping in mid-question when the final buzzer went, leaving the viewer gasping for resolution. "Which baroque composer was severely injured when he inserted a large studded - BZZZZ - I'm afraid I'll have to end it there."

Elmo

pickarooney wrote: »

Not really. I briefly became an object of ridicule after almost blowing the final of CT with a ridiculous answer on the last question though.

Sorry I was talking about Blackboard Jungle. They had some team there for a almost whole month because of the structure of the league and the fact that the show went out on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Illkillya

Agreed... Challenging Times was a good show, and Blackboard Jungle should have gone on longer too, got canceled just as I was going to 4th year so I missed out on my 15 minutes! Instead we had that awful "Gridlock".

It surely can't be too hard or expensive to run a quiz show, especially considering all the travel shows they're doing right now. At the very worst, couldn't they televise the latter stages of the Examiner Schools Quiz or whatever equivalents they have up the country?

Illkillya

bcoogie wrote: »

Has anybody got any idea how one would go about getting a recording of a BBJ episode? A friend of mine was once on it and I am trying to source a recording to surprise him with at his birthday party!

I think you can buy any show from RTE Archives - you could try to contact them and ask.

Elmo

Illkillya wrote: »

Agreed... Challenging Times was a good show, and Blackboard Jungle should have gone on longer too, got canceled just as I was going to 4th year so I missed out on my 15 minutes! Instead we had that awful "Gridlock".

It surely can't be too hard or expensive to run a quiz show, especially considering all the travel shows they're doing right now. At the very worst, couldn't they televise the latter stages of the Examiner Schools Quiz or whatever equivalents they have up the country?

Gridlock :rolleyes: as Dustin used to say Derek Mooney the poor man's Ray D'Arcy.

And the rules of gridlock :rolleyes:

amdublin

I loved Challenging Times and Blackboard Jungle!

I thought Kevin Myers was perfect person to host.

Can you imagine all that money that was wasted on Colm & Jim Jim's Home Farce last year as compared to running a CT and BJ type quiz show.

Elmo

amdublin wrote: »

Can you imagine all that money that was wasted on Colm & Jim Jim's Home Farce last year as compared to running a CT and BJ type quiz show.

No both shows had more episodes and both shows had time to be produced correctly.

I am guessing that Colm and Jim Jim was produce on far less than even one episode of CT or Blackboard Jungle.

amdublin

Elmo wrote: »

I am guessing that Colm and Jim Jim was produce on far less than even one episode of CT or Blackboard Jungle.

The budget for prizes alone on each episode of C&JJ surely were higher than productions costs for the quiz's.

Did you see those prizes they were giving away on C&JJ? Money for nothing! What a waste!

Elmo

amdublin wrote: »

The budget for prizes alone on each episode of C&JJ surely were higher than productions costs for the quiz's.

Did you see those prizes they were giving away on C&JJ? Money for nothing! What a waste!

The minibus was worth millions, it saved so many schools during the 1990s

The same can be said of WWTBAM?

MoominPapa

Maybe this is an opportunity for TV3 to get a bit of credibility.