Our sports reporter Adam Lanigan on his triumphant Fifteen to One appearance

WE have all watched quiz shows over the years and screamed at the telly when the contestant is struggling to answer a simple question.

Suddenly, I was that contestant — standing there with sweaty palms under the lights of the TV studio, I was in the spotlight.

Here I was on Fifteen to One, the Channel 4 quiz show that advertises itself as the hardest quiz on television.

There was no going back now. I couldn’t change channel if the questions were too hard!

As contestant No 14 out of 15, I watched as host Sandi Toksvig asked nearly all of the others a question before it was my turn.

When Sandi started asking me my first question, I was convinced I had no idea what the answer was. I could hear the cogs of my brain going until I produced a moment of inspiration.

I was right. I had got a question right on TV!

I had achieved the first aim, which was not to embarrass myself completely. Now it was on with the rest of the show.

But it’s confession time. Two friends and I have done a pub quiz on a Monday night for a good few years with a fair amount of success.

Without wanting to boast, we’ve won the quiz quite a few times, and we all pride ourselves on a wide array of general knowledge.

One of my two friends, Theo, had appeared on TV a couple of years ago in the quiz show Perfection, and had badgered my friend Marc and me to have a bash ever since.

So I decided to take the plunge. Having watched Fifteen to One in my university days, I thought that was the one for me.

With only the overall series winner guaranteed to receive a cheque, I certainly wasn’t doing it for the money.

I applied and was then invited to do an interview on Skype. This consisted of a general knowledge quiz and a few questions about me.

I was never told the answers, but I must have done well enough as a few weeks later, I received an e-mail to tell me I had made it through!

The show only lasts about 45 minutes when it is broadcast, but that is only half the story of the production process.

Throw in hair and make-up, wardrobe, sound tests and shots to camera and it feels like a long time before the episode starts filming.

And that doesn’t even include all the time spent in the green room beforehand.

By the time you are in position, you suddenly have a small idea of what it’s like to be Gary Lineker or Graham Norton every week.

Once I had got that first question correct, my attitude changed. It’s a game show after all and you want to do well.

I came fourth and was the last person to be eliminated before the final three compete to decide the day’s winner.

I had done well, but there was a slight sense of disappointment.

Each contestant is allowed three attempts to reach the final three, so I had two more chances.

There were nerves for my second appearance, but not on the same scale.

Nothing was new this time — apart from the questions!

This time, I made it through to the final three. But I wasn’t finished there.

After a ding-dong battle, when all three lights went red for the other two contestants, I had won.

As it turned out, my score was not enough to reach the series Grand Final, but that didn’t bother me at all.

Riding home on the train afterwards with a Fifteen to One trophy in my luggage was one of the best feelings ever.

Now the trophy takes pride of place on the mantelpiece at home and I never tire of talking about my exploits.

But there is always one question I get asked by friends and family — which TV game show am I doing next?

The reality is I probably won’t. There is no urge to do another, and I can retire happy in the knowledge that I’m a Champion.

And I’ll be more sympathetic to anyone getting a question wrong on TV in future!

 

To compare your knowledge with that of Adam’s, here are five of the questions he faced on Fifteen to One.

Which British fashion label, famous for its loud, colourful shirts was created by Albert Benjamin Sugarman in 1963?

Which actor played the title roles in I, Claudius, Mr Pye, and Cadfael?

Policemen were given two nicknames relating to the Home Secretary who founded the modern police force. “Peelers” was one, what was the other?

Which actress played Cindy Beale in EastEnders and Stella Price in Coronation Street?

Name the long-necked dinosaur which takes its name from the Greek meaning double beam.

Answers — Ben Sherman, Derek Jacobi, Bobbies, Michelle Collins, Diplodocus.
Well, how did you do? Perhaps you could try your luck on Fifteen to One, too?