Round Britain Quiz
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Round Britain Quiz (or RBQ for short) is a panel game that has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 since 1947, making it the oldest quiz still broadcast on British radio. It was based on a format called Transatlantic Quiz, a contest between American and British teams on which Alistair Cooke was an early participant.
Originally hosted by Gilbert Harding and Lionel Hale, teams from various regions around the UK play in a tournament of head-to-head battles. In each half-hour programme, each team faces four multi-part questions with up to six points that are awarded on the host's judgement. The parts of the question generally have a common theme running throughout them, and a degree of lateral thought is often necessary to score full marks. One question for each team has a music or sound component, and another is submitted by listeners.
The programme was hosted by broadcaster Nick Clarke from 1997 until his death in 2006.
The current theme tune is called Scherzo and Trio performed by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
Hosts during the programme's history have included Roy Plomley and Anthony Quinton. Regional contestants have included John Julius Norwich, Fred Housego, Brian J. Ford, Patrick Hannan and Philippa Gregory.
BBC MindGames Magazine includes a number of BBC-linked puzzles, including Round Britain Quiz, a series of cryptic clues linked by a common theme.
