In the competitive landscape of Monday night television quizzes, Ken Bruce's "Popmaster" has emerged as the champion, according to TV critic Christopher Stevens. The music quiz, a format honed by Bruce over thousands of mornings on Radio 2, now airs daily at 10:30 a.m. on Greatest Hits Radio and has a television adaptation.
Stevens notes that the TV version of "Popmaster" retains the brisk pace of its radio predecessor, enhanced by the visual enjoyment of contestants engaging with music and testing their knowledge. The show's structure, featuring a balance of obscure and well-known tracks, ensures that participants can score points without necessarily achieving a perfect score, with the lead frequently changing hands.
While "Popmaster" celebrated its success, other quiz shows were also reviewed. "Only Connect," hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell, is described as an "agonising" quiz rich in trivia, which the critic admits he can enjoy despite his inability to answer most questions. The show's host recently cited a poll indicating that a significant portion of the British public uses profanity, with a notable percentage comfortable with such language in various settings.
"University Challenge," a more serious academic quiz that follows "Only Connect," presents a different challenge. Stevens admits to playing along personally, not expecting to match the students' expertise, particularly in scientific or mathematical rounds. However, he finds personal satisfaction in occasionally knowing general knowledge answers that stump the teams, such as identifying books with "Death" in the title.
Amol Rajan, the presenter of "University Challenge," has settled into his role since taking over in 2023. He is noted for his blend of "caustic contempt" for incorrect guesses and "genuine sympathy" for near misses, punctuated by "scathing chuckles."