In this final episode the TV quiz show is put under the spotlight. Why do we love quiz shows so much? And what does the way the formats have changed over the years tell us about our intelligence as a nation? Is TV dumbing us down, or braining us up?
The programme takes an entertaining and nostalgic journey from the simple American-derived formats of the 1950s like Take Your Pick, through the aspirational high-brow shows of the 60s like University Challenge (presented by Bamber Gascoigne, pictured) and Ask the Family, through to the hyped-up financial frenzy of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
More than any other type of television, quiz shows have always shown us what we value, and they have shaped our view of what kinds of skills should be rewarded. So what do they tell us about the evolution of British values, and the British brain? The most recent wave of formats, like The Weakest Link and Goldenballs, are less about what you know, and more about how you can manipulate others; what does that tell us about how we've changed?
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