Daytime telly does n’t get any better than quiz

chance to answer and push the Chaser back. “YOU only need one of those answers to be Pointless…” “You’ve won our coveted Pointless trophy”. “FOR you, I’m afraid The Chase is over”. Pointless has grown into one of the jewelsj in the BBC’s crown.cro Its ratings have roroutinely been above 3.5m and recent Celebrity editionsedi have nudged five million. IT’S one of ITV’s most successful-ever daytime shows with January figures regularly topping 3.5m. celebrities trying to win for charities of their choice. David Coulthard, Kate Garraway, Rory Bremner and Stephanie Beacham are just a few to have given it a go. Ex-TOWIE star Amy Childs was left red-faced after a biscuit question booboo this month. THE primetime spin-off has seen Carol Vorderman, Corrie star Jennie McAlpine, EastEnder soap rival Rita Simons, Strictly’s Len Goodman and Alan Titchmarsh all facing the dreaded Chasers. POINTLESS THERE are now versions in France, Germany and Holland among numerous countries. In Croatia the title translates to “No one thought of that”, while in Poland it’s “Only you”. THE spectacularly successful show has crossed the world with America and Australia just a couple of the countries who have their own version, both of which feature UK Chaser Mark Labbett. POINTLESS IT’S now filmed at the Elstree studios used for Star Wars and Strictly. The laptop open on Osman’s desk doesn’t work and is merely a prop. DESPITE the rivalry, the two shows get along well and Bradley pops on to the Pointless set when he’s filming in the same studio complex. Three episodes a day are recorded and, as of the 1000th show, 135,680 questions had been asked. “THESE are important slots for TV companies as they traditionally used to be the kids’ TV times and then the Aussie soaps,” says Professor John Cook, TV and media expert at Glasgow Caledonian University.

“When they moved from that time there was a gap and both BBC and ITV have filled it with these game shows which have been really successful in the ratings.

“Pointless and The Chase provide an important bridge between daytime and getting us ready for early evening scheduling.

“You have two audiences, the stayat-home one, including pensioners, and those coming in from work and putting them on while they are making their dinner.

“That gives them a double life as far as TV bosses are concerned.”

And getting the right question mix is crucial.

“I know that Pointless was devised to be both highbrow, with real elements of difficulty, but also populist with questions that anyone can answer,” adds Professor Cook.

“And The Chase with its professional quizzers has that, too.

“They stretch your brain a bit but you can definitely play along at home.

“They really follow in the footsteps of Countdown which started the whole daytime quiz thing but has moved to elsewhere in the schedule.”