Issue of the day: Popmaster
IT is usually the time of the busy weekday morning where many workplaces throughout the country take a break to test their musical wits, but Popmaster is now proving to be a unifying moment for households on lockdown.
Popmaster?
The BBC Radio 2 quiz takes place at 10.30am on weekday mornings during Ken Bruce’s show, testing the musical knowledge of two different contestants each day, who play against each other for the chance to win a digital radio.
The nation stops?
The Radio 2 website features a printable poster that proclaims “We Stop for Popmaster”, with the advice that: “Expecting a delivery? Don’t worry – just put the sign on your front door and the delivery driver will know not to disturb you. Is your boss always wanting a ‘meeting’ at 10.30am? Just stick this handy sign up by your desk and everyone will know not to bother you at this crucial time.”
How does it work?
Each contestant answers 10 questions based on popular music from the 1950s through to the current charts. Answers are worth three points, with bonus questions on a chosen topic worth six. The total points on offer are 39.
Three-in-10?
The winning contestant has10 seconds to name three UK singles chart hits for a particular artist or group named by Bruce. If they do so, they win the DAB digital radio and if not, they win a Bluetooth speaker.
One year out?
When asked to guess the year a track was released, Bruce is often required to exclaim: “One year out!” And so, T-shirts are on offer as consolation prizes, with some even appearing on ebay, along with Popmaster mugs.
Coin toss?
One nail-biting Popmaster last summer saw Bruce – for the first time in the quiz’s history – declaring a winner via the toss of a coin. After being tied on 30 points each, the two contestants both wrongly answered successive questions in the tiebreak. Bruce then said: “Right, then, the coin’s out”.
It’s a lockdown hit?
Popmaster has never been short of fans since it first took to the air in 1998, but as households on lockdown look for ways to entertain themselves, social media users are tuning in in droves, posting their scores, and either celebrating or venting their frustration online. As a result, Popmaster is now trending daily on Twitter.
Although some say it’s harder? Some have taken to Twitter to declare it “has got ridiculously hard during the lockdown!” Another said simply: “I’ve now been able to introduce my family to the delight that is Popmaster since the lockdown. Usually they are at work. Silver lining and all that.”
Bruce is still top of the pops?
The Glasgow-born 69-year-old, who began his broadcasting career in hospital radio, has been on Radio 2 since 1980. Recent figures show his morning broadcast is the most listened-to radio show in the UK, with nearly 8.5 million listeners turning in.