Peterborough’s Quiz Champion Steven Dodding tells Paul Stainton that Kings School Peterborough will provide one of the locations for this year’s World Quizzing Championships to be held on Saturday June 5th 2010. Broadcast at 07:55 on Thursday 29th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.
(MASTERMIND MUSIC)
PAUL: The World Quizzing Championships are coming to Peterborough. As well as the main quiz, there will be a crime and punishment tour, Cathedral tour, curry night, and lots more quizzes. Sounds like fun? Steven Dodding is the Peterborough Quiz Champion. I nearly called him a geek. Steven good morning.
STEVEN: Good morning Paul. How are you?
PAUL: I do apologise. We are being derogatory on purpose to people this morning, and then we’re apologising afterwards, if that’s alright.
STEVEN: So I believe, yes. So I believe.
PAUL (WHISPER: geek) Sorry about that. Sorry. Sorry.
STEVEN: (LAUGHS)
PAUL: It’s a new way of getting rid of your guests and your listeners.
STEVEN: There’s a lot of geek chic around at the moment, isn’t there? It’s a good thing.
PAUL: Geek chic! What is that?
STEVEN: Well I’m sure I have it in spades.
PAUL; (LAUGHS) Anyway. Peterborough has been chosen to hold the World Quizzing Championships.
STEVEN: Yes it’s exciting isn’t it?
PAUL: Yes!
STEVEN: (LAUGHS) Yes it’s going to be on Saturday the fifth of June at the Kings School in Peterborough. We’ve got twenty seven countries around the world taking part in it. We’ve got people from Australia, Bangladesh, America. They’re all taking it in their own countries at exactly the same time, doing the same questions.
PAUL: So it’s a massive thing then really. I’ve been a bit too derogatory towards it. It sounds like a massive event.
STEVEN: You are. It’s fabulous. So we’ve got, basically from Britain we’ve got quite a lot of famous people you’d recognise off the TV. We’ve got four of the Eggheads. We’ve got Kevin Ashman who’s the current World Champion. We’ve got everyone’s favourite pantomime villain CJ. We’ve got Pat Gibson who’s one of the new boys on Eggheads. We’ve got Barry as well. We’ve got a couple of Millionaire winners there, from Who Wants to be a Millionaire. We’ve got the current Brain of Britain turning up.
PAUL: Who’s he, she?
STEVEN: A guy called Ian Bayley, who’s a very bright spark indeed. So he’ll be there. And we’ve also got the forthcoming Mastermind champion. I can’t tell you who that is because it’s not been broadcast yet. But they’ll be there as well.
PAUL: Right. So some very very intelligent people allegedly. What makes an intelligent person? Is it just you’ve got a good memory?
STEVEN: Yes there’s a lot of that. Ther are no stupid people turning up here but is it more about just having a very good retention of facts really, and being interested in a lot of things as well.
PAUL: I struggle to remember things in long term. I’ve got quite a good short term memory but I’ve always thought it doesn’t necessarily make you clever because you can remember things a long time.
STEVEN: Ah well not necessarily. There’s a little bit of a correlation there. I wouldn’t claim we’re all brilliant or anything like that. But there’s no stupid people around.
PAUL: No. But stupid people can get involved, can they?
STEVEN: If you want to turn up you can.
PAUL: (LAUGHS) Say sorry now!
STEVEN: I’m sorry.
PAUL: No that’s alright. I’ll let you off.
STEVEN: (LAUGHS) I was going to test you out with a few questions, actually.
PAUL: Sorry?
STEVEN: I was going to test you with a few questions.
PAUL: Go ahead. Try. Try your best.
(MASTERMIND MUSIC)
STEVEN: Ok. Well these are some old ones we’ve got here.
PAUL: Ok.
STEVEN: How about this one.
PAUL: Yeah yeah.
STEVEN: This is under the “civilisation” section this one.
PAUL: Civilisation
STEVEN: In which French town near Paris can you find Disneyland Europe?
PAUL: Errr.
STEVEN: Have you been there?
PAUL: Just thinking. Hold on a minute. (ASIDE) Quick. Get on the computer.
STEVEN: You’re on Google, aren’t you?
PAUL: Yes. Is it Lille?
STEVEN: Lille?
PAUL: I don’t know.
STEVEN: No it’s Marne La Vallee.
PAUL: Of course!
STEVEN: Of course.
PAUL: Yes? Ok. None for one. Go on.
STEVEN: Ok. Do you want another one?
PAUL: Yes. Go on.
STEVEN: Ok. In later times the ancient Wonder the Colossus of Rhodes was identified with many deities ..
PAUL: Of course it was.
STEVEN: .. including Apollo. Who was the actual subject of Chares’ great statue?
PAUL: Was it Ben Hur?
STEVEN: Well that’s very close. It’s actually Helios.
PAUL: Close. Well he was modelled on Helios wasn’t he, Ben Hur?
STEVEN: He was. very much so.
PAUL: Right. Let’s just swap feet now please.
STEVEN: Yeah.
PAUL: Here we go. I’ve got a few questions for you sunshine.
STEVEN: Oh no.
PAUL: Where does the River Nene start and finish?
STEVEN: It’s just outside Northampton somewhere, isn’t it.
PAUL: It’s the World Quizzing Championships. They’re coming to Peterborough. He’s Steven Dodding. Where does the River Nene start and finish?
STEVEN: Well ..
PAUL: Final answer, final answer, final answer.
STEVEN: The Wash. It finishes at the Wash.
PAUL: Where at? Where?
STEVEN: Err. Somewhere near Sutton Bridge?
PAUL: Wisbech, to be fair.
STEVEN: It’s a bit further on than Wisbech it finishes.
PAUL: Well that’s my information. Wisbech to Northampton. It might be wrong.
STEVEN: (GROANS)
PAUL: Do you want another one? Give you another chance?
STEVEN: Go on then.
PAUL: Which top British architect designed the Thomas Deacon Academy?
STEVEN: Norman Foster?
PAUL: Sorry?
STEVEN: Is it Norman Foster?
PAUL: I’ll have to take your first answer. It’s SIR Norman Foster unfortunately Steve. I can’t give you that.
STEVEN: Fair enough.
PAUL: So just remind us again, when is the World Quizzing Championships coming to Peterborough?
STEVEN: It’s going to be Saturday the fifth of June at the Kings School Peterborough.
PAUL: Geek. (JINGLE) Sorry sorry sorry.
STEVEN: (LAUGHS) I expect to see you there Paul.
PAUL: Of course you do. Yes. (LAUGHS)
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