Yes, but it is likely to be safe to assume that anyone who cares enough about that fact will have found out by watching the film by now, and also that anyone who hasn't watched the film by now probably doesn't care enough to be worried by a little spoiler.

Even if there was that one guy, the massive bond fan who is trying to avoid spoilers for a film that's nearly a year old because he's waiting for it to come on ITV the Christmas after next so he can see it edited for content and butchered with adverts, then that's a risk he's talking upon himself.

I don't understand the obsession here with players starting an answer with 'so', sometimes there's a definitive answer. Sometimes a longer explanation is required, if you give a short answer in that instance you're often asked to 'tell me more'. To which 'so' is a natural reponse?

They don't have a succinct answer and they're pre-empting the question otherwise they're going to look overconfident or robotic instead.

I guess the irritation is that it seems redundant to say "so", which is normally the precursor to saying why you are doing/saying something, eg. "It was raining, so I came indoors." Rather than being the very start of a "thought", like the sort of thing common to Pointless "What do you do?" - "So, I'm in my second year at Southampton...", which is just a non-sequitur.

If you think of it as being used in the same sense as the German "also" or the French "alors", it makes more sense.

Can't say I've noticed the So-ing.

So it doesn't bother you? (See what I did there?).

Anyway, the use of 'so' as an introducer out of context has been discussed at length all over these forums - it raises hackles nearly as much as 'haitch'.

It really irritates myself.

It's as if they are saying "So.." because it's an alternative to "Well.." which usually it isn't.

I understand it's not proper English but if you're in a pressured situation and you're asked to explain your reasoning what's the correct way to start the sentence?

If you simply start linking the clues 'C means this and D means that which means A and B must also mean...' you're going to sound blunt unless you start with some kind of catch-all opener.

So I see what you did there, and I found it so-so.

And I don't hate ("hate-ch"?) haitch either, it adds some variance to the delightful English language.

Missed last night's. Will catch up later.

Then, as above, say "Well..." Or "OK..."
Last edited by davads : 20-09-2016 at 17:23

Just watching it now.

Victoria: Do you know the story about David Aaronovitch on University Challenge ?

Both teams: Yes

Tells story anyway....



It's like watching me at a dinner party

Er...she has a wider audience that the two teams.

I didn't know the story, and it was interesting only because I didn't think David Aaronovitch could go lower in my estimation, but after hearing that story, he has.

She missed off the end, where Manchester were then banned from University Challenge for about 15 years afterwards... bears a grudge does Bamber...

I can't remember but did all six team members say yes? I thought just a couple of people either said yes or nodded.

Super easy questions this week.

Several 5 point answers and mostly 3 points on the others.

The wall rounds were easy too!

I wish they'd bring back the online wall games.

Why does 'so' irritate you but 'well' or 'OK' don't? They are all equally meaningless words in that context.

Have you been on the show? Were you part of the champion team? If not you should apply, you'd walk it. (Probably wouldn't need any team mates either.)

On most occasions I have found that I do beat a teams score on my own. But I guess it is different watching it at home than the pressure of the studio.

I'm also more inclined to make a best guess at 5 or 3 points, rather than just pick up scrappy single points. It is by far the best tactic but so few teams game the system like this.

You have the chance at getting 5 points, but even if you are wrong, the most the opponents can pick up as a bonus is 1 point.

This week, say, it was pretty obvious the 4th answer in sequences would be Crete. You have 90% chance of getting 5 points, and even if you are wrong, the penalty max is 1 pt to the opposition.

Even then, with the low standard of the contestants sometimes they fail to pick up even 1 pt having seen all of the connections.

I always get 5 pointers too, every question of every week. And I'm only eleven.

And you get to play twice as many questions (ish).

So is everyone else, especially if the opinion is saying you're wrong.

I think the format could do with a tweak, with the wall round being in between the first two connection rounds. Would break it up a little bit.