One of the questions I remember from an early episode was, "Which Scottish city is known as Auld Reekie?"

The answer's Edinburgh. I know that. The answer's not in doubt. I've lived in Edinburgh all my life. I know Edinburgh's known as Auld Reekie. If I'd been on the show, and got that question, why would I need to check with a Tanker? There is absolutely no possibility that I'm getting that question wrong. It's just daft having to get a Tanker to "back you up" when you know the answer.

The bloke that made the howler with the Masters question is an exception. Yes if he'd had a Tanker to help him then they might (and I say might) have spotted the error and corrected him, but in general the idea that you have to ask somebody (who may well not know the answer) to back you up, when you know full well what the answer is, is just silly.

Today they had a question, "Which English King won the Battle of Agincourt?" Look, I know the answer's Henry V. I don't need to check with a Tanker. I just want to say the answer and not have all this faffing about. "Who would I like to help me, even though I know the answer?"

I notice some of the Tankers, when they get asked the question in the head to head, say something like, "What do you think the answer is?" Which is just daft. They're supposed to be there to help the players, and the first thing they do is ask the player what they think the answer is. Big help. It's possible they've been told to do that. I wouldn't know.

You're right. None of them know anything about sport unless it's Canadian sport

Oh my goodness. Tristan's got two right!!

Has anyone noticed how stupid the questions Bill asks the contestants at the beginning are?

'You're a business analyst, what kind of businesses do you analyse?'

If my hand gesture theory is correct then Frank should win today courtesy of his strange arm waving routine.

I have never had the slightest interest in what anybody on a quiz show does for a living, nor do I want to hear a funny story about something that happened to them at work. I'm not interested in their hobbies either.

Just get on with the quiz.

Which sporting venue?

Polo

Which continent?

Peter says 'Not China or India.'

I think that is taken slightly out of context, Peter was talking about countries that England had been at war with, and that China and India were not involved in the Boer war.

Almost as inane as Anne Widdecombe's questions at the start of that quiz show she had. I remember Harry Hill getting some good material out of her.

AW: What do you do for a living?
Contestant: I'm a photographer.
AW: Oh, what do you take?
Contestant: Er... photographs.

I've just caught this episode of Think Tank. It might get into the "so bad it's entertaining" category. The logic the people in the tank use and the large gaps in their knowledge combined with the format of the contestants having to consult with them is quite awkward and cringeworthy.

I'm surprised he didn't get the impossible question.

Prince William was in the papers recently about how few Royal engagements he does. It was never going to be him. We know it's not the Queen or Prince Charles,because they were in the Think Tank's wrong answers.

That really leaves only Prince Phillip and Princess Anne as likely candidates. And Phillip's well into his nineties now.

Princess Anne is by far the most likely answer.

Oh I didn't hear that bit. Whoops.

Yes, you would think they could at least come up with an answer between them that fits the question, even if it's wrong. The obvious answer if you though the sport was polo would be Hurlingham.

I only watch tennis for two weeks a year, when Wimbledon's on. Even I knew Aorangi Terrace is at Wimbledon.

Tactics? Someone mentioned the best tactic may be to eliminate Arminel and Max at the first opportunity so as not to club together and help your opponent.
You are referring to episode 7 where the woman left people like Max on the board to help her less intelligent opponent answer questions about Pygmalion = My Fair Lady etc. Luckily she got all her answers correct and won but it could have turned out another way.

It was me that suggested it is the best strategy to ask the best Tanker even if you know the answer, so as to eliminate them from the round so they cannot help your opponent. Given that you are forced to ask one, this is the best strategy.

But this does not change my opinion that the whole idea of having to ask somebody for help even when you know the answer is just silly.

Problem with the strategy is that the contestants have never seen the show before and are only just finding out who the real thickos and the slightly less thick "Tankers" are.

No silly hand gestures/dance moves from the contestants today.

Also we had Scandinavia as an answer to a 'Which country . . .' question.

Then we had a Coronation Street question where Bill told us what had happened to a character and then got Diane to tell us exactly the same thing.

I don't like to mock quiz contestants as I know it's hard if you don't know something, but I did despair a wee bit at the idea of Sebastian Faulks and William Boyd having written novels about Spider-Man

How about Susan Boyle as the Conservative London Mayoral Candidate this year.

It is hard if you don't know but the producers of this show have surpassed themselves in finding so many people, who don't know much about anything.

Where's Cleve gone? I don't think he's been on this week. That was one of the best bits of the show, seeing if he got the music question right.

That was a good effort by the lady getting Devon Loch. Being a horse racing fan, I knew it right away. It looked as if one of the wrong answers (Loch Avon) nudged her in the direction of the right answer. I'm surprised Bill didn't mention after it that it was indeed the Queen Mother's horse, which one of the Think Tank had put. It remains a mystery to this day why it flopped down. Some say it mistook a shadow on the ground as a fence and tried to jump it.

Obviously the rest of the Think Tank didn't have much horse racing knowledge. I liked Abi's answer of "Nobby".

Odd that when the answer was William Blake for the poetry question, the bloke just said "Blake", but Bill pressed him for a first name. But when it's Byron, Keats or Shelley, usually just the surname is sufficient. I wouldn't even know Byron's first name without looking it up, he's usually just known as Lord Byron.

I hope we can have a thread like this for The Code next week.

The Code won't be half as fun though!

Obvs

If you are on the Think Tank there is some argument that if you don't know the answer, giving an answer that is easily recognisable as completely wrong is the best way to help the contestant discount your answer (even though the internet will tease you).

Unfortunately this lot were taking them as their answers, Adele's surname was the oddest one.

So let's see if we can work out some of the Think Tank's area's of expertise:

If it's geography, history, politics, literature, etc, you ask Arminel. She should know it.
If Arminel's gone, or not on that day, for the above, you ask Max. He might know it.
If it's a music question,you ask Cleve, although there's a good chance he won't know it.
If it's anything to do with "The North", you ask Jackie.