Hosted by the laid-back comedian and Pimms salesman Alexander Armstrong, the quiz involves finding obscure answers to a selection of generic topics, e.g. "Formula 1 World Champions" or "States of the USA." The show, broadcast daily on BBC2 at 4:15PM, has a pacy, quick style with little room for chat or great elaboration that Noel Edmonds possesses. Five couples are whittled down to a remaining one couple, who battle for a jackpot prize; if they fail to win, the jackpot, which starts at an initial £1000, rolls over to the next programme.
Aim of the Game
The aim is to find the most obscure answers that nobody out of 100 people surveyed could come up with. Each person from each couple takes it in turns in each round. If they find a pointless answer, i.e. an obscure answer that nobody said, they score zero points, and add £250 to the jackpot. One example on a recent programme was "Arkansas" which only three out of one hundred said for "USA states, " but if they find an obvious answer, e.g. around 60+ people said "Lewis Hamilton" for F1 champions, they score highly.
At the end of the round, the couple with the highest score are eliminated, though they do have another chance in the next programme. The end couple have to find a pointless answer to win the jackpot, coming up with three answers to a particular subject, before seeing how much it scores.
Pub Facts and Figures
This quiz is ideal for those that love trivia, sparking images of old men in pubs and clubs who start each sentence with "Did you know?" With this such quiz, an adjudicator called Richard Osman, a bespectacled know it all with a lap-top, explains wrong answers and any possible pointless answers that the contestants may have missed.
Alexander Armstrong keeps the quiz moving along with pace and aplomb, raising a quizzical eyebrow with the occasional incorrect or "daft" answer. He even has the odd unintentional catchphrase such as "Well it's a right answer!" and "You really don't wanna see that," referring to the red cross that symbolises an incorrect answer and an automatic 100 points fine for the contestants.
Trivial Pursuit
Like a polar opposite to Family Fortunes, Pointless revels in it's often fascinating facts and figures and daft and incorrect answers that the teams give. Nevertheless, its easy-going style and informative tone means that the need for information is fun without being condescending. Pointless is a much needed yet unheralded alternative to the other day-time game show favourite, "Deal or No Deal."
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