There’s nothing particularly funny or original about noting the fact that British people often begin conversations, particularly when they’re appearing on television, with a self-deprecating remark. It’s a known quantity, it’s whatever, I’m not trying to take anyone’s politeness conventions away from them, or attempting to whip them up into Americanized overstatements. But as we’re working our way through all the back seasons of Only Connect, I can’t help but long for a few simple affirmations, like, “This show is nice,” or “We can admit we came here on purpose, not by humiliating and irreversible accident.”
This made my day for several reasons. One, I am a Canadian living in the UK, and yes they are all like this. Two, my best friend is the showrunner of Only Connect. And three, I am dating (slash living with during the pandemic) a former contestant (who was introduced to me by the aforementioned best friend at an OC reunion party I crashed). I forwarded this newsletter to my friend, and we immediately embarked on a ridiculous argument over the merits of our different approaches to ironing clothes.
This has now been shared on a UK quizzers' facebook group full of past contestants and future hopefuls - so maybe people will take notes ...
(Series 14 contestant here - our team are simultaneously hugely excited and utterly mortified at the possibility you have watched us mess up. Also yes can confirm the showrunners are absolutely lovely.)
I think this is why we let my dad be captain when I was on, if I did the talking I would have either spent hours downplaying our achievements or gone all the way the other way and proclaimed myself Pirate Queen of Space or something.
This made my day for several reasons. One, I am a Canadian living in the UK, and yes they are all like this. Two, my best friend is the showrunner of Only Connect. And three, I am dating (slash living with during the pandemic) a former contestant (who was introduced to me by the aforementioned best friend at an OC reunion party I crashed). I forwarded this newsletter to my friend, and we immediately embarked on a ridiculous argument over the merits of our different approaches to ironing clothes.
This has now been shared on a UK quizzers' facebook group full of past contestants and future hopefuls - so maybe people will take notes ...
(Series 14 contestant here - our team are simultaneously hugely excited and utterly mortified at the possibility you have watched us mess up. Also yes can confirm the showrunners are absolutely lovely.)
I appeared on Only Connect. Always newly embarrassed at the idea of anyone seeing it.
I think this is why we let my dad be captain when I was on, if I did the talking I would have either spent hours downplaying our achievements or gone all the way the other way and proclaimed myself Pirate Queen of Space or something.
I promise if they let my team back on I will front so hard Kanye would call and ask me to tone it down
“We haven’t been dragged here against our wills to be hunted for sport.”
This is brilliant and true. (Was not on OC but I was on University Challenge where they do encourage confidence *a little bit* more)