Quizmasters across the UK are cracking down on cheating in pub quizzes, with smart devices and smartwatches blamed for a rise in dishonesty. The issue gained attention after a Manchester landlord at the Barking Dog in Urmston revealed cheats were whispering questions into their smartphones, sparking a 'massive whodunnit' but refusing to name the culprits.
David Hartley, a quizmaster from Staffordshire, said cheating has become 'more prolific' in recent years. He has hosted quizzes for nearly a decade and started banning devices about two years ago. 'It just takes the mickey out of your quizmaster, if all you're going to do is sit on your phone,' he said.
Some pubs are using hi-tech solutions, such as the SpeedQuizzing app, which gives users only 10 seconds per question to lock in answers, aiming to restore 'a once proud British tradition'. Others rely on peer pressure; at the Prince of Wales in Highgate, north London, regulars are 'very harsh on anyone who cheats', according to Marcus Berkmann, who has competed in the quiz over 200 times.
Cheating is not a new phenomenon. Gail Taylor confessed to using rudimentary bugging devices under pub tables in Sheffield in the 1980s to transmit questions to friends with encyclopedias in a van outside. 'Something always went wrong,' she said, but the scheme went undetected.
Despite the challenges, pub quizzes remain popular. A 2023 survey by Greene King found that 70% of people regularly take part, with nearly one in ten attending weekly. The tradition, which boomed in the 1970s, continues to combine drinking with the pleasure of being right.
