BBC Radio 4 is launching a series of new quiz pilots this summer, including a literary challenge hosted by Clare Balding. The programme, titled Bookmarks, will bring together book lovers from across the UK to compete in a test of general knowledge about fiction and non-fiction, from contemporary bestsellers to timeless classics. The quiz is produced by the team behind QI.
Another pilot, Déjà News, hosted by Lucy Porter, will test contestants' ability to identify moments from broadcasting history using the BBC's news archive. Listeners will hear clips from the past century and guess the stories behind them. The show will also feature voice notes from the public recalling major news events.
Max Fosh will host Your Number's Up, a quiz focusing on mental arithmetic and logical thinking, with two teams from around the UK tackling brain-teasers and calculation conundrums. Meanwhile, Simon Reeve presents Around the World in 80 Ways, a globetrotting quiz where teams race virtually across the map, earning visas by answering questions on culture, geography, politics, nature and food.
The pilots will air on Sunday afternoons. Other returning Radio 4 quizzes include Counterpoint, Round Britain Quiz, Brain of Britain with Russell Davies from 26 July, and Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz in July.
Julia McKenzie, BBC Radio 4 Commissioner for Comedy and Entertainment, said: 'Quizzes are one of the things Radio 4 does best... I hope this new season of pilots will bring listeners even more of what they love by bringing fresh ideas, distinctive new formats and a brilliant line-up of presenters.'
