''Trivia Test Match'' is a British

radio programme A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

that aired originally from 1986 to 1993 on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Radio and has been repeated more recently on

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...

(formerly known as ''BBC Radio 7''). There were two series. The episode list identified 17 episodes, but in the final episode the presenter referred to 10 episodes in the first series and 8 in the second. As its slogan stated, it combined trivia and the laws of

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

. It was hosted by longtime BBC cricket commentator

Brian Johnston Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until h ...

, who served as the "umpire." In each episode, the team captains

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...

and

Willie Rushton William George Rushton (18 August 1937 – 11 December 1996) was an English cartoonist, comedian actor and satirist who co-founded the satirical magazine ''Private Eye''. Early life Rushton was born 18 August 1937 at 3 Wilbraham Place, Chelsea, ...

were joined by another celebrity from showbiz or cricket. The teams are offered a choice of question for 1 or 4 runs - the single being an easier question than the boundary. The batting team receives up to six questions (or an over) before questioning turns to the other team. The questions usually revolve around trivia and unusual facts. However, there are ways in which a team can win back the questioning more quickly. If a team doesn't give the correct answer, the opposing team can shout 'Howzat!' and offer the correct answer to score a wicket and win the questioning. ("Howzat" in cricket is usually said by the bowler to the umpire to ask if the batsman's wicket was taken by the bowl.) If they challenge the answer unsuccessfully, the batting team receives 2 runs in overthrows as compensation and keeps the batting. Each team also has three bouncers, prepared earlier. They can say 'Bouncer' before the next question is asked. All the bouncers are very difficult (often estimation questions) and score six runs if successfully answered. (Six being the number of runs awarded for a boundary which doesn't hit the ground) However, a wicket is lost and the batting goes to the other team if the answer is wrong. The winning team is the one which scores the most runs by the end of the programme (the fewer number of wickets splitting any ties). Panellists on the programme have included

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

, William Franklyn, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, Jeremy Beadle, Paul Merton and

Leslie Thomas Leslie Thomas, OBE (22 March 1931 – 6 May 2014) was a Welsh author best known for his comic novel ''The Virgin Soldiers''. Early life Thomas was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. His parents were David James Thomas and Dorothy Hilda ...

. The programme was written and devised by Peter Hickey and Malcolm Williamson.

References

* BBC Radio 4 Extra programmes British radio game shows 1980s British game shows 1990s British game shows Cricket on the radio 1986 radio programme debuts {{BBC-radio-stub