The Guide #238: The overlooked underdogs of British ​quiz​shows that are still worth a stream

In this week’s newsletter: From forgotten gems to cult curios, these shows quietly shaped our viewing habits, and some of TV’s most charming oddballs deserve your attention Don’t get The Guide delivered to your inbox? Sign up here The quizshow will never die. Nuclear war could rid the earth of all living creatures bar the cockroaches and still, a shiny floored half-hourer hosted by Stephen Mulhern will somehow be airing on the emergency broadcast system. Quizshows have been airing on British screens since 1938, when a televised spelling bee was broadcast on the BBC, and they have remained remarkably resilient. Today they seem a good accompaniment to an era where everyone seems to be tapping away at puzzles on their phone. Scroll down the channel guide of your TV and it won’t be long until you find a quizshow (and that one will almost certainly be The Chase). The format remains completely irresistible to commissioners. Relatively cheap and endlessly replicable, it serves as perfect filler for teatime TV. If one fiendishly high-concept quiz doesn’t catch fire it can be quietly cancelled without too much bother, knowing another will be conjured up in short order. If it reall

Apr 11, 2026 → Apr 11, 2026