Brain of Britain is a BBC radio general knowledge quiz, broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ...

It began as a slot in What Do You Know? in 1953 before being given its own slot in the 1960s. 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ...

The format of the quiz is simple. A contestant is asked a question; if they answer it correctly they get a point and are asked another. If they get one wrong the questions move to the next contestant. If a contestant gets five questions correct in a row then they get a bonus point and the questions move to the next contestant. The contestant with the most points at the end of the programme wins.

Brain of Britain has been hosted by Robert Robinson for most of its life, although during his illness the 2004 series was hosted by Russell Davies. The question setter, to whom the host defers if an answer is on the cusp of being right, is present at recordings but silent. He is traditionally known by a pseudonym. For many years Ian Gillies fulfilled the role, taking the name Mycroft (from Mycroft Holmes, older and wiser brother of Sherlock). After his death in April 2002, the new question setter was Kevin Ashman, who has the distinction of winning both Brain of Britain and Mastermind. He chose to be known as Jorkins, a character in Dickens' David Copperfield. Robert Robinson (born December 17, 1927) is an Oxford-educated British radio presenter and television presenter. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article refers to the Radio 2 presenter and journalist. ... Ian Gillies. ... Mycroft Holmes, as depicted by Sidney Paget in the Strand Magazine Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character in the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. ... Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes (1854-1957, according to William S. Baring-Gould) is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created by British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. ... April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kevin Ashman is generally considered to be Britains finest quiz player. ... Mastermind is one of the most highly regarded British quiz shows, well-known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting, and air of seriousness. ... Charles Dickens used his rich imagination, sense of humour and detailed memories, particularly of his childhood, to enliven his fiction. ... David Copperfield or The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (which he never meant to be published on any account) is a Bildungsroman by Charles Dickens, first published in 1849. ...

For much of its life the theme music of Brain of Britain was the opening of the fourth movement of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, but in a 'modernised' version by Waldo de Los Rios. This choice was the subject of frequent complaints from classical music fans (with whom the show was popular) and presenter Robert Robinson described it on air as "Mozart plus sacrilege". The theme was changed to a more conventional version in the early nineties. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... The Serenade for strings in G major, better known as Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A little night music, or, less literally, A little serenade), is one of the most popular compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ... Waldo de los Rios (?-28 March 1977) was an Argentinian composer and arranger. ...

External links

• bbc.co.uk Brain of Britain on the BBC website.