The BBC Radio 4 Brainy Quiz Show

The 3rd Degree: Series 8-15

The complete second collection of the quiz show where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors, hosted by Steve Punt (star of BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and the brains behind Horrible Histories), including the complete final series 15. 
 
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The General Knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the ‘Highbrow & Lowbrow’ round is cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three Specialist Subject rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures... 
 
In the eighth series the universities are Newcastle, Hertfordshire, Dundee, Merton College Oxford, Sheffield and Brunel. Questions range from Bach and benzene rings to Gnasher from The Beano and why eating detergent is wrong. 
 
In the ninth series the universities are Royal Holloway, Aberdeen, Plymouth, St Catharine’s College Cambridge, Brighton, and Oxford Brookes. We’ll hear about Lego, Scottish Gaelic fishing jargon and horse teeth via Jack Straw, James Bond and Dick Dastardly. 
 
In the tenth series the universities are Bournemouth, Imperial College, Reading, Durham, Ulster, and Mansfield College Oxford. Questions range from sarcophagi to cocktail ingredients to Jack Reacher, with a bit of Tristram Shandy thrown in. 
 
In the eleventh series the universities are Southampton, Cumbria, Brasenose College Oxford, Anglia Ruskin, Northampton, and Nottingham Trent. Subjects include brothels, bats and robbing a bank, plus there’s a chance to brush up on Plato, piercings, and postage. 
 
In the twelfth series the universities are UCL, Leeds Beckett, Gonville & Caius College Cambridge, Warwick, Bangor, and Lancaster. Questions range from the isotropy of the universe and Kartvelian Languages to Yellow Submarines and a song about sausage rolls. 
 
In the thirteenth series the universities are Exeter, Strathclyde, Somerville College Oxford, Keele, King’s College London, and Portsmouth. Subjects include a giant spider, Kate Winslet, and why it's no longer illegal to commit champerty. Also, there's your chance to hear the most-played piece of music ever. 
 
In the fourteenth series the universities are Leicester, St Andrews, Loughborough, Falmouth, Robinson College Cambridge, and UEA. We’ll meet a five-legged sheep and a Belgian biscuit, and discover how to luff a jib, how to deconstruct a dodecagon, and the one thing Hannibal Lecter really shouldn’t eat… 
 
In the fifteenth series the universities are Bristol, Queen Mary London, University of Kent, Worcester College Oxford, Manchester Metropolitan University and more. Specialist subjects include Environmental Science, Drama, and History, so naturally we’ll be discussing Boron/Calcium pH proxy analysis, Noël Coward’s wartime satire and St Cuthbert’s A-level results. All this and the world’s hottest chili pepper to boot. If not to eat. 
 
Hosted by Steve Punt 
Devised & produced by David Tyler 
First broadcast 25 June 2018 – 19 October 2025 
A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The complete second collection of the quiz show where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors, hosted by Steve Punt (star of BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and the brains behind Horrible Histories), including the complete final series 15. 
 
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in this fresh take on an academic quiz. The General Knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the ‘Highbrow & Lowbrow’ round is cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their Professors’ awareness of TV, music and sport. Meanwhile there are the three Specialist Subject rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, and where we find out whether the students have actually been awake during lectures... 
 
In the eighth series the universities are Newcastle, Hertfordshire, Dundee, Merton College Oxford, Sheffield and Brunel. Questions range from Bach and benzene rings to Gnasher from The Beano and why eating detergent is wrong. 
 
In the ninth series the universities are Royal Holloway, Aberdeen, Plymouth, St Catharine’s College Cambridge, Brighton, and Oxford Brookes. We’ll hear about Lego, Scottish Gaelic fishing jargon and horse teeth via Jack Straw, James Bond and Dick Dastardly. 
 
In the tenth series the universities are Bournemouth, Imperial College, Reading, Durham, Ulster, and Mansfield College Oxford. Questions range from sarcophagi to cocktail ingredients to Jack Reacher, with a bit of Tristram Shandy thrown in. 
 
In the eleventh series the universities are Southampton, Cumbria, Brasenose College Oxford, Anglia Ruskin, Northampton, and Nottingham Trent. Subjects include brothels, bats and robbing a bank, plus there’s a chance to brush up on Plato, piercings, and postage. 
 
In the twelfth series the universities are UCL, Leeds Beckett, Gonville & Caius College Cambridge, Warwick, Bangor, and Lancaster. Questions range from the isotropy of the universe and Kartvelian Languages to Yellow Submarines and a song about sausage rolls. 
 
In the thirteenth series the universities are Exeter, Strathclyde, Somerville College Oxford, Keele, King’s College London, and Portsmouth. Subjects include a giant spider, Kate Winslet, and why it's no longer illegal to commit champerty. Also, there's your chance to hear the most-played piece of music ever. 
 
In the fourteenth series the universities are Leicester, St Andrews, Loughborough, Falmouth, Robinson College Cambridge, and UEA. We’ll meet a five-legged sheep and a Belgian biscuit, and discover how to luff a jib, how to deconstruct a dodecagon, and the one thing Hannibal Lecter really shouldn’t eat… 
 
In the fifteenth series the universities are Bristol, Queen Mary London, University of Kent, Worcester College Oxford, Manchester Metropolitan University and more. Specialist subjects include Environmental Science, Drama, and History, so naturally we’ll be discussing Boron/Calcium pH proxy analysis, Noël Coward’s wartime satire and St Cuthbert’s A-level results. All this and the world’s hottest chili pepper to boot. If not to eat. 
 
Hosted by Steve Punt 
Devised & produced by David Tyler 
First broadcast 25 June 2018 – 19 October 2025 
A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy

Glenn Moore’s Almanac: Series 2

Comedian Glenn Moore takes another look through his almanac at major world events and what he was doing at the time. Perhaps best-known for his outrageously brilliant one-liners on Mock The Week, Glenn delivers a tale of comic mishaps and extraordinary scenes interwoven with a big event in history – and looks back through his almanac to find out other strange connections to the day as well. 
 
In episode one, a deadly spy operation causes him to suspect his innocent Russian flatmate… 
 
In the second episode, a shocking case of wrongful arrest as Glenn Moore is mistaken for... Glenn Moore! 
 
In episode three, it’s lockdown 2020 - can father-to-be Glenn learn how to use a mask and change a nappy - and crucially, tell which is which? 
 
And in the series finale, Glenn is running the London Marathon - with his fridge strapped to someone else’s back… 
 
 
Production creditsWritten by & starring Glenn Moore 
Featuring George Fouracres, Gemma Arrowsmith & Dan Tetsell 
Additional material by Katie Storey 
Produced & directed by David TylerA Pozzitive production for the BBCFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 4-25 September 2025.©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A BBC Radio 4 Comedy Panel Game

One Person Found This Helpful: Series 2 plus a Christmas Special

Frank Skinner hosts the second series and a Christmas special of the show based on online reviews as he and his all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling 
 
Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you! 
 
In episode one, Frank & the team find out what you think about googling, goggling, groping, gropping and the correct way to punch yourself in the face. With guests Laura Smyth, Sunil Patel, Simon Evans and Kyrah Gray 
 
In episode two, we discover what you, the public, said about about ball pits and the KGB, and find out who hasn’t been to the dentist for forty years. With guests Angela Barnes, Finlay Christie, Catherine Bohart and Rajiv Karia 
 
In the third episode, Frank & the team discuss the best place to put a forget-me-not and the worst place to put a floof. With guests Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Simon Evans, Daliso Chaponda and Ania Magliano 
 
In episode four, Frank & the team discover how to poke an egg, sleep with a fish and fill a hamper with paté. With guests Ian Smith, Lou Sanders, Chloe Petts and Marcus Brigstocke 
 
In the fifth episode, Frank & the team find out what happens when Abba take a shower, when All Saints sell a T-shirt, and when you hear Russell Crowe sing. With guests Sara Barron, Pierre Novellie, Simon Evans and Harriet Kemsley 
 
And in the final episode of the series, Frank & his guests – Marjolein Robertson, Phil Wang, Dee Allum and Simon Evans - discover the latest views on the Epic of Gilgamesh and which part of the tiger not to eat. 
 
In the 2024 Christmas Special, Frank asks the teams which traditional panto features an animatronic dinosaur, the worst present they’ve ever received, and whether the one-star write-up “bit claggy, made me feel sick” is a review of some stuffing or Love Actually 
 
 
Production credits 
Hosted by Frank Skinner 
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler 
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche 
 
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 25 Dec 2024 (Xmas Special), 3 March - 7 April 2025 (series 2) 
 
(C)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Glenn Moore’s Almanac

Comedian Glenn Moore takes a look back though his almanac at major world events 
 
Perhaps best-known for his outrageously brilliant one-liners on Mock the Week, comedian Glenn Moore delivers a tale of comic mishaps in this BBC radio comedy series. 
 
Looking back through his almanac at a big event in history, Glenn finds out what he was doing at the time and looks into other strange connections to the day in question. Sit back and listen as Glenn interweaves extraordinary scenes from his life with a big event in history. 
 
In the first show, a Royal Wedding is the backdrop to a massive crisis in Glenn&rsquo;s love life. 
 
In episode two, the 2015 General Election inspires Glenn to stand in his school&rsquo;s own mock election as the candidate with the most unlikely set of policies ever... 
 
In the third programme, as one astronaut touches down from the International Space Station, Glenn decides to become Britain&rsquo;s next space explorer. 
 
And as the new Millennium dawns, in the series finale Glenn has the most catastrophic New Year&rsquo;s Eve ever. 
 
Production credits 
Written and presented by Glenn Moore 
Additional material: Katie Storey 
Produced and directed by David Tyler 
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Episode 1 15 November 2023 
Episode 2 22 November 2023 
Episode 3 29 November 2023 
Episode 4 06 December 2023 
 
Copyright &copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The 3rd Degree: Series 1-7

A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt (star of BBC Radio 4’s “The Now Show” and the brains behind “Horrible Histories”) where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.

A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt (star of BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and the brains behind Horrible Histories) where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors. 
 
Every week, at a different University, it pits a team of three Students against three of their Lecturers. The rounds vary between Specialist Knowledge and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and ‘Highbrow and Lowbrow’. Which of the students will turn out to be complete trivia-boffins? Will the Lecturers reveal they know more about Beyoncé than Barthes? There’s plenty of scope for embarrassment on both sides... 
 
The universities in the first series are Southampton, Durham, Stirling, Reading, Salford &amp; Middlesex. 
 
The universities in the second series are the University of East Anglia, Swansea, Warwick, Sussex, Queen Mary London and Northampton 
 
The universities in the third series are Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Exeter, Bath Spa and Anglia Ruskin (in Cambridge) and the subjects range from Rocket Science (literally!) to Creative Music Technology. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including dada &amp; Dylan, The Kardashians &amp; the Ku Klux Klan, gherkins &amp; Gummi Bears and concrete &amp; cogwheels... 
 
The universities in the fourth series are Bristol, Kent, Bedfordshire, Aberystwyth, Nottingham &amp; Birmingham and the subjects range from Sports Science to Theatre Studies via Welsh Folklore and Journalism. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including Candy Crush Corner &amp; cauliflowers, Kierkegaard and Kim Kardashian, Wagner, Debussy, Scooby-Doo, Geoff Hurst, Swedish massage and monkey glands... 
 
The universities in the fifth series are Cardiff, Manchester, Essex, De Montfort, Aston &amp; Surrey and the subjects range from Forensic Science to Contour Fashion via Psychology and Astrophysics. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including both the Epic Of Gilgamesh and My Little Pony, Gogglebox &amp; blood spatter patterns, tennis balls and the Treaty of Westphalia... 
 
The universities in the sixth series are York, Gloucestershire, Chester, Glasgow, Birmingham City University &amp; Bath and the subjects range from Theatre History to Cosmology via Sociology and Visual Communication. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including such diverse concepts as Mary Poppins, Hugo Boss, trampolining and Star Wars, not to mention an unexpected fact about rats that’s once heard, never forgotten... 
 
In the seventh series, the universities are Roehampton, Queen’s University Belfast, Hull, Derby, Liverpool and St John’s College Cambridge

One Person Found This Helpful: Series 4

Frank Skinner hosts series 4 of the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling 
 
Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you! 
 
In episode one, Frank & guests Sunil Patel, Angela Barnes, Anna Thomas & Marcus Brigstocke look at shiny fish, sexy horses and where Sir Walter Raleigh should have put his potato. 
 
In episode two, Frank & guests Rajiv Karia, Scott Bennett, Bella Hull & Laura Smyth learn about fat necks, ice sculptures and the most fun you can have whilst sweating in a boiler suit. Clue - it doesn’t involve lizards! 
 
In the third episode, Frank & guests Ian Smith, Rachel Fairburn, Lucy Porter & Christopher Macarthur-Boyd chat about cats, logs, dinosaur sex and the difference between gravitational mass and inertial mass. Fun abounds! 
 
In episode four, Frank & guests Dee Allum, Pierre Novellie, Zoe Lyons & Hasan Al-Habib discuss the tactics of Genghis Khan, the ethics of mousetraps and the morals of forgetting to wear trousers. Also, trampolining 
 
Episode five, and Frank & guests Simon Evans, Ed Byrne, Jenny Eclair and Reverend Kate Bottley look in depth at ear-nibbling, in shallow at Dan Brown and discover what’s taken the Spanish 144 years to finish 
 
And in the final episode, Frank & guests Jo Caulfield, Lily Phillips, Simon Evans & John Tothill review a wide range of meatballs, perfumes, Presidential spouses and people called Heathcliff 
 
 
Production credits 
Hosted by Frank Skinner 
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simons Evans with the producer David Tyler 
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche 
 
A Pozzitive production for the BBC 
 
(C)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Jason Hazeley

Simon Evans

David Tyler

Frank Skinner

Frank Skinner hosts series 3 of the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling 
 
Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own... and more... So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you! 
 
In episode one, Frank & the team discuss looking too much at cats, looking too much like dogs and what to do when your crowbar is the wrong size. With Ian Smith, Jo Caulfield, Pierre Novellie and Rachel Parris. 
 
In episode two, Frank & the team discuss the most fashionable way to wear a pizza, the most unfashionable way to wear a Tam o’Shanter and the tallest swimming trunks in the world. With Dee Allum, Marcus Brigstocke, Hasan Al-Habib and Bella Hull. 
 
In the third episode, Frank & the team discuss the usual; potatoes, limes, feathers, drainage systems of Ancient Civilizations etc etc... With Simon Evans, Harriet Kemsley, Chloe Petts and Rajiv Karia. 
 
In episode four, Frank & the team find out the right way to get frightened by lions, the wrong way to clean a delicious crevice, and what to do if your arms don’t reach the kitchen. With Ahir Shah, Louise Young, Freya Parker and Pierre Novellie. 
 
Episode five, and Frank and the team check out a hospital in Prague, a cheesesteak in New Jersey and how real men cut their nosehairs. With Simon Evans, Jo Caulfield, Kerry Godliman and Ed Byrne. 
 
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for episode six as Frank and the team don green tights and angels’ wings and jiggle suspiciously to play a Xmas-flavoured episode of the panel game. With Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Sunil Patel, Simon Evans and Ania Magliano. 
 
And in the final episode, Frank & the team discuss giant frogs, redundant tingles and being unexpectedly Danish. With Lucy Porter, Anna Thomas, Finlay Christie and Daliso Chaponda. 
 
Production credits 
Hosted by Frank Skinner 
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simons Evans with the producer David Tyler 
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Gareth Gwynn, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche 
 
A Pozzitive production for the BBC. 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 18 Nov – 30 Dec 2025 
 
(C)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

David Tyler

Books by David Tyler

Series by David Tyler

Glenn Moore’s Almanac2 Books

One Person Found This Helpful2 Books

The 3rd Degree2 Books

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