BB leader in TV quiz

Shawlands man Alan Brown, of the 45th Glasgow company, was one of the team who gave “possibly the most formidable quiz team in the country” a run for their money.

The BB leaders chose the team name Sure and Steadfast, the Boys Brigade motto, and made a good account of themselves, pushing the game to a sudden death showdown, with the Eggheads “doing what they do best”, as host Dermot Murnaghan puts it, and winning the day.

In the preliminary rounds, Alan was put up for the music questions and chose Judith Keppel — the first jackpot winner on the big money quiz show

Judith wasn’t so lucky with her opera question and, while Alan did get one of his questions wrong, the Egghead fumbled on two, giving the Shawlands man his victory and a place on the panel for the final round where the two teams were level on players at three against three.

The teams fought sword to sword on the multiple choice rounds and pushed the game to a nail-biting sudden death when they had to rely on their own quizzing knowledge and overcome their nerves.

“I’m always nervous” said Alan, who’s no stranger to broadcast quiz show. As a boy, he led his Shawlands Academy quiz team to a win on the Radio Clyde schools quiz contest in 1989.

“I perform in panto and other stage shows and I’m always the most nervous one backstage.”

It was the Matterhorn that finally defeated the team sending them home for an early lunch.

“The question was who was the first man to climb the Matterhorn,” said Alan, “and I had an idea that it was the betweeded and brogue-shod Mallory but it turned out to be Ed Whymper in 1865.

“We had a great time though and I went to meet my wife at Pollok Park afterwards when she informed me that I was still wearing my orange-faced TV studio make-up.”