Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 04 Apr 10 - 01:46 PM

From The Times, Saturday 3 April 2010
The Conversation interview of Philip Pullman by Erica Wagner

PP; Besides I've become much more interested in very simple, very stark storytelling, the sort that you get in folk tales; in the Scots ballads. I revel in them. The story opens so suddenly. They tell you who's there; they tell you what they did; and that's it.

EW writes; I love the Scots ballads as much as anyone does - we sit for a moment swapping lines from The Famous Flower of Serving Men and Sir Patrick Spens - but I'm forced to say I'm not sure the effect he strives for serves the story.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 08:43 AM

YEs, my brain tells me that there was an incident where the following week an apology was given but the additional point made no difference to the final score. Can't remember when or what subject though, except it was Magnus doing the apologising.

LTS

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 05:39 AM

Scores are hit-and-miss anyhow. First time I was on - tv with Magnusson - I got 25 & came last in the round. 2nd time - Radio4 with Peter Snow - I got 24 & won the round. Just depends how strong one's opposition is.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 05:33 AM

Think there was such an incident once, but it never effected the outcome as it was discovered before the final score was totted up.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: GUEST,Jon Dudley
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 05:31 AM

Ok, a simpleton's question on Mastermind...has there ever been an instance of a competitor being told that his/her answer was wrong only for it to be discovered later that it was the setter who was in fact wrong....AND...did such a situation ever change the outcome of the competition? I dunno but I bet someone here does...or would we never be told anyway?

Brian P. modestly claims a 12 in the Child Ballad round - I did about the same on 'The History of British Motorcycles'. I was recumbant on the settee quaffing a glass of wine whilst the competitor was on the edge of the black chair in the glare of spotlights and with Humphries as his inquisitor...mine was a rather different situation to the real thing. The only pressure I was under was Mrs.D encouraging me with words something akin to "well you should get all these right, there's enough motorcycle magazines in the lavatory for reference."

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 04:06 AM

"Bob Dylan, Dick Heckstall-Smith or Brian Clough."
No problem with two of them - but Bob Dylan - PASS
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 12:38 AM

Thread drift alert!!

I found the questions themselves quite interesting. One was 'How many numbered Child Ballads are there' and I would think that would be a gift for anyone claiming Child Ballads as a specialist subject, akin to asking someone answering questions on "The Life and Times of Jane Austin" how many books she published
=========
Not, in fact, such a simple question at that. Jane AustEn's extensive juvenilia have been published by Oxford, ed Chapman, in 3 volumes; including at least one, 'Catherine, or The Bower', which could be regarded as at least a nearly completed full novel ~~ the topic, BTW, of my late wife's Mature State Scholarship essay which gained her entrance to Cambridge in 1963. Of JA's six mature novels, the first 'Northanger Abbey', and the last 'Persuasion' [unrevised at her death] were published posthumously in one volume.

So, DMcG, how many 'books' would you say JA 'published'?

Sorry if this appears as an example of my 'legendary pedantry', as a friend expressed it on another MessageBoard forum I indulge in. But JA was my semi-final Mastermind subject; &, in addition to the scholarship essay mentioned above, my wife published two books on her: a student's handbook from Blackie in 1980 & a full biography, 'Obstinate Heart' (Michael O'Mara 1997). So it will be appreciated that Jane Austen is a topic near and dear to my ♥ about which I can claim some knowledge. To say nothing of the fact that I consider 'Mansfield Park' the greatest novel ever written!; but that might form the topic of another thread...

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: GUEST,Dave Hunt
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 04:01 PM

From above - "The Life and Times of Jane Austin"...............
and Morris - or was it British Leyland??

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 03:07 PM

"Do we know who set them? Not likely to have been Brian Peters was it?"

Er, no, Surreysinger. I only got 12 - not so hot on those Scottish battles I'm afraid.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 11:31 AM

DAVE,I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TRIP TO THTRIP OF JERUSALEM.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 22 Mar 10 - 04:06 AM

The NOT guilty man speaks!
Owing to a combination of not being around much over the weekend and my PC being off for repair I only caught up the the programme yesaterday evening. Imagine my surprise when here was another David Sutherland, also from the North East, and answering questions on The Child Ballads. (There will soon be as many David Sutherlands as Tony Wilsons on the folk scene)
However I have to say that my namesake did a sight better than me as I only managed to get seven questions right messing up on "Scarbourough Fair" by completing the riddle rather than the next line and, shamefully as I have lived in Nottingham for the last thirty two years, not recognising the Robin Hood ballads.
Thanks for the compliments but I can't accept them; and Mike my next subject would have been the life and times of either Bob Dylan, Dick Heckstall-Smith or Brian Clough.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Smedley
Date: 21 Mar 10 - 07:28 AM

DmcG asked "Are there always a few such easy questions (for the specialist) so no-one is likely to suffer the embarrassment of of zero score? "

I think the first two questions are designed to be relatively 'soft' to give the contestant a bit of confidence.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 21 Mar 10 - 06:25 AM

"it was me answering that time you remember, & Malcolm Taylor was my own suggestion for setter."
Sorry Mike - hadn't realised it was you - I hope you left Malc a suitable tip!
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 21 Mar 10 - 05:30 AM

Valmai, you left out poison, father, mother and leper!

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: DMcG
Date: 21 Mar 10 - 04:45 AM

I found the questions themselves quite interesting. One was 'How many numbered Child Ballads are there' and I would think that would be a gift for anyone claiming Child Ballads as a specialist subject, akin to asking someone answering questions on "The Life and Times of Jane Austin" how many books she published. Are there always a few such easy questions (for the specialist) so no-one is likely to suffer the embarrassment of of zero score?

The question about where the king asking directions to in ballad XYZ variant g was the opposite extreme ...

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Smedley
Date: 20 Mar 10 - 03:03 PM

If you watch it on the BBC iPlayer website, you can pause the rapid credits to see that questions were set and verified by:

21st Century Quiz
Saira Dunnakey
Brenda Haugh
Sara Low
Sian Roberts
Elizabeth Salmon

As far as I know, each set of questions on each special topic are set by one person, so do any of those women's names ring any folkie bells ?

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 20 Mar 10 - 12:27 PM

What are you on ?

Dave H

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: GUEST,erbert
Date: 20 Mar 10 - 12:24 PM

I organized myself tune to in on time,
nipped out to the kitchen to boil the kettle,
ran upstairs for a quick pee,
then...

must have got distracted by plucking some nose hairs, or squeezing a zit,
or picking dead skin off my feet, or something..

because by the time I remembered to go back down to the telly room..

it was the last few general knowledge questions..

bugger !!!

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 20 Mar 10 - 11:59 AM

Well done, Dave: many congratulations. What will be your next round subject, I wonder.

Jim ~ see my post above of 19 Mar 08.12 AM ~~ it was me answering that time you remember, & Malcolm Taylor was my own suggestion for setter.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: BusyBee Paul
Date: 20 Mar 10 - 06:30 AM

Just watched it on iPlayer - and realised how long it is since I last saw it. I like the change in format to include the brief pre-recorded interview.

Good programme - and I must be getting old because I managed to answer quite a few of the general knowledge questions.

Well done David.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: r.padgett
Date: 20 Mar 10 - 06:26 AM

Got to be The Dave Sutherland!!

Well done sir, he got through to the semi finals too!!

Good lad

Ray

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 20 Mar 10 - 04:48 AM

Some time ago the subject on M.M. was English Folksong and the questions were set by VWML librarian Malcolm Taylor. Looked for his name in the credits this time but didn't spot it.
Thought the questions were balanced but not sure of the relevance of the two 'Electric Bands' ones - fine for folkies but not necessarily for researchers and students.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Surreysinger
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 09:53 PM

I'm intrigued as the contestant in question was a Mr David Sutherland. Now we had a Dave Sutherland further up the thread asking who was going to be answering the questions ..... Couldn't be, could it? (I'm confused now). Do we know who set them? Not likely to have been Brian Peters was it?

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: RTim
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 07:17 PM

For us poor English souls here in the USA who are interested in a UK TV show and folk music - we need more details about questions, who was the the contestant, how hard??

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 06:37 PM

Fancy not knowing George Lyman Kittredge. He was Child's pupil and successor at Harvard. I would have got the Steel-Eye and Fairport questions mixed up though.
In case you missed it Mr Sutherland won by a whisker.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 08:26 AM

Good grief, it's the hub of the universe and contains Harveys Brewery. This now has an outpost in Midhurst, so you've no excuse for failing to believe in it.

Valmai

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: bubblyrat
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 08:13 AM

That's great,Valmai; I like it a lot !!

PS Does Lewes really exist ?? ( never been that far East)
   Midhurst Man XXX

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 08:12 AM

Valmai ~ LoL.

Re question-setter: when I passed audition [keep looking at me CS, it's luvly!] the producer actually asked my advice as to whom to ask to do this job. I suggested Librarian at EFDSS, who I believe was in fact the eventual setter.

Fancy you remembering, Dave!

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 08:00 AM

THE LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB BALLAD PERSONALITY QUIZ
(Our next all-day ballad forum is on Sunday 10th. October with Chris Coe.)

Write down your answers to each question.

You are in a ballad.

1. You come to a river. Do you

a) urge your horse into the water and drown?
b) try to swim across and drown?
c) take off your shoes/ bare your breast and swim across successfully?
d) dump your former boyfriend in it?

2. You have drawn your sword. Do you kill

a) your brother?
b) your sister?
c) your wife's boyfriend?
d) yourself?

3. You are about to mount a horse. Is it

a) milk white?
b) dapple grey?
c) berry brown?
d) harnessed with a lot of silver bells?
e) bonny black?
f) a broom handle with a stuffed head on it?

4. When do you normally expect to come home?

a) when bells are rung and mass is sung?
b) when cockle shells turn silver bells?
c) when the heather hills are nine times burned?
d) when the sun and the moon stand on yonder hill?
e) in the spring?
f) Halloween?
g) on the fifth day of November?
h) after putting the chairs away?

5. You meet an old girlfriend. Do you

a) share a bottle of wine with her and her new boyfriend?
b) stare at her in church until your eyes water?
c) pretend to be someone else, make a pass at her and tell her you're dead?
d) tell her you're dead because you actually are?
e) invite her to come on a luxury cruise and wreck the boat?
f) promptly die of an embarrassing social disease?
f) offer her a booking?

6. You meet an attractive young woman you don't know. Do you

a)        take her by the 1) hand and 2) sleeve, assuming 1) is lily-white and 2) is grass-green?
b)        Offer to carry her luggage?
c)        Admire her baby?
d)        give her an advance payment towards child care expenses?
e)        Sell her a raffle ticket?

7. You have just given birth. Does your baby look like

a)        an unnamed sailor?
b)        someone else's husband?
c)        a seal?
d)        a future performer?

7. You have drawn your penknife. Do you kill

a) your brother?
b) your sister?
c) your baby?
d) yourself?
e) all of the above?
f)        or do you open letters with it?


From studying your replies you should be able to deduce which of these is closest to your temperament and to seek the appropriate career or counselling, as appropriate:

Knight, Outlandish
Knight, False
Night, Singing Visitor
Mother, Cruel
Page Boy, Little
Sailor, Saucy
Sailor, Cut Down In Your Prime
Lover, Demon
Lover, True
Lover, Old True
Lover, False True
Lover, Ghost of
Rover, Spencer The
Queen of Elfland
Organiser, Folk Club

Tootle pip,

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Mo the caller
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 07:29 AM

Do we know who's setting the questions? Or is that a closely guarded secret in case it gives a hint as to what they may be.

On all the Mastermind specialist subjects that I think I might know something about they give away my scraps of information as part of the question.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 04:10 AM

I remember seeing you MGM; my wife taped it for me to watch the next morning as I was on nightshift.
Do we know who is to be answering the questions?

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject (BBC2)
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 04:06 AM

Cor, look at you Michael! :-)

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 12:15 AM

For interest, I answered on British Traditional Folksong in Mastermind in 1988, back in old Magnus Magnusson days. Don't recall all questions, tho do remember that answer to first was, in fact, Child; & to last was Gavin Greig. Didn't win tho — quite disgracefully confused Helston & Padstow! {But can't resist adding that did win round & got to semi-final a few years later in the Radio4 version, on Shakespeare's Comedies.}

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 07:11 PM

Great stuff! Can't wait.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: Acorn4
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 06:48 PM

" I've started so I'll finish" will be very apt in the circumstances.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: Fergie
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 04:58 PM

Very droll Young Buchan, very droll

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: Young Buchan
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 02:42 PM

In The Death of Parcy Reed what can they not do to the poor man's mear?
Pass

What did Tamlin advise the lady to let the black and brown horses do?
Pass

The West Country Damosel had not been in the forest for what-ing three months and a day?
Pass

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 02:15 PM

Will be fun to test my (very ropey) knowledge of them!

Subject: RE: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: Noreen
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 02:12 PM

Great! Will be watching.

Subject: Child Ballads as Mastermind subject
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 02:09 PM

One of the specialist subjects on tomorrow evening's Mastermind (BBC2, 8.00PM) is 'the Child Ballads.'