Can I have a P please Bob?

No, but you can have a queue, as in going to the back of.

T whilst I'm waiting?

Y?

R - YY UR

Crikey Nora!

R U O K?

<continues to try and puzzle out 'R - YY UR'>

YY's UR YY's UB
IC UR YY'S 4Me

---------------------------------------------
World is crazier and more of it than we think

L F T 2

N F U NE M, L F M N X

Applauds robert's attempt at speech, but is absolutely baffled as to meaning.

Offers rice cake, small packet of raisons, beaker of water and pet moorhen. Gives up trying to guess what is required, puts on video of Teletubbies and goes back to drinking Gin.

Ahem, translation...

'I'll have tea too. And have you any ham. I'll have ham and eggs.'

Sorry - way to drunk now to do any cooking.

Whit's a Numberwang?

this is Numberwang!

Ah. Yerss. Well done.

Splat! You are back....

I remember an old show here called Telly Fun Quiz. I remember it had a fuzzy duck as one of the prizes....

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Ah, must have missed the fuzzy duck. Yep, so I am... pretty sure it's me anyway! How are you Martin? 's things?

Sorry to drag everyone back to the original reason for this thread but I thought you might be interested in my conversation with the BBC Complaints Dept over this. Names have been changed to protect the guilty. Mr XXXX is the complaints officer...

Dear Mr XXXXXX

Thank-you for your email and your apology for not answering my complaint within the 10 working day period within which the BBC aims to answer such complaints. Given your reply I regret to say that I cannot see why it has taken so long for you to respond.

Your answer does not indicate that any effort has gone into investigating this complaint. Firstly you do not confirm whether the question regarding Thursday 'Last' was correct or incorrect when broadcast. I would have thought that this would be the starting point of any investigation. Whilst you acknowledge that mistakes happen from time-to-time you do not confirm whether one has happened in this instance. You make no apology for the mistake (which is logical as you haven't confirmed whether one has happened) but as a result you can't say that you have in anyway addressed the point I've raised.

Secondly you don't pick up on why this error is so irritating. As you say mistakes happen, I agree and I wouldn't normally make a big fuss about it. However Jeremy is frequently very cutting with students when they don't know something he feels that they should know. He, and the programme, should therefore be prepared to hold up their hands and apologise when they get something wrong.

Thirdly you say that the decision on whether to finish the question at 'the gong' is left to Jeremy's discretion. Unfortunately your answer doesn't tell me whether my suggestion that he should finish the question has been put to Jeremy. I therefore don't know whether it is being ignored by you or by Jeremy (I haven't noticed any change in his behaviour).

Given the above I think it is fair to say that you have not checked if an incorrect question was asked on the show in question, and as a consequence you haven't apologised for a wrong question being asked. There is also no evidence that you have even made Jeremy Paxman aware that his habit of not answering a question when the gong sounds part way through is any way annoying.

In short, other than writing this email and posting the answer on the audience log, there is no evidence that you have done any work at all. This has, however, taken you about four weeks to do. I would therefore like to make a further complaint that a) my original complaint has not been properly addressed and b) my original complaint was not dealt with in a timely manner.

I do hope that you will be able to address my points more quickly and more appropriately this time.

Kind Regards

Miles Hawke



> Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:00:40 +0000
> From: complaintresponse@bbc.co.uk
> Subject: BBC Complaints [T200901290131S010Z5272110]
> To: kitlond@hotmail.co.uk
> CC:
>
>
> Dear Mr Whyte
>
> Thanks for your e-mail regarding 'University Challenge' broadcast on 26 January.
>
> Please accept our apologies for the long delay in replying. We know our correspondents appreciate a quick response and we're sorry you've had to wait on this occasion.
>
> I understand you feel a question on the programme regarding a Jasper Fforde book was incorrect as the question referred to the character 'Thursday Next' when in actual fact the name is 'Thursday Last'. I also acknowledge you'd like Jeremy Paxman to reveal the answer to the question when the gong sounds during it, in the way Bamber Gascoigne did.
>
> On this programme, like most quiz shows, the production team try to take as much care as possible to check accuracy of questions at all times, as well as using the services of an external independent verifier. Despite their testing standards, on very rare occasions slip-ups do occur and despite undertaking our usual procedures, mistakes happen. Thankfully they do not happen very often.
>
> With regards to Jeremy Paxman finishing the question at the end of the programme, this is something we leave at his discretion. We know that our audience has a wide range of opinions and inevitably there'll be some disagreement with Jeremy's presentation style. It?s a rare TV personality who meets with everyone's approval all the time.
>
> Nevertheless I appreciate your thoughts on these matters and with them in mid I'd like to take this opportunity to assure you that I've recorded your comments onto our audience log. This is an internal daily report of audience feedback which is circulated to many BBC staff including senior management, producers and channel controllers.
>
> The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.
>
> Thanks once again for contacting us with your comments.
>
> Regards
>
> xxxxxxxxxxx
> BBC Complaints
> __________________________________________
>
> [www.bbc.co.uk]
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> >{Programme Name:} University Challenge
> >{Transmission Date:}26 - 01 - 09
> >
> >{Comments:}
> >Dear Sir or Madam
> >
> >I have two complaints/comments to make about University Challenge.
> >
> >On Monday's edition of University Challenge Jeremy Paxman asked who was the author of the books which contain the character 'Thursday Last'. The answer given (and judged to be correct) was Jasper Fforde. Now the character in the Jasper Fforde books is actually 'Thursday Next'. This wouldn't be irritating except that Jeremy is so rude to students when they get something wrong that he thinks is obvious that I feel it should be pointed out to him that he is not perfect himself (even if the mistake was on the question card he did not notice it).
> >
> >Secondly when the gong goes at the end of the game, if he is halfway or even fully through a question, Jeremy does not finish it and give the answer. This is very irritating for viewers who have guessed the answer, or who are interested in the answer, as they do not have their answer confirmed/curiosity satisfied. It is an easy thing to put right (Bamber Gascoigne used to do it) so please can you do so.
> >
> >Many thanks

> >Miles Hawke
> [www.bbc.co.uk]
> This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically stated.
> If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system.
> Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it and notify the sender immediately.
> Please note that the BBC monitors e-mails sent or received.
> Further communication will signify your consent to this.
>

Why is the BBC reply directed to Mr. Whyte? If you chose to sign it 'Miles Hawke', shouldn't it refer to you as that? I used a Hotmail a/c in my wife's name for ages and repeatedly got replies to emails totally ignoring the fact that they were from me. I got to the stage of making first paragraphs: "This is my wife's email a/c, but I'm not her, she is. My name is... etc". Made not one speck of difference.

Also, the BBC chappie seem to have inverted your explanation of the error and still labours under the assumption that the correct name is Thursday "Last". Should you perhaps draw simple pictures with arrows, crosses, tick marks and so forth in any further correspondence, rather than write in English? You don't want them contacting Jasper to inform him that they have it on good authority that he got the name of one of his characters wrong.