Brain Men: A Passion to Compete - Tapa dura

Deep within the human psyche lurks the primal urge to compete. It can take many forms: sport, nuclear war, the pub quiz. Sport is universal, nuclear war threatens us all, but only Britain has a thriving quiz culture all of its own. Why do people watch quizzes on TV and why do so many go to a pub quiz each week, to compete for a cash prize smaller than the amount they will spend on beer? This book delves into the dark heart of British quiz culture - its origins, its practices, its background - and its unfortunate knitwear.

Marcus Berkmann writes television reviews for the DAILY MAIL and a monthly pop music column for the SPECTATOR, and has written columns on sport for the INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY and PUNCH.