It is with some (but definitely not total) regret that I announce that QU12 has finished. A year ago I set out to make a great quiz, with copious content, great competitors on a level playing field. No selection, other than merit, the content and competitors being the stars. I wanted to film it, and I wanted players to be able to come back for more.
Mission accomplished!
I got everything I wanted and more, If I had two or three words to describe it they would be "runaway success". Without any doubt QU12 has been the best quiz ever committed to film, as good a quiz as I or the competitors have ever participated in and a creation I can be totally proud of. Without a six figure budget and a credit list of thousands I can not improve significantly upon it, so..that's it. It may come back (Sponsors – TV production companies, are you listening?), but for the meantime I will continue to make films and quizzes, but only ones I get paid for (or at least which don't take up quite the time that QU12 does). If any teams fancy hooking up on a Monday night on-line quiz, please contact me. I still fancy perhaps a single day's QU12ing or perhaps weekend with five rounds (Four qualifiers and a final). I would appreciate anybody's thoughts on this. If several people could pitch in with question setting, asking, scoring, filming, catering, mixing, transport, editing, verification, printing, publicity, registration, fees, web site or any other of the tasks that I keep putting off, we could have a ball.
I will not be going to Merseyside (on Sunday 25th)and probably not Wendelbury (on Sunday 22nd June).
I still have quite a few films to edit and upload, and I wouldn't mind doing the stats, but for the time being I am transferring the site to within my own domain (rationalisation) and enjoying the weather.
All the thanks are on the end of year page, but once again, Peter Brook is fantastic, a more erudite, charming and competent person I have yet to meet, My son Jake who understands me better than anyone in the world, and whose company on the long trips will be the thing I will most miss, and Will Jones, about whom I have written extensively and thought even more. Why Will – why have you put so much time, effort, expertise and expense into QU12? I can only be eternally grateful and baffled. It's tough to know what to say about Jeremy Beadle, other than the torrent of praise and gratitude evinced by his passing away did not exaggerate what I/we knew about him.
The best thing (barring the finished product) was making new friends 4 eva (I am sure I speak for those 'established' players); we will see you all again. Dave Taylor, Mike Foden, Peter Robson, Barry Howbridge, Gwilym Owen, Judith Searle, Keith Marshall, Keith Pointon, Martin Riley, Robert Hannah, Scott Dawson, Anto McCann, Beverley and Dave Barbour, Cate Conway, Catherine Searle, Christine Moorcroft, Harry Searle, Hugh Irvine, Joy Wilson, Nick Duffy, Peter Duffy, Rhys Davies, Seamus McCarthy, Susanne Stewart, Tony Gold , Will Barney, Winston and Daphne Bustard, Ashley Handley and of course, Jed the Dog - thanks for enrichening my life, don't be shy about doing so again!
My biggest regret (barring any inconvenience I have caused by winding up) is that some truly titanic quizzers did not manage to play. Olav Bjortomt, Stefanie Bruce, Sean Carey, Mark Bytheway, Eric Kilby, Sean O'Neill, Andy Page, Chris Quinn, Jenny Ryan, David Stainer, Tim Westcott, John Wilson etc. would all have graced any round and I am sure would have thoroughly enjoyed QU12, which lost gravitas for not having them.
Unfinished business includes the Mexborough/Kirkland dichotomy – how do I decide the 2008 Team and Music champions?
This will probably not be the last such newsletter, but don't wait in for any more.
Thanks