LONDON, 7 November 2018 – Quest moves into comedy by commissioning its first comedy entertainment programme, Al Murray’s Great British Pub Quiz (21×60). Produced by Avalon and hosted by the multi-award-winning comedian behind the Pub Landlord, Al Murray’s Great British Pub Quiz pits the UK’s most passionate pub quiz teams against each other.
In each episode, Al is joined by two existing pub quiz teams, each joined by a special celebrity guest, to battle it out to win the “golden tankard” and a cash prize. The series will be filmed with a live audience in a studio designed with all the characteristics of a working pub, including a resident barman (and know-it-all) keeping score – actor Shaun Williamson (Celebrity Mastermind winner, three-time Celebrity Pointless winner, Celebrity Eggheads winner and The Chase winner) – not to mention a very lively pub pianist. The quiz includes classic pub quiz style questions on a range of topics, with picture rounds, mystery objects and brain teasers.
“Al Murray’s Great British Pub Quiz marks Quest’s first move into comedy entertainment formats as we seek to broaden the channel’s appeal. With Al’s legendary comedic talent, this is a fresh take on a game show that apes traditional pub quizzes and has great potential to excite Quest fans and engage new audiences,” said Simon Downing, SVP, Head of Quest and Eurosport UK. “It comes on the back of an exciting year for Quest where ratings have reached record highs and we’ve diversified our schedule with the EFL Highlights.”
Jamie Isaacs, Executive Producer for Avalon, said: “Quest is really hitting its stride. It’s great to be working with Al Murray and the team at Quest on this entertaining new show at such an exciting time in the channel’s evolution.”
Al Murray added: “It’s very exciting to be putting the Quest into Question with the Great British Pub Quiz. You’re going to see some of the finest quizzing minds in the country duking it out as well as the most knowledgeable barman on the planet, Shaun Williamson, do his quizzing thing.”
Simon Downing ordered the show and Victoria Noble is the Commissioning Editor. Jeremy Phillips is the Executive Producer for Discovery and Jamie Isaacs is Executive Producer for Avalon.
Al Murray’s Great British Pub Quiz joins other entertaining and informative programming for Quest in 2019, including the commission of new episodes of Salvage Hunters and its spin-off series’ Salvage Hunters: The Restorers and Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars, produced by Curve Media. Meanwhile new series of Scrap Kings, Outback Opal Hunters and Aussie Gold Hunters return to Quest in 2019, and the EFL Highlights continue.
Al Murray’s Great British Pub Quiz will launch on Quest in Q1 2019.
Quest is a free to air factual entertainment channel, part of the Discovery UK portfolio.
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Notes to editors
For further information please contact
Christabel Smith, Corporate Communications Manager at Discovery
07857270298 / Christabel_Smith@discovery.com
Dan Lloyd, Director of Communications at Avalon
020 7598 7222 / DLloyd@avalonuk.com
Lily Marriott, Publicist at Avalon
020 7598 7213 / LMarriott@avalonuk.com
About Quest
Quest is available in 27 million homes across Freeview, Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media and BT TV. With a monthly reach of 12.4 million, Quest is Discovery’s largest channel in the UK, and enjoyed its best ever first-quarter performance in 2018. QuestOD is the new, free video on demand service that allows you to catch-up on all your favourite programmes and watch the live stream from Quest and Quest Red, wherever and whenever you want within the UK.
About Avalon
Avalon is a multi-award winning talent management, live promotion and television production group with offices in the UK and the USA. Avalon and ARG, the talent management arm, has discovered and represents many artists that are household names, both in the UK, the USA, and around the world.
In 2018, Avalon was again named the number one true independent television production company in the UK and has produced numerous ground-breaking television shows including: Emmy and Peabody award winner Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), multi-award winning and Emmy-nominated Catastrophe (Channel 4/Amazon Original), RTS and Rose d’Or winning Not Going Out (the BBC’s longest running sitcom currently on air), BAFTA and RTS-nominated Taskmaster (DAVE/UKTV), multi-BAFTA award winning TV Burp (ITV1), Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC2), Fantasy Football League (BBC/ITV) and Workaholics (Comedy Central USA).
Avalon and Topical Television form the television arm of the company and other shows in production include: Breeders (FX/Sky) co-created by Academy Award-nominee and double Emmy Award-winner Simon Blackwell, double Emmy Award and Directors Guild of America-winner Chris Addison and Emmy and BAFTA winning Martin Freeman; The Russell Howard Hour (Sky One), the most successful new entertainment series to launch on the channel since 2010; Why Does Everyone Hate The English? (History); Stand Up Central with Rob Delaney (Comedy Central UK) and Russell Howard & Mum: Road Trip (Comedy Central UK). The catalogue is sold worldwide by Avalon Distribution.
Avalon produced Newman and Baddiel: Live at Wembley, the UK’s first arena comedy show; Jerry Springer: The Opera, the first West End show to win all four UK ‘Best New Musical’ awards; and has continued to produce live shows globally, as well as promoting more winners and nominees of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award than any other company.
For Avalon news visit: www.avalonuk.com/press or @avalonent.
