Swots
Host
Co-hosts
Susan Morrisson
Broadcast
BBC Radio Scotland, 4 September 2009 to 7 August 2010 (12 episodes in 2 series)
Synopsis
School-themed panel game.
Rounds included a spelling test, quickfire maths, questions on a particular subject, a specialist subject, a song or poetry performance by the competitors, and - of course - a general knowledge round to finish. Marks were awarded for correct answers, gold stars for spectacular work, detentions for rank stupidity.
Much of the comedy came from Miles Jupp's performance as a school headmaster not in control as the students misbehaved. Susan Morrisson, the school secretary, was his strict foil to keep the show on the road. As on television's School's Out, contestants were always referred to by surname only.
Swots was a strange mixture of hard quiz (spell "antidisestablishmentarianism", which wire in a plug carries no current) and comedy performance (versions of "Nessun dorma" with new lyrics, a round on the contents of a panellist's handbag). The two parts of the show didn't always gel together, and Swots was something of an uneven listen.
Inventor
Margaret Anne Docherty