Johnners' Trivia Test Match

Oct 2, 2024 8:19 PM

Author:Brian Johnston,Brian Johnston,Willie Rushton,Tim Rice,Various

Brian Johnston, aka ‘Johnners’, the BBC’s long-time cricket commentator, is the umpire in this test of wit and general knowledge, as two teams try to score the highest number of runs under his watchful eye. In these four episodes, team captains Tim Rice and Willie Rushton are joined by Stephen Fry, Paul Merton, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Bill Tidy, Caroline Quentin, Bernard Cribbins and Robin Bailey. But which questions will they go for? The easier ‘single’ worth just one run? Or will they try the harder question and attempt a ‘boundary’ (four runs)? Can the batting team reach six questions (an ‘over’) before the other team gets a go? And there’s every chance that calls of ‘Howzat!’ or ‘Bouncer!’ can interrupt play... With questions that include trivia and unusual facts, hear the stumps fly and the wickets fall in these four wonderful episodes.

Reviews

A punchy, straight-talking memoir with lots of colour, this is a racy, amusing and at times astonishing read

—— The Herald

An explosive and gripping autobiography

—— The Sun

A character as extrovert as Andy Goram is apt for an appealing - and controversial - autobiography

—— Justin Taylor, BBC Sport

A genius

—— Tiger Woods

It conveys well the momentousness of the achievement- It captures the power of the amateur spirit

—— Alastair Campbell, The Times

Barclay tells his story and in doing so describes the way the game has changed over the years. We see the famous temper in action, but also a more reflective, generous side

—— Colin Waters , Herald

A firm but fair biography of a footballing legend

—— Guardian

Do we really need another biography of Sir Alex Ferguson?...the answer is unequivocally in the affirmative

—— Independent on Sunday

You'll be hard-pressed to find a book that will tell you as much about the intimidating character and gives such a revealing insight into the legend of British football that is Sir Alex Ferguson

—— Football Fan Cast

Best Sports Biography of the Year

—— Metro

An extraordinary and powerful cautionary cry.

—— Kirkus

Brilliant. . . one of the most unnerving books you will ever read

—— Newsweek

Buford creates with the majesty of a Tom Wolfe the ultimate price paid by so many for this footballing fever - the Hillsborough disaster, recalled with electrifying eloquence and power

—— Time Out

A grotesque, horrifying, repellent and gorgeous book; A Clockwork Orange come to life.

—— John Gregory Dunne

A very readable, often funny, book.

—— The Economist

His prose is tough and vivid

—— ID

Buford pushes the possibilities of participatory journalism to a disturbing degree . . . Among the Thugs does severe damage to the conventional wisdom that England and Europe are bastions of civilization.

—— New York Times

Buford's book is important in that it offers a far more compelling explanation for the football violence than any offered by the pundits of Left and Right . . . Had Buford's account been written by a tabloid reporter or an academic sociologist it might be more easily dismissed. That is comes from a highly intelligent observer, and a neutral outsider with no axe to grind, makes his book all the more powerful and yet troubling.

—— Michael Crick , Independent

Buford’s accounts of the thugs he moved with are by turns amazing, repugnant, stunning, horrid and exhilarating.

—— Howler

The defining book on England’s hooliganism

—— Simon Parkin , Guardian

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