Cleverdicks
British quiz show where top players compete for a cash jackpot.
Cleverdicks was a British quiz show that aired on Sky Atlantic, with Ann Widdecombe as host. It ran for 30 episodes and later appeared in repeats on Challenge. Each episode had four contestants competing for the chance to be called a "cleverdick"—a term Widdecombe defined in the first episode as someone "irritatingly and ostentatiously knowledgeable or intelligent"—and to play for a cash jackpot that rolled over if unclaimed. The show intentionally recruited top British quiz players, many of whom had appeared on other quiz programs. The first episode included future 'Egghead' Steve Cooke and future 'Brain of Britain' David Stainer. The first person to earn the title was Rob Hannah, who reached the final multiple times and defeated several other strong players, such as Alan Gibbs (who also won as part of a team), Nic Mortimer (the youngest contestant), and Brian Pendreigh (who had been in the news after his team won on *Eggheads* a few weeks earlier).
**Gameplay** The game had four rounds, with one contestant eliminated after each of the first three.
**Round 1** Each contestant played alone. They had two minutes to identify a series of subjects, each introduced with five clues of decreasing difficulty. After each clue, they could offer one guess; a correct answer on the first clue earned five points, with the value dropping by one point per clue. The contestant could say "move on" to discard the current subject and start a new one. If time ran out while a clue was being read, no guess was allowed. After all four had played, the lowest scorer was eliminated.
**Round 2** The three remaining contestants had their scores reset to zero. For each of up to five clues to a subject, contestants buzzed in to answer. A correct response earned points as in Round 1 and gave that contestant the first chance to answer three related questions for one point each. Any missed questions were opened to the other contestants on the buzzer. After eight subjects and their question sets, the lowest scorer was eliminated.
**Round 3** The highest scorer from Round 2 chose who would start. The host asked one question at a time to each contestant in turn. A miss or failure to answer added a triangle to that contestant's side of the board, stacking from the bottom upward; a correct answer removed a triangle if the side was not empty.
- Network
- Sky Atlantic
- Host
- Ann Widdecombe
- Episodes
- 30
- Format
- Quiz show
- Jackpot start
- £1,000
- Jackpot increment
- £1,000 per day unclaimed
Lore & Background
The show's first edition featured future 'Egghead' Steve Cooke and future 'Brain of Britain' David Stainer. The first established cleverdick was Rob Hannah, who reached the final several times and beat several other top quiz players including Alan Gibbs, Nic Mortimer (the youngest contestant of the series), and Brian Pendreigh (who was in the news after Eggheads a few weeks before - which his team won).
Reader's Guide
Cleverdicks is notable for its deliberate casting of elite quiz players, many of whom had appeared on other quiz shows. The gameplay involved four rounds, with one contestant eliminated after each of the first three. The final round required the contestant to keep a stack of question triangles under a descending white line for two minutes to win a cash jackpot that started at £1,000 and increased by £1,000 each day it went unclaimed. The show's title derived from Ann Widdecombe's explanation of a 'cleverdick' as a person who is 'irritatingly and ostentatiously knowledgeable or intelligent.' The question material was primarily academic in nature. The show ran for 30 episodes on Sky Atlantic and was later repeated on Challenge.
Did You Know?
- The first established cleverdick was Rob Hannah, who beat several top quiz players including Alan Gibbs, Nic Mortimer, and Brian Pendreigh.
- The show's jackpot started at £1,000 and increased by £1,000 for every day it went unclaimed.
- The show was hosted by Ann Widdecombe and ran for 30 episodes on Sky Atlantic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cleverdicks?
Cleverdicks is a British quiz competition that aired on Sky Atlantic, hosted by Ann Widdecombe, in which four top-tier quiz players battled each other for a rolling cash prize. The series ran for 30 episodes and was later picked up in repeats on the Challenge channel.
What does the term 'cleverdick' actually mean?
Ann Widdecombe introduced the word in the very first episode, describing a cleverdick as a person who is irritatingly and ostentatiously knowledgeable or intelligent. Winning the title was the central prize for the episode's champion.
How does the Cleverdicks jackpot work?
The pot started at £1,000 and grew by another £1,000 for every day it went unclaimed, meaning a contestant who finally won could take home a significantly larger sum. This rollover mechanic added a layer of urgency for viewers watching on successive nights.
Who competed on Cleverdicks?
The show deliberately hand-picked some of the sharpest regular quiz players in Britain, many of whom were already familiar faces from other panel and studio quiz programmes. The very first episode featured Steve Cooke, a name that would later become well known through his run on Egghead.
Why was Cleverdicks notable in the quiz-show landscape?
Rather than casting everyday contestants, it assembled a field of elite, repeat-appearing quiz competitors, turning each episode into a high-stakes clash of specialists. Combined with Widdecombe's dry, self-aware hosting and the ever-growing jackpot, it carved out a distinct niche on Sky Atlantic.
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