History Series / OnlyConnect

* TakeThatCritics: In the first three series the teams chose from sets of clues identified by Greek letters. At the start of the fourth series Coren said that viewers had complained that the use of Greek letters was snobbish, pretentious and silly. She announced that the Greek letters had therefore been abolished...and invited the first team to choose an [[UpToEleven Egyptian]] [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130917075335/http://buzzerblog.com/2010/09/the-british-are-better-than-us-only-connect-series-four/ hieroglyph]].

** Sometimes, even an entirely non existent category will be included (meaning that some answers could belong in a special category but all have to go someplace else), e.g. in one 2015 episode the actual categories were "places of worship", "famous Benjamins", "forensic dramas", and "nationalities with an additional letter". The items included "Kirk"[[note]]an historical English word for "church" still in use in Scotland[[/note]], "Chapel", "Spock"[[note]]American pediatrician Benjamin Spock[[/note]], "Series/{{Bones}}" and "Scott". Naturally, the teams went for [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the red herring first]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/p02l7xz8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Now please choose an Egyptian hieroglyph."]]
Only Connect (2008-) is a [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] GameShow hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell. Two teams of three players, who come up with a team name based on their common link, must figure out what connects four apparently random clues. The quiz is unapologetically [[NintendoHard difficult]] and tests both knowledge and lateral thinking, each to a high standard. Teams compete throughout the each series in a tournament set up, with recent series taking a cue from ''Series/UniversityChallenge'' to have a double-knockout tournament, the complexities of which confuse Victoria from time to time. The quiz is split up into the following rounds:

* '''Round 2: Sequences''': This time, all of the apparently random clues are in a sequence, and teams must figure out what the connection is and say what the fourth clue would be, with up to 3 clues revealed for a maximum of 5 to a minimum of 2 points awarded; if the question is passed over to the other team they have the chance at 1 bonus point. This round also always features a picture sequence, and starting in 2014 some episodes feature a music sequence, after which Victoria asks all of the contestants to sing what the fourth clue would have been. An example question (from Series 13):

* '''Round 3: Connecting Wall''': Teams are presented with sixteen jumbled up clues and must sort them into four connected groups of four in a two-and-a-half minute time limit. There is only one correct solution to the Wall, and peppered amongst the clues are several {{Red Herring}}s that may fit into another category, or even a whole set of clues that are part of a whole Red Herring category that is not part of the correct solution. Once the teams correctly sort two groups, they only have three chances to sort the other two. Teams earn 1 point for each correctly identified group and 1 point for each connection, with an additional 2 points for a perfect score for a maximum of 10.[[note]]Its possible for teams to get groupings right but not for the right reason and lose points or run out of time/lives but finally know what the categories are and get points for the groups they could not get.[[/note]] Grand Finals and Champion of Champions matchups will be extra devious and make all 16 clues numbers or 2-3 letter abbreviations.
* '''Round 4: Missing Vowels''': In the final round, the teams are presented with well known names, phrases, or sayings but all of the vowels have been removed and all the consonants have been "squidged" up (spaces arbitrarily inserted or deleted) and must guess what the clue originally was, but are told the Category beforehand. Teams are awarded a point for buzzing in with the correct answer, and are penalized a point for guessing wrong or buzzing in and not being able to provide the answer. Example:

* NerdsAreSexy: Victoria counts herself among those who see ''Series/UniversityChallenge'' ace Alex Guttenplan as an example of this; when he and two of his Emmanuel College, Cambridge teammates appear in a 2011 special against ''Only Connect'' Champion of Champions winners the Crossworders, Victoria keeps trailing off during her opening interview with Guttenplan.

* TheDreaded: The music questions often get an OhCrap reaction from those unfortunate enough to pick them. Special mention goes to Creator/{{David Mitchell|Actor}} for the 2013 Comic Relief special:

** Sometimes, even an entirely non existent category will be included (meaning that some answers could belong in a special category but all have to go someplace else), e.g. in one 2015 episode the actual categories were "places of worship", "famous Benjamins", "forensic dramas", and "nationalities with an additional letter". The items included [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries "Kirk", "Chapel", "Spock", "Bones" and "Scott"]]. Naturally, that was the first thing the team spotted.

** Sometimes, even an entirely non existent category will be included (meaning that some answers could belong in a special category but all have to go someplace else), e.g. in one 2015 episode the actual categories were Places of worship; Famous Benjamins; Forensic dramas; and nationalities with an additional letter. The items included [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries "Kirk", "Chapel", "Spock", "Bones" and "Scott"]]. Naturally, that was the first thing the team spotted.
** Interestingly, the connecting walls are quite similar to a later mobile game simply called “[[http://www.blueoxfamilygames.com/red-herring-press-kit Red Herring]].”

* SmallReferencePools: Inverted. There have been questions involving knowledge of everything from the Kubler-Ross [[FiveStagesOfGrief model of grief]] and the odes of Creator/JohnKeats to the creator of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'', the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' novels, and types of Franchise/{{Pokemon}}. This kind of behaviour is actively encouraged on the website's "Create Your Own Connecting Wall" feature.

** In a 2016 episode, the answer to one sequence had to be a TV show hosted by Fiona Bruce, giving Victoria an opportunity to name-check ''Hive Minds'', the show developed to replace ''Only Connect'' on BBC 4 after it moved up to BBC 2. Came with a spot of SelfDeprecation, as Victoria asked rhetorically how sad you'd have to be to want to host a quiz show on BBC 4.

* {{Fanservice}}: Sometimes, Victoria dresses like [[http://www.ukgameshows.com/p/images/thumb/e/ed/Only_connect_victoria_coren_mitchell.jpg/400px-Only_connect_victoria_coren_mitchell.jpg this]].
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** The first three series featured greek letters rather than egyptian hieroglyphs.

* TheDreaded: The music questions often get an OhCrap reaction from those unfortunate enough to pick them. During the 2013 Comic Relief special Creator/{{David Mitchell|Actor}} was the only member of his team to know what that little jingle meant.

** In one Missing Vowels round, the answers are all members of ''Only Connect''[='=]s crew with whom the contestants were all introduced before filming.

* '''Round 3: Connecting Wall''': Teams are presented with sixteen jumbled up clues and must sort them into four connected groups of four in a two-and-a-half minute time limit. There is only one correct solution to the Wall, and peppered amongst the clues are several {{Red Herring}}s that may fit into another category, or even a whole set of clues that are part of a whole Red Herring category that is not part of the correct solution. Once the teams correctly sort two groups, they only have three chances to sort the other two. Scoring: one point for each group identified and one point for knowing what connects the members of each group (including any they didn't identify). A team that emerges with eight points gets two extra.

* {{Corpsing}}: The Music/OneDirection [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-v29pf4Dow incident]].

* BigEater: In addition to jokes about herself as a LadyDrunk, Victoria often jokes about her eating habits, particularly during her first pregnancy. In the 200th episode, a special commemorative cake is put on the dais, and while the first team is looking at the first set of clues, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycwng1YCryA&t=3m17s Victoria procures a large knife and cuts into it, and proceeds to eat more of the cake during the first round]. By the time of Missing Vowels, nearly all the cake has been eaten.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Victoria Coren Mitchell is wonderful at this.[[note]] Which isn't surprising when one considers that she used to review pornographic films for ''Erotic Review''.[[/note]]
-->'''Victoria Coren Mitchell:''' Now we're into the semi-finals the questions get harder, though because it's only a semi not much harder.
** and the blink and you'll miss it comment at the end of the first quarter final
--->"We have the beginnings of a semi."

* BigEater: In addition to jokes about herself as a LadyDrunk, Victoria often jokes about her eating habits, particularly during her first pregnancy. In the 200th episode, a special commemorative cake is put on the dais, and while the first team is looking at the first set of clues, Victoria procures a large knife and cuts into it, and proceeds to eat more of the cake during the first round. By the time of Missing Vowels, nearly all the cake has been eaten.

* TakeThatCritics: In the first three series the teams chose from sets of clues identified by Greek letters. At the start of the fourth series Coren said that viewers had complained that the use of Greek letters was snobbish, pretentious and silly. She announced that the Greek letters had therefore been abolished...and invited the first team to choose an [[UpToEleven Egyptian]] [[http://buzzerblog.com/2010/09/the-british-are-better-than-us-only-connect-series-four/ hieroglyph]].

** In the first couple of series, it was not uncommon for the first two clues in a question to suggest a spurious connection that will be utterly demolished by the third clue, to catch out teams who try to answer early. The question-setters don't do this anymore though, in fact the opposite has now happened: if they ''accidentally'' suggest a spurious connection which the team spots, the team will generally be awarded the points anyway, provided it's an honest attempt to solve the puzzle.

** Interestingly enough, the “connecting walls” are quite similar to a mobile game simply called “Red Herring.”

** A January 2012 special saw the Crossworders facing three former ''Series/{{Mastermind}}'' champions (Stephen Allen (1991), Gavin Fuller (1993), and Nancy Dickmann (2009)). The Crossworders won again.

** One Missing Vowels round had "Presidents of Footlights" as a category, seemingly just so that one of the answers could be Creator/{{David Mitchell|Actor}} , who is, of course, Victoria's husband.

-->'''Victoria''': All editors of ''Magazine/{{Punch}}'': Mark Lemon was the first editor of ''Punch'', Alan Coren the best.

-->'''Victoria''': Do you know? It's like you don't watch the show. You don't care, do you? You won. You took your trophies home. You forgot about us. Nevermind us sitting here playing our Connecting Walls. You didn't even-- '''''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders'''''?! I'm horrified! I can barely bring myself to give the scores. But I must. Otherwise we'll never go home.

-->'''Victoria''': And teams, to mark our hundredth, we've got seven lovely glasses of sherry here. So I'm just going to give out the trophy, and then [[IllTakeTwoBeersToo get on with drinking them.]]

-->'''Victoria''': Hello, and welcome to ''Only Connect'', the quiz that's like a gym for the mind. Let me explain what I mean by that -- for all you hardcore quizzers out there, a gym is a sort of building full of sports equipment...

-->'''David''': Two reeds.
-->[''Jingle'']
-->'''Victoria''': Right.
-->'''David''': Oh, ''brilliant(!)''
-->'''Rosie Boycott''': What does that mean?
-->'''David''': It means it's the ''Music'' Round.
-->'''Victoria''': You'll be pleased to know, it's the ''Music Question''.

-->"We have the beginnings of a semi."

-->Much of the key work debunking supernatural myth was carried out in the 1970s by American paranormologists [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Norville Rogers, Frederick Jones, Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley]]. And if you didn't get that reference, then shame on you.