Comments on: Independent 8076 by Jambazi (Saturday Prize Puzzle 1 Sept 2012)

By: allan_c

allan_c — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 17:58:51 +0000

Apart from needing a word finder for 7d I got it all without understanding all the themed references. CoD for me has to be UREA, with MAGNA CARTA a close second.

Your comment about Andy Murray put me in mind of Flanders & Swann, circa 1963: ‘If we’ve ever done anything good it’s “another triumph for Great Britain” and if we haven’t it’s “England lose again”!’

Thanks, Jambazi/Tramp and mc_rapper67.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 09:59:22 +0000

I managed to solve it all knowing nothing whatsoever about a theme including working out STEVE COOGAN (who I’d never heard of) from the wordplay and verifying afterwards that there is indeed such a comedian.

Not too difficult a puzzle.

Favourite clues MOOSE, STROLL.

Thanks, Jambazi and mc_rapper67.

By: mc_rapper67

mc_rapper67 — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 08:48:55 +0000

Thanks to Richard H and Jambazi/Tramp at #2 and #3 for shedding some light on the thematic darkness that I was fumbling around in! I obviously didn’t watch, or remember, enough of Alan Partridge. I think the comedy-detail-retention section of my brain is too full of Python to let much else in.

flashling at #1 – ‘they do say great minds think alike’!…or was it ‘fools seldom differ’? Either way, glad to know I wasn’t the only one…

By: Jim T

Jim T — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 08:27:48 +0000

Witty and enjoyable puzzle paying tribute to a great broadcaster. Great shame ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ was decommissioned – seems a bit harsh just for shooting a guest but TV’s a ruthless business.

Loved the three programme pitch clues and SLEEPWALK. Never considered STEALING as a possibility for 8d which was my last answer.

Thanks, Jambazi and mc.

By: Tramp

Tramp — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 06:42:25 +0000

Thanks for the excellent blog MC.

For those that are unfamiliar with Alan Partridge (AP), in the episode A Room With An Alan (which Richard has kindly provided a link to), Alan pitches programme ideas to a TV executive. A running joke in our family when we see trailers for rubbish programmes is to quote AP and say “if you don’t (make it), Sky will”. I saw one advertised the other night — The Gloves are Off, or something — which is celebrities doing boxing, I think: If you don’t, Sky will.

I was watching Only Connect a while ago and one of the missing vowels rounds featured AP pitches. The term Arm Wrestling with Chas ‘n’ Dave rang a bell and I decided to see if I could use it in a clue for something to do with a TV programme. When I saw AP was to return to our screens, ironically on Sky, I decided to theme a puzzle around him. I sent it to Mike at the Indy, he made a few improvements and to my amazement, scheduled it for 1st Sept.

Sorry if I caused confusion with SPELLING/STEALING.

I’d love to set one by mid October but It’d be a struggle in terms of time.

Thanks again folks. I’m off to the Northern Sloggers and Betters/Anax’s 50th do now.

Have a good weekend

Jambazi

By: Richard Heald

Richard Heald — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 05:55:38 +0000

Nice puzzle, whose overriding theme can of course be explained by this hilarious scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS1le_8ZhOU.

After Gordon Ramsay made ‘Cooking in Prison’ a reality on Channel 4 earlier this year, surely it’s only a matter of time before we see Chas ‘n’ Dave flexing their biceps …

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:32:08 +0000

Not just me that couldn’t decide between spelling and stealing then.