In episode 171: Can game shows change the rules to stop people winning? Why aren’t men reading fiction? Who pays for the glam squad red carpet appearances require? Your questions answered by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.
Download ‘Can Men Read?’ as an MP3
Inside This Episode
Q: Has a British game show contestant ever won hundreds of episodes like recently happened in France? A: While a French contestant won 647 episodes and €2.5 million on a daily quiz show, the longest British streak was Ian from Hemel Hempstead who won 75 shows on Channel 5’s “100%”. However, the producers retired him before he could reach 100 episodes, saying it was boring for viewers. After his impressive 75-show winning streak, he walked away with just £7,500 – a mere £100 per episode.
Q: What is the Royal Rota and does it restrict press coverage of the royals? A: The Royal Rota is a press pool system where selected journalists and photographers have access to royal events, then share coverage with those who weren’t present. It includes major outlets like the BBC, ITV, The Sun, The Mirror, and others who sign up to conditions controlled by Royal Communications. While it manages official visits and events, it doesn’t prevent other royal stories from being published, as evidenced by decades of invasive coverage.
Q: Have men really stopped reading fiction books? A: The commonly cited statistic that 80% of fiction readers are female appears to be inaccurate, with better UK evidence suggesting 67% of fiction books are bought by women and 33% by men. While fiction does skew female in both reading and writing, it’s not as extreme as often claimed. The median person reads about five novels per year, and there are still many male-skewing authors like Stephen King and Lee Child.
Q: Why did films used to be released months later in the UK compared to the US? A: In the 1990s, the average Hollywood movie came out in the UK four and a half months after the US release, compared to simultaneous releases today. This was due to physical film reels being shipped overseas, time needed for dubbing and local marketing, and studios hoping US success would create buzz for international rollouts. The shift to digital distribution and piracy concerns led to the collapse of the “release windows” system.
Q: Are actors contractually obligated to do promotional work and who pays for their red carpet looks? A: Yes, actors’ contracts include specific days for promotional duties including red carpet events, cover shoots, and interviews. Film and TV companies provide a “glam fund” covering hair, makeup, and dresses for red carpet appearances since these photos will be used for promotion. Stars typically must say yes to two or three magazine requests per project and can’t turn everything down.
Media Mentions
Television Shows
- Les Douze Coups de Midi (French quiz show)
- Pointless
- Boom (Spanish game show)
- Alphabetical
- Eggheads
- Jeopardy!
- 100% (Channel 5 quiz show)
- Saturday Kitchen
Movies
Books
- The Impossible Fortune (upcoming Thursday Murder Club book)
- Dianaworld by Edward White
Hot Takes
“Reading books is for losers. Losers who are afraid to learn from life” – Andrew Tate’s view on reading
“Books are education for cowards” – Andrew Tate
“I thought he spent his whole time holed up in that shitty compound out by the airport in Romania. I mean, what life? He doesn’t have any.”
“He’s a sort of dark ages figure, really, isn’t he?”
“We certainly want the monarchy to be suffering, I always think. And the tabloid press. No one’s unhappy when the tabloid press is suffering.”
Who’s Who
- Émilien – French game show contestant who won 647 episodes
- Brig Bother – Game show expert and Twitter personality
- Los Lobos – Spanish game show team who won 505 episodes
- Ken Jennings – Jeopardy! champion and current host
- Jeff Stelling – TV presenter who hosted UK version of Alphabetical
- Ian Lygo – British game show contestant from Hemel Hempstead
- Andrew Tate – Internet personality
- Colleen Hoover – Author
- Sarah J. Maas – Author
- Rebecca Yarros – Author
- Freda McFadden – Author
- Stephen King – Author
- Lee Child – Author
- James Whittaker – Royal correspondent
- Prince William
- Prince Charles
- Princess Diana
- Meghan and Harry
- Greta Gerwig – Director
- The Rock – Actor
- Chris Columbus – Director
- Francis Spufford – Author
- Pierce Brosnan – Actor
- Tom Cruise – Actor
- Helen Mirren – Actress
- Celia Imrie – Actress
- Ben Kingsley – Actor
- David Tennant – Actor
Notable Numbers
- 647 episodes won by French contestant Émilien
- €2,500,000 prize money won by Émilien
- 23 cars won by Émilien
- £24,000 – highest Pointless jackpot mentioned
- 505 episodes won by Los Lobos team
- €4,100,000 additional prize won by Los Lobos in endgame
- €6,000,000 total winnings for Los Lobos
- 75 shows won by Ian from Hemel Hempstead
- £7,500 total winnings for Ian Lygo (£100 per episode)
- 80% often cited (but disputed) percentage of female fiction readers
- 67% actual percentage of fiction books bought by women
- 33% percentage of fiction books bought by men
- 14 books – average books read per year
- 5 books – median number of novels read per year
- 50/50 – Richard Osman’s readership split by gender
- 1995 – year when UK films came out 4.5 months after US
- 4.5 months – average delay for UK film releases in 1995
- 3 weeks – average delay ten years ago
- 8 – number of movie release “windows” in old system
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