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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Other People
Meg R. Stiles. Meg Ryan Stiles. Meg Ryan was in "When Harry Met Sally." Ryan Stiles was in "Whose Line is it Anyway?"
Billy Crystal was in "When Harry Met Sally." Crystal Gayle was in "A Star is Born".
Carrie Fisher was in "When Harry Met Sally." Fisher Stevens was in "Short Circuit".
Deborah Harry sang in "Blondie". Harry Connick sang in "When Harry Met Sally".
| Kevin Ashman has come into the public eye and is now regarded by many as the world's best quizzer. Which country does Kevin represent when quizzing? | Kevin Ashman - Quizzer Extraordinaire
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UK. Kevin Ashman was born on 2 November 1959 and lives in Winchester, England. Having previously worked as a civil servant, Kevin's quizzing ability has allowed him to become a full-time quizzer. He has said that there is definitely scope for more professional quizzers in the future and is enthusiastic about the growth of competitive quiz tournaments.
Kevin regularly leads the way in the British, European, and World Quiz Championships.
History. Kevin's aptitude for history is well known by anyone who has observed him whilst quizzing. On the television programme, "Eggheads," on which Kevin regularly appears, not only has he never lost a history round, he has never gotten a single question wrong on the topic. His astounding ability to recall dates in history is perhaps the foundation for his success. Knowing the chronology of so many historical events is a clear aid in being able to rule out incorrect answers when in a multiple choice situation. Moreover, being able to associate dates with specific events has meant that Kevin is incredibly fast on the buzzer.
However, Kevin is by no means a one-trick pony. After graduating from the University of Southampton with a history degree, Kevin set about expanding his knowledge in other areas. He is an eager traveller, having visited many places, either on holiday or on quiz related visits. Finally, Kevin's love of films (cowboy and western films in particular) has allowed him to become somewhat of a movie buff.
As you would expect, Kevin has admitted to having had a revision regime in the past, however he claims to have gotten "a lot lazier these days." He has claimed that he finds it difficult to just sit and read an encyclopaedia, or learn lists of trivia facts. Instead, he prefers to read around a topic, even if the information he gains is never likely to appear in the form of a quiz question.
| After becoming involved in the highly competitive London Quiz League through his work, several of Kevin Ashman's co-workers suggested that he should try out for TV's "Mastermind." Although his first appearance on the show was in 1987, it was in 1995 when he made his name in the show's history. How did he do this? | Kevin Ashman - Quizzer Extraordinaire
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He set the record for the highest ever score. Kevin's appearance on "Mastermind" in 1987 began well, as he scored an impressive 38 points with his general knowledge round along with his specialist category, "The Political History of the United States 1923-80." However, he was knocked out in the semi-finals of that year.
In 1995, "Mastermind" opened up the competition to previous contestants. Here, Kevin chose the specialist subject of "Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights Movement." He ended the first round with an astounding 20 points. In the general knowledge round, Kevin was to amaze everyone further, by winning the heat with a record breaking 41 points! Mr. Ashman kept his form, scoring 38 points in the semi-final and 39 in the final, taking the 1995 "Mastermind" title.
| After his success in 1995 with "Mastermind," Kevin Ashman went on to win another prestigious, long running quiz programme. Which programme, broadcast on BBC4 Radio and presented at the time by Robert Robinson, did Kevin go on to win in 1996? | Kevin Ashman - Quizzer Extraordinaire
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"Brain of Britain". It was this programme which was to become the dearest prize to Kevin. He later admitted that if he were to retain one of his titles, it would be the "Brain of Britain." This is mainly due to his long-running association with the programme, later becaming a question setter on the show (from 2002). In this role, Kevin was referred to as "Jorkins," a character out of the Dickens novel, "David Copperfield."
However, before going on to question setting, Kevin extended his reputation in the quiz world by winning both "Brain of Brains" (a contest between the 3 most recent winners of "Brain of Britain"), and "Top Brain" (a contest between the 3 most recent winners of "Brain of Brains").
| Kevin Ashman often participates in the European Quiz Championships, which have been held every year since 2004. Here, Kevin features largely in the team events. From 2004-08, the team tournament has been dominated by England and one other country. What is this other country? | Kevin Ashman - Quizzer Extraordinaire
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Belgium. In all 5 years (2004-08), the European Quiz Championship team tournament has featured the same two national teams in the final - England and Belgium. On review, Belgium has been the most successful of the two, winning in 3 of the 5 years (2005, 06, 08). The Belgian team is made up of top quizzers such as Ronny Swiggers and Nico Pattyn. The English team regularly features Mark Bytheway, Pat Gibson and Olav Bjortomt (alongside Kevin).
| The World Quiz Championships have been a gateway of success for Kevin Ashman. After winning three straight tournaments (2004-06), Kevin unfortunately failed to retain the title in 2007. Which fellow Brit took gold in this year? | Kevin Ashman - Quizzer Extraordinaire
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Pat Gibson. Pat Gibson arrived on the quizzing scene with a bang in 2004, when he won the £1 million prize on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." This was the start of what was to become an impressive run of titles, one which could rival that of Kevin Ashman. After his first TV appearance in 2004, Pat went on to win both "Mastermind" and "Brain of Britain" in the same year (2005).
Pat did not come out of the blue in the 2007 World Quiz Championships, having been runner-up to Kevin Ashman for the previous three years.
Pat has also had his share of success in the European Quiz Championships, winning gold in the team tournaments in both 2004 and 2007, as well as the pairs tournament in 2005.
| Kevin Ashman is very much at home in the World Quiz Championships, winning the title for three years running (2004-06). After a two year absence from the top spot, which man did Kevin take the title from in the 2009 tournament? | Kevin Ashman - Quizzer Extraordinaire
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Mark Bytheway. Mark has matched Kevin in terms of achievements in "Brain of Britain," winning all three titles ("Brain of Britain," "Brain of Brains," and "Top Brain"). Mark has also partnered Kevin to silver in 2006 and bronze in 2008 in the European Quiz Championship pairs tournament.
Coming back from 2nd place (where he had finished in 2007) and 4th (his position in 2008), Kevin managed to return triumphant in 2009, becoming the first man to ever regain the World Quiz Championship singles title, as well as remaining the only man to ever win the title more than once (with a total of 4). Across the 8 categories in the Championships, Kevin managed to obtain the highest score in 3 (culture, media and history), finishing with a total of 177 points, beating Ronny Swiggers' score of 174, and Mark Bytheway's 166.
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