Dag Griffiths

Dag is one of the most successful media quiz contestants in the UK, and has appeared in Brain of Britain, Countdown, Fifteen to One, and the ITV quiz The People Versus (pictured, right). (from The Southport and Formby Quiz League - October 2000 Newsletter).

He won Fifteen to One in series 28 (2000) after finishing second in his heat in the first ever series. This meant he had to wait 12 years before previous contestants were allowed another go. He made the grand final of series 27 but failed to impress on that occasion. He very nearly went out in series 28, but his luck turned once he had dredged up the answer 'hot pursuit'.

My thoughts on the series 28 Fifteen to One Grand Final

Like Matti, I feel the pressure is off to some extent in the Grand Final. It was good to meet up again with Daphne, Helen, Philip and Michael from the previous Grand Final and to make new acquaintances including Alan Wynne who used to live in Ormskirk. You realise that in such company it is going to be largely a matter of luck. I think 15 To 1 is the toughest quiz on TV as you don't know how often you're going to be hit and what with. Having to concentrate on the questions, think on your feet and come up with fairly instant answers all contribute to its toughness.

I stood at number 7, the same position as in my previous game. Although not particularly superstitious, I was glad that I had not drawn 13 as I had done in the previous GF. On that occasion there was a certain symmetry to my performance - I answered my first three questions correctly then the next three incorrectly. When for a second time I got the first three right and made a mess of the fourth, I thought, 'Here we go again'. What a relief to get the next one right. Also, particularly worrying on this occasion was the way that all those standing to my left (8 to 15) gradually disappeared and I thought I had to be next in the sequence. However, then fortunately the pattern changed. When there were 5 of us left and Philip and I were both down to one life, I realised we were the targets and it was a question of who would crack first.

I felt for Philip who, for the second consecutive Grand Final, was the last to sit down. On this occasion he had faced a total of 13 questions in Rounds 1 and 2. Matti had done brilliantly, getting all 11 of his questions correct. I had faced 10 and Gavin 9.

Down to the final three, I thought about 15 correct answers would be enough as all three would score, some mistakes would be made and a handful of questions would go unanswered. I had made up my mind that my tactics 'on the buzzer' were a) to press as soon as I had any indication of what the answer might be and b) to provide as much information as possible to cover any twist in the question. The first worked well but in the heat of the moment I forgot almost completely to do the second (the exception being my answer about the caryatid and the telamon).

For a while it was nip and tuck between Matti and I. Approaching halfway, I had built up a bit of a lead but when I had lost two lives and Matti was catching up, I felt I had to go for it. Ali G was the picture that clinched it. Afterwards I cursed myself for not including at least 'The Voice of Youth' and Sacha Baron-Cohen in my answer but I got away with it. Gavin was not quite so lucky, twice getting caught out. The James Dean picture, when the answer wanted was the name of his last film (which we all knew) brought it home to me how I had ridden my luck with Ali G.

When Laura brought on the prize, I wiped my sweaty palm and she remarked how wobbly the pyxis was on its plinth.

(Picture (left) is from The Southport and Formby Quiz League - Sept 2000 Newsletter: Laura Calland Presents Dag with the 3rd century BC reel-shaped pyxis from Athens - known as West Slope Ware after a site facing the Acropolis.)

When I finally took possession of it I realised why. It was presented as it had always been shown and described on the show, upside down! It was not a bowl into which a lid fitted, rather it was a base over which a lid fitted.

Dag is the third person from Ormskirk, Lancashire to have won the Fifteen to One title the others being Mal Collier and Andy Francis. He plays for the Wings Club in the Southport and Formby Quiz League which is part of the Merseyside Quiz Leagues. He appeared on Countdown where he was a runner up in 1997 when in Series 35 he became an 'octochamp' (winner of eight shows (maximum allowable)) and went into the Finals as number one seed. After a semi-final victory over Amy Godel, in the actual final, he led by 3 points going into the final conundrum but was a microsecond too slow on the buzzer.

15 to 1 finished for Dag Griffiths on 23 October 2000:
He writes, 'I expected to be more of a target, but was only asked 4 questions in Round 2. Having reached the last three comfortably, I felt that another Grand Final was within my reach. I stuck to my previous tactics of getting control of the questions, taking questions until my first mistake, then playing defensively. On this occasion I made a big mistake when losing a second life by buzzing in and only half answering the question. Down to one life, I had made myself vulnerable. I did manage to see off one of the contestants with 3 consecutive nominations. I also got rid of one of the other's lives before my lack of in-depth knowledge of A.A. Milne let me down. I went out with 103 points and then watched the winner finish on 41 points! With hindsight, I should have played defensively from the start and nominated rather than have taken questions!

On The People Versus, a question by Dag on "English Test Cricket since 1980" was answered incorrectly by Ian Jones, and he was awarded a seat in the game. Subsequently, we asked him a question in his first category of "Olympic games venues" for the show broadcast on Monday 4 September 2000. The question was: "Which city finished 2 votes behind Sydney in the race to host the 2000 Olympics?" He elected to answer three other questions, thought about a another, and didn't consider answering ours. We're sure he'd just forgot the answer (Beijing) as this was evident from his facial expression when he was told the answers to the questions he didn't attempt.
(Will Jones).

Fifteen to One Record
Series	Year	Score	GF ?	FB Pos	GF Res
1	1989	100 (2nd and out)
27	2000	231	Yes	10=	13th
28		201	Yes	10=	1st
29		103 (2nd and out)

Many thanks go to Dag Griffiths for information on this page.