Blockbusters is a big hit!

Blockbusters and I go back a long way — even before Gulf News started the annual event in 1984. It was a family ritual to be in front of the telly each evening waiting for Blockbusters to begin on Channel 33.

And yes, I was a participant, albeit an unsuccessful one, in an initial round of the Gulf News version of the popular BBC game show.

“Blockbusters started as fun,'' said Francis Matthew, editor at large, Gulf News, who was the editor of the newspaper when the show was launched.

He has also played quizmaster in many of the sessions. He feels it is “a genuine challenge to think about the words which are needed, in a very short time, and there is a feeling of satisfaction when you see your team's game getting through to a win. It gives you a sense of achievement''.

Matthew's words echo not just the essence of the game, but what the whole show entails. No show is successful without a winning team and hard work.

There were problems the Gulf News team faced while giving shape to the event but the team members overcame them to stage a wonderful show, reviving the quiz after more than a decade.

Creating awareness

“As Blockbusters is no longer on television, our first hurdle was creating awareness about the game,'' says Naheed Patel, the Gulf News promotions manager and pillar of the initiative.

“The people who had played the game years ago and knew about the show had grown up. Whenever we organised Blockbusters, we had to seek permission from the BBC.

"However, we came to know that the show was now owned by Fremantle Media. We were able to obtain permission from them to run an adapted version.

“Our sponsors were very responsive too. Vishesh Bhatia, group director, Al Futtaim Group, always the key sponsor for Blockbusters, has been actively involved,'' she said.

“A knowledge-based society is fundamental to growth and progress. The UAE has proved time and again that engaging everyone creatively profits the nation immensely. I am glad Plug-Ins has made a significant contribution towards this happy state of affairs,'' Bhatia said.

“We were very pleased with the response to the revival of Blockbusters and look forward to seeing some exciting contest in the final rounds. It is delightful to see entries in the adult categories from people who had once participated in the show as juniors when they were students.''

Joji Joseph of Plug-Ins, who was associated with the event for the first time, said it was a great experience.

“My kids are crazy about Blockbusters. They play the game at home and wanted to participate but cannot because of me (family members of organisers and their associates are not allowed to participate),'' he said laughing.

“I feel there should be more Blockbusters because it helps the all-round development of the kids. I've also made a lot of friends here and enjoyed every single day I was here with my family.''

After the basics were taken care of, the concern was how to get people to know about the event.

Community feel

“We were worried whether we would get enough entries,'' says Patel. We wrote to schools in the UAE in June but most of them were not aware of the event.

Though the response was slow, it did pick up. We held the sessions for the adult category first so that once people came to know, they would want to participate.

The response in Abu Dhabi was also encouraging. Initially, people would come only to watch. But they would return the next day to sign up — some with their kids.''

“Participating in Blockbusters has been a fantastic experience,'' said Gautam Bellur, a consultant based in Dubai.

“I always looked forward to it and would return from boarding school to participate. Blockbusters was also a way to get together with people of my own age.

"Of course, I could not participate this year because of work but I was part of the audience and it was as much fun. I also met many old acquaintances. The beauty of Blockbusters is that it brings about a feeling of community.''

“The social side is important,'' says Matthew. “We have all sorts of teams entering from all sorts of places: groups of friends; schools; companies, social clubs; and they all attract their vociferous supporters, which is really good.

It is also a very well known television show. People identify with the show. In the 1990s we asked Bob Holness to come out and run some of the quizzes.

It was exciting when the he took over, and gave our show a sense of being the real thing.

“At the same time it is obviously a game. Its very simplicity makes it attractive. Everyone in the audience is convinced that they can do better, and the pressure on the teams increases all the more by the way the audience thinks it has the answer: a mass ‘breath-in' from hundreds of people in the theatre clearly tells the team in the spotlight that the audience has a good idea of what they should answer''.

Questions

Then there was the matter of the questions for the contest. Patel said she had over 28,000 questions but 90 per cent of them had to be discarded as they were dated.

“Why? Because history has changed. Geography has changed. Earlier, the focus was the Ninja Turtles, now it is Shrek. So imagine churning out 60 questions for each session,'' said Patel, who came up with almost all the questions for this year's Blockbusters.

She pointed to a bundle behind my chair — nearly 3,000 questions for the finals.

Of course, some of the questions had to be really easy. “Stupid, in fact, just to get the game going,'' Patel said.

The semi-finalists and finalists will slog it out today at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre. The session will also include the Champions Challenge — the icing on the cake — where new champions will challenge older ones.

Team members

Most members of the organising team were new to the assignment but all of them said Blockbusters was great fun and working out the show was a learning experience.

Naureen Aquil said she has been playing Blockbusters outside the hall too. “I end up talking to my family and friends the Blockbusters way. If I want tea, I would ask ‘What ‘t' is a beverage?' or something to that effect,'' she said, laughing.

Naureen sorted the teams and made calls to the participants. “Sometimes I would make a list and start calling. If someone said he or she won't be able to make it, I would have to shuffle the whole lot again. But it was exciting being on the team.''

Puneet Bajaj, who was in charge of the set-up, said this was the first time he had worked on such an event. “I have worked on other events such as product launches and the Dubai World Cup but never on a quiz show. It was a great learning experience.

"I was taking care of the set-up and scoring. We reached a couple of hours before the show and got everything ready. And, of course, the show improved my vocabulary,'' he said.

Tarun Gangwani, who recently joined the promotions team, was assigned the task of managing the crowd.

“People who came to watch the games were as excited as the participants and would often answer the questions aloud before the participants did. My job was to see this did not happen. Being on the team was definitely a good experience for me,'' Gangwani said.

Adults who participated but did't make it

Venkatesh Thiagarajan: “I've always loved taking quizzes since my childhood. Whenever there is a competition open to all, I avail of the chance. This game is all about coordination — listen to the question, figure out the answer and press the buzzer in time.

"If I could do anything differently, I would practise hitting the button faster. Not making it to the finals was disappointing but I'm happy as I made it further than others in my age group.''

Dr Irfan Jhabuawala: “I participated in Blockbusters the first time it was held in 1994 and reached the semi-finals. When I came back to Dubai and heard it was running, I wanted to have a go again.

"I reached the finals of the first rounds and had the same fun I had the last time. If I had a chance to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing — I'd go unprepared.''

Adults Quarter-Finalists

Charul Mathur, a singles quarter-finalist, feels Blockbusters has been a “great experience'' but wished the venue had been more spacious. “Some of the questions sounded outdated,'' she said.

A regular follower of Blockbusters in Muscat over the years, Mathur “thoroughly enjoyed participating as a team''.

Manu Mathew of the No Strings group said although Blockbusters brought back memories of his earlier participation, he wasn't tense this time around. “It was real fun. Though we haven't practised much, we are looking forward to the final sessions.''

Theresa Tsui of Einstein's Secret Children didn't expect to win. “We were like children, giggling like 15-year-olds,'' she said.

“I've watched the show in UK and as a student of English at university. I found it really interesting. The only problem was being fast on the buzzer.

"If we were quick, the other team was quicker. It was amazing to watch the others come up with answers so easily even though English was not their first language.''

Quizmasters

The quizmasters unanimously agreed the event was a great experience. While most were new to the event, Stuart McClean, a senior LEAD programme manager with Aldar Properties, said he had been conducting Blockbusters ever since the original show with Bob Holness.

“It was nice to see old faces and meet new participants. It feels good to know people still remember the show.''

Geeta Menon, a Gulf News staff member, was another quizmaster who has been part of Blockbusters earlier, too. She feels people used to be more aware of the show.

“Though the going was slow in the earlier stages, the kids — especially schoolchildren — soon picked up the nitty-gritty,'' she said.

Schooly and Selena are familiar voices on Gulf News Radio 1 while Christine is a news presenter on Radio 2.

Though this was their first time as quizmasters, they found it was good fun and educative. They are already looking forward to future Blockbusters.

A voice from the past

Rosy George, an English teacher at The Indian High School Dubai — incidentally my teacher, too — was present with the school's seniors team at one of the sessions. She has been a Blockbusters regular, she later told me .

“I have attended many sessions of Blockbusters over the years. I also participated in the quiz and, of course, didn't win,'' she said, laughing.

“My husband had once teased me and told me not to make a fool of myself. But I proved him wrong this time, winning twice in the audience round.

"It was tense watching when my students were up there but I was very happy to be present. I feel this is a very informative and educative experience for children, giving them an impetus to learn.

"I too have learnt some new words — words which we may not use everyday. I also met some of my old students. It felt really nice to meet an old student who was participating in the adults' category. I wish there were more such shows.''