The Saturday Quiz - podcast cover

The Saturday Quiz

John Learyplay.acast.com

If you have a few minutes, please complete this survey so The Saturday Quiz can return for another season with the guests and content that you like best: http://bit.ly/thesaturdayquiz-survey Each week on this show, the host John Leary is joined by a different pair of celebrity guests. He asks them the 10 questions from the quiz in The Saturday Paper and they do their best to answer them correctly. It ain't rocket science - but the questions very well might be!

Follow John on Bluesky: @johnnyjohnleary.bsky.social or find the show on Instagram: @thesaturdayquiz

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

P or F with Justin Smith and Matthew Whittet

It is a very tough set of questions that actors Matthew Whittet and Justin Smith come up against in this episode. Although there’s very little excuse for not knowing the composer of Moonlight Sonata. John does his best to clue them towards the answers, but there’s only so much he can do. However, if you know the 16-letter word for sleight of hand, the name of the scale for measuring mineral hardness and the name of the author of the feminist work Backlash, you’ll do very well at this week’s quiz...

Aug 13, 202129 minSeason 2Ep. 29

Research with Amanda Brotchie and Adam Zwar

The son of a writer and a pharmacist’s daughter make for an excellent pair of quiz takers. TV director Amanda Brotchie and writer and actor Adam Zwar are stumped only by the popular music question in this episode that goes from the assassination of a civil rights leader, through gigantic gulfs and floral emblems, to the special theory of relativity. This episode has it all. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

Aug 06, 202130 minSeason 2Ep. 28

Wacky Names with Nick Boshier and Jazz Twemlow

The creators and stars of a brand new sketch comedy show The Moth Effect , Nick Boshier and Jazz Twemlow, join John to find the answers to some very tricky questions. Most of the answers end up having something to do weird and wacky names… which is appropriate for guys called Boshier and Twemlow. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jul 30, 202135 minSeason 2Ep. 27

Nomenclature with Virginia Gay and Robin Goldsworthy

Taking a break from their Zoom based rehearsal for the upcoming production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Melbourne Theatre Company, Virginia Gay and Robin Goldsworthy guess their way through some very tricky questions, but most of the answers are there in their heads somewhere. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jul 23, 202136 minSeason 2Ep. 26

Expert Category: Sport! with Michala Banas & Bert LaBonté

Recorded prior to the announcement of the latest Victorian lockdown, this episode’s guests join John over Zoom from their dressing rooms between shows at the Melbourne Theatre Company. Michala Banas and Bert LaBonté do very well at the quiz - Bert is even one of the rare people on the podcast who get the sports question without guessing. In fact, he nominates sport as his expert category. Which carnivorous animal has the scientific name Ursus maritimus ? Cape Barren Island is in what body of wat...

Jul 16, 202128 minSeason 2Ep. 25

Rejected Olympic Mottos with Gillian Cosgriff & Tom Wren

Taking a moment away from appearing in the Australian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Gillian Cosgriff and Tom Wren try their hands at the quiz. And for the first time, someone claims that geography is their area of expertise! However they don’t get to test their proficiency as there is no geography question in this week’s quiz. There are a couple of sports questions though. And a musical theatre adjacent one. Who was the first person to be awarded two Nobel prizes? In which cou...

Jul 09, 202129 minSeason 2Ep. 24

Win The Weekend with Alex Lee & Craig Reucassel

Since Alex last appeared on the podcast, she has become a quiz show host herself. And joining her this time is one of the celebrity contestants, Craig Reucassel. They learn that on this show, there’s no such thing as too many clues. And that more often than not, the answer is rattling around in your head somewhere and if you just keep talking, you’ll eventually say it. What is the first name of President Duterte of the Philippines? Which country is known as the Cockpit of Europe? And what is the...

Jul 02, 202130 minSeason 2Ep. 23

A Hard-On For Bigfoot with Alice Fraser and Dan Ilic

No strangers to podcasts, Alice Fraser and Dan Ilic step in to represent the not quite locked down Eastern suburbs of Sydney. Drawing on his experience working on several Olympics, Dan finds the answer to the sports question. And Alice’s multi-religious upbringing helps her with a question on the Ten Commandments. In relation to diamonds, what are the 4Cs? Which Asian nation is a member of the G7 political forum? And who wrote the play An Ideal Husband ? Support this show http://supporter.acast....

Jun 25, 202131 minSeason 2Ep. 22

The Springsteen Game with Sarah Krasnostein & Charlie Pickering

Sarah Krasnostein and Charlie Pickering are a couple who clearly enjoy doing quizzes together - they’ve even invented their own trivia based game “Springsteen”. They both get a chance to show of the breadth of their general knowledge on this episode, but unfortunately Charlie’s speciality subject of Scottish terriers doesn’t feature in any of the questions. In which war was the Battle of the Bulge fought? Which three US states have just four letters in their name? And which sauce contains butter...

Jun 18, 202130 minSeason 2Ep. 21

Airport Novel Coronavirus with Marieke Hardy and Michael Williams

One former director of the Melbourne Writers Festival and the current director of the Sydney Writers Festival come together to treat The Saturday Quiz like their own personal pub quiz. They bully the host into giving them a plethora of bonus points and end up with what is probably the highest score possible. What is the largest continent in the world? What is the currency of Denmark? And in the human body, the malar or zygomatic bone is also known as the …? Support this show http://supporter.aca...

Jun 11, 202130 minSeason 2Ep. 20

Baby Round with Zoë Coombs Marr and Geraldine Hickey

Last time Geraldine Hickey was on the podcast, it was before she won Best Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This time she’s joined by another MICF Best Show winner (who is also previous guest) Zoë Coombs Marr. They both smash through the quiz - which is, admittedly, not the hardest it’s ever been - and share some stories about nicknames and the films they thought were scary when they were kids. Who was the first president of the Russian Federation following the fall of the Sov...

Jun 04, 202131 minSeason 2Ep. 19

Greensborough Plaza with Tom Ballard and Nath Valvo

These two old friends are quite the odd couple. To begin with, Nath was late to hop on the Zoom meeting. So that should give you some idea how dedicated to quizzing he is. Tom on the other hand, was prompt and prepared. Despite being half Italian, Nath has no idea what ingredients make up Soffritto and Tom’s knowledge of musical theatre only slightly helps in regards to the fourth president of the United States. What is the name for a male rabbit and for a female rabbit? In computing, the acrony...

May 28, 202135 minSeason 2Ep. 18

Bonus Questions with Daniel Henshall and Erik Jensen

Erik Jensen is the Editor-in-Chief of The Saturday Paper - but I promise that he didn’t see the questions before recording the podcast. Although he does so well, you would be forgiven for thinking he did. As well as a journalist, Erik is a poet and a biographer. He wrote Acute Misfortune: The Life and Death of Adam Cullen and he also adapted the screenplay in which Daniel Henshall - the other guest on this episode - played the late artist. Together they do extremely well at the quiz - scoring al...

May 21, 202133 minSeason 2Ep. 17

Enigmas with Damienne Pradier and Tony Briggs

Damienne Pradier and Tony Briggs play their cards pretty close to their chests. They both had early early careers in completely different fields before pivoting into film and television production. Damienne was an artist and a jeweller and Tony was a track and field athlete. What is numismatics the study or collection of? Who is the author of the book A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes ? And what is the three letter IATA code for the main international airport in Paris? Su...

May 14, 202125 minSeason 2Ep. 16

Four Words Tanya Plibersek and Jonathan Biggins

For this episode, John is joined by Jonathan Biggins, an actor, writer, director and comedian probably best known for his performances in The Wharf Review over the course of the last two decades, where - for comic effect - he pretended to be various politicians. While his other guest doesn’t need to pretend to be a politician, because she actually is one. Tanya Plibersek was elected to the House of Representatives at only 28 years of age. She has been the minister for the status of women, the mi...

May 07, 202132 minSeason 2Ep. 15

Podcast Bucket List with Wendy and Ashley Zukerman

Brother and sister Ashley and Wendy Zukerman grew up in Melbourne, but now call New York home. Ashley is an actor whose credits include Succession, Manhattan and he has recently been announced as the titular character of the new Langdon tv series. Wendy is no stranger to podcasts. She is the host of the long-running Science Vs . podcast from Gimlet media which takes on fads, trends and the opinionated mob to find out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. You’d think her speci...

Apr 30, 202134 minSeason 2Ep. 14

The Podcast Everyone’s Listening To with Kate Mulvany and Hamish Michael

Actors and real-life married couple Kate Mulvany and Hamish Michael take on the ten questions from the quiz this week. Kate is a longtime fan of the show, but Hamish doesn’t know what he’s in for. Not many of the questions are correctly answered with the first guess, but they get there eventually. Which is the least populated of New York City's five boroughs? The Spanish Riding School is in which European city? And what is the largest tendon in the human body? Support this show http://supporter....

Apr 23, 202132 minSeason 2Ep. 13

Serious Competition with Tripod

For the first time on the podcast, John is joined by three guests: Scod, Yon and Gatesy who make up the comedy trio Tripod. There’s a healthy amount of competition amongst these guys and even a little cheating - which is dealt with swiftly and decisively. Quite a few correct answers are somehow stumbled upon, but mostly after a lot of hints. How much does it cost to send a regular letter or postcard within Australia? The Squamish people are indigenous to which country? And who last month retired...

Apr 16, 202135 minSeason 2Ep. 12

Scorsese or Chess with Chris Ryan and Luke Heggie

John is joined by comedians Chris Ryan and Luke Heggie as they take on the ten questions in the quiz. It’s a tough one this week, with a few geography questions and a particularly tricky chemistry one. They do manage to get a couple of the early ones… but thereafter, they get a little lost. The winner of the US Masters golf tournament is presented with a jacket of what colour? Punta Gallinas, the northernmost point of mainland South America, is in which country? And when setting up a chess board...

Apr 09, 202124 minSeason 2Ep. 11

Brachychiton Acerifolius with Josh Earl & Ben Lomas

Josh Earl and Ben Lomas take a moment away from their own podcasts to take on the Saturday Quiz. And even though Josh was once the host of Spicks and Specks, they fall at the first hurdle which is a music question. It’s pretty smooth sailing thereafter though, so they certainly don’t disgrace themselves. What aircraft has not been flown commercially since October 2003? Which country last month won the 36th America’s Cup? And what is Shakespeare’s longest play? Support this show http://supporter....

Apr 02, 202128 minSeason 2Ep. 10

High School Nerds Jacqueline Maley & Jordan Baker

What do you get when you take two journalists who’ve known each other since high school, and ask them a bunch of general knowledge questions? You get a cracking good episode of The Saturday Quiz. Jacqueline Maley and Jordan Baker sail through this quiz with barely a misstep. What is the name of the pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the Five Pillars of Islam? What is 11 cubed? And what type of rocks form when molten rock (magma or lava) cools and solidifies? Support this show http://supporter.ac...

Mar 26, 202122 minSeason 2Ep. 9

Start From Paris with Geraldine Hickey & Kirsty Webeck

This week, John is joined by two small town gals made good in the big city, Geraldine Hickey and Kirsty Webeck. They may not know anything about opera, and their sense of geography is all over the place, but they make up for it with hilarious anecdotes about getting piercings in the back of a bus and revelations of debutant balls. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Mar 19, 202131 minSeason 2Ep. 8

Puttanesca with Lloyd Langford and Alex Ward

Coinciding with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this week’s guests are 100% comedians and 50% international. Alex Ward hails from Queensland, but Lloyd Langford is completely Welsh - he even knows why the leek is the Welsh national emblem! Together they do extremely well at the quiz and supply many hilarious additional facts along the way. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast...

Mar 12, 202125 minSeason 2Ep. 7

Let Me Finish with Charlotte Nicdao & James Galea

Joining John this episode are a magician and an actor. Can they pull an answer out of a hat? Or just act like they know what they're talking about? James Galea and Charlotte Nicdao do their best with questions about Australian Prime Ministers, triangles, and collective nouns. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Mar 05, 202130 minSeason 2Ep. 6

The Quizzers Quiz with Julia Zemiro & Brian Nankervis

The tables are turned on Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis who are more used to asking the questions than answering them. But the host and co-creator and adjudicator-where-necessary of the long running and much loved music based quiz show, RocKwiz do exceedingly well at The Saturday Quiz, ignorance of furniture, royalty and the NFL notwithstanding. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast. See...

Feb 26, 202132 minSeason 2Ep. 5

Conflated Actresses with Eddie Perfect and Lucy Cochran

Award winning brand strategist, Lucy Cochran and her husband - also an award winner - actor, writer, singer, composer Eddie Perfect, take on the ten questions in the quiz this week.There are no questions on Eddie's expert subject of Broadway musicals, but there is a question about cricket - which his first musical was about. In fact, the only question that really stumps them is which actress links the films Legends of the Fall , Sabrina , My Week with Marilyn and Ladies in Black ? But I reckon t...

Feb 19, 202131 minSeason 2Ep. 4

Episodus Non-Horribilis with Alex Lee & Benedict Hardie

Not content with having had one host of The Feed as a guest last week, this week John is joined by Alex Lee and her partner, actor Benedict Hardie. They're lucky enough to get the nerdiest sport question in the history of the quiz and Benedict also makes use of his knowledge of the lyrics of Weird Al Yankovic. But do they know the year that the Queen called her Annus Horribilis ? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-sat...

Feb 12, 202128 minSeason 2Ep. 3

Colonialism with Virginia Gay & Marc Fennell

Taking the quiz this week is actor and writer Virginia Gay, who isn’t a “mollydooker” and doesn’t know what one is, and newly announced host of Mastermind on SBS Marc Fennell who, despite having a Walkley award, was under the misconception that the vaccine making company CSL was the same company as the sugar producer CSR. They make quite a few diversions on their way to the answers - but ultimately do very well. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show h...

Feb 05, 202134 minSeason 2Ep. 2

Lobotomy with Tim Ferguson & Maynard

The brain power of the guests, Tim Ferguson and Maynard, are severely tested in this first episode of the second season of The Saturday Quiz. They have almost zero knowledge of New Zealand autobiographers, and even less knowledge regarding Netball. But they can give you their opinions of James Bond songs... it's just a pity that there aren't any questions on that subject. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-qu...

Jan 29, 202128 minSeason 2Ep. 1

Season 2 Announcement

That's right! The Saturday Quiz will be back for a second season! With new guests and some of your favourites from season 1. Hit subscribe wherever get you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-saturday-quiz . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jan 23, 202150 sec
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast