Only Connect question-setter's hard question which didn't make the show

30 January 2024 , 19:30

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Only Connect is one of the hardest quiz shows on TV and presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell

Of all the quiz shows that grace our TV screens, BBC's Only Connect has a reputation for being one of the hardest out there.

The BBC Two show is deliberately difficult and contestants are left scratching their heads as they try to find correlations between seemingly unrelated clues. Knowledge will only take you so far, and patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It's all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.

In the first round of the quiz competition, teams must try to figure out what links four clues which are revealed one at a time. In round two all the clues form a sequence and teams must correctly identify the last clue in the sequence.

Do you have what it takes to solve this nearly-impossible question which was too difficult to make the show? It has left many scratching their heads.

After years of working on the show, question editor David Bodycombe said he wrote about half the questions himself, and gets the rest from a pool of around 25 setters. Previously speaking to The Guardian, he explained: "We look for people who have a polymath approach. You can ask questions ranging from the odes of John Keats to the women on Sex and the City."

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He added: "At the heat levels, levels 1-2 are used. By the grand final, they're mostly 5s. In each board of six questions, we try to ensure there's a good mix of subject-matter as well as ensuring there are some with a lateral twist, a word or number puzzle, and that both high and pop culture are catered for."

"I work hard on making sure the questions have a good 'journey' – that is, your perception of the possible answer changes as each new clue is revealed," he added.

But one question was found to be so hard it was deemed 'unusable' by the BBC. The question is science-based and if you can figure it out it proves you have great lateral thinking and can use indirect, creative methods to think outside of the box. You are able to identify problems from new angles and use them to find solutions.

The question involves three clues and your job is to identify the fourth clue in the sequence - each are connected to one another. Let's see if you can figure it out:

Question

Clue 1 : Wolf 359

Clue 2 : Barnard's Star

Clue 3 : Alpha Centauri

Clue 4 : ?

Do you know what the fourth clue would be? Spoiler alert: The other clues are three stars that are closest to the sun, and people are disputing what the fourth answer could be.

Bonus question: Why do you think the question was deemed unusable?

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Did you manage to solve the puzzle? Comment your thoughts below.

Only Connect is on BBC Two on Mondays, or can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.

Lucy Marshall