18 months ago Revd Sami and Revd Graham Watts swapped the pulpit at The Lantern Community Church in Marlow Bottom for the quiz podium. The episode was aired in April and can be watched on iPlayer.
For Graham and Sami Watts, Pointless turned out to be more than just a quiz: it was a memorable day out, a talking point for their church, and a reminder that faith, marriage and a love of general knowledge can make a surprisingly good team.
When Graham and Sami stepped into the studio for BBC One’s Pointless, it was the result of years of sofa‑based quizzing finally turning into action. Sami said:
“We’ve watched Pointless a lot over the years and always enjoy the challenge of trying to get a ‘Pointless Answer’.
“Both Graham and myself are competitive quizzers with very different areas of knowledge, so Graham just phoned in one day after watching an episode and we took it from there.”
While the half‑hour programme looks slick on screen, the experience behind the scenes was rather different. Because of how the show is recorded, contestants can spend long stretches waiting around as producers work out how many people are needed for each game.
“There is quite a lot of waiting around, but the atmosphere in the waiting room was quite friendly. We really enjoyed the chance to be out for the day, away from our usual responsibilities.”
As well known clergy in their community, Graham and Sami were aware that their roles would be part of their onscreen story. They gave some thought to how they might be perceived, including deciding not to wear dog collars on the show. “We prayed it would go well,” Sami added
When word got out that the Watts’ were appearing on Pointless, the reaction from their congregation and the wider community was warm and enthusiastic. People have enjoyed stopping them to say they watched, and one younger member of the church even made an unexpected discovery. Sami said:
“One little girl in our congregation had never realised that we are married to each other, so that was fun.”
There was also a poignant moment linked to Graham’s on‑screen dedication to Mary, an elderly parishioner and devoted Pointless fan. Sadly, Mary passed away in the 18 months between filming and broadcast. Sami said:
“She really was the show’s biggest fan.”
So what did the vicar husband‑and‑wife team take away from the experience?
“Relief,” Sami admitted. “Relief that we didn’t do badly or disgrace ourselves too much!”
One tense moment, however, will stay with them, even though viewers never saw it. At one point, the couple gave an answer that the production team wasn’t expecting.
“They had to stop filming for about ten minutes while they checked it out,” Sami recalled. “No one was told what was going on, so that was pretty tense.”
