This Week on UK Quiz TV (14–18 September): The Chase, Pointless Series 36 on Friday, Countdown and Monday's BBC Two Trio
Bottom line: no quiz slot moves this week. Countdown is at 2.10pm on Channel 4, Tipping Point at 4pm and The Chase at 5pm on ITV1, and Pointless at 5.15pm on BBC One, Monday to Friday. The one change is on Friday, when Pointless starts Series 36.
What quiz shows are on TV this week?
We checked each broadcaster's own schedule for every day, rather than copying last week's pattern. The daily grid looks like this.
| Time | Show | Channel | Streaming | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.10pm | Countdown | Channel 4 | Channel 4 app | Mon–Fri |
| 4pm | Tipping Point | ITV1 | ITVX | Mon–Fri |
| 5pm | The Chase | ITV1 | ITVX | Mon–Fri |
| 5.15pm | Pointless | BBC One | BBC iPlayer | Mon–Fri |
| 7.30pm | Mastermind | BBC Two | BBC iPlayer | Mon |
| 8pm | Only Connect | BBC Two | BBC iPlayer | Mon |
| 8.30pm | University Challenge | BBC Two | BBC iPlayer | Mon |
Add it up and a determined viewer could clock up about 18 hours of daily quizzing between Monday and Friday (215 minutes a day), plus 90 minutes on Monday night. We don't recommend it.
What's on Monday 14 September?
The fullest day of the week. Countdown episode 56 at 2.10pm, then the ITV1 double of Tipping Point and The Chase, with Pointless episode 44 overlapping on BBC One from 5.15pm.
BBC Two takes over in the evening. Mastermind's subjects include Rory McIlroy and Neil Young, Only Connect has the Marvins against the Merseyside Eyes, and University Challenge sees UCL meet the Royal College of Art. Our Monday rundown has the detail, and the BBC Two guide explains the rounds.
Is anything moved for football on Wednesday?
Not the quizzes. ITV1 has Manchester United v Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday 16 September, kick-off 8pm, but ITV's guide shows coverage starting at 7.30pm and ending at 10.25pm.
So Tipping Point stays at 4pm and The Chase at 5pm. The fixture does knock out Emmerdale and Coronation Street that night, which our sister site covers in its soaps week ahead.
Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie, Liverpool v Tottenham, is on ITV4, so ITV1 is untouched that day too.
What's happening on each day, show by show?
Countdown (Channel 4, 2.10pm)
| Day | Episode |
|---|---|
| Mon 14 | Series 94, Ep 56 |
| Tue 15 | Ep 57 |
| Wed 16 | Ep 58 |
| Thu 17 | Ep 59 |
| Fri 18 | Ep 60 |
Colin Murray, Rachel Riley and Susie Dent host. Channel 4's programme page shows fresh episodes from today, and each one runs about 50 minutes on air. Its catch-up versions on Channel 4's page are shorter, at around 35 minutes. More on the Countdown page.
Tipping Point and The Chase (ITV1, 4pm and 5pm)
ITV's guide lists both at the same times on all five days. The Chase is in its second week of Series 19, which started on 7 September, and our Chase viewing guide covers ITVX and what's become of Beat the Chasers.
On Wednesday, ITV's guide has Lingo at 3pm leading into the pair, so ITV1 runs three game shows in a row that afternoon. Tipping Point doesn't have an official YouTube channel we could verify, so for clips your best bet is ITV's own. Updates go on the Tipping Point page.
Pointless (BBC One, 5.15pm)
| Day | Episode | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 14 | Series 35, Ep 44 | — |
| Tue 15 | Series 35, Ep 45 | Nish Kumar co-hosts |
| Wed 16 | Series 35, Ep 46 | Lucy Porter co-hosts |
| Thu 17 | Series 35, Ep 47 | Last of the series |
| Fri 18 | Series 36, Ep 1 | Lucy Porter co-hosts |
That's four episodes to finish one series and a first episode of the next, all in the same slot. The Pointless guide goes into the co-host rota and iPlayer.
Where can I stream this week's quizzes?
It splits three ways by broadcaster. ITVX has Tipping Point and The Chase, live at 4pm and 5pm and then on demand. BBC iPlayer has Pointless and the three Monday BBC Two shows. Countdown is on Channel 4's streaming service, where the programme page already lists episodes from last month.
All three services are free at the basic level, although iPlayer needs a TV licence. None of them works from outside the UK.
How we checked these times
For each day we read the broadcaster's own schedule: ITV's TV guide for ITV1, the BBC's published schedules for BBC One London and BBC Two England, and Channel 4's programme page with a listings site for the 2.10pm time.
Where two sources disagreed we would have said so. This week they didn't, which is not always the case in autumn once sport and party conference coverage start to bite. Regional variations (STV in Scotland, BBC Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) can differ, and we haven't checked each one.
Is Pointless Series 36 on Friday?
Yes, 5.15pm on Friday 18 September. BBC One's schedule lists it as Series 36, Episode 1, with Alexander Armstrong and Lucy Porter.
If you're keeping score, Friday is also Countdown's 60th episode of its current series.
What's on BBC Two next Monday?
The Monday block returns on 21 September. Mastermind episode 9 at 7.30pm (subjects include the films of Nicole Kidman and the novels of Jeanette Winterson), Only Connect's Double Features v Accrual World at 8pm, and University Challenge's Southampton v Queen's University Belfast at 8.30pm.
Scores from the Monday matches will be under Results after each broadcast.
Questions readers ask
Is The Chase on every day this week?
Yes, 5pm Monday to Friday on ITV1.
Which quiz is on first each day?
Countdown, at 2.10pm on Channel 4.
Is there quiz TV at the weekend?
None of the daily shows above run on Saturday or Sunday. For weekend viewing more broadly, the UK Soap On Air team tracks the soap omnibuses.
Sources
- ITVX TV guide, ITV1 (14–18 September, including Carabao Cup Live)
- BBC One London schedule and BBC Two England schedule
- Channel 4: Countdown and TV Blighty listing (2.10pm)
- Live Football on TV: ITV fixtures