QUIZ-loving friends from Claverdon triumphed on Channel 5’s Eggheads this week, in memory of their former team mates.
Pete Moss, Paul Hammond, Bernie Waldron and Richard Bonsall appeared on the show on Tuesday as The Barron Healey Quartet.
It was their second appearance on the show, having competed in 2017 alongside their late friends Mike Healy and Dave Barron – although the latter had to drop out last minute due to a work commitment.
Former team captain Mike, who was also battling leukemia, died in December from pneumonia. Dave died two years ago from a brain tumour.
With their friends’ families’ blessing, the quartet split their £9,000 winnings between charities Macmillan Cancer and The Myton Hospices, both which supported Mike and Dave, respectively.
The friends discovered their mutual love of quizzing and trivia through local pub quiz nights and even formed a trivia WhatsApp group.
Pete said: “Mike, Paul, Bernie and Richard started going to a few local pub quizzes. Dave and I were invited to join in.
“As individuals we all bring something to the team -this is why it has worked for us. There are nine different subject categories on Eggheads so diversity of knowledge is a key to success.
“Like everyone these days we are busy people with numerous work and family commitments so it was quite rare for all six of us to be able to commit to a given evening.”
The quiz night at The White Swan in nearby Henley became a regular event for the team since, according to Pete, the questions were ‘not too easy but not impossible’.
He added: “With the advent of social media, we formed a WhatsApp group and hardly a day goes by without a trivia question being asked by someone to the group. The Saturday morning Guardian quiz is a favourite. We try and answer all 15 questions between us but ‘the full house’ eludes us most weeks – especially now as there are only four of us rather than six.”
Pete believes the team’s first win was ‘meant to be’.
He said: “On the day of filming we learned that we were filming the second show in the series so we thought we would be playing for either £1,000 or £2,000. We were very happy to hear that a £7,000 kitty was being carried forward from the previous series. It was as if things were ‘meant to be’.
“The eggheads first question in the final round was an absolute brute – nobody from either team knew the answer – it was clearly meant to be and possibly Mike and Dave weaving their magic from on high.
“We have had some wonderful feedback from the two families since yesterday’s broadcast – they seem very touched by what we have achieved.”
