# Pop Quiz > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pop_Quiz > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pop_Quiz.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Quiz > Source revision: 1345994854 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For the party video game, see [*Buzz!: The Pop Quiz*](/source/Buzz!:_The_Pop_Quiz). ***Pop Quiz*** is a British television panel game show that originally aired on [BBC1](/source/BBC_One) from 4 July 1981 to 28 December 1984 with a *[Top of the Pops](/source/Top_of_the_Pops)* special on 4 January 1994 hosted by [Mike Read](/source/Mike_Read). It was then revived from 21 May to 9 July 1994 on the same channel but this time hosted by [Chris Tarrant](/source/Chris_Tarrant). It was revived again on [Red TV](/source/Brit_Hits) from 14 June to 30 August 2008 with Mike Read returning as host; he also hosted two specials on [BBC Four](/source/BBC_Four) in December 2016 and January 2017. ## Format The teams are made up of three pop stars with one acting as team captain, although no permanent team captains. Guests who have appeared as captains include [Bev Bevan](/source/Bev_Bevan), [Dave Edmunds](/source/Dave_Edmunds), [Robert Plant](/source/Robert_Plant), [Phil Lynott](/source/Phil_Lynott), [Bob Geldof](/source/Bob_Geldof), [Morrissey](/source/Morrissey), [Roger Taylor](/source/Roger_Taylor_(Queen_drummer)), [Cliff Richard](/source/Cliff_Richard), [Midge Ure](/source/Midge_Ure), [George Michael](/source/George_Michael), [John Taylor](/source/John_Taylor_(bass_guitarist)), [Phil Collins](/source/Phil_Collins), [David Gilmour](/source/David_Gilmour), [Dave Gahan](/source/Dave_Gahan) and [Ian Gillan](/source/Ian_Gillan). Occasionally, non-musical or music-associated guests such as [Paula Yates](/source/Paula_Yates), [John Peel](/source/John_Peel), or the double act of [Syd Little](/source/Syd_Little) and [Eddie Large](/source/Eddie_Large) also appeared as guests. The Red TV version featured members of the public instead of celebrities. ### Rounds The show has both team and individual rounds. The individual rounds see each player given a song then asked a question about the song (like a guest player on the recording), asked to identify three different artists who sang the same song in the correct order, or asked to name a song where a certain lyric appears. Team rounds include a naming a list of number one hits by a group, a compilation of songs of a particular theme where the teams guess the artist, or identifying a mystery guest from a clip (as in *[A Question of Sport](/source/A_Question_of_Sport)*), along with identifying the song playing backwards over the clip. Each episode ended with a quick-fire round of music trivia questions. ## Transmissions ### Series Series Start date End date Episodes 1 4 July 1981[1] 29 August 1981[2] 8 2 3 April 1982[3] 19 June 1982[4] 11 3 9 April 1983[5] 25 June 1983[6] 11 4 26 May 1984[7] 9 October 1984[8] 12 5 21 May 1994[9] 9 July 1994[10] 8 6 14 June 2008 30 August 2008 12 ### Specials Date Entitle 29 December 1981[11] Christmas Special 28 December 1982[12] Christmas Special 24 December 1983[13] Christmas Special 24 December 1984[14] Christmas Special 28 December 1984[15] Duran Duran vs. Spandau Ballet 4 January 1994[16] Top of the Pops 30th Anniversary Special 15 December 2011[17] The Vintage Christmas Pop Quiz 28 December 2016[18] The Comeback (Part 1) 4 January 2017[19] The Comeback (Part 2) ## Theme tune The theme tune is called "The Saturn Stomp" and was composed by Howard Massey, it was released as a single in 1981.[20] "The Saturn Stomp" was rerecorded for the fourth series, and rearranged by [Marc Sylvan](/source/Marc_Sylvan) for the 2016 specials. ## References 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-chairs-a-quiz-about-rocknroll-pop-music-from-news-footage/BBC_LNFV103T). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-chairs-a-quiz-about-pop-music-since-1955-with-news-footage/BBC_LNFV108P). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-chairs-a-quiz-abt-pop-rock-n-roll-music-from-news-footage/BBC_LNFV201H). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-pressents-quiz-about-pop-music-with-guests-mike-news-footage/BBC_LNFV211Y). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-chairs-quiz-about-pop-and-rock-n-roll-music-news-footage/BBC_LNFV301J). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-chairs-quiz-prog-about-pop-rock-roll-music-the-news-footage/BBC_LNFV311A). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-chairs-quiz-prog-abt-pop-rock-roll-music-teams-news-footage/BBC_LNFV407A). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-hosts-another-round-of-this-musical-quiz-based-news-footage/BBC_LNFV419E). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/chris-tarrant-hosts-new-series-of-the-music-quiz-show-news-footage/BBC_LLVT333R). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/musical-quiz-programme-with-2-teams-of-3-contestants-and-news-footage/BBC_LLVT338L). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/christmas-special-of-the-quiz-about-pop-music-from-1955-news-footage/BBC_LNFV109J). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/pop-quiz-about-music-from-the-last-year-and-also-news-footage/BBC_LNFV212S). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/lnfv312t-news-footage/BBC_LNFV312T). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-hosts-a-special-christmas-edition-of-the-quiz-news-footage/BBC_LNFV413P). *[Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images)*. Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ - POP QUIZ SPECIAL:DURAN DURAN V SPANDAU BALLET"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-hosts-a-special-edition-of-this-quiz-prog-on-news-footage/BBC_LNFV420Y). [Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images). Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["POP QUIZ - TOP OF THE POPS SPECIAL"](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/mike-read-hosts-special-edition-of-quiz-to-commemmorate-news-footage/BBC_LLVS369L). [Getty Images](/source/Getty_Images). Retrieved 2 December 2016. 1. ["Vintage TV"](https://vintage.tv/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20111225125213/https://vintage.tv/) 25 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. 1. ["BBC Four - Pop Quiz: The Comeback, Episode 1"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b086tw99) 1. ["BBC Four - Pop Quiz: The Comeback, Episode 2"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b087kbcb) 1. ["Howard Massey – The Theme From Pop Quiz (The Saturn Stomp) / Red Hot (1981, Vinyl)"](https://www.discogs.com/Howard-Massey-The-Theme-From-Pop-Quiz-The-Saturn-Stomp-Red-Hot/release/3934164). [Discogs](/source/Discogs). 11 October 1981. Retrieved 6 June 2021. ## External links - [Pop Quiz (1981–1984)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421431/) at IMDb - [Pop Quiz (1994)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813853/) at IMDb --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pop Quiz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Quiz) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Quiz?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.