Only Connect traditionally has special episodes over the festive period, usually featuring previous teams returning just for the thrill of the game rather than for any particular prize. There are normally four specials, but this year there were eight, which allowed for the quiz show to try out something a little bit different.

Our hostess with the mostess Victoria Coren Mitchell explains it best:

The initial rounds of the quiz usually involve showing a set of four squares each with a clue in to guess the connection. One of the questions is usually picture-based and one audio. Contestants usually grimace when the audio bell chimes, signalling a set of four audio clues coming up… it can be challenging. But this time, all the questions were aural, with only one “normal” question in there, turning the whole thing on it’s head.

It was really difficult, I’m not gonna lie, but it was also a lot of fun. The walls were pretty standard although still exceptionally tricky, but it was the Missing Vowels round that saw the biggest shake up.

Other episodes feature a collection of clues where the vowels have been taken out, the consenants squidged together, and you have to guess what it’s trying to say. This time, as an audio special, Victoria read out the letters at varying speeds to the same end. It evens the playing field so well. I’m clearly a visual kind of person as it slowed me down, but I know other people who found it so much better. Where reading the letters can be tricky, it takes away that element and puts it all in the listening and remembering and working it through in your mind.

So interesting to take such an ingrained and popular show and tweak it for a special like this, and always applaud trying to make things more accessible. I hope this one has been well received, so when we come round to next year’s specials, we can do it all again!