A Few Words About Me

I imagine to most of you I will need no introduction but in case we haven’t had the pleasure, my name is Hubert ‘Bertie’ J.

The title ‘gifted’ is a heavy one to place on a child, as I discovered at an early age. It was my father who nurtured my love of puzzles and of chess while my mother pushed me to read the classics and explore music in all of its genres and forms. I will confess that at school I much preferred academic avenues, as opposed to the social or sporting boulevards traversed by many of my peers (two of whom are now actually Peers).

After a brief sojourn to the University of Durham to study modern history I joined the ah, Civil Service, and enjoyed a long and distinguished career of a Bit of This and That. During my time working for Her Majesty’s Government I was blessed enough to travel and see a plethora of places around the world. Particular stand outs that come to mind include Prague (fantastic city, try the beef tartare), Berlin (terrible weather, worse coffee), Istanbul (complete bedlam), Hong Kong (hot), and Washington DC (reminded me of a proctologist’s office – full of a*******s).

It was during my time at uni that I began to cultivate a predilection for the cerebral delight that is the pub quiz (along with the orofacial delight that is draught Bass ale). I particularly remember being asked to step in last minute to host the Collingwood JCR quiz after their regular quizmaster was injured in a horrific darts accident. That fateful chucker triggered the start of what would become a regular pastime of mine: writing and hosting quizzes.

I have now participated in, hosted, reviewed, written, and adjudicated pub, lounge, trivia, and radio quizzes for over 30 years. My goal in writing a quiz is always to entertain first, challenge second. Although I was not an organiser of the 2006 pub quizmasters’ strike (contrary to rumours), I corresponded extensively with the strike leaders and fully supported all of their demands. Of course I am probably most well known for helping to establish the Quiz World Cup in 2008 (NOT to be confused with the Quiz World Championships organised by those buffoons at the so-called International Quizzing Association).

Having retired in 2023, I now live in Oxfordshire with my wife Tamsin and our two spaniels Alfonso and Jehoshaphat. I enjoy short hikes, long glasses of Beaujolais, and endless reruns of Inspector Morse. And please remember, it is always Bertie, Hugh, or Hubert, and absolutely positively never ever ‘Bert’.