Only Connect - Season 18

Victoria Coren Mitchell presents the brain-teasing quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

In the opening heat of the series, three data-lovers take on a team of Terry Pratchett fans, all striving to establish a connection between things that, at first glance, seem utterly random.

For example, what connects the following: Micro-eon, Guinea-tail, Greedy-let, Peppa-ment?

Victoria Coren Mitchell presents the brain-teasing quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Three Jilly Cooper fans face a team of road runners in another opening heat, all striving to establish a connection between things that, at first glance, seem utterly random.

For example, Chiron, Desdemona, Duncan and Polonius are all Shakespearian characters – but the question-setters are after something more specific.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are also vital.

Three followers of fashion take on a team comprising a mother, a daughter, the daughter's cousin and the mother's niece. No, the format hasn't changed: that's still only a team of three.

So join Victoria to find out the connection between Barrett Homes, Timberland, Malibu and the Conservative Party.

Victoria Coren Mitchell presents the brain-teasing quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Three puzzle fans compete against a team of mature students - yes, there is such a thing. They strive to establish a connection between things that, at first glance, seem utterly random.

For example, two Inns of Court, five snooker balls and Benny Andersson are not an entirely random list - together they form part of a sequence.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Three teachers from Brighton take on three Blackadder addicts in another opening heat. They're put to the test when they're asked what comes next in the following sequence: Flower, Moores and Bayliss.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

There's a former MP on one of the teams: her political background comes in handy on the Wall but doesn't help to complete the following sequence: 4th: E___, 3rd: M___ P___ , 2nd: P___.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

One team are rugby supporters, and their opponents are admirers of crustaceans - but that's unlikely to help in establishing the connection between Homeland, Eminem, ABBA and Toys R Us.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

It's another first round match, and a family team take on three Sherlock Holmes aficionados.

Could Sherlock have worked out the connection between Lola, Lucinda, Narcissus and Cash? Can the teams?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

The series reaches the knock-out stage. Staying in the competition means establishing the connection between four apparently random clues, such as West and Exotic, Diane and Elvis, Moll and Graeme, and Liston and Lloyd.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Two bird-named teams take part in an avian stand-off to establish a pecking order. Their task is to establish connections between groups of items, such as those between the following four capital letters: a blue W, a green L, a red M and a yellow, upside-down L.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

When presented with a sequence of three clues, can the teams work out what the fourth would be? They're faced with this apparently random list: New Zealand Parrott, Alias, Small Ford Model.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

In another knockout match, one of the teams works out what connects four clues after only seeing two of them: Narnian donkey and Edinburgh-based detective.

So what is the connection? And what were the two clues they didn't need?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Three Pratchett people take on a team of Jilly Cooper aficionados. Can they work out the connection between Douglass Dilman/Barack Obama, Mr Cavor/Neil Armstrong, Velvet Brown/Charlotte Brew and Icarus/Orville Wright?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

She asks what connects the following: Black and White, X and Y, Sun and Moon, and Sword and Shield.

Those below a certain age may have worked it out already – but how do the teams get on?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Three sitcom fans take on a team with a passion for the performing arts. As ever, it's all about making connections, so what connects black coffee, the daily bread, coast and ready to eat?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

It could be covered with duct tape, rubbed with raw meat, have dandelion milk dripped on it, or be frozen. But why would anyone want to? Victoria is on hand to explain.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Two returning teams fight for a place in the next round. To get there, all they have to do is answer a series of questions, including working out what comes next in this sequence: The Bosphorous, The Menai Stait and The Golden Gate...

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

This is a rematch: the fiendish series structure means these teams met in a previous round. As ever, the trick is finding connections – for example, between Hotel Marbez, Mount Everest, Horseshoe Falls and Chester Football Club.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Two family teams battle it out to stay in the competition, tackling questions such as: Underchamber, Equine sea monster, Pod of the temples and Little brain – what is the connection?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

There's a place in the next round on offer, and all the teams have to do is answer questions like this: Obel Tower / The Tower, Meridian Quay / Glasgow Tower / The Shard. What's the connection?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

A semi-final place awaits one of the two returning teams, but to get there, they have to answer a series of diabolical questions, such as working out what comes next in this sequence: Diaballik, Chess and Sudoku...

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Standing between the teams and a place in the semi-final are questions such as: what is the connection between Your New Adventure, Grande Valse, Marimba and Hello Moto?

Think you know? Join Victoria to find out if you're right.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

The semi-finals are looming. All the teams need to do to book their place is answer questions such as: 7 March 2021, 3 July 2021, 22 January 2022. What comes next in the sequence?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

Six contestants in search of a semi-final place must deal with a series of tricky questions. For example, what connects the following: For the most part, Hypersensitive immune response, In a manner befitting royalty, and Building for art display?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

It's the first of the semi-finals, and the pressure is on. Although, naturally, there's always time for some singing – what connects On Top of Spaghetti, Pinocchio's time inside Monstro, Adelaide's Lament and the cocaine scene in the film Annie Hall?

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

It's the second semi-final, but the series structure means the teams have met before. The final beckons, but first there's the small matter of finding the connections between things like this: spread out, heap, lock of hair and heap of rainstorm.

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

The final can wait, because this episode is the third place play-off! Featuring such questions as what comes next in this sequence: Mc/Ball, Nu/Bell, Gg/Bone…

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the quiz where knowledge only gets you so far – logic and lateral thinking are the vital extra ingredients.

It's the grand final, and Victoria and the teams are joined in the studio by two sparkling guests. Are the questions trickier than normal? Nauru, Canada and Bolivia... what comes next?