New challenge for Tony ‘King of Quiz’ Barber
Despite the show being off air for 20 years, Sale of the Century remains Australia’s most popular quiz show and former host Tony Barber is back with a new quest.
National
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The King of Quiz and one of Australia’s most recognised household names, Tony Barber, is forging a comeback with a mission – to get the nation excited about general knowledge once again.
Twenty years since the country’s most popular quiz show, Sale of the Century, ended its 41-year run, former host Barber said quizzes were just as popular as ever.
It comes just as New Corp releases its new Brain Gains app, offering a new generation of digital crosswords, puzzles and quizzes.
“Since Sale ended, I have hosted large quiz nights for charity events and corporate functions and they are terrific fun,” the now 81-year-old said.
Keep your brain well trained with the new BRAIN GAINS APP – In the app store now
“People thrive by learning and also they are very competitive beings. Sale used to be Australia’s favourite indoor sport because five nights a week, the family or a couple would sit around the television and compete to see who would get the answer first.”
Despite a total of 227 different game shows having aired in Australia, Sale by far stood out as the most memorable, something Barber still holds onto proudly.
“I found it very important to research what people’s interests were going to be,” he said.
“We had three contestants every night so I would look into their hobbies and find a way to incorporate them.
“It was about getting a performance out of everyday people, who became our stars, as they attempted to answer some pretty tricky questions.”
For Barber, training his brain with general knowledge started at a young age and the years of consistently learning paid off.
“Before I was a television host and before I was announcing on radio, I used to listen to the radio quizzes as a kid,” he said.
“I loved them. I loved the general knowledge and being able to know stuff, not necessarily useful stuff but that continual learning has always helped keep me on my toes.”
Following the recent launch of News Corp Australia’s Brain Gains app, Barber said it was encouraging to see quizzes evolve.
Download the Brain Gains app from the App Store.
WHAT IS THE BRAIN GAINS APP?
Brain Gains has hundreds of games including crosswords, quizzes, word games and numbers games, with 15 new games available every day.
With built-in multiplayer functionality, you can challenge your mates or collaborate to solve puzzles together.
Download in the App store now.
Originally published as New challenge for Tony ‘King of Quiz’ Barber
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