Sunderland pub hosts virtual quiz in lockdown with hundreds from around the world taking part

Chaplins on Stockton Road has staged a popular Thursday night quiz for many years, run by quizmaster Adam Wheatley.

To keep it going, as well as offering people something of a social life during the coronavirus lockdown, it is continuing online with interactive rounds and other sections read out by Adam from his home.

Chaplins’ first virtual quiz took place on March 26 and was successful, with 253 people taking part. Teams competed from Australia, Poland and Northern Ireland.

The next quiz is on Thursday, April 2 and is suitable for families. There are no prizes, only the honour taking part. But it’s free to enter and the emphasis is on fun and socialising.

Quiz lover Adam, 47, also runs quizzes at The Mill in Houghton. He is not being paid for his time.

He said: “I do it for the crack. When the pub closed I thought I would still like to do quizzes, so people said to me ‘Why don’t you do it online?’

“I was dubious at first, but I’ve started doing it, with the approval of the management.

“It’s to keep up the profile of the pub while it’s closed. It’s something different for people to do at the moment instead of watching box sets. People can take part in the comfort of their own homes.

“I just thought it would be fun and I did the first one last Thursday. You can’t play music on Facebook because of copyright, so I’ve had to adapt the music round.

“There are no prizes, but it’s free to join. It keeps people together. I was asked to give a shout-out for someone’s 18th birthday and everyone else online joined in with Happy Birthday. It’s nice to do things like that, especially at the moment.

“I’m hoping to do it for the duration of the pandemic. It’s a feelgood thing and helps people to keep in touch.

“To join in, people should look at the Chaplin’s Facebook page at around 7.40pm and start the interactive rounds. Then at 8pm I come on live from my ‘studio’ - my back bedroom.”

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