Dara Ó Briain: School of Hard Sums is a British comedy game show about the subject of mathematics and it is based on the Japanese show Comaneci University Mathematics.[1] The programme is broadcast on Dave and is presented by Dara Ó Briain and stars Marcus du Sautoy. Each episode is themed and Ó Briain, along with a guest or guests, attempts to solve various conundrums set by du Sautoy.[1] At the end of each episode, Ó Briain sets homework questions for viewers; the answers can be checked on the show's website.[2]
| Dara Ó Briain: School of Hard Sums | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by | Sarah Morgan Ged Parsons George Sawyer Colin Swash |
| Directed by | Mike Bradley Samuel Wilkinson Richard Valentine |
| Presented by | Dara Ó Briain |
| Starring | Marcus du Sautoy |
| Theme music composer | Marc Sylvan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 24 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Richard Watsham Katherine Parsons Phil Morrow |
| Producers | Mike Bradley Samuel Wilkinson Helen Younger |
| Production locations | BBC Television Centre, London |
| Editors | Simon Hornbrook Malcolm Finch |
| Running time | Series 1: 30 minutes Series 2: 36 minutes Series 3: 45 minutes |
| Production companies | Fujisankei Productions Wild Rover Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Dave |
| Release | 16 April 2012 – 22 April 2014 |
Transmissions
edit| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 April 2012 | 4 June 2012 | 8 |
| 2 | 1 May 2013 | 19 June 2013 | 8 |
| 3 | 4 March 2014 | 22 April 2014 | 8 |
Episodes
editA pilot episode was produced with the title Dara O'Briain's University of Practical Mathematics, but this was never broadcast.
The coloured backgrounds denote the result of each of the shows:
| Brains | Dara O'Briain ("Brains") won |
| Brawn | Guests ("Brawn") won |
| Students | Maths students won (Series 1 and 3 only. In Series 2, the maths students were on the Brains team.) |
| Draw | Draw |
Series 1
edit| # | Theme | Guests | Result | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mathematics of Positioning | David O'Doherty | Brains | 16 April 2012 |
| 2 | Location Location Maths | Alex Horne | Brawn | 23 April 2012 |
| 3 | How Maths Can Stop You Getting Screwed | Jason Byrne | Students | 30 April 2012 |
| 4 | You Can't Argue With Logic | Andi Osho | Brawn | 7 May 2012 |
| 5 | The Maths of Italian Restaurants | David O'Doherty | Students | 14 May 2012 |
| 6 | How Maths Saves Lives | Alex Horne | Brawn | 21 May 2012 |
| 7 | Finding Your Way with Maths | Simon Evans | Brains | 28 May 2012 |
| 8 | The Maths of Sport | Andi Osho | Brains | 4 June 2012 |
Series 2
edit| # | Theme | Guests | Result | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Does Crime Add Up? | Andrew Maxwell Mark Watson | Brains | 1 May 2013 |
| 2 | How Maths Gets You More Bang for Your Buck | Marcus Brigstocke Josh Widdicombe | Brawn | 8 May 2013 |
| 3 | How Maths Can Keep the Peace | Susan Calman David O'Doherty | Draw | 15 May 2013 |
| 4 | How Maths Can Help You Find What You're Looking For | Miles Jupp Stephen Mangan | Brawn | 22 May 2013 |
| 5 | How Maths Can Get You Stuffed | Marcus Brigstocke Andrew Maxwell | Brains | 29 May 2013 |
| 6 | Maths of the End of the World | Josie Long Alex Horne | Brawn | 5 June 2013 |
| 7 | How Maths Can Feel the Force | Susan Calman Richard Herring | Draw | 12 June 2013 |
| 8 | How Maths Can Take You All the Way | Alex Horne Tim Key | Draw | 19 June 2013 |
Series 3
edit| # | Theme | Guests | Result | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maths and Two Veg: How Maths Can Help You Eat Better | Kevin Bridges Peter Serafinowicz | Brains | 4 March 2014 |
| 2 | Yo Ho Ho and A Bottle of Sums: Maths For Pirates | Lee Mack Miles Jupp | Brawn | 11 March 2014 |
| 3 | The Maths of Making and Breaking: Breaking Add | Jon Richardson Sally Phillips | Brawn | 18 March 2014 |
| 4 | Downton Abacus: The Maths of Wealth | Mark Watson Marcus Brigstocke | Brains | 25 March 2014 |
| 5 | Alfresco Arithmetic: The Maths of the Great Outdoors | Josh Widdicombe Peter Serafinowicz | Brawn | 1 April 2014 |
| 6 | The Maths of Balls: Lets Get Spherical | Susan Calman Andrew Maxwell | Brawn | 8 April 2014 |
| 7 | The Prime of Your Life: The Maths of Old Age | Jon Richardson Stephen K Amos | Draw | 15 April 2014 |
| 8 | Maths of Sport: Maths of the Day | Kevin Bridges Sally Phillips | Students | 22 April 2014 |
Reaction
editReaders of UKGameshows.com named it on a two way tie, the seventh best new game show of 2012 in their "Hall of fame" poll.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Dara O Briain: School of Hard Sums". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Dara O Briain's Homework Puzzles". Official Website. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Poll of the Year 2012 – UKGameshows