Dara Ó Briain: School of Hard Sums
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 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Dave |
| Original release | 16 April 2012 – 22 April 2014 |
Transmissions
| 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
A 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
| # | 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
| # | 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
| # | 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
Readers 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
- "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
External links
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