Oxfordshire pub to host a live pub quiz

An Oxfordshire pub will be the first pub to host a live TV broadcast of a national pub quiz on 22 February.

The Blackhorse Hotel in Thame will host Pub Heroes Live — a traditional pub quiz where customers at each pub play against customers in other pubs within the league to win £1,000 for charity.

The pubs are connected via Skype and the quiz will be broadcast on Sky TV channel 166 at 8.30pm from the Punch pub.

Eight other Punch pubs in Oxfordshire have recently appeared on the show with the Vine Inn in Cumnor and the Blue Boar in Abingdon reporting that their takings had tripled, but this will be the first live broadcast from on site.

"Pub Heroes is a fabulous idea and it is the sort of initiative Punch is backing to help pubs drive their trade," said Punch operations manager Mark Bromley.

"By giving something back to a local charity, it truly demonstrates how pubs are at the heart of the communities they serve."

Blackhorse licensee Maureen Weatherstone said: "A real benefit of Pub Heroes is that anyone who's in the pub at the time can participate and make new friends with the locals."

Paul Ashpole, managing director and founder of Pub Heroes Live, added: "In these economically challenging times, pubs need to consistently provide a great experience to draw customers from their homes to prevent communities from losing their local pubs.

"So we developed Pub Heroes, the only interactive TV show made specifically for pubs, which has proven to be a real crowd pleaser and has increased pub revenues."