Victoria Coren Mitchell leaves Only Connect fans ‘traumatised’ with VERY rude joke on the show
VICTORIA Coren Mitchell left Only Connect fans "traumatised" when she made a VERY rude joke.
The popular quiz show airs on Monday nights, and yesterday's episode caused quite a stir amongst viewers.
The BBC quiz show follows a tournament style format where teams compete by finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues.
Last night saw host Victoria welcome teams The Uisge Beathas and the Crushers.
However, she left viewers shocked when she referenced an infamous joke about her having a crush on former politician Michael Portillo.
As the show ended the presenter - who is married to actor and comedian David Mitchell - said: "Coming up next on BBC Two is another episode in that wonderful series sponsored by the RSPB, where celebrities look after birds before handing them on to other celebrities to raise awareness of struggling avian numbers.
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"I have so enjoyed watching big names on BBC Two passing their feathered dependents on to other presenters, so I decided to join in myself.
"Tonight, I will be eagerly taking several swallows from Michael Portillo. Goodnight."
However, this cheeky joke didn't go down too well with some fans.
Taking to social media, one said: "Somewhat traumatised by @VictoriaCoren parting shot on #OnlyConnect tonight!!"
While another added: "@VictoriaCoren full on choked at the closing comment on this evenings episode of #onlyconnect. Did not expect that.'
"#onlyconnect a pretty near the knuckle innuendo by Victoria Coren at the end. I have no problem with that. Innuendo was part of being British."
Another said: "Eww @VictoriaCoren I can't unhear that Portillo gag at the end of #Onlyconnect."
This viewer tweeted: "Love @VictoriaCoren but have always hated the Portillo jokes. Sexist.
"Cheap. Not funny. Tonight's was really unsuitable for a family quiz show #onlyconnect."
Only Connect has aired for an incredible 20 series across a 16-year run.
The popular programme launched on BBC Four in 2008 and moved to BBC Two from 2014 onwards.
In October, the show's return next year was confirmed, with new contestants being sought to take part.
The quiz is looking for teams of three to compete in the next series which will air in 2025.
The applications are also open to single players or teams of two looking for like-minded teammates.
Writer, presenter and professional poker player Victoria has hosted Only Connect since the beginning.
Earlier this year, she caused another stir when she refuted a fan's claim of having "robbed" a team with an "unfair ruling".
The viewer wrote on Twitter/X: "The team who lost #onlyconnect by one point tonight were robbed!
"The last buzzer was before the bell, they should have been asked the question and maybe drawn!
"The beauty of iplayer is you can watch it back and hear the buzz before the bell!!"
However, Victoria argued: "I never let them answer after the bell, whenever they’ve buzzed! Not the protocol at all."
Meanwhile, Only Connect has established itself as one of the toughest quiz shows on British television.
Future stars of The Chase, Mark "The Beast" Labbett and Jenny "The Vixen" Ryan" made appearances before finding fame on the ITV show.
Hardest Quiz Show Questions
Would you know the answers to some of quizzing TV's hardest questions
- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Earlier this year, fans were left outraged after what they described as the "worst" question in the show's history. Host Jeremy Clarkson asked: “From the 2000 awards ceremony onwards, the Best Actress Oscar has never been won by a woman whose surname begins with which one of these letters?” The multiple choice answers were between G, K, M and W. In the end, and with the £32,000 safe, player Glen had to make a guess and went for G. It turned out to be correct as Nicole Kidman, Frances McDormand and Kate Winslet are among the stars who have won the Best Actress gong since 2000.
- The 1% Club - Viewers of Lee Mack's popular ITV show were left dumbfounded by a question that also left the players perplexed. The query went as follows: "Edna's birthday is on the 6th of April and Jen's birthday falls on the 15th of October, therefore Amir's birthday must be the 'X' of January." It turns out the conundrum links the numbers with its position in the sentence, so 6th is the sixth word and 15th is the fifteenth word. Therefore, Amir’s birthday is January 24th, corresponding to the 24th word in the sentence.
- The Chase - The ITV daytime favourite left fans scratching their heads when it threw up one of the most bizarre questions to ever grace the programme. One of the questions asked the player: "Someone with a nightshade intolerance should avoid eating what?" The options were - sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots - with Steve selecting sweetcorn but the correct answer was potatoes.
"I could answer loads tonight when normally I'm like..."
Another added: "#OnlyConnect must be getting easier if I can get so many right!"
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Whilst a third remarked: "Either I’ve grown some additional brain cells or that was an easier ep of #onlyconnect than we’ve had for a while."
Only Connect airs on BBC Two and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.