Alexander Armstrong on Pointless: "Step up to the podium"

[AgentPidge]

This has been low-level bothering me for a long time and I've finally looked it up. Google confirms that a podium is something you step onto/stand on. The Pointless thing you would 'step up to' is a lectern.

So he says the wrong thing (by my reckoning) 4 times a day, five days a week and I watch most of them.

So I wonder why the inventors of Pointless didn't use lectern instead? Would it sound as if they're about to deliver a lecture?

Has this bothered anyone else?

It hasn’t bothered me before, but as you’ve now drawn it to my attention, it’ll bother me every time I hear him say it. Thanks! 😁

Oh. You're right. And he's so clever and wordy.

He also says (35) points or less. It really should be fewer.

Thank you very much. Indeeed

My pleasure!

But he's only saying what he's been told to say, isn't he?

He does say fewer every now and again, as do the sidekicks, as if they've been instructed to. But yes, it is annoying.

Yup. I grit my teeth every time!

The sidekick - sorry, co-presenter - does say in round 3 to give the answer "the fewest of our 100 knew".

So perhaps with the "35 points or less" it's like the old 'Five items or less in the supermarket should be fewer' argument, where I've seen editors argue that less is acceptable there. But I can't see it myself.

This drives me mad. I only have it on waiting for the news but he says it over and over every programme.

Plai thank you would suffice. 😡