Hook leading what where when. Intellectual casino "What?" Who is the presenter "What? Where? When?" Interesting facts about the program. Something from the biography

05.03.2020

September 4 marks the 35th anniversary of the “birthday” of the popular intellectual TV game “What? Where? When?”

Date of birth of the television program "What? Where? When?" officially considered September 4, 1975, when the first episode of the game, the founder of which was TV presenter Vladimir Voroshilov, was broadcast.

At first the game was called "Family Quiz" What? Where? When?" Two teams took part in the first game - the Ivanov family and the Kuznetsov family from Moscow.

The game consisted of two rounds, filmed at the home of each family. The teams were asked 11 questions. The two stories were combined into one using photographs from the family albums of the Ivanovs and Kuznetsovs.

Over time, the rules of the game, prizes and the very name of the club changed. In 1976 family quiz "What? Where? When?" turned into a television youth club "What? Where? When?" The first players were MSU students.

A spinning top appeared in the game, with the action of which it was not the question that was chosen, but the player who answered. There had not yet been a minute of discussion; the participants in the game answered questions immediately, without preparation. Each participant played for himself.

The very first questions were invented by Voroshilov himself, and then, when the game became famous, they began to accept questions from the audience. Those who answered the question received a prize - a book, and those who answered seven questions received the main prize - a set of books.

The players' answers were evaluated by members of the honorary jury - academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences Oganes Baroyan, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Vitaly Goldansky, writer Daniil Danin.

Vladimir Voroshilov was forbidden to appear on camera at that time, so the first host of the game was Alexander Maslyakov. He played only one game.

In 1977 The presenter in the frame was replaced by four voices behind the scenes, among which were Vladimir Voroshilov and employees of the youth editorial office of the Central Television, journalists Andrei Menshikov and Svetlana Berdnikova, as well as geologist Zoya Arapova. Their names remained a mystery to television viewers for a long time. Vladimir Voroshilov was the main presenter of the game, the other voices played a supporting role - they voiced letters from viewers (sacks of letters were sent to the program every day, each of which had to be answered, the best questions found, the authenticity of the question checked, edited, prepared).

In 1977 for the first time, the top began to point to the letters of viewers, and not to the responding player, and a minute of discussion appeared in the game. Each correct answer brought a prize-book to the general fund of the game participants. If the club members lost the question, the entire six players changed. In the same year, the club began a tradition of presenting a prize to the TV viewer for the best question, and a living symbol of the program appeared in the hall - Fomka the eagle owl.

Since 1978, Vladimir Voroshilov became the only voice-over presenter of the game, and the games in the television club "What? Where? When?" have become traditional and permanent.

Since 1979 all players who were members of the club "What? Where? When?" or simply participants in the program, for the first time began to be called experts. That same year, on January 24, the first musical pause sounded in the game. At first, musical breaks were always recorded. Numbers with the participation of artists invited to the game appeared only in 1982, and since 1983, musical breaks in the hall have become traditional.

From 1979 to 1983, book prizes were presented by Tamara Vladimirovna Vishnyakova, a member of the presidium of the All-Union Society of Book Lovers, director of the Moscow House of Books.

In 1980, the name of the game’s host, Vladimir Voroshilov, was mentioned for the first time, and in 1981 The club's first honorary award appeared - the "Owl Sign" - a pendant in the shape of a wooden owl. The prize was awarded to the best expert in the game; its first owner was Alexander Byalko.

In 1982, the form of the game was finally determined. A new rule was introduced: the game continues to six points. Until this moment, the score of the game was always different - as many questions were asked as the timing allowed.

On December 6, 1983, a “black box” appeared at the game for the first time (currently four different sized black boxes are used. All of them are made of wood, lined with velvet inside).

In 1984 The Crystal Owl prize was established, the first winner of which was Nurali Latypov. From 1984 to 1990, the Crystal Owl prize was awarded once a year to the best player of the year in the team of television viewers and in the team of experts. From 1991 to 2000, the prize was awarded twice a year - in the finals of the summer and winter series. The exception was the anniversary games of 2000, when the Crystal Owl was awarded to the best expert of each game in the series.

Since 2001, the Crystal Owl has been awarded four times a year at the final game of the spring, summer, fall and winter series. The best player of the winning team - an expert or a TV viewer - receives the prize.

The first “Crystal Owls” were made at a glass factory in the city of Gus-Khrustalny, Vladimir region; since 1985 they have been made at the Lvov Experimental Ceramics and Sculpture Factory (thin glass, handmade).

Since 1987 A series of international games “What? Where? When?” began to take place, and three live broadcasts took place from Bulgaria.

In 1989 On the initiative of Vladimir Voroshilov, the International Association of Clubs "What? Where? When?" was created. (MAK) is a public non-governmental organization that unites intellectual games clubs from many countries around the world and is the coordinating center of the sports “ChGK” movement. The largest tournaments are held under the auspices of the IAC - the multi-stage World Cup and the annual World Championship.

In 1991 For the first time, money appeared on the gaming table as a prize, turning the intellectual club into an intellectual casino, and the presenter began to be called the croupier.

The title of Immortal member of the elite club was introduced, who received the right to remain in the club, despite the team's loss. The red jacket became an attribute of the Immortals.

In 1992 The "Zero" sector appears in the game.

In the winter of 1993, the experts wore tuxedos to the game for the first time.

On December 30, 2000, Vladimir Voroshilov played his last game; on March 10, 2001, he died. Since May 2001 author, presenter, director and producer of the game "What? Where? When?" became Boris Kryuk. Starting this year, “Sector 13” was introduced, to which Internet users can send questions to the game directly during live broadcast.

In 2002 The club has established a new honorary prize - "Diamond Owl", which is the main prize of the year and is awarded to the best player of the winning team in the final game. The "Diamond Owl" prize is made of silver and crystal using the "Diamond Edge" technology (handmade). 70 rubies were used to decorate the owl. The weight of the "Diamond Owl" is more than 8 kg.

From 1976 to 1982, the games "What? Where? When?" took place in the bar of the Ostankino television center; from 1983 to 1986 - in an old mansion on Herzen Street (now Bolshaya Nikitskaya) in house No. 47, where the educational and methodological center of the Komsomol Moscow City Committee for organizing free time for young people was located; in 1988 and 1989 games "What? Where? When?" took place at the World Trade Center on Krasnaya Presnya.

Since 1990, all games of the elite television club "What? Where? When?" take place in the Hunting Lodge in Neskuchny Garden.

The program "What? Where? When?" has been awarded the TEFI television award more than once: in 1997 in the category "Entertainment Program"; in 2001 in the “Television Game” category, and its founder and first presenter Vladimir Voroshilov was posthumously awarded the prize “For personal contribution to the development of domestic television”; in 2002 the program "What? Where? When?" reached the finals of the “Television Game” nomination; in 2004 and 2005 became the winner in the “Television Game” category.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

42 years ago, on September 4, 1975, the first program of the television club of experts “What? Where? When?". True, there were no experts then. Initially, the favorite game was a family quiz.

Two teams took part in the program - the Ivanov family and the Kuznetsov family from Moscow. The program was filmed in parts - first visiting one family, and then visiting another. Each team was asked 11 questions. The two stories were combined into one using photographs from the family albums of the Ivanovs and Kuznetsovs. Only one program was aired. It was a year of searching for the form of the game.

(Total 25 photos)

1984 Recording of the television game “What? Where? When?" on Central Television. © RIA Novosti, M. Yurchenko But the very next year, 1976, the family quiz turned into the television youth club “What? Where? When?". The recording of the program was attended by students from several faculties of Moscow State University, who spoke loudly and smoked while discussing the issue. The first episode of the game was hosted not by Vladimir Voroshilov, but by... Alexander Maslyakov.

1984 TV presenter of the quiz “What? Where? When?" Vladimir Voroshilov is waiting for an answer to the question. © RIA Novosti, M. Yurchenko That's when the top appeared in the game. True, the arrow of the top chose the person who would answer the viewer’s question. Participants in the game answered questions immediately, without preparation. Each participant played for himself. There had not yet been a minute of discussion. Answer the question - get a prize: a book. Answer seven questions and get the main prize: a set of books. The players' answers were evaluated by members of the honorary jury - Academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences O.V. Baroyan, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences V.O. Goldansky, writer D.S. Danin.

1984 Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Igor Petryanov-Sokolov takes part in the television quiz show “What? Where? When?". © RIA Novosti, M. Yurchenko The following year, 1977, the broadcast moved behind the scenes. The presenter in the frame was replaced by four voice-overs. Among the new voice-over presenters were Vladimir Voroshilov and members of the youth editorial staff of Central Television, journalists Andrei Menshikov and Svetlana Berdnikova, as well as geologist Zoya Arapova. Vladimir Voroshilov was the main presenter of the game, the other voices played a supporting role - they voiced letters from viewers.

1984 Participants in the TV quiz show “What? Where? When?" discussing the issue. © RIA Novosti, M. Yurchenko Who was broadcasting on the other side of the screen remained a mystery to TV viewers for a long time (until 1980). And for Vladimir Voroshilov the nickname “incognito from Ostankino” was firmly established. The name of the game presenter will be heard for the first time on April 23, 1980, when the broadcast ends with the words: “The broadcast was hosted by Vladimir Voroshilov.”

1985 Director and host of the television club “What? Where? When?" Vladimir Voroshilov is preparing another game. © RIA Novosti, G. Kazarinov On December 24, 1977, the game finally took its final form: a spinning top pointing at the question rather than at the player, a one-minute time limit for discussing a question, and a prize for the viewer for the best question.

An employee of the animal center of the Russian film studio "Tsentrnauchfilm" with the eagle owl Fomka, the constant symbol of the TV show "What? Where? When?". © RIA Novosti, Ettinger At the same time, its first symbol appeared in the game - Fomka the eagle owl.

Then, according to the rules of the game, each correct answer brought a prize-book to the general fund of the game participants. If the club members lost the question, the entire six players changed.

1985 Experts and the scriptwriter, director and host of the program, Vladimir Voroshilov, discuss the results of the game. © RIA Novosti, G. Kazarinov In 1979, the program participants were called “experts” for the first time. Up to this point, all the players were “members of the What? Where? When?” or simply “participants” of the program. Also this year, the club teams have coaches: candidates of psychological sciences Boris Bratus and Alexander Asmanov, teacher of the department social psychology Adolf Harash. Coaches can call a timeout, make substitutions for individual players or the entire six.

1985 Player of the television club “What? Where? When?" Alexander Vengertsev, a builder from the city of Dmitrovograd, Ulyanovsk region. © RIA Novosti, G. Kazarinov January 24, 1979 in the game “What? Where? When?" The first musical pause sounded.

1988 Musical break in the program “What? Where? When?". © RIA Novosti, Oleg Lastochkin For several years, the game “What? Where? When?" was one of the few programs on Soviet television where you could see popular foreign performers.

1989 Music break participant greek singer Demis Roussos. © RIA Novosti, Oleg Lastochkin In 1980, a new rule was introduced - in a critical situation, the losing team was given a special chance: the final round could be played by the entire club.

1986 Broadcast of the program “What? Where? When?". © ITAR-TASS, Igor Zotin In 1982, the form of the game was finally determined. A new rule has been introduced: the game continues until six points. Until this moment, the score of the game was always different - as many questions were asked as the timing allowed. The presenter’s signature phrase appears: “The score is 0:0. TV viewers versus experts. First round."

1985 The captain of one of the teams of the club “What? Where? When?" Marina Letavina. © RIA Novosti, G. Kazarinov The entire game is played by one team of experts; experts continue to participate in the games of the season if they win; experts give up their place in the club to newcomers if they lose.

1985 Participants in the TV quiz show “What? Where? When?" thinking about the answer. © RIA Novosti, G. Kazarinov In 1983, the Club of Connoisseurs settled into a new premises - a mansion on the street. Herzen, 47. This season they are playing in threes. Two troikas play, one troika is in the “spare” chairs. It is possible to replace the entire trio or one or two players. The composition of the team changes at the discretion of the captain. Some of the experts announced for the game remain “spare” and do not participate in the game. A new rule has been introduced - experts can refuse a minute of discussion and use the saved minute in any other round.

1989 Experts at the gaming table. © ITAR-TASS, Boris Dembitsky 1984 Players are allowed to use reference books during a minute of discussion: Large Soviet encyclopedia, dictionaries of Ushakov, Ozhegov and Dahl, Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary, Geographical encyclopedic dictionary, Physical encyclopedic dictionary, Chemical encyclopedic dictionary, Soviet encyclopedic dictionary.

1985 The game is on. Television club “What? Where? When?". © RIA Novosti, G. Kazarinov Three stages appeared in the playing hall. On the small stage there is a bookcase with encyclopedias. On the second stage there is a penalty box. On the largest one there is an installation for music and sound accompaniment. The player who gave the wrong answer is sent to the penalty box. Penalties return to the gaming table after the first point won by the experts.

1988 Broadcast of the program “What? Where? When?". © RIA Novosti, Oleg Lastochkin In 1985, a new change - not just one six, but the entire club - six six experts - takes part in each game. Teams change according to the principle: if you win, continue the game; if you lose, give way to the other team. Teams change by lot: in the sectors on the gaming table there are inverted game tickets of the captains. If the experts lose the round, the game ticket is turned over and it becomes clear which six will come to replace it. Decisive round of the game: if the team wins, they get the right to start the game next time and receive all the prizes. The team that loses in the last round of the game leaves the club. Newcomers take the place of these six.

1989 Broadcast of the program “What? Where? When?". © ITAR-TASS, Boris Dembitsky In 1986, once again, one six experts compete in each game. The first “blitz tournaments” were introduced. Musical pause symbols disappear from game sectors. Treble clefs are now held by team captains. Teams take musical breaks at their own discretion. A moment of help from television fans appears. This was the last gaming year in the mansion at 47 Herzen Street.

In 1987, a series of international games “What? Where? When?". At the games in Bulgaria, for the first time, it was decided to change the traditional prize system. Book prizes at international games have replaced handicrafts, arts and crafts of the two countries, and consumer goods.

1987 Host of the TV show “What? Where? When?" V. Voroshilov (right). Photo by Igor Zotin (TASS Photo Chronicle) In 1988, a series of games took place in international club"What? Where? When?". Teams from the USSR, USA, Bulgaria, Poland, and France are playing.

It’s not just one six experts playing against the TV viewers, but the entire club - 13 six experts. Any team of experts can answer for the entire club, and the entire club is responsible for that answer. Any six can protest the answer of the previous team. The answer that was given last is accepted as the final version of the club.

Starting from the second qualifying game, a new rule was introduced: the six who gave the wrong answer and lost the round ceased to participate in the games of the season. Only a game won by the club can save the team players.

1988 Center for International Trade and Scientific and Technical Relations. Live broadcast of the program of the Main Editorial Board of Programs for Youth of Central Television “What? Where? When?”, which was attended by experts from Bulgaria, Poland, the USSR and the USA. Photo by Oleg Ivanov /TASS Photo Chronicle/ In 1989, the International Games “What? Where? When?". Venue: Moscow, International Trade Center on Krasnaya Presnya (Sovintsentr). One main six experts and nine teams of experts play. Teams of experts determine the difficulty of each question in the game. Depending on the difficulty of the question, you can get from 1 to 10 points in each round.

If all nine expert teams give the correct answer, the question is worth one point. Eight teams gave the correct answer - the question is worth two points, etc. If none of the expert teams gave the correct answer, the question receives the highest score - 10 points. If the top six experts win the round, those ten points go to the experts. If the playing team cannot solve the problem, then the TV viewers get 10 points.

The team of experts that receives the highest intellectual rating as a result of the game receives the right to continue the next game at the central gaming table. The team with the lowest rating must leave the club. A new six players will take its place.

Due to the fact that the main rule of the game has been temporarily canceled (the game goes to six points), a new limit of the game has been set - midnight. The game ends at the third rooster crow on the Sovintsentr tower.

In the winter of 1991, money appeared on the gaming table for the first time. An intellectual club becomes an intelligent casino. The presenter began to be called the croupier. For the first time, the phrase “Intellectual casino is the only place where you can make money with your own mind” appears.

The basic rules of the game have not changed: one six experts play, the game goes to six points, the losing team loses its place in the club.

2005 Broadcast of the program “What? Where? When?". © ITAR-TASS, Natalya Nechaeva Vladimir Yakovlevich Voroshilov was the permanent host of the program for 25 years. On December 30, 2000, he played his last game - the final of the anniversary series of games, which decided the fate of the elite club “What? Where? When?". The experts won with a score of 6:5. The victory of the experts meant that the games in the elite club “What? Where? When?" must continue.

// Photo: Natalia Krasilnikova / PhotoXPress.ru

“Once I went to the Toy House to buy something as a gift for my three-year-old friend. I saw a top with a jumping horse and bought two at once, the second one for myself. I played without leaving home for ten days,” recalls Vladimir Voroshilov, the creator and host of the program, the first broadcast of which took place exactly 43 years ago. It is this top that will fascinate viewers glued to their TV screens in anticipation of an exciting game.

The game was originally a family quiz game in which participants received sets of books as gifts. Over the first few years, the program changed and looked for the format that we are used to seeing - a team of experts fights with a team of viewers, answering questions from viewers. The first team to score six points wins. The creators of the program are confident that its stunning success and enduring relevance is due to the fact that, unlike many other television intellectual games, “What? Where? When?" is a game not for knowledge and erudition, but for intelligence and reasoning skills. One cannot but agree how interesting it is to watch the heated discussion and chain of reasoning of talented experts, while at the same time trying to find the answer yourself.

The name of the TV show host remained a mystery to viewers for a long time. And Vladimir Voroshilov was given the nickname “Incognito from Ostankino” for a long time. Viewers only found out who was hiding behind the menacing voice five years later, when the broadcast ended with the words: “The show was hosted by Vladimir Voroshilov.”

After his death, the presenter’s chair was taken by his successor, Boris Kryuk. It was he, as a 12-year-old boy, who composed the first questions for the experts, and became the first TV viewer to win over the experts. The symbol of the transfer is the eagle owl Fomka - a crystal figure with his image is awarded to the best player in the final games. Later, a new prize was introduced - the Diamond Owl, which is awarded to the best player of the year. The most popular “black box” of Soviet television contained hundreds of different objects: a skull, toilet paper, wedding dress, a head of cabbage, a bikini swimsuit, a jar of urine, an alarm clock, and a live butterfly.

For several years, the game was a unique program where you could see performances by foreign performers for the first time. Very soon, on September 16, a new season of games for the autumn session begins.

// Photo: Natalia Krasilnikova/PhotoXPress.ru

Remembering past seasons and the brilliant play of experts, it is interesting to know how the fate of the most famous intellectuals, who were watched by millions of viewers from year to year, turned out.

Rovshan Askerov, owner of the Crystal Owl, captain of his own team, recalls that his passion for quizzes appeared in childhood - when he was 14 years old, he wanted to please a girl, and in order to stand out, he created the school game “What? Where? When?". It didn’t work out with the girl, but a love for intellectual games appeared.

Rovshan took part in the game for the first time as an expert in 1998. At that time he was a journalist, a sports commentator. Rovshan admits that the popularity that overtook him was very pleasant to him, but at the same time it disciplined him and kept him on his toes. There was a case when popularity played into one’s hands when it was necessary to interview a famous person.

Currently, Rovshan holds the position of PR Director of Baku magazine. But the connoisseur’s main pride is his own intellectual games club “No Fools,” which he opened two years ago with his long-term partner in the connoisseurs’ club, Boris Levin. Games take place every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. In addition to Moscow, the game takes place in other cities - Sergiev Posad, Sochi, Adler, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod and Tashkent.

Ilya Novikov, two-time winner of the “Crystal Owl”, winner of the “Diamond Owl” at at the moment continues to successfully practice law. Ilya wanted to become a lawyer and a criminal lawyer since he was 12-13 years old. He remembers reading books about fictional character– Perry Mason, a practicing Los Angeles lawyer. Playing for him has always been just a hobby, a passion, and not a job.

He says that participation in the program briefly overshadowed him as a lawyer - people perceived Ilya as an expert and a showman. According to Ilya, he is often recognized on the street in Russia and there are people who think that he has work book That’s how it’s written – “expert”. When asked about participating in new seasons, he answers that he has no plans to return in the near future.

Boris Belozerov, the youngest captain of the game, winner of the “Crystal Owl,” this year graduated from the International Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy MGIMO in the field of World economy and international energy cooperation, is now engaged in conducting various intellectual games as a presenter and author of questions. Will be a participant in the winter series of games.

Let us remind you that participation in the game is not a means of earning money for experts. Only winning viewers receive cash prizes. All experts have a favorite job and participate in the game for the sake of excitement and interest.

The point of the game is that a team of experts answers questions sent by a team of TV viewers.

Basic rules

Description of the gameplay

IN television version game, a team of experts, consisting of six people, answers questions sent by viewers. The question is selected by a top, which in turn is launched by the manager.

Experts are given one minute to discuss the question, after which the team captain chooses an expert who will answer the question. There are also cases when a team gives an answer ahead of schedule: the expert who knows the answer usually puts his fist on the table with his thumb bent up. If the answer is correct, then experts earn an extra minute of discussion, which they can use on any subsequent question in this game. The number of additional minutes depends on the team's early responses. Recently, experts can take out a “minute on credit” for this issue, but on the condition that they answer one of the following questions without a minute of discussion.

There is a hint in the game "club help". If experts do not know the answer to a question, then they can ask for help from those who are now in the room. Those present are given 20 seconds to express their versions. Since 2007, “club help” can only be taken in cases where the score is not in favor of the experts. Since 2010, it also cannot be taken in “blitz”, “super blitz” and the decisive round.

Because of the very large quantity people in the room, there are cases of unauthorized tips. The manager who notices this violation of the rules of the game raises a red card. There are operators in the hall who can record the clue on video cameras. The offender is removed from the hall until the end of the game.
On April 10, 2016, a yellow card was introduced. It is shown by the stewards of the hall to the presenter at the moment when the captain of the playing team asks for the club’s help, and only if during the discussion they notice suspicions in the hint. The team loses the club's help in this round, but, unlike a red card, can provide an answer. The offender will suffer a more serious punishment and, at the end of the round, will be required to leave the hall before the end of the game. The club's help does not expire and the team can use it in the next rounds if the score is not in favor of the experts. The card has been discontinued since 2018.

When a team of experts gives the wrong answer, the viewers whose questions the experts got wrong receive cash prizes: the viewer who scored the first point for their team receives 50,000 rubles, second point - 60 000 , third - 70 000 , fourth - 80 000 , fifth - 90 000 and the sixth point - 100,000 rubles(until 2012 the amounts were from 10 000 to 60,000 rubles). If the team of experts wins, the unplayed money goes into prize fund final of the year, i.e. If the experts win with a score of 6:4, 190,000 rubles are added to the fund for the missing 5th and 6th viewer points.

Squat games

In some cases, 2 or more teams of experts can play during one game. This type of game is called squat games. Its essence is that after each incorrect answer, teams are replaced: the teams change places. The team starting the game is determined by lot. If the experts win, the team that brought the last decisive point wins.

Description of the location and filming process

A place for gaming connoisseurs

Filming of the game takes place in Moscow, in the Hunting Lodge of Neskuchny Garden. It is equipped with a special room with a table, which is divided into 6 sectors in a large radius (for each member of the team of experts) and into 13 sectors in a small radius - for questions. The questions themselves lie in envelopes, which in turn lie on 12 sectors, signed with the names of the cities of the participants who sent the question (among these 12 questions there are “blitz” and “super blitz” questions). On the thirteenth sector there is a plastic plate on which the number 13 is printed in red (from 2001 to 2011 the number font is Pragmatica, since 2011 the number font is Arial, since 2013 the number font has become a little bold). In the center of the table there is a top with an arrow. The spinning top is spun by the manager, and the question on which the arrow stops is chosen for the game. The envelope containing the question is placed in a special clothespin located on one of the monitors above the experts themselves. The monitors usually show a photograph or video of the author of the question filmed specifically for the question, a video filmed by correspondents for the question, or drawings or paintings that help experts answer.

Advocates

Every game in the club there are defenders of the interests of experts, television viewers, as well as the Keeper of Traditions. Their opinion is taken into account when resolving controversial situations.

Defender of the interests of experts. Appeared in 2002. The Connoisseur Advocate selects the best connoisseur of the game and awards him the Crystal Atom prize. At the moment, the Director of the Communications Department of the State Corporation "Rosatom" Andrey Cheremisinov is the Defender of the interests of experts; in some games he may be replaced general manager Corporation Alexey Likhachev. Previously, the defenders were lawyer Mikhail Barshchevsky, lawyer of the Moscow Bar Association Natalia Barshchevskaya, representatives of the general sponsor - the MTS company: Mikhail Susov (2003-2004), Igor Stolyarov (2005), Grzegorz Ash (2006), Mikhail Shamolin (2006), Sergey Beshev ( 2007-2008), Alexander Popovsky (2009-2012), Director of the Rosatom Communications Department Sergey Novikov (2013-2016).
Defender of the interests of television viewers. Appeared in 1991. The viewer advocate selects the best question in the game and determines the value of the viewer's winnings. Since the fall of 2018, the position has been held by Dmitry Breitenbicher, Senior Vice President of VTB Bank. From 2002 to 2009, the defender of the interests of the team of TV viewers was the vice-president of Binbank Grigory Guselnikov, in 2010 - Dmitry Akulinin, from 2011 to 2012 - vice-president of the Bank of Moscow Irina Nikitenko, from 2013 to 2018 - vice-president of the bank VTB (formerly Bank of Moscow) Vladimir Verkhoshinsky, in some games they were replaced by the President of the Bank of Moscow Mikhail Kuzovlev.
Keeper of traditions. A position that existed from 2001 to 2016. As the name suggests, he enforces the rules and “traditions” of the club. From May 19, 2001 to December 26, 2009, the “Keeper of Traditions” was Mikhail Barshchevsky, from March 27, 2010 to June 19, 2016 - Grigory Guselnikov.

Hall managers

There are two stewards in the hall to ensure that there are no clues. Also, one of the stewards rotates the top, and the other takes out objects, black boxes and hits the gong. Currently, the stewards are Alexander Bakalov (since 2013) and Polina Lysenko (since 2017), previously the stewards were Nikolai Lgovsky (1984-2001), Andrey Lgovsky (early 1990s), Andrey Lysenko (1993-2013), Alexey Vetyugov ( late 1990s), Boris Fuks (2001-2016), Evgeny Galkin (2011, in the Kazakh version of games) and others.

Mikhail and Olga Barshchevsky

Alexey Likhachev

Andrey Cheremisinov

Sergey Novikov

Grigory Guselnikov

Vladimir Verkhoshinsky

Dmitry Breytenbicher

Nikolay Lgovsky

Boris Fuks

Evgeniy Galkin

Alexander Bakalov

Polina Lysenko

Questions

General information

The game requires great education and a broad outlook in the field modern science, the ability to think quickly, originally and unconventionally, observation and attentiveness.

The questions relate to different areas of knowledge and have different styles, so the best players will be the most erudite and well-read. A strong team should have harmonious cooperation between people with in different ways thinking, if possible - by specialists in different fields. Much depends on training and the ability to understand each other within the team.

Types of questions

Sample questions

Here is an ancient Egyptian manuscript; it says about a certain slave: “He hears perfectly with both ears, is honest and obedient.” This text is considered to be one of the early copies of... what? (Answer: advertising)
The McDonald's board of directors believes that rumors that McDonald's meat dishes are prepared from earthworms can be easily refuted by comparing them with meat. Question: by what criterion? (Answer: in terms of price, worms are much more expensive)
According to the humorous calendar of Belyaev and Stalber, “If this statement were true, This It wouldn’t taste as good.” Guess what statement is being talked about and name it This. (Answer: wine).
Once, Mark Twain's friend, Harry Dumain, borrowed $500, promising to return it in a month - of course, if he was still alive. Question: What did Mark Twain do when he didn’t receive what he was promised after a month? (Answer: Dumain's obituary was published)
In Ambrose Bierce's fable, a deputy promises his constituents not to steal after receiving office. When it was revealed that he was stealing huge sums, voters demanded answers. The deputy replied that, yes, he promised not to steal, but he did not make another promise. Which one? (Answer: promises not to lie)
Jerome K. Jerome compared This with the government, since both are valued only as long as they are good. Name it. (Answer: weather)
Russian humorist Mikhail Zadornov said that he was not angry with the communists, since they never deceived him. But why, according to him, did they not deceive him? (Answer: because he never believed them anyway)

Game history by year

Vladimir Voroshilov

Boris Kryuk

1975. September 4 - On this day, one game was played according to different rules - two families played against each other (as in the popular game "Lucky Chance"). The game consisted of two rounds, filmed at the home of each family. They came together for the sake of photography for the family archive.

1976. A top appears, but in early games it was not the question that was chosen, but the player who answered. Already this year the game “What? Where? When?" has already changed a lot and received the name “television youth club”. Since Vladimir Voroshilov was banned from appearing on screen at that time, the first full-fledged release of the TV game was hosted by Alexander Maslyakov, who in the future will revive the KVN project. The first players were MSU students who talked loudly and smoked while discussing the issue. There was no one-minute discussion time limit; each person played for himself and not as a team.

1977. The game finally took its final form: a spinning top showing a question and a one-minute time limit for discussing the question. Its first symbol appeared in the game - Fomka the eagle owl. The first questions were invented by Vladimir Voroshilov himself, and later, when the game became popular, they began to accept questions from viewers. It is known that bags of letters arrived every day, each of which had to be answered, the best questions selected, the accuracy of the facts presented checked, edited, prepared, if necessary, necessary items. Of course, one person cannot do such work, and Voroshilov was helped by his wife Natalya Stetsenko, who headed the department of correspondence with viewers for many years.

1979. Games began to be held regularly. The term “connoisseur” appeared; now this word has become familiar to describe the participants in the game; the club is now usually called the “club of connoisseurs.” Until this point, there was no special name for the players. The details of the game rules changed frequently, but the main prize was always the books (which were hung on the Christmas tree) and crystal owl.

1982. A six-point game rule has been introduced.

1983. Instead of the Ostankino television center, games begin to be held in a mansion on Herzen Street.

1984. A new prize has been introduced - the Crystal Owl. The winner is the best player at the end of the year.

1987. Holding the International Games in Bulgaria.

1988-1989 International Games at Sovintsentr. Several teams participate in the game simultaneously.

1990. The program begins to leave the Hunting Lodge in Neskuchny Garden.

1991. The game has become more commercialized, that is, it has turned from “ intellectual club" to the "smart casino". Connoisseurs start playing for money.

1992. Starting this year, two series are held per year - summer and winter. A zero sector appeared, called the “zero sector”. It appeared instead of the sector with the highest amount, which was awarded for the correct answer. Each question now has a certain “value”, which can be increased by placing the money you win on a certain playing field. Sponsors and lawyers appeared (Mikhail Barshchevsky).

1995. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the game, the Immortal Games are held. The title of Club Master was introduced. The first master was Alexander Druz.

1999. The game is temporarily airing on the NTV channel. The Christmas series is being held.

2000. In the fall, an experimental series of games takes place, in which, in addition to experts and television viewers, the Internet team also participates. Using the website www.rambler.ru, registered Internet users give their versions of the answer during a minute of discussion. The most popular version becomes the final answer from the Internet team, and the Internet user who sends the correct version faster than others receives the amount at stake. The score is listed in the order of “TV viewers:connoisseurs:Internet”.

In December, the Anniversary Games are held, in which the existence of the game is at stake. Maxim Potashev is awarded the title of Master. On December 30, Vladimir Voroshilov played his last game.

2001. This year the host of the game, Vladimir Voroshilov, dies. After this, his adopted son, Boris Kryuk, began to play the game. At first he distorted his voice, but soon he revealed himself and began to play the game with his own voice. In the summer, a series is held to decide whether the game will exist without Voroshilov. In winter, the gaming table was updated, and games for money were stopped. From that moment on, the value of questions was determined using telephone voting by viewers (the difference between the number of “like” and “dislike” votes multiplied by 10 rubles; negative amounts were equal to zero). At the same time, the thirteenth sector was introduced (in 2000, this sector was called the “Internet sector”).

2002. The game began to be held annually in four series: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. After all the games, the final game of the year is held, in which the best team of experts of the season takes part. A total of 17 games are played per year. The Crystal Owl is now awarded 3 times a year. A new prize has been introduced - the Diamond Owl, which is awarded to the best player of the winning team in the Final of the year.

2005. Celebrating the game's 30th anniversary. Viktor Sidnev becomes the third master. From now on, at the end of the anniversary year, the winning team is awarded a Crystal Nest - 6 crystal owls.

2008. From this year, cash prizes for TV viewers have changed. For the first point for his team, the viewer receives 10,000 rubles, for each subsequent point 10 thousand more. Thus, for the sixth point the viewer receives 60,000 rubles. At the Final of the year, Andrei Kozlov was recognized as the fourth master, and his team was awarded a crystal nest, since the 33rd year was recognized as an anniversary year.

2013. TV viewers' winnings have increased. Depending on the point won, the viewer receives from 50 to 100 thousand rubles. The game is starting to be released in HD quality.

2015. Starting this year, the number of broadcasts per year has increased from 17 to 20. Now the spring, summer and autumn series consist of 5 games. The Academy of TV Viewers appears.

2018. For the first time, a series of games “Children of the 21st Century” was held, in which teams of schoolchildren took part. The fifth Academician (Radik Khabibullin) and the fifth Master (Elizaveta Ovdeenko) appear in the Club.

Live broadcast

One of the main features of the game is that it takes place live. During the live broadcast, viewers could give answers using MTS phones. However, the cost of a message has increased from 5-6 cents (according to the tariff plan) to 10 rubles. In addition, the first experts were given a good telephone.

Prizes and titles

Owls

Crystal Owl- the prize was introduced in 1984. Awarded to the best player from the team of experts and the best player from the team of TV viewers based on the results of a series of games. The first owner of the Crystal Owl was Nurali Latypov. In the Anniversary seasons there is a special prize - Crystal Nest, representing six small owls on a crystal tray. Awarded to the best team of the anniversary year; thus, each team member becomes the owner of a Crystal Owl. The prize was awarded twice - in 2008 to the team of Andrei Kozlov and in 2010 to the team of Balash Kasumov.

Experts-prize winners ( italics owls obtained as part of the Crystal Nest are highlighted):

Alexander Druz - 1990, 1992 (winter), 1995 (winter), 2000 (autumn), 2006 (summer), 2012 (spring);
Fedor Dvinyatin - 1991 (summer), 1994 (summer), 2000 (winter), 2002 (spring);
Maxim Potashev - 1997 (winter), 2000 (winter), 2000 (winter), 2016 (autumn);
Andrey Kozlov - 1992 (summer), 1994 (winter), 2008 (winter);
Boris Burda - 1998 (winter), 2000 (winter), 2008 (winter);
Dmitry Avdeenko - 2009 (winter), 2010 (winter), 2018 (summer);
Yulia Lazareva - 2010 (winter), 2015 (autumn), 2017 (spring);
Alexey Blinov - 1992 (summer), 1993 (winter);
Alexander Rubin - 1995 (summer), 1996 (summer);
Valentina Golubeva - 2003 (summer), 2003 (autumn);
Ilya Novikov - 2004 (autumn), 2014 (summer);
Ales Mukhin - 2004 (spring), 2019 (summer);
Vladimir Molchanov - 1991 (winter), 2008 (winter);
Nikolay Silantyev - 2008 (winter), 2008 (winter);
Elizaveta Ovdeenko - 2010 (winter), 2011 (spring);
Mikhail Skipsky - 2010 (winter), 2016 (spring);
Nurali Latypov - 1984;
Marina Govorushkina - 1985;
Leonid Vladimirsky - 1986;
Oleg Dolgov - 1987;
Neiko Neikov - 1987;
Nikita Shangin - 1988;
Vladislav Petrushko - 1989;
Lyudmila Gerasimova - 1993 (summer);
Georgy Zharkov - 1998 (summer);
Alexander Byalko - 2000 (winter);
Alla Damsker - 2000 (winter);
Marina Druz - 2000 (winter);
Dmitry Eremin - 2000 (winter);
Sergey Tsarkov - 2000 (winter);
Victor Sidnev - 2001 (summer);
Rovshan Askerov - 2001 (winter);
Dmitry Konovalenko - 2002 (summer);
Mikhail Moon - 2002 (autumn);
Inna Druz - 2003 (winter);
Asya Shavinskaya - 2004 (summer);
Andrey Bychutkin - 2006 (autumn);
Grigory Alkhazov - 2011 (summer);
Vladimir Stepanov - 2012 (autumn);
Gunel Babayeva - 2013 (summer);
Boris Levin - 2014 (autumn);
Boris Belozerov - 2017 (autumn);
Elman Talibov - 2019 (spring);
Alexey Kapustin - 2008 (winter);
Igor Kondratyuk - 2008 (winter);
Vladimir Antokhin - 2010 (winter);
Balash Kasumov - 2010 (winter);
Roman Alloyarov - Small Crystal Owl, 1997 (winter).

Diamond Owl- it is awarded to the best player based on the results of the year. The prize was founded in 2002.

Experts who own the Diamond Owl:

Asya Shavinskaya (2004);
Boris Burda (2007);
Andrey Kozlov (2008);
Balash Kasumov (2010);
Alexander Druz (2011);
Boris Levin (2012);
Ilya Novikov (2014);
Kirill Chernyshev (2019).

TV viewers who own the Diamond Owl:

Vladimir Lebedev from Pinsk, Belarus (2002);
Maria Melnikova from Moscow (2003);
Zhanna Polyanskaya from Syktyvkar, Komi Republic (2005);
Natalya Khametshina from Astrakhan (2006);
Tatyana Medvedeva from Saratov (2009);
Pavel Boytsov from St. Petersburg (2013);
Vladimir Korvyakov from Lytkarino, Moscow region. (2015);
Nikolay Azaryev from the village. Sukhoi Donetsk, Voronezh region. (2016);
Tatyana Frolova from Moscow (2017);
Konstantin Bogatski from Kempten, Germany (2018).

Owl sign- was the predecessor of the Crystal Owl, awarded several times in the early 1980s.

Experts-prize winners

Alexander Byalko;
Sergey Ilyin;
Lyudmila Gerasimova.

Jackets

Red jacket was a sign "immortal member of the club"- a person who could remain in the club even if his team lost. It was introduced in the winter series of 1991. Jackets were received by all owners of the “Crystal Owl”, including experts who received “owls” before the introduction of the title of “immortal”. In the winter series of 1994 and in the spring series of 1995, jackets were awarded to all players of the teams of Mikhail Smirnov and Alexey Blinov. After the conclusion of the 1995 Immortal Games, the jackets were retired.

Shoulder strap of the best captain

This shoulder strap is awarded to the best captain once every five years. Introduced in 2000 by Vladimir Voroshilov. In the final game of 2000, he decided to present the club's best captain's shoulder strap to the most outstanding captains in the history of the game. He didn’t have enough time on the air in 2000, and Boris Kryuk handed over his shoulder straps in the summer of 2001, after Voroshilov’s death. Prize winners:

Andrey Kamorin (2001);
Boris Eremin (2001);
Vladimir Lutovinov (2001);
Victor Sidnev (2001);
Andrey Kozlov (2001);
Alexey Blinov (2001);
Ales Mukhin (2005);
Balash Kasumov (2010).

Cadet shoulder strap

Presented by an expert who has the shoulder strap of the best captain at the end of each episode of “Children of the 21st Century” to the best captain of this series. Shoulders of the shoulder strap:

Kirill Emelin (2018);
Artyom Savochkin (2019).

Club Master title

Since 1995, in each anniversary season of the game, one of the experts is awarded the title of Master. Currently this title is held by:

Alexander Druz (since 1995);
Maxim Potashev (since 2000);
Victor Sidnev (since 2005);
Andrey Kozlov (since 2008);
Elizaveta Ovdeenko (since 2018).

Club Academician title

Similarly with the masters of the club, at the 2015 finals the title of academician was introduced. It is assigned to active television viewers who:

have either a Crystal or Diamond Owl and have achieved six victories against Experts;
twice awarded either the Crystal or Diamond Owl, regardless of the number of victories over experts.

Academics are always invited to the club for the series finale and the year finale, regardless of whether their questions are played at the table or not. In the event of a victory among television viewers, academicians, like masters, take a collective part in choosing the winner of the final prize. Currently this title is held by:

Sergey Chevdar from Chernomorsk, Ukraine (winner of the “Crystal Owl”);
Svetlana Sumachakova from Gorno-Altaisk, Altai Republic (two-time winner of the Crystal Owl);
Tatyana Medvedeva from Saratov (winner of the “Diamond Owl”);
Zhanna Polyanskaya from Syktyvkar, Komi Republic (winner of the “Diamond Owl”);
Radik Khabibullin from the village of Popovka, Perm region(holder of the “Crystal Owl”), from October 28, 2018.

Prize for the brightest answer

In the final game of 2015, for the first time, a special prize was awarded for the most brilliant answer of the year. It is a gold-colored cufflink with an image of an owl. The prize is awarded annually to an expert who, thanks to insight and innovative thinking, was able to give a brilliant answer at a crucial moment. Prize winners:

Alena Povysheva (2015, question about the shape of the squash in the third game of the Winter Series);
Boris Belozerov (2016, super blitz question about Ilya Oblomov in the third game of the Summer Series);
Elizaveta Ovdeenko (2017, blitz question about Ramon Gomez de la Serna’s gregerias in the second game of the Winter Series);
Elizaveta Ovdeenko (2018, question about the parent of the rhyme in the fourth game of the Winter Series);
Nikita Barinov (2019, question about the pigeon in the first game of the Autumn Series).

Award for confidence in your team

In 2012, one of the envelopes on the table was a “prize” envelope. It contained two related questions from one viewer - the main one and the additional one (prize). The captain could refuse to answer the additional question (then the game went on as usual), or he could agree, in which case the host asked two questions. The correct answer to both questions brought not only a point to the experts, but also a special pin on the lapel of the captain’s jacket, which could later be exchanged on any question for an additional minute, club help, or gave the right to redeem a minute in crudit. Prize winners:

Balash Kasumov (second game of the Spring Series) - the prize was exchanged in the same game for the help of the club;
Viktor Sidnev (fourth game of the Spring Series);
Andrey Kozlov (third game of the Winter Series).

Other prizes and awards

Insignia “For services to the game “What?” Where? When?” - presented on May 14, 2005 to “the best expert of all times and peoples” Alexander Druz on the occasion of his 50th anniversary, which fell on May 10. In the same game, he was given a Scottish Fold kitten.
“For the will to win” (“Diamond Snake”) - awarded on December 24, 2005 to Andrei Kozlov, who, after losing on November 19, 2005, during the next game proved the correctness of his wrong answer - he stuffed the snake with rice according to his recipe.
Medal for 50 games - awarded on April 15, 2018 to Viktor Sidnev for his 50th participation in the game show. On the same day, Andrey Kozlov, Alexey Kapustin and Maxim Potashev received the same medals for participating in more than 50 games. This medal could also have been received by club old-timer Alexander Druz, who had played 91 games at that time, but he was offered a new medal when he sat down as a player for the 100th time. On June 30, 2019, the medal was awarded to Ales Mukhin.

Pauses

For breaks in the game, various pauses are used to lift the spirits of the team of experts:

Musical break - the presenter takes this break after the third round and later, except for those moments when the score is 3:0 in favor of the experts.
Coffee break - held from March 4, 2018, connoisseurs are served Ambassador brand coffee.
Previously, there was a Tea Break in the game, which was usually held when the time was 23:00-0:00 (earlier in winter). They served tea from the brand Ahmad, a sponsor of the game show.

Music in the game

Here is a list of all musical themes, which were used in the gameplay previously and now:

On December 30, 2000, as part of the “Last Tour” season, a game took place that decided the fate of the club. If the experts had lost, it was unlikely that we would see the game again. ORT General Director Konstantin Ernst was even present in the hall.
After the death of Vladimir Voroshilov, the fate of the game was under big question: who would lead the game? The program returned to air “as scheduled” - the Summer series of 2001 was held under the question “To be or not to be a game without Voroshilov?” The Club will continue to exist if the experts win the final game, and also if the audience votes by a majority for the continuation of the Club. The connoisseurs won with a score of 6:4, and 91% of the audience voted for the “Be” option. The series of games was entirely dedicated to the creator of the game, Vladimir Voroshilov.
Since 2001, the game has been hosted by Boris Kryuk, but he spent the Summer Series of the same year with a processed, lowered voice. No one knew who was running the game; initially it was thought that the host was Hook's cousin. Due to such uncertainty, the presenter was addressed as “Mr. Presenter.” This tradition has continued to this day.
The 2001 Winter Series introduced the game in a completely new way. The studio has been changed to more modern style, and experts no longer play for money. From now on, only the best experts and spectators will receive cash prizes along with the Owls.
Since the 2002 season, four episodes have been aired: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Previously, only the Summer and Winter series were played.
In the second game of the 2002 summer series, someone's cell phone rang in the hall.
According to the host of the game, Boris Kryuk, if a team of experts wins in the final of the year, it is almost always with a score of 6:5, and if it loses, then most often with a score of 6:3.
The most short game(41 minutes) was April 10, 2010 - then the presenter did not take a musical break.
On April 17, 2010, for the first time, one of the players from Andrei Kozlov’s team, Igor Kondratyuk, played via Skype, due to the inability to fly to Moscow due to the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption. The team won this game. This is the first time that a club expert participated in the discussion in absentia.
On May 28, 1994, Alexei Vavilov’s team, with a score of 0:5 in favor of TV viewers, took 6 questions in a row and won with a score of 6:5. The situation was practically repeated in the team of Alexey Blinov on April 12, 2008, with the exception of the initial score of 1:5.
In the final game of 2008, Game Host Boris Kryuk entered the hall for the first time to meet the experts.
In the 2008 final, the player who had to answer the questions of the super blitz was chosen as a top.
In the final game of 2010, in the thirteenth sector, a question was asked not from the Internet, but invented by the presenter himself. The question sounded like this: “We try the nut on the tooth - it doesn’t budge. We are looking for a heavier object nearby, but we do not find such an object. We turn the nut over, hold it up to the light until we find a small crack in the shell, and, placing the shell so that the crack is at the top, we hit it with force and either crack it, or make sure that the crack turns out to be false. “Who and what are we talking about?” said all this? It was correctly answered by Dmitry Avdeenko, and the correct answer was “This is a very beautiful metaphor for what is happening here and now. Walnut in in this case is a question, and we are trying to find in it weak point, open it to find the correct answer. And, most likely, such a metaphor was proposed by Vladimir Yakovlevich Voroshilov.”
In 2008, at the finals of the year, the 33rd game was recognized by the masters as an anniversary game, but with one caveat, “if the 66th year of the game is recognized as an anniversary.”
In 2011, the first game in the game's fall series featured the 13th sector, but it had to be canceled due to technical problems. For the first time in the history of the game, such an incident occurred in the final game of the 2007 summer series. The following incident occurred in the first game of the spring 2014 series - again due to technical problems, possibly related to updating the screen design.
In the 2013 Final, before the start of the game, the team of Ales Mukhin and personally Ilya Novikov, who had previously lost a super blitz in the Decisive round, tried to appeal the fatal question. After lengthy discussions and arguments (about 15 minutes), Mikhail Barshchevsky advised to immediately replay the question. The presenter supported the idea and asked the audience in the hall whether to replay the question or not, and the decision would be made if at least 7 votes were collected. As a result, 9 spectators voted “for”, two “against”, one spectator had to abstain due to the fact that she had not seen the previous game. Only after the voting, the Presenter clarified that if Mukhin’s team plays, then those who voted “for” decided to vote for the question without a possible win. The question from the 13th sector was chosen as a question for replay. It contained a question not from the Internet, but from the Presenter himself. Unlike the 2010 Final, Boris Kryuk, like the Zero sector, went to Ilya Novikov, and the hourglass played the role of a “minute to think.” The question was lost, and Konstantin Ruder's team entered the final game.
In the final game of 2013, a question came from Pavel Boytsov, who came to Moscow with his family; his son was in the hall with him. During the announcement of the correct answer, the youngest representative of the family began to open the black box too early, which was followed by a rather violent reaction from the Presenter. The incident became a meme and gained great popularity outside the audience of “What? Where? When?".
On April 12, 2014, according to the results of the final game of the Spring Series, Svetlana Sumachakova from Gorno-Altaisk became the first TV viewer in the history of “What? Where? When?" - two-time winner of the Crystal Owl.
On September 7, 2014, in the first game of the Autumn Series, Irina Nizamova became the first female expert in the history of “What? Where? When?”, who won the super blitz. The peculiarity of the fact is that Irina was a reserve player of the Rosatom team, and this game was Irina’s debut.
On September 13, 2014, in the second game of the Autumn Series, the team of Balash Kasumov felt the effect of the “butterfly wing”. In the 13th sector due to limited quantity of the lines shown on the screen, the question was not shown in full. Even so, there was a correct version at the table, but the experts gave the wrong answer. After some time, it was decided to remove the question of the 13th sector, and the sector itself to be removed from the table, although it was possible to choose another question from the Internet. Then a number of other circumstances followed: when replaying the round, the top was hit, which could decide the fate of the game; on the chosen question, the team did not take an extra minute and lost a point, after which there was such a situation on the table that with a probability of 12/13 the next question would be a super blitz; On the third question of the super blitz, Elizaveta Ovdeenko makes a very offensive mistake, although she was well versed in the area of knowledge of the question. As a result, the negligence of the technical editors led to defeat and the team's exit from the season.
On April 30, 2017, singer Philip Kirkorov received a “Diamond Owl” on the occasion of his anniversary, as well as for “a whole cascade of bright musical pauses.”
On July 2, 2017, Rovshan Askerov’s team lost with a score of 0:6. This is the first recorded case where a team finishes a game with such a score without a decisive round, that is, without answering 6 questions correctly in a row.
In the final game of 2018, the Diamond Owl was awarded to Konstantin Bogatsky from the German city of Kempten. Konstantin was unable to come to the game, but immediately after the award ceremony they contacted him and were able to personally congratulate him live.

Parodies

In one of the episodes of the TV show “Jolly Guys,” a parody of “What? Where? When?". The host Vladimir Voroshilov was parodied by Leonid Sergeev, and the role of the expert was played by Nurali Latypov, who later became one of the club participants and the first owner of the crystal owl.
Numerous parodies of “What? Where? When?" were shown in KVN. In one of the parodies, Rovshan Askerov was a guest participant. And in 2018, the KVN Star Team took part in the game itself.
A parody of the program was contained in one of the episodes of the television program “Dolls” (1997).
Several parodies were also made by participants in the OSP-Studio program. In addition to parodies of the game itself (connoisseurs Boris Burda, Alexander Byalko and Alexander Druz were parodied), a parody of the program “Without a Tie” with the participation of connoisseurs was also shown.
On the stage, the game was parodied by Vladimir Vinokur (in the program “Is there an extra ticket”) and Maxim Galkin. According to Galkin, the program was hosted by Vladimir Putin, who read letters from George Bush, Boris Berezovsky and Gerhard Schroeder, and the experts were Boris Yeltsin, Viktor Chernomyrdin, Grigory Yavlinsky and Valeria Novodvorskaya.
Three parodies of the game show “What? Where? When" were on the TV show "Big Difference".
A parody of the game consisted of an entire episode of the TV show “Cartoon Personality” (May 8, 2012), where the experts were Dmitry Dibrov, Anastasia Volochkova, Gennady Onishchenko, Tina Kandelaki and Dmitry Guberniev, the team captain was Alexander Lukashenko, and the presenter was Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
Parodied several times by the program “ Comedy Club”, and on New Year’s Eve 2010, some experts (including Alexander Druz) were depicted as 3D dolls in the “ProjectorParisHilton” program. The hosts of the programs themselves, whose broadcast often occurred right before “What? Where? When,” parodied Boris Hook’s introduction several times at the end of their program, and once the viewers actually believed what was happening.

What? Where? When?

Russian TV games

— My mother, Natalia Ivanovna Stetsenko, worked on television, did various programs and constantly took little me to filming. To “Come on, girls!” I rode a tractor for the first time, as the participants competed to see who could plow the field the fastest; I sat on a horse for the first time - the participants rode horses. And then my mother, together with her husband Vladimir Voroshilov, filmed “Come on, guys!” And there I was able to ride a motorcycle and hold a machine gun in my hands. I kept running around Vovka (that’s what I called Voroshilov as a child, and when they started working together, I began to address him by his first name and patronymic - Vladimir Yakovlevich). When I was eight years old

nine, mom said it was for her new program"What? Where? When?" I need to come up with a question urgently. Well, it must be so. In those years I was fond of chess, so I wrote a chess problem. My question was the very first one, they couldn’t give a correct answer, and I got a prize - the book “Eureka”. I don’t even know where she is now: I haven’t seen her for more than thirty years. Then Voroshilov regularly talked to me about “What? Where? When?”, he consulted... But you don’t need to think that he considered me a brilliant child who understood television programs better than professionals. He was just always interested in people who thought differently from him, and these could be the cleaners, the doctors who treated him, his seat neighbors on the plane. Mom laughed at him, because when he got into a taxi, he immediately started talking about “What? Where? When?" with a taxi driver: what is the best way to do this and that? It is possible that he put some of their advice into practice. At least he listened to mine. When I was about 19, Voroshilov introduced a rule I had invented: the losing team leaves the club forever. From the age of 12 I constantly helped Voroshilov. I remember very well how in 1981 I welcomed Alexander Druz to the club; he was then wearing a checkered white and blue shirt.

- We immediately realized that he future star?

- No, but Sasha became a star only a few years later. Although he entered the history of the game in 1982, while he was still on the sidelines: he became the first expert to be disqualified for giving a hint. Then, when he was “caught” doing this a second time, it was actually not he who suggested it, but me! I stood behind him, and it was my voice that Voroshilov heard. Moreover, I didn’t even know the answer: other experts were whispering next to me. But I still couldn’t admit...

— Outside of games, did you communicate with Druz and other players?

- No, they were quite older, and our interests had little overlap. Three times they invited me to a get-together after the game, and, of course, I had fun with the adults. And when I graduated from school, I talked a lot with Alexander Byalko: he studied physics with me, prepared me for entering college. I was going to follow in my father’s footsteps, to the Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School. I got a C in physics on the exam. And this meant that even if I got A’s in the other subjects, there would still be no scholarship, so I behaved quite arrogantly on the written exam in mathematics. That day I had to go somewhere. I solved four problems in 40 minutes - and was so confident in the correctness of the answers that I didn’t bother taking on the fifth at all. She was complicated, I would have spent an hour and a half fiddling with her. Dad, secretly from me, agreed with a familiar teacher from Baumanka that he would come to the exam and check my work. He came an hour and a half after the start, looking for me among two or three hundred applicants - but, of course, to no avail. When I returned home in the evening, my mother pounced: “Dad is looking for you! Didn’t you go to the exam?!”

“It’s rare that an applicant can boast of such calmness!”

— I generally have this trait: if something is enough for me, I don’t see the point in wasting energy and time on something more. 52 people entered my stream, and 18 graduated. I was among them. When we were in our fifth year, we were told that there would be no assignment, but Muscovites could be placed in Moscow. There were two options: a pipe plant, located on the site of the current Gorbushka, and a research institute, located at the end of Ryazansky Prospekt. The research institute was more suitable for me, but the plant was much closer to home. And I had already suffered with long distances: every morning I spent an hour and twenty on the road to the institute. In general, I couldn’t choose. But just then they decided to hold the “What? Where? When?”, and Voroshilov sent me there. Andrei Kozlov, whom I met there, and I organized this event, and Voroshilov said: “You don’t need to go to the factory or to the research institute. Come to us."

I agreed, but... I never thought it would be so terrible! The first three years were a constant nightmare! Remember how Raikin did? “My father, Sidorov Sr., tore me, Sidorov Jr., like Sidorov’s goat.” Only it was not my father who tore me, but Voroshilov. He was not only incredibly talented, but also simply impossible. My position was called “assistant director”, and I was supposed to be with Voroshilov and deal with both the program and his personal issues. The first autumn, I didn’t understand whether it was morning or evening, or what was happening around me. Voroshilov could call at seven in the morning with a question that could easily be resolved at lunchtime or even tomorrow, although he knew that I went to bed at two or three o’clock.

— Voroshilov was not only incredibly talented, but also simply impossible. With mother Natalia Stetsenko and Vladimir Voroshilov (1995). Photo: Archive of the television company “Igra-TV”

When Vladimir Molchanov took my place in 1992, his position was already called “referent”. The affairs of Volodya’s program did not concern him. And everything was on me at once: repairing Voroshilov’s car, buying groceries, issues related to directing, scenery and props, filming and editing. Now these issues are solved not by one person, but by several... In addition, I was the head of the “musical breaks”, and here I was also terribly unlucky: I started working in the year when Voroshilov had the urge to call foreign singers and musicians, and I had to deal with their tickets and hotels. Voroshilov had a tender relationship with the Finnish company Finnair, and for a long time I had to persuade the artists to fly to Moscow via Helsinki. For example, some Dutch singer said: “I can fly directly from Amsterdam. I’ll buy tickets on the spot, and you’ll return the money to me in Moscow.” I said: “We can’t do this! We will send you tickets, but you will fly through Helsinki.” - "But why?! It’s just as inconvenient!” And so with everyone.

And in 1990, after the New Year, Voroshilov decided to film “Brain Ring”. And he instructed me, the young director Kolya Vostokov and his assistant Ira Zadvornova - a sort of completely inexperienced, green three-headed dragon - to independently organize the program, as they say, on a turnkey basis. And it was... unbearable. I was so exhausted and spent so many nights without sleep that one day I passed out right at a planning meeting in a room where 15 people were arguing, shouting over each other! At the same time, we must take into account that in a normal state I cannot sleep at all during the day and even at night, for example on an airplane, I fall asleep only after a gigantic dose of sleeping pills... It was a utopia to think that three beginners could completely make a program, and the master would just come and sit down in the presenter's chair. As a result, when Voroshilov arrived at the studio shortly before the start of filming, it turned out that everything urgently needed to be redone. And we spent an unforgettable two days!

— Didn’t want to leave?

— I said regularly that I was leaving. Then Voroshilov loosened his grip for a while.

— Couldn’t your mother tell him “Don’t mock the child”?

“She didn’t know all the nuances, because a lot of things were decided over the phone, and she didn’t hear our conversations. We only sat together at meetings. But arguing at a meeting was like drinking tea, no one paid attention to such nonsense... Having starred in the first episodes of Brain Ring, Voroshilov said: “I’m not interested in doing it anymore, I want to concentrate on “What? Where? When?". Naturally, the question arose, who would then be the host of the “Brain Ring”. “Yes, even Borya,” he answered. But I didn’t even have time to start preparing to host the program. Events in 1990 rushed in a particularly stormy stream. On August 25, I married Inna, and in September an English producer flew to Moscow who wanted to sell the programs his company made to Soviet television. Since they were mainly gaming, Sovteleexport invited Voroshilov as an expert, and he invited Natalia Ivanovna and me. Everything seemed monotonous to us: people stand, press buttons and answer questions. Only “Love at First Sight” seemed funny and unusual, and they bought it. I was supposed to become a director, and Andrei Kozlov was going to be made the presenter. Once at the qualifying round, when Andrei was not there, I took his place, and Voroshilov laughed: “You can see from Bora how much he understands nothing about love affairs! Let him gain his wits along with the TV viewers.” Indeed, the mustachioed Kozlov looked like an experienced man, and it might seem that he was looking at what was happening a little from above and teaching, while I, with my glasses, gave the impression of a naive nerd. Thus the castling took place. About two years later, Kozlov was the director of “Love...”, which I hosted, and I was the director of “Brain Ring,” which he hosted, and after he became the director,

and the host of “Brain Ring”, and I – “Love...”. By the way, due to the fact that we had such an abbreviation in everyday life, funny situations arose more than once. Our sound engineer, the most intelligent Natasha Plutalova, once called the technical directorate of the television center and said: “I need complex technical devices for “Love...”. The head of the service, having heard a bold statement from a 55-year-old lady, was upset. Another time, we were riding in a crowded elevator at Ostankino with editor Valentina Alekseevna Andreeva after editing “What? Where? When?”, and Valya, in complete silence, tiredly exhaled: “Yes, Borya, I just don’t know one thing - when you and I will engage in “Love...”

— Did you like hosting “Love at First Sight”?

- Yes, although it was very difficult. Actors and directors say that comedy requires much more effort than tragedy. So it’s easier for me to play five games “What? Where? When?" spend than one frivolous “Love at first sight.” There was a lot of improvisation on the set of “Love...”. If you don’t know what to say next or how to joke, it’s a very tense moment...

— It’s easier for me to play five games “What? Where? When?" spend than one frivolous “Love at first sight.” With co-host Alla Volkova (still from the program “Love at First Sight”, 1990). Photo: Archive of the television company “Igra-TV”

— Couldn’t the editors help out?

“In this sense, I’m awkward: I categorically cannot voice what someone else has come up with.” And even if I told the editors my joke in advance, I’m no longer interested in repeating it in public. I came up with something and silently keep it in my head until the right moment.

- It’s so hard...

“But it was even harder to hide the work on “Love at First Sight” from Voroshilov! From 1991 to 1998 we filmed about 200 episodes. No, he didn’t touch me for seven or eight days while the program block was being filmed. But you don’t have time to tell Voroshilov, “What? Where? When?”, because other shootings are on the way, it would be a deadly number! That’s why we filmed two or three dozen episodes at a time, because we couldn’t find time otherwise. Voroshilov reluctantly gave us a month for this, but to prepare four live broadcasts of “What? Where? When?" three months were allotted, and the first two were very difficult.

“I would like to ask, was there anything easy?”

— Live broadcast day. Voroshilov that day was quiet, calm, did not quarrel with anyone, did not touch me. It was not difficult for me to sit on air with him, so I considered it practically a day off. True, the next morning Voroshilov again began to chase me like Sidorov’s goat... Only about three years after I started working did I learn to cope.

I understood that Voroshilov was shouting, making trouble and demanding the moon from the sky not because he was a tyrant, but because he couldn’t decide something, didn’t know how best to act, and therefore was wildly nervous. And when I became able to protect him from any such problems and could simply say: “Never mind, I’ll solve it myself,” then our relationship changed. But anyway, already in 1996, he called me one day at four o’clock in the morning and demanded that I immediately bring home a Betacam cassette (professional equipment for television - TN note) with a recording of the program. Moreover, he had nothing to watch it at home! But I wasn’t the first person he called that night—it’s just that no one else picked up.

— And having become the director, presenter and general producer of “What? Where? When?”, you probably yourself were on the other side of the barricades and also called your employees at night?

- No, honestly! And in general, when I call employees, I always first ask if it’s convenient to talk.

— Half of your team has worked with Voroshilov for decades and remembers you as a child. When you became a manager, did your relationship change dramatically?

— Relations changed gradually. Of course, now they are not the same as when I was 10, and at 20, and at 25. I remember how editor Valya was amused when in 1989 someone in a conversation dropped the phrase: “And Borka will be your boss...” So she then she laughed and couldn’t stop: “Oh, Borka will be the boss! A-ha-ha-ha!” But there are employees who, if not grown up, have already matured before my eyes. Andrei Lysenko, whom viewers may remember as the manager of the hall who carried a “black box,” came to us as a twenty-year-old student. His friend wanted to participate in “Love at First Sight,” and Andrei was waiting for him at the qualifying round. The editors, noticing the curly-haired handsome man, said: “Boy, let’s try you too.” And he first took part in the program, then he began working as an assistant director, and now he is the director himself, my right hand.

— I heard that during the broadcast of “What? Where? When?" came up with the idea of communicating using cards. To maintain silence in the announcer's room and save time, they simply showed a card, for example: “A friend is sleeping,” “Hint,” or “Give the floor to someone else.”

- No, it was Voroshilov who came up with it. I followed him and started writing cards and questions. I’m probably the only presenter in the country who still writes everything personally and by hand. During preparation, my hands were all smeared with felt-tip pens. When I write questions, I understand better, and if they just give me to read them, I will read them, but will not dive into the material to the required depth. So, even if it gets boring, I force myself.

— Following Voroshilov, I began to write cards and questions by hand. So I understand better. During preparation for filming, my hands were all smeared with felt-tip pens. In the announcer's room of the program “What? Where? When?". Photo: PhotoXPress

— When you began hosting the program after Voroshilov’s death, it was framed as a mystical detective story...

“It never even occurred to anyone at our television company IGRA-TV that the program could be made by anyone other than Voroshilov!” But Konstantin Ernst convinced us that we need to try, to conduct at least one more series. We began frantically looking for the presenter and realized that first of all we were thinking about a low voice, as similar as possible to Voroshilov’s. But how could a person from the outside quickly “get into” the intricacies of conducting?! Vladimir Yakovlevich died on March 10, and the game was supposed to be released in May. Time to get up to speed stranger, it was not just enough - it was almost non-existent. Kozlov probably could have done it without much preparation: after all, he was hosting a related program. For me, the message is “What? Where? When?" It wasn’t difficult at all: I did all the runs and could get out of bed at night and say all the necessary texts from anywhere. But my voice is much higher than Voroshilov’s and, as we all agreed, it was much inferior to his in expressiveness! They called in a synchronized interpreter who translated the international games “What? Where? When?". He had a very beautiful low voice - Voroshilov at one time spent a long time searching for a timbre that would sound no worse than his own. We held a rehearsal where a synchronized interpreter translated me from Russian to Russian - and we realized that we needed another option. In my speech I felt joy and sadness, my attitude towards the players, and the synchronized swimmer spoke monotonously. He doesn’t know whether I’ll continue to scribble or stop talking in a second, and he has no time to play with his voice. And someone suggested processing my voice on a computer - masking it and making it lower. To be honest, today I don’t understand what we were so afraid of. But we distorted my voice so much that it sounded completely metallic. A year or two ago I was reviewing that first program and was horrified - God forbid, I would dream of such a voice at night! Voroshilov’s cousin, Yuri Borisovich, was then involved in the hoax. He was a lively friend and enthusiastically joined in the prank, but I still felt uncomfortable in front of him.

“It never even occurred to anyone at our television company that the program could be made by someone other than Voroshilov!” But Konstantin Ernst convinced us to try at least one more series. At the TEFI award ceremony (2011). Photo: Yulia Khanina

- Why?

- Before the game, he arrived in Voroshilov’s Jaguar, in a black tuxedo, and quickly walked into the announcer’s room - but that was where the spectacular part of his work ended.

For the next five hours, Yuri Borisovich had to sit in a corner on a chair completely silently - and could not go anywhere. In the meantime, while the experts and employees were establishing the identity of the mysterious guest, I was doing my usual things in my usual jeans and sweater, communicating with the experts - and running into the announcer’s room five minutes before the start of the broadcast. The operation was developed in an atmosphere of strict secrecy, even part of the film crew did not know about it - and after the first program, none of the employees or experts figured me out. Only one uninitiated person realized that I was leading the program - my dad. And when I began to deny it, I said: “Come on, you think I don’t recognize you!” On the second program, the correct version appeared in Druz. He told Kozlov about his guess, but he failed to put Sasha on the wrong trail. “Yes, it’s Borya,” he admitted, “just don’t tell anyone!” And Sasha big secret I told only a couple of players... So many people slowly learned our terrible secret. But we didn’t expect to keep it for long. When the spring series ended, they decided to continue the game without Voroshilov.

I remember then I immediately went on vacation and got very sick there. I was lying with a temperature of about forty and in a semi-delirium I had a dream: we are talking with Voroshilov, and he tells me that since we have 12 sectors on the gaming table, they intersect at right angles, and we get solid crosses. Then I realized that there should be 13 sectors, and then I figured out what to fill the 13th sector with. By the way, Vladimir Yakovlevich loved the number 13. In my old apartment I had a home phone in which this number was repeated three times, and he jokingly said that he wanted to buy a phone number from me.

— Was he generally very interested in such things - numerology, astrology?

— As I already said, in principle he was very interested in people who thought differently from him, but here... He advised us in the 1990s famous astrologer Valery Ledovskikh, he compiled horoscopes for Vladimir Yakovlevich, Natalia Ivanovna and other employees, advised which experts should be seated at the same gaming table, which artists should be invited to a “musical break.” We looked at the Ledovskys as a fakir: he gave some advice, and if you followed it, you got the desired result, although you did not see the logical connection. In addition, Valery Alexandrovich was a very charming person and it was interesting to listen to him - but it was not easy to understand. What, for example, does “Sun square Jupiter” mean? And for him everything was so obvious that he could not find the words. “Well, the Sun squares to Jupiter, don’t you know?!” Once we agreed that I would come to his work at two o’clock in the afternoon. And Ledovskikh was very unnecessary and unpunctual. We call each other the day before: “Tomorrow at two?” - “Yes, just call before leaving.” I’m sitting in the office, at half past two I call him: “Am I leaving?” And he: “I can’t talk, call me in two hours,” and immediately turned off the phone. I was stunned: I had the rest of the day planned out. Two hours later I called back, and he said: “What did you want?” - “We were supposed to meet at two...” - “Oh, listen, I can’t now.” - “Actually, we agreed last night.” - “Okay, call me at five.” I called at five, agreed to meet at half past six, but I waited for him for another forty minutes at the entrance. Finally he came out. We sit and talk, and he says about one expert: “He behaves like a Virgo.” I ask: “How is this?” - “Well, he’s a bore, like you! That’s how you called and called me today!”

— What did he personally advise you?

- Don't dabble in astrology. He felt that I was drawn to this area. After all, astrology is based on mathematical calculations that need to be expressed in correct, understandable words. Mathematics and the Russian language are very close to me.

- More often than not, a person is given one thing...

“That’s how it was with my mom and dad.” Dad is talented in the exact sciences, but he doesn’t remember that “zhi-shi” is spelled with the letter “I”: when he wrote letters to his mother, he called her “dear little chizhik.” And my mother is a teacher of Russian language and literature by education, but she thinks like this: “We will spend 50 percent of the funds on one thing, 15 on another, 30 on a third and 40 on a fourth.” - “Mom, you’ve already achieved 135 percent, but maybe only 100.” - “Oh, yes, indeed.”

— Whose talents did your children inherit?

— My first child, Misha, inherited mine and grandfather’s math skills. However, Ledovskikh always said that Misha needed to host sports and cultural events. Although we were accustomed to the fact that our astrologer is usually right, we listened to him with bewilderment: Misha was great at exact sciences when he was at school. He is still good at them, and he graduated from Edinburgh University. Became an economist. But about a year and a half ago, he put the whole city on edge - he captivated everyone with a game of “What? Where? When?". My son takes great pleasure in organizing games: people gather on Tuesdays... Moreover, he, like me, is not very interested in answering questions - he is attracted to the organizational process. While studying in his first year, he tried to create a Russian-language football team, but it didn’t work out: many skipped training. And then we introduced him to our honored expert Oksana Petrunko - she has lived in Edinburgh for many years and teaches at Mishkin University - and this prompted him to new idea. My son generally goes crazy when there is a team for which he can come up with a business. When he was little, and his grandmother came to the dacha and hit him in the neck for the mess, the son immediately organized the rest of the children to clean up. Outwardly, Misha doesn’t look much like me, but now his voice is exactly the same as mine, and my relatives no longer understand who is calling them.

Eldest daughter, Sasha, has been my copy since childhood: figure, hands, build, face. But at the age of 15 she sat down very strict diet, lost a lot of weight and became a copy of my mother - my first wife, Inna! Inna and I laugh that she is me who has lost weight. Sashka’s character is strong and direct. At the age of seven she went to a drama school and went there on her own, although it was far from home. And when she was 13-14 years old, after the next final performance she said that she would not go there again, because the director did not understand anything about the production. Now she is studying at the university in London, specializing in media: making stories for radio and television, writing articles. Although, since she draws well, she initially went for advertising. And this is definitely not from me. I draw like a chicken with its paw, and although Voroshilov never helped me with my homework, one day before the New Year he made two drawings for me so that I could get an A for them. But for the cat and the Christmas tree, depicted by a man who graduated from an art institute, I got a B! They thought that I basically couldn’t draw an A...

— Misha is in Scotland, Sasha is in England. Do they visit each other or do they meet only when they are both in Moscow?

— When Misha had a difficult situation, he lived with Sasha in London. But in general, their relationship is like a one-way race: Sasha runs after Misha.

She is three years younger and always reaches out to her older brother, longs for communication, but he pretends not to notice her. Moreover, since childhood, Misha communicated wonderfully with the younger ones, played with them, but he always made an exception for Sasha. We said that Misha loves all the children in the world except Sasha. However, if Sasha was in the slightest danger, he would immediately rear up and rush to save him. And now it’s like this: Sasha’s young man behaved wrongly - Misha rushes to figure it out. My sister is doing well and she wants to communicate just like that - “Sasha, don’t touch me.” He doesn’t see Sasha Jr. and Varya—my daughters from his second marriage—so often. Only if we go on vacation together or he drops by for an hour or two while in Moscow. But on these rare visits, within 15 minutes one is hanging around his neck, the other in his arms, and he is jumping and having fun with them.

- Excuse me, but why did you name both daughters Sashami?

— I have a “terrible” story with Sasha: both of Sasha’s grandmothers, Sasha’s great-grandmother, Sasha’s great-grandfather... And when Inna and I had a daughter, we named her in honor of all of them.

But Anya, my second wife, also always dreamed of calling her daughter Sasha. And I, of course, agreed. Sashka Jr. says to me: “Dad, I understand everything, you named Sasha Sr. in honor of all your relatives, and you named me Sasha because my mother wanted it. Just explain one thing to me. Why, when Varya was born to you, didn’t you name her Sasha too?” (Smiles.) By the way, Varya is my only child who is very interested in “What? Where? When?". She has been torturing me since I was a toddler: “Dad, I want to ask the experts a question!” And I explain to her that I can’t ask them a question invented by my daughter - it’s not good. She returned to this topic a hundred times. “Dad, I also came up with this question. Can I ask it? - “No, none of my child’s questions can be asked to experts.” And when last year a correspondent came to film my family for the program “Tonight with” and Varya got to the camera, she said: “I have a question for the experts!” She asked some question of her own, and Malakhov got hooked on it. And my child’s dream came true: Nurali Latypov, Druz and a bunch of other experts were sitting in Andrey’s studio, and they were asked a question from Varvara Kryuk from Moscow: “Where did the word “bouquet” come from?” Varya was terribly proud of herself and stopped demanding the impossible from me.

— Varya is my only child who is very interested in “What? Where? When?". She has been torturing me since I was a toddler: “Dad, I want to ask the experts a question!” From left to right: with children - Alexandra, Mikhail, Alexandra, Varvara - and wife Anna. Photo: Archive of the television company “Igra-TV”

— Do you take your children with you to the broadcast?

- No, I won’t let you in. I explained to them a long time ago that I couldn’t be distracted while filming. He warned: “If you are ready to pass by and I won’t even look in your direction, then come. But it’s better not to – I need to be very focused.” And they don't tear too much. Only Varya is worried. She knows the son of Grigory Guselnikov and sees that he is sometimes in the hall. After each such incident, reproaches await me: “Why do you allow Sasha to stand there, but not me?”

— How do you feel working with your mother for 26 years?

- On the one hand, it’s hard. But on the other hand, work allows us to see each other often. The only bad thing is that industrial conflicts affect relationships, because it is not always possible to clearly separate: here we are employees, and here the son and mother. Now I’m trying more to look after her, to protect her from everything, but before our relationship was tougher: when I first arrived, Natalia Ivanovna didn’t let me down, and if someone could forgive a mistake, then punches rained down on me. Then, during my formative years, it was important for me that everything was strictly my way, period. But my mother values independence most of all in children, and she herself raised me that way.

Boris Kryuk

Family: mother - Natalia Stetsenko, general director of TC "Igra-TV" (wife and co-author of Vladimir Voroshilov, one of the creators of the game "What? Where? When?"); wife - Anna Antonyuk, economist; children - Mikhail (23 years old), economist, graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Alexandra (20 years old), student at the London University of the Arts, Alexandra (14 years old), Varvara (10 years old)

Education: graduated from MSTU (MSTU) named after. Bauman

Career: in 1989 he began working as an assistant director for Vladimir Voroshilov in the program “What? Where? When?". He was the presenter and director of the “Love at First Sight” program, the director of the “Brain Ring” program, and in May 2001 he became the presenter, production director and general producer of the “What? Where? When?"