BBC Presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell Accuses New York Times Of Cloning Her Cult Quiz ‘Only Connect’

She’s turned her seemingly esoteric quiz into one of the UK’s most beloved game shows, and now Victoria Coren Mitchell has accused The New York Times of copying the format.

The presenter said a newly-launched Times quiz, titled Connections, bears a striking similarity to Only Connect, the BBC show she has fronted since 2008.

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In Connections, players must group words that share a comment thread. Only Connect, meanwhile, tasks contestants with making connections between apparently unconnected things.

Wyna Liu, the Times‘ Associate Puzzles Editor, tweeted about the launch of Connections on Monday. On Friday, Coren Mitchell replied: “Do you know this has been a TV show in the UK since 2008 ?! It’s so similar I guess you must do?”

Mike Turner, a question setter on Only Connect, added: “If you need a hand at all, I’ve written over 750 of these for Only Connect.”

The Times denied the game was a clone. “Grouped words is a common theme of games. The content of “Connections” is unique, handcrafted and has a distinctive style synonymous with New York Times Games,” a spokesperson said.

Banijay, the European production giant that owns Only Connect, is understood to be aware of the similarities but declined to comment. The BBC declined to comment.

Only Connect first launched on BBC4 before moving to BBC2 and is known for being one of the UK’s toughest quizzes. Coren Mitchell has helped the show win millions of fans with her quips at the expense of contestants and her extravagant costumes for special episodes.

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