David J. Bodycombe
Encyclopedia
David J. Bodycombe is a puzzle author and games consultant. He is based in London, and his work is read by over 2 million people a day in the UK, and is syndicated to over 300 newspapers internationally. The British public know him best as the author of popular puzzle columns in publications such as the Daily Mail
, Daily Express
, Metro
and BBC Focus magazine.
He also consults on many television game shows, including The Crystal Maze
, The Krypton Factor
, The Mole
and Treasure Hunt
. He's currently the question writer for BBC Four's lateral thinking quiz, Only Connect
. On BBC Radio 4 he appeared on the quiz Puzzle Panel
and devised the cryptic clues for X Marks the Spot. He has written and edited over forty books, including How to Devise a Game Show and The Riddles of the Sphinx – a history of modern puzzles.
In 2005 he became a leading author of sudoku puzzles, and he was the first person to have sudokus published in several major territories, including India and Scandinavia. As well as the classic 9x9 puzzle, he pioneered a number of alternative designs which have proved popular with readers all over the world. His games, puzzles and questions also appear in many magazines, and on websites, advertising campaigns, board games and interactive television.
He edits UKGameshows.com
, a wiki
-based web site cataloguing UK television and radio game shows.
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
and BBC Focus magazine.
He also consults on many television game shows, including The Crystal Maze
The Crystal Maze
The Crystal Maze was a British game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 15 February 1990 and 10 August 1995. There was one series per year, with the first four series presented by Richard O'Brien and the final two by Ed Tudor-Pole, who made...
, The Krypton Factor
The Krypton Factor
The Krypton Factor was a British game show produced by Granada Television for broadcast on ITV. The show originally ran from 7 September 1977 to 20 November 1995, and was hosted by Gordon Burns and usually broadcast on the ITV network on Mondays at 19:00....
, The Mole
The Mole (UK TV series)
The Mole was a 2001 reality television series in the UK which was broadcast on Channel 5. Part of The Mole television series franchise it was hosted by Glenn Hugill.-Series 1:...
and Treasure Hunt
Treasure Hunt (UK game show)
Treasure Hunt was a popular UK game show, based on the format of the French show La Chasse au Trésor, created by Jacques Antoine. It appeared on Channel 4 between 28 December 1982 and 18 May 1989 and was revived by BBC Two between 16 December 2002 and 2 August 2003.-The game:A team of two...
. He's currently the question writer for BBC Four's lateral thinking quiz, Only Connect
Only Connect
Only Connect is a quiz show programme first shown on BBC Four on 15 September 2008, presented by Victoria Coren. In the series, teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Radio Timess listings usually describe it as "a game of patience and lateral...
. On BBC Radio 4 he appeared on the quiz Puzzle Panel
Puzzle Panel
Puzzle Panel was a light-hearted, though cerebral BBC Radio 4 panel game that was broadcast between 1998 and 2005. It was written and presented by puzzle columnist for The Guardian, Chris Maslanka....
and devised the cryptic clues for X Marks the Spot. He has written and edited over forty books, including How to Devise a Game Show and The Riddles of the Sphinx – a history of modern puzzles.
In 2005 he became a leading author of sudoku puzzles, and he was the first person to have sudokus published in several major territories, including India and Scandinavia. As well as the classic 9x9 puzzle, he pioneered a number of alternative designs which have proved popular with readers all over the world. His games, puzzles and questions also appear in many magazines, and on websites, advertising campaigns, board games and interactive television.
He edits UKGameshows.com
UKGameshows.com
UKGameshows.com is a website dedicated to British game shows. The site currently provides information on more than 1,500 British game show formats from 1938 to the present day, over 500 mini-biographies of hosts, along with numerous other background articles....
, a wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
-based web site cataloguing UK television and radio game shows.
Television series
- The Crystal MazeThe Crystal MazeThe Crystal Maze was a British game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 15 February 1990 and 10 August 1995. There was one series per year, with the first four series presented by Richard O'Brien and the final two by Ed Tudor-Pole, who made...
(1991-5) - games devisor - Sub ZeroSub Zero (television)Sub Zero is an interactive children's game show based around the show Crystal Maze. The show featured on CBBC on BBC2 from the 21 February 1999 to 11 March 2001...
(1999) - games devisor - The MoleThe Mole (UK TV series)The Mole was a 2001 reality television series in the UK which was broadcast on Channel 5. Part of The Mole television series franchise it was hosted by Glenn Hugill.-Series 1:...
(2001) - games devisor, UK series 2 - Treasure HuntTreasure Hunt (UK game show)Treasure Hunt was a popular UK game show, based on the format of the French show La Chasse au Trésor, created by Jacques Antoine. It appeared on Channel 4 between 28 December 1982 and 18 May 1989 and was revived by BBC Two between 16 December 2002 and 2 August 2003.-The game:A team of two...
(2002-3) - clue writer - Mind Games (2003-4) - puzzle writer
- Starfinder (2003-4) - games devisor
- Inside Clyde (2004) - games devisor
- Tout le Monde Veut Prendre sa Place (France, 2006) - format consultant
- Codex (2006-7) - games designer
- Only ConnectOnly ConnectOnly Connect is a quiz show programme first shown on BBC Four on 15 September 2008, presented by Victoria Coren. In the series, teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Radio Timess listings usually describe it as "a game of patience and lateral...
(2008-) - question writer/editor - The Krypton FactorThe Krypton FactorThe Krypton Factor was a British game show produced by Granada Television for broadcast on ITV. The show originally ran from 7 September 1977 to 20 November 1995, and was hosted by Gordon Burns and usually broadcast on the ITV network on Mondays at 19:00....
(2009) - games designer - Panic Attack (2009) - question writer
Radio series
- Puzzle PanelPuzzle PanelPuzzle Panel was a light-hearted, though cerebral BBC Radio 4 panel game that was broadcast between 1998 and 2005. It was written and presented by puzzle columnist for The Guardian, Chris Maslanka....
(1998-2005) - panellist/contributor - X Marks the Spot (1998-2006) - clue writer
Books
- The Mammoth Book of Brainstorming Puzzles (1996)
- The Mammoth Puzzle Carnival (1997)
- Lateral Puzzles (1998, reprinted in the US as Mind Benders: Adventures in Lateral Thinking)
- Optical Illusions and Picture Puzzles (1998)
- Codes and Ciphers (1999)
- Reader's Digest Compendium of Puzzles and Brain Teasers (2000, consulting contributor)
- How To Devise A Game Show (2003)
- Number Crunchers (2004)
- Visual Vexations (2004)
- SU DOKU for alle (Denmark, 2005)
- SU DOKU for alle 2 (Denmark, 2005)
- SU DOKU Classic (Denmark, 2005)
- SU DOKU Classic, English version (Denmark, 2005)
- SU DOKU Classic 2 (Denmark, 2005)
- Master SU DOKU (Denmark, 2005)
- Sudoku Classic 2006 Calendar (2005)
- Penguin 2006 Sudoku (2005)
- Penguin Holiday Sudoku (2006)
- Master SU DOKU 2 (Denmark, 2006)
- SU DOKU Classic 3 (Denmark, 2006)
- SU DOKU Classic 4 (Denmark, 2006)
- SU DOKU for alle 3 (Denmark, 2006)
- Penguin 2007 Sudoku (2006)
- Hyper Su Doku (Denmark, 2006)
- Sudoku Classic 2007 Calendar (2006)
- The Riddles of the Sphinx (2007)
- SU DOKU Classic 5 (Denmark, 2007)
- SU DOKU for alle 4 (Denmark, 2007)
- SU DOKU Classic 6 (Denmark, 2007)
- Master SU DOKU 3 (Denmark, 2007)
- SU DOKU Classic 7 (Denmark, 2007)
- SU DOKU for alle 5 (Denmark, 2007)
- Penguin 2008 Sudoku (2007)
- SU DOKU Classic 8 (Denmark, 2007)
- Sudoku Classic 2008 Calendar (2007)
- Penguin Pocket Sudoku (2008)
- Penguin 2009 Sudoku (2008)
- Penguin Pocket Sudoku 2 (2008)
- Penguin 2010 Sudoku (2009)
- Penguin Pocket Sudoku 3 (2009)
- Penguin Sudoku Challenge Vol. 1 (2010)
External links
- Labyrinth Games, David J. Bodycombe's official website
- UK Gameshows website
- Forlaget SuDoku, Danish publisher of David J. Bodycombe's sudoku