Big Fat Quiz of the Year returned as 2024 comes to an end, yet some viewers claimed the show wasn’t accessible for guest Chris McCausland.
The Channel 4 quiz show sees celebrities sit on a panel as they answer questions based on events from the past year. Comedian Chris has just won Strictly Come Dancing and made history as the first blind contestant to compete on the BBC dance competition. However, some Big Fat Quiz of the Year viewers were disappointed with the show as they claimed Chris was at a disadvantage.
He was paired with fellow comedian Maisie Adams as they competed against competing against Richard Ayoade and Katherine Ryan as well as Rob Beckett and Judi Love. The pairs of celebrities were quizzed by host Jimmy Carr and during the episode, several questions required the contestants to look at pictures and videos to answer the questions.
Maisie described the images to Chris, yet some fans thought it put Chris at an unfair disadvantage. Jimmy even commented on how unjust the picture round was as he said: “We are about to have what I can only describe as a very insensitive round Chris…it’s time for Say What You See.”
Rob Beckett quipped: “Just write nothing and you’ll get points.” Despite not being able to see the visual clues, Chris was the first to guess the picture round correctly thanks to Maisie being “his eyes”. Chris didn’t comment on the disadvantage but viewers took to X to share their thoughts.
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Channel 4)
One said: “The further into the Big Fat Quiz of the Year it gets the more glaringly obvious it is that there have been zero adaptations for Chris and it’s just getting more and more uncomfortable.” Another added: “Big Fat Quiz of the Year showing itself up by inviting Chris McCausland on as a panellist then not giving him a proper audio description or adjusting the quiz itself to be inclusive… clearly showing the difference between diversity and inclusion at least.”
Someone else commented: “Anyone else watching Big Fat Quiz and wondering why it’s so inaccessible for Chris? They could’ve made very minor changes to the format (like less picture questions) and it wouldn’t even be noticeable – it’s more noticeable that he’s struggling to take part tbh.” A fourth wrote: “Chris is demonstrating how isolating it can be when you are a disabled person in a group of not yet disabled people. Like being hearing impaired in a large group, he’s getting somewhat left out because he can’t see the visual cues.”
Chris and Maisie came last in the quiz with 40 points while Rob and Judi were crowned winners with 45 points. This week, Chris appeared on Channel 4 where he delivered a speech to call for an end to discrimination against disabled people as part of the channel’s Alternative Christmas Message.
It aired on Christmas Day, which acted an alternative to the monarch’s annual address. Chris referenced his Strictly win and said disabled people are “often some of the most resilient, creative and determined people you will ever likely meet”. He added: “We have to be in daily life and that makes us valuable people to have on the team. We can even win national dance competitions, just saying.”
