Just A Minute

Here's what I often don't understand when it comes down to challenging someone for deviation.  In the early days it was well established that it was 'deviation from the subject', although tere were exceptions here and there that seem more commonplace now, with regards to deviating from the English language, or deviating from established facts, or whatever.

 

But how is it that one thing that's challenged on for deviation one minute is not considered deviation the next minute? 

 

I've listened to practically all the episodes from the early 60's well into the episodes playing today (which I may add aren't all listed on the download section, unless you really think that this past season consisted of 4 episodes), and have been shocked, appalled and generally confused by the inconsistency with the rulings regarding deviation.  Sometimes it can be funny, but more often than not it's just completely unfair to a panelist who is actually in the right, and yet Nicholas comes up with some cockamamie justification that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. 

 

In one particular episode, I can't remember which, but I know the panelists were Clement, Kenneth, Derek and Andree Melly.  The subject I believe was Tutenkamun, Kenneth started thing off rather well, then lost the subject to Derek.  Now, Derek was going off talking about a Spanish lady named Carmen and was going to make a humorous joke about the weight she gained and her being referred to as Two Ton Carmen, but unfortuately he never got the chance to finish it because Kenneth challenged on deviation because Derek was talking about a lady named Carmen and not Tutenkhamun, but Nicholas' justification was that they were and I quote 'tooting at ol' Carmen, because she was blowing a couple of raspberries to the audience', which is the most ridiculous justification for leaving the subject with Derek I'd ever heard, mostly because it wasn't what Derek was talking about at all. 

 

It was one of those weird things that seemed to waver back and forth, in so far that you can take the subject and make something SOUND like the words on the card, which has been done rather well many times in the past to humorous effect, especially when Kenneth tries to get that person on deviation and doesn't succeed. 

 

However, in the same episode, Clement was making an attempt to do just was Derek was doing by talking about going to a Glaswegian fun palace, his car number was two-hundred and ten, at the end of the alotted minute.  He was trying to make a case that what the person said in a Scottish accent sounded like Tutenkamun, but each time Clement tried to explain, he kept on getting interrupted, not just by Kenneth, but by Nicholas (who seemed hellbent in that episode to make sure that Clement stayed in 4th place throughout the show), who said that if Clement put on a Scottish accent, it would've been justified, which is frustrating because earlier in that same round, Clement challenged Kenneth for not using an American accent, and suddenly he's being penalized for not using a Scottish accent and Derek was trying to ask Nicholas about that and Nicholas' response was 'Shut up Derek!' because he didn't want to hear it.

 

Another irritatingly frustrating example was during Josie Lawrence's debut appearance.  The opening subject was 'Life Begins At 40', Clement gets the subject and is talking about Charles Forty, when in actuality his name is pronounced FORTEE, and is talking about food and not even about the man's life.  Chris Neil challenged on that, and Nicholas didn't understand the challenge on deviation, even though he said quite clearly that Clement was talking about Charles Fortee, but didn't take the subject away from Clement, even though he wasnt even on the subject which is 'Life Begins At 40', and Nicholas even admitted 'Chris, I don't know what you're going on about my dear fellow, but Clement wasn't deviating'.  Even though it was well established that he was deviating. 

 

Here's another example that I just find appalling.  In one episode, I think the subject was 'The Iliad', Kenneth had it and was doing well on it, but at one point he gets challenged, I forget by whom, but its not taken away, Kenneth continues, but starts talking about how to get rid of wasps, which was the previous subject, he gets challenged for blatant deviation, and again doesn't get the subject taken away. 

 

I mean, granted I love it when people go off on flights of fantasy, but at least the stick to the subject though.  And that's another thing, how is it that one person goes on a flight of fantasy and doesn't have the subject taken away for deviation, and yet when someone else does the very same thing, they get the subject taken away because they're going on a flight of fantasy and its deviation because so and so doesn't believe that they've done whatever it is they're doing. 

 

It's so irritating because it seems like you can get away with practically anything nowadays, either you can be on the subject and get it taken away for deviation, or be completely off the subject and not be penalized for deviation, that just seems to be how the rules are nowadays, and it just gets on my nerves.