Meet the Market Harborough quiz queen in the finals of Channel 4 music show
A woman from Market Harborough is cementing herself as the town’s very own quiz queen as she reaches the final of a new TV quiz show.
Frankie Fanko is no stranger to quizzes.
The 43-year-old freelance legal and financial translator met her husband, Andrew, while working together and discovered they shared a serious love of quizzes.
What started as weekly pub quizzes with colleagues turned into competitive quizzing, with the pair joining quiz leagues and appearing on multiple TV and radio quiz shows.
She explained: “We used to go to do a pub quiz after work once a week, and Andrew and I realised that we were into it more than the others.
Frankie has appeared on Eggheads, Only Connect, Mastermind, and several radio quizzes. Her Mastermind specialist subjects were Berthe Morisot, Beatrix Potter and the Vienna Secession movement. She also won Radio 4’s music quiz Counterpoint.
Now, after success in the heats, Frankie has made it to the finals of PopMaster, a new version of the radio quiz on Channel 4, hosted by DJ Ken Bruce.
Talking about the experience of filming in Glasgow, she said: “It’s just a really enjoyable experience. Sometimes you get a night in a hotel, which is lovely. Get to meet really nice people, and you never know how well you might do.”
Quizzing is very much in the family. Husband Andrew featured on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and won £500,000 earlier this year.
Frankie says his win came at a crucial time.
She explained: “Our financial situation was very uncertain before, which was one of the reasons he went on.
“It saved our lives. [His win] was absolutely amazing.”
Meanwhile, their six-year-old daughter is already being brought into the family tradition by answering questions about her favourite show, K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Frankie said: “Quizzing has just become a big hobby and social thing for us. It’s a big part of our lives.”
She is also currently appearing on Brain of Britain, having won her heat, and is due to return for the semi-final. She’s been invited back to play on the 40th anniversary of Counterpoint.
When asked about her advice for wannabe TV and radio quizzers, she said: “Definitely go for it. Don’t be put off if you haven’t got that much experience or if you’ve never done it before.
“There’s a whole world of quizzes out there to enjoy at lots of different levels.”