Sue is a rare musical quiz contestant because she never mugs up before entering a contest. Not for her late nights listening to little known Haydn, early Duke Ellington or late Bruce Springsteen just to be sure she knows the answers. Not at all! She says she either knows the answers or she doesn’t and that’s that. If a Rap question comes up, she quickly says “Pass”. So how did all this musical knowledge enter her memory? Osmosis is her answer and the process started early. Sue told me her primary school in Lancashire, in Ashton under Lyne, started her off with a good musical foundation which was widened at her secondary school where she was in the choir and enjoyed helping with Gilbert and Sullivan productions. Family too was important. Her father loved Scottish pipe and military bands as well as Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals and he let his children play his precious old 78s to their hearts’ content.

Nowadays Sue enjoys programmes about music on Radio 4, plays her LPs sometimes on rainy days and listens to music on long car journeys but says that none of this is mugging up for quizzes. Yet she does well. I became aware of her quizzing skills at 11pm one night last February. Whilst half listening to Counterpoint I heard Paul Gambaccini say, “And our next contestant is Sue Bates from Barrow upon Soar”. I was all ears. This was Counterpoint 2022 but Sue has form. She has taken part in five Counterpoints her first being in 2000. Although she’s never won it outright, she’s always done quite well, getting scores into double figures and in Counterpoint 2022 just failed to make the quarter finals. Sadly, another contestant got one point more; 20 to Sue’s 19. However, you can re-enter after a three-year gap and Sue might. Certainly, the Counterpoint staff are most encouraging and taking part gives Sue a lovely buzz. She first entered as she found herself shouting out the answers to the radio and as she’d entered local quizzes before thought she’d give this one a go. You aren’t straight on air though; you have to pass an audition first to prove you’ll be a worthy contestant.

If you win Counterpoint nowadays you get a trophy, an engraved silver salver, but if you don’t do other riches await? “No, not at all” says Sue firmly. You get minimal expenses – it is the BBC! You just enter for the fun.

Gaynor Barton