Only Connect 2023 start date revealed for new series on BBC Two

Only Connect returns for a brand new series for 2023 – here’s all you need to know.

Victoria Coren Mitchell is back as quizmaster as the competition gets underway on BBC Two.

Victoria hosts the series where knowledge will only take you so far.

When is Only Connect back?

The new series (series 19) of Only Connect will start on Monday, 17 July on BBC Two at 8PM.

Episodes will continue weekly throughout the year.

As well as watching on TV, you’ll be able to watch episodes online via BBC iPlayer here.

You can also currently catch up on last year’s series online as well as the recent festive specials.

How does Only Connect work?

The quiz competition features teams of three across the UK facing off against each other in order to win a much sought-after trophy (there’s no cash prize, unfortunately).

Only Connect is the quiz series where, as in life itself, knowledge will only take you so far: patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It’s all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.

In the first round, teams must try to figure out what links four clues which are revealed one at a time. Teams win more points for the fewer clues they need to figure out the link.

Round two works similarly but with all clues forming a sequence. Rather than winning points for finding the connection, the teams must correctly identify the last clue in the sequence.

In round three each team faces a ‘Connecting Wall’ which is made up of sixteen seemingly random clues. Against the clock, teams must correctly separate the clues into four groups of four.

The last round is the Missing Vowels. Teams are given a category and a related clue with the vowels removed. Teams must buzz in as quickly as possible to correctly guess the clue.

At the end of each game the team with the highest score progresses through the competition.

You can find out more information on how to apply for Only Connect online here.

Only Connect first aired in 2008 on BBC Four before moving to BBC Two from 2014.

Picture credit: Victoria Coren Mitchell/BBC