Residents yearning for return of Doncaster DJ's hi-tech pub quizzes that packed venues before lockdown

His high-tech quiz nights packed Doncaster’s pubs before lockdown.
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And now borough residents say they are longing to see them return, months after they were put on hold.

Johnny Gibson, originally known as a DJ in venues across the borough, started running quizzes at venues across the town for a living and was packing out venues five nights a week up until a year ago.

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The 38-year-old, from Cusworth used to do DJ work in Doncaster town centre and used to work at the Trax FM radio station in the town, before branching out into hosting quizzes.

Johnny Gibson with Charlie Gibson at one of his quizzesJohnny Gibson with Charlie Gibson at one of his quizzes
Johnny Gibson with Charlie Gibson at one of his quizzes

But the coronavirus pandemic put that on pause, leaving him on furlough, and only able to put quizzes online to keep people entertained in their own homes in the meantime.

And when Visit Doncaster ran its Lockdown Awards last month for the most missed businesses in the borough, he was named the runner-up in the Most Entertaining Business/Personality category.

Johnny said: “I’m a quiz host and I work in the pubs, so in the meantime I’ve been providing online quizzes just to keep people entertained.

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“I use an app so that people can play along in the pub, and people can do so on their tablet or their phones.

"When I do a quiz in a pub I take about 15 tablets with me and if I run out, then people can use their phones.

"It’s really popular, or at least it was before lockdown. I was doing five nights a week, devising my own quizzes.

"On a Saturday night I would get 65 plus regularly, and there’s a potential audience of 250 to 300, depending on how many play together.

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"It was quite overwhelming just to be nominated in the lockdown awards. I didn’t know anything about it until I got a message from a friend. I didn’t care about winning – I was just buzzing to be mentioned.

"I’ve been given a couple of provisional start dates, subject to everything going well on the road map, possibly in May. I hope to be back at work in the summer and back to doing it a few nights a week.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Liam Hoden, editor.