From living on a bench to hosting huge lockdown quizzes

Jay says his online pub quiz was only originally intended for his pub regulars

A once homeless man who shot to fame during the Covid pandemic when his virtual pub quiz went viral around the world has shared his "inspiring" life story in a new book.

Jay Flynn's weekly quiz became a lifeline for millions who struggled with the isolation of lockdown and raised more than £1m for charity.

It also earned Jay a regular quiz slot on Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2.

It's certainly been remarkable rags-to-riches story for the now 41-year-old from Darwen, Lancashire.

Jay had been homeless for two years and slept on a riverside bench on the Embankment in London.

He said he could see no way out before he was "saved" by a homeless charity 15 years ago.

"I hit rock bottom, fell through rock bottom and went even further down," he said.

"They rebuilt me so I could integrate back into society and become the person I am today."

In his newly published autobiography, The Quizmaster: From Life on the Streets to a Global Quizzing Sensation, Jay said he wanted to show that "sometimes you can find the answers you’re seeking in the most unexpected places".

The quiz earned Jay an MBE and a regular national BBC radio slot

After turning his life around, Jay became a pub landlord in Lancashire and ran a weekly quiz night.

When the Covid restrictions came in, he moved the quiz online, intending for it to only be for his regulars.

"I wanted to do something for the quiz teams in Darwen because I knew some of them would be on their own," he explained.

"I put a message on my social media and it went viral and blew up.

"By the time that first quiz came around there were half a million people interested and around 250,000 watched - it was the best of mistakes I've ever made in my life!"

Word spread fast and the quiz was soon attracting millions of views as well as celebrity guests.

Jay said lots of people wanted to monetise it on his behalf but "I am not for that in any way shape or form - it was supposed to be something for people to enjoy."

And so he thought it would be better if charities could benefit instead.

"We raised £200,000 for Alzheimer's research the day Steven Fry was on," he said.

"For someone like me who never claims to be a professional quiz host to suddenly go from not being well known to having Stephen Fry and Jonathon Ross appearing on a quiz of mine just doesn't feel real."