Covid lockdown quizmaster Jay Flynn returns to in-person games

Mr Flynn said he was treated like a rock star at the quiz

The man whose lockdown pub quizzes earned him the title of the "nation's quizmaster" has said holding his first in-person game since the start of the pandemic was "brilliant" and "weird".

Jay Flynn, from Darwen in Lancashire, originally set up a weekly quiz for friends on social media but saw the game joined by thousands globally.

He went on to raise thousands for charity and was made an MBE.

He said holding the quiz on Tuesday was "great" after 15 months spent online.

Mr Flynn has previously said he started the quiz every Thursday through Facebook and YouTube to "lift a few local people's spirits".

However, he accidentally made the event public, meaning anyone could join the quiz.

'Autographs and selfies'

As a result, thousands logged on to take part, with the event breaking the world record for the most viewers of a quiz on a YouTube livestream when more than 182,000 teams - a total of more than 500,000 players - participated in May 2020.

Mr Flynn also broke the record for the world's longest streamed quiz when he kept a game going for more than 35 hours in the following November.

The quizzes raised more than £900,000 for charity and saw celebrities like Gary Barlow, Dame Judi Dench and Rick Astley entertain the players during the breaks between rounds.

About 100 people took part in the quiz on Tuesday night

The former pub landlord said he was treated like a rock star at the quiz at Darwen's Level One, which he called "Jay's Virtual Pub Quiz In-Person Pub Quiz".

"It was weird, people were asking me for autographs and selfies," he said.

"It was brilliant, people loved it [and] I was able to thank [them] for their incredible support.

"It was great to be doing it after being shut up for 15 months."

Mr Flynn, who is still doing two virtual quizzes a week alongside with a regular slot on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, said he also wanted the new in-person games to continue.

"Although I'm doing the online quizzes, I'm hoping to start regular in-person quizzes," he said.