Mark Bytheway (22 July 1963 – 9 July 2010) was an England International Quiz player best known for becoming Quizzing World Champion in 2008 and winning the Top Brain competition of Brain of Britain.

Mark Bytheway
Medal record
Quizzing
Representing England
IQA British Championships
Silver medal – second place 2005 Altrincham Singles
Silver medal – second place 2006 Shrewsbury Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Staveley Singles
Silver medal – second place 2008 Staveley Pairs
Gold medal – first place 2009 Derby Singles
IQA World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Irthlingborough Singles
Gold medal – first place 2008 Staveley Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Ludlow Singles
IQA European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2006 Paris Singles
Silver medal – second place 2006 Paris Pairs
Gold medal – first place 2006 Paris Club
Gold medal – first place 2007 Blackpool Team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Oslo Pairs
Silver medal – second place 2008 Oslo Team
Gold medal – first place 2009 Dordrecht Team
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Dordrecht Pairs

Brain of Britain

In 2007 he won Brain of Britain and in 2008 won the 3-year competition Brain of Brains beating TV's Egghead Chris Hughes and rival Pat Gibson and 9-year competition Top Brain titles, succeeding Kevin Ashman as holder.

National and International Titles

In 2008 he won the prestigious title of Quizzing World Champion. He has been capped six times for the National team (with five wins) and has a current European/World ranking of number 3,[1] behind Kevin Ashman (his pairs partner) and Pat Gibson. In 2009 he was third in the World Quizzing Championships and won the British title for the first time. He was unable to attend the 2010 World Quizzing Championships due to serious illness.

Bytheway was one of the original British Quizzing Grandmasters (as created under the Order of Merit maintained by Quizzing.co.uk) and has the third largest haul of international medals, with 16, (5 gold, 6 silver and 5 Bronze) after Ashman (27) and Gibson (24).

Domestic Competition

In domestic competitions he played with the Milhous Warriors, the first British team to win the Club competition at the European Quizzing Championships, which comprises Ashman, captain and England international Tim Westcott, Welsh international Sean O'Neill, Eric Kilby, Keith Andrew and Brian Wilkins.

He several times appeared as an aspiring contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? but never qualified for the hot seat.

Bytheway died on 9 July 2010 after having esophageal cancer. As he was the reigning British Quiz Champion at the time of his death, the British Quizzing Championship trophy has been named in his honour, and will now be called the Mark Bytheway Trophy – aka the 'M*BY'.[2]

2008 Interview

A 2008 interview, after winning the World title, is available on the Norwegian Quiz Association website.[3]

References

  1. ^ International Quizzing Association, Rankings,
  2. ^ Pendreigh, Brian (28 July 2010). "Guardian newspaper obituary, 29 July 2010". The Guardian. London.
  3. ^ "Norwegian Quiz Association Interview". Archived from the original on 2011-07-25.
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