The Barking Dog, a cozy neighborhood pub nestled in Urmston, Greater Manchester, is usually a haven for locals seeking a friendly pint and a bit of midweek fun. But over the past week, the pub has found itself at the center of an unexpected mystery—one that has gripped its regulars and even spilled over into the wider community. The culprit? A cheating scandal at the pub’s beloved Wednesday night quiz, one that has set tongues wagging and left patrons clamoring for answers.
It all began on November 6, 2025, when Mark Rackham, the pub’s owner and quizmaster, made a discovery that would shake up the weekly tradition. According to BBC News, Rackham and his colleague, Rob Hardy, had grown suspicious after noticing the same team repeatedly clinching victory—and not just by a slim margin. This team, Rackham explained, was “getting the obscure answers right,” week after week. The streak was so impressive, or perhaps suspicious, that other teams started to drift away, convinced something was amiss.
“We kept having a repeating team winning and who were getting the obscure answers right,” Rackham told reporters. “That then led to us having to put a complete ban on people having their phones out, but we’ve never thought we’d have to enforce that because most people enjoy the spirit of the thing.” The quiz, after all, was supposed to be low-stakes fun—a chance for regulars to show off their trivia chops, not a high-pressure contest where technology might tip the scales.
The tipping point came when Rackham received an anonymous phone call from a concerned quiz regular. The tip-off was enough to launch a full-scale investigation, or as Rackham described it, “the crime of a century.” Enlisting Hardy’s help, the pair decided to keep a close eye on the suspected team during the next quiz night. What they saw confirmed their worst fears: the team was whispering into their smartwatches, clearly using them to access answers in real time. The ruse didn’t stop there—during the music round, they were caught using an app to identify songs, further cementing their guilt.
“He caught them red-handed and, as a result, we’ve banned them from taking part in future quizzes,” Rackham said, as reported by Manchester Evening News. The move, he hoped, would send a clear message that cheating wouldn’t be tolerated—and, perhaps more importantly, would help win back the honest quizzers who had stopped attending.
The fallout was immediate. Rather than quietly handling the matter, Rackham took to social media on November 11, 2025, to announce the ban. “We are disappointed to say that there has been a team cheating in our quiz,” read the Facebook post. “There have been suspicions for a while but no concrete evidence. This unfortunately may have cost us some genuine custom. Last night we caught the team red handed and they have been banned. We hope that any of our genuine quizzers we may have lost, come back.”
The decision not to name and shame the offending team only added fuel to the fire. “Everyone’s desperate to know who’s done it,” Rackham admitted. “I was at a council meeting the next day and people were coming over and asking me about the quiz.” The secrecy transformed the incident into a “massive whodunnit,” as regulars speculated and debated the identity of the cheaters. Messages poured in to pub staff, and the Barking Dog found itself the talk of the town.
Despite the drama, Rackham has maintained a measured approach. While the team is banned from participating in future quizzes, they’re still welcome to visit the pub for drinks. “I only posted it online because I thought let’s try and get the good teams that stopped doing it,” he explained. “It takes some of the fun away when you know people are cheating. We have a lot of regulars. Now they know we’ll take action and won’t stand for cheating.”
For many, the incident raises broader questions about the role of technology in social settings. Smartwatches, once seen as innocuous gadgets, have become sophisticated enough to quietly access the internet or run apps—making them the perfect (if ethically dubious) tool for quiz cheats. While mobile phones had already been banned at the Barking Dog’s quizzes in an effort to maintain fair play, few anticipated that other devices would pose a similar risk.
This isn’t the first time a pub quiz has been rocked by allegations of high-tech cheating. Across the UK, as technology becomes ever more integrated into daily life, quizmasters have had to adapt their rules and strategies. Some have resorted to collecting phones and wearables at the door, while others rely on the honor system—and the watchful eyes of staff and regulars. Still, the Barking Dog’s experience is a reminder that even the most well-intentioned rules can be tested by those determined to win at any cost.
The emotional impact has been real. For Rackham and Hardy, the quiz is more than just a weekly event—it’s a cornerstone of the pub’s community spirit. Seeing customers drift away because of perceived unfairness was a blow. “When I found out, I was disappointed because we’re losing our paying customers,” Rackham said. The hope now is that, with the cheaters exposed and banned, the quiz can return to its roots as a fun, inclusive event where everyone has a fair shot.
Customers have responded in a variety of ways. Some are eager for the quiz to return to its former glory, while others remain caught up in the intrigue of the “whodunnit.” The incident has even sparked conversations about sportsmanship, trust, and the lengths people will go to for a small taste of victory. As one regular put it, “It’s just a pub quiz, but it’s our pub quiz. You want to win fair and square.”
As for the Barking Dog, the pub is moving forward—wiser, perhaps, and a bit more vigilant. The team behind the bar is hopeful that the honest quizzers will return, and that the spirit of friendly competition will once again fill the room on Wednesday nights. For now, the cheating team’s identity remains a closely guarded secret, fueling gossip and speculation. But one thing is certain: at the Barking Dog, fair play is back on tap.
