Celtic and Rangers become unlikely stars of BBC quiz show after bizarre Only Connect clue

A Celtic reference helped crack one of the trickiest questions on Only Connect, but the real punchline came when a Scottish contestant was asked which side he supported.

The answer was neither.

Instead, Steve delivered a verdict that left the studio laughing: “Neither. They’re equally terrible.”

The exchange came during Series 21, Episode 18 of Only Connect, which featured the teams Pear Trees and Whitley Baes and aired on BBC Two on November 17, 2025. The episode included a question linking the Armies of Sauron, Lord Zedd, Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo, and Celtic.

Celtic was the clue that gave the game away

Only Connect is built around finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. The format often requires contestants to look beyond straightforward general knowledge and spot an unusual link between names, characters, places or ideas.

That was exactly what happened in this round.

The contestants were initially shown three clues: “Armies of Sauron,” “Lord Zedd” and “Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo.”

None appeared to have an obvious connection.

Then came the fourth clue: “Celtic.”

That was enough for one contestant to work out what linked all four answers.

The solution was “Enemies of Rangers.”

The connection was based on the different meanings of the word Rangers. The Armies of Sauron are enemies of the Rangers of the North, while Lord Zedd is a villain from Power Rangers. Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo, meanwhile, are associated with the rangers of Jellystone Park.

Celtic completed the wordplay through its rivalry with Rangers in Scottish football.

The episode’s official listings specifically identify those four clues as part of the question, with Victoria Coren Mitchell hosting the contest.

Victoria Coren Mitchell turns to the Scottish contestant

Once the team gave its answer, host Victoria Coren Mitchell asked them to explain how they had reached it.

One contestant pointed to the Celtic-Rangers rivalry, explaining that Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers are “VERY sworn enemies” for a number of reasons.

Before he could continue, Coren Mitchell turned her attention to a member of the opposing team.

She asked him: “You’re Scottish! Which one do you support?”

Steve was having none of it.

Rather than choosing Celtic or Rangers, he replied:

“Neither. They’re equally terrible.”

The blunt response immediately drew laughter from the studio.

The four clues behind the answer

The joke worked because each of the four clues pointed towards a different type of Ranger.

The Armies of Sauron connect to the Rangers of the North in The Lord of the Rings.

Lord Zedd is a villain from the Power Rangers universe.

Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo are connected to the rangers who patrol Jellystone Park.

And then there was Celtic, whose appearance shifted the puzzle from fantasy and children’s entertainment to Scottish football and the rivalry with Rangers.

Once the final clue appeared, the apparently unrelated answers suddenly formed a single connection.

That kind of lateral-thinking puzzle is central to Only Connect. The BBC Two programme, hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell, asks teams to identify links between clues that can come from very different areas of knowledge. Series 21 began in July 2025, with the Pear Trees and Whitley Baes teams meeting again in Episode 18 on November 17.

A Celtic-Rangers question with an unexpected punchline

The football rivalry provided the final piece of the puzzle, but Steve’s response became the most memorable part of the exchange.

Instead of declaring for either of Glasgow’s two major clubs, the Scottish contestant dismissed both with exactly the same verdict.

For a question that brought together Tolkien’s Rangers, the Power Rangers, Jellystone Park and Celtic, the answer had already taken an unusual route.

Steve’s response provided one final twist, turning the Celtic-Rangers rivalry into a joke at the expense of both clubs.