It started over a pint after an education conference, and will end with two Norwich headteachers competing for thousands of pounds on one of Britain's most popular shows.
For Brian Conway, of Notre Dame High School, next week's appearance on BBC One's Pointless will be a chance to finally strike it rich. Appearances on Fifteen to One and Sale of Century when he was younger yielded nothing more than a personal organiser which quickly broke.
He will appear with Adrian La Chapelle, of St. Augustine's Primary in Costessey, who said: 'Brian mentioned that he had been on quiz shows. I let it settle in my mind, and my daughter was going on about going on TV so I thought 'that would be an interesting idea'.'
The pair filled in a long application form, and, after forgetting about it, were invited to an audition in London during the February half term. They were then called back for filming in Elstree Studios at Easter.
Mr Conway said: 'We could have fallen flat on our faces. It could have been really embarrassing. We were quite prepared to come away with egg on our faces and have done really badly.
'We were worried about things like popular culture and soap operas, which we don't have a clue about.'
During filming, they made friends with a sound engineer who commutes everyday from Mulbarton, near Norwich, and chatted with some contestants while others studied the periodic table in the green room.
And during a long break in filming caused by technical problems, contestants, presenters and the audience played Pointless using an audience member's iPhone app, which was displayed on TV monitors in the studio.
Mr Conway said two of the questions had possible Norwich-related answers, and they thought former Norwich City striker Grant Holt would be the perfect response for one.
The teachers were not the only ones with their fingers crossed.
Mr Conway's son Toby, 10, wanted to become a Norwich City match day mascot if his father won, while Mr La Chapelle's daughter Imogen, 12, used her iPad to work out her cut of any winnings.
The pair are planning to use their experiences in assemblies, but are not yet allowed to say if they won.
To see how Mr Conway and Mr La Chapelle performed, watch Pointless on BBC1 at 5.15pm on Thursday, September 11.
Will you be on a TV? Email martin.george@archant.co.uk
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