How can we all get back to work safely in the face of a lingering pandemic? To answer this question we need hard science about the virus and its transmission. But we also need people who can solve tricky organisational problems, logically think through possible scenarios, and keep track of the limitations of proposed solutions. In other words, we need mathematicians.

New episodes of Pointless, the TV quiz show, return to our screens tonight after a coronavirus-induced hiatus! To celebrate, John Haigh explores some more of the maths behind the show, following on from his earlier article about being unlucky on the show.

"Supporting the fight against COVID-19 is extremely important. We feel that if we have a certain expertise to contribute, then the work we normally do should take a backseat and we should try to do whatever we can."