Farewell, Bank Holiday Jumbos

Author   petebiddlecombePosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
I’ve just heard on the bush telegraph that the Bank Holiday Jumbo is no more. It seems you will not find one in tomorrow’s paper, nor any future Bank Holiday edition of The Times. Solvers of long experience will remember that from some time in the editorship of Edmund Akenhead (1965-83), 27×27 Jumbos appeared on Bank Holidays (maybe not every Bank Holiday in the early days). Now that we’ve had Jumbos every Saturday for over a decade and switched to a stock set of 23×23 grids rather than custom-built 27x27s, Jumbos are no longer a special event – so although slightly saddened by this, it doesn’t count as a major loss for me.

Any strong views from anyone else?

(Although posted just before midday, this is not an April Fool joke.)

10 comments on “Farewell, Bank Holiday Jumbos”

  1. Although one might expect that 52 jumbos a year would be enough for almost anyone, it is hard to understand this decision, which was divulged via the crossword editor to the setters yesterday. Presumably this is an economy (and that means less money for us setters alas!). Even so, one might have thought that folk had more time, if anything, for crosswords on a wet bank holidays than at a typical weekend! I guess it’s a pity, but not the end of the world. DFM
  2. If the decsion was justified as cost-cutting, what can the Times have saved?
    And I couldn’t agree more with the first comment: the Bank Holiday is extra free time when a couple of hours spent on the Jumbo was all part of the relaxation.
    Adrian Cobb
  3. Gutted, used to like having one on Good Friday, and Easter Saturday and Monday!
    1. I don’t think we’ve actually had 3 Jumbos in four days for a year or two now – just Saturday and Monday. The club bulletin board now says there will be no jumbo puzzle on Monday. It says nothing about tomorrow but I suspect that’s because none was planned.
  4. If enough solvers complain then who knows the decision could be reversed perhaps? The official reason is lack of space due to re-design of layout. There is, in any case, no logical reason why the puzzles couldn’t continue in the online format. I suspect this may happen.
  5. Considering the difficulty of todays cryptic, last Saturdays Jumbo, the sheer plethora of crosswords nowadays and the impasse that the poor brain has seemed to reached (hopefully it’s just a trough) it’s hardly a problem. I am just wishing i hadn’t bothered with that survey; it’s just made feel rather inadequate.
    1. It might be a problem for those who, for whatever reason, looked forward to their Bank Holiday jumbo. Not everyone does every puzzle.
      1. Didn’t mean to offend. Todays Guardian prize xword is a interesting looking Araucaria jumbo which might be make up for the sense of loss. I’m looking forward to some quiet time to do it; probably Wednesday way it’s going.
  6. Gutted too! I rarely have time for crosswords but love the jumbo and am very disappointed it won’t be part of holiday Mondays.

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