WWTBAM Prep, Part 10 (19-Mar-2019 to 25-Mar-2019)
Notes taken while watching the UK edition of WWTBAM, March 2019. New editions (2018 onwards, broadcast on ITV) are titled “NEW WHO:”, older editions are titled “WHO:” or “OLD WHO:” and were broadcast on Challenge; Celebrity editions, also broadcast on Challenge, are titled “SLEB WHO:”. Specific dates for these notes: 19-Mar-2019 to 25-Mar-2019. [7,690 words in this piece.]
COUPLES WHO: Challenge Mon 18-Mar-2019, 17-3-01, 19-3-01
[19/03/2019 13:52] Steve and Lorraine back again
16k: Womble named after a river (Orinoco) not Tomsk, Tobermory or Bungo
Cheque says: Steve Brownless, 17-3-01
64k: Famous body-snatchers (Burke and Hare) not Brook and Heath / Borden and Haig / Bell and Hinds [not sure if any of those duos are famous / 50/50 leaves Bell & Hinds as well / they go for it]
The next cheque says 19-3-01 and they’re wearing different clothes
125k: The Beatle walking barefoot on the zebra crossing, on the cover “Abbey Road”: (Paul McCartney) all day long, I’ve prepped for this one and even blogged about it [They think it’s John or Ringo, Phone-A-Friend thinks it’s George but is only 50/50 / they don’t risk it]
10 new contestants
FFF: British mountains in order of height, starting with SHORTEST
ACBD gives us: Glastonbury Tor / The Cheviot / Snowdon / Ben Nevis
6/10 get it right, Ken and Wendy are fastest in 6.60s
From Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he’s between jobs and she’s a civil servant
[19/03/2019 15:46] And now I’m back again, after a swim
1k: Taste (buds) on the tongue
2k: The state of affairs which currently exists (status quo) not Depeche Mode or other band names
4k: Martin is a (bird)
8k: Meadowbank Sport Stadium is in Dublin / (Edinburgh) / Cardiff / Manchester [I got it by elimination – if they’d said Sheffield I might have gone for it]
16k: Before independence Kenya was ruled by France / (Great Britain) / Portugal / Holland
32k: Mambo is: (Latin American dance) / Venomous Spider / Small marsupial / Tropical fruit [50/50 leaves dance and fruit]
64k: Give a little whistle comes from 1940 Disney film (Pinocchio)
Cheque says Ken Clark 19-3-01
125k: Speaker of the House of Commons: Michael Meacher / (Michael Martin) / Michael Moore / Michael Mates [At the time it was Michael Martin – not a name I could have brought to mind today / Ask the Audience: they go wrong, 45% Meacher, 31% Martin / Phone-A-Friend doesn’t know / they don’t risk it]
Ken and Wendy Clark leave with 64k
FFF: Events in US history in order
CABD gives us: Declaration of independence / American Civil War / Custer’s Last Stand / Watergate
Only 1/9 get it right, James and Vi in 10.29s
They’re dairy farmers from Londonderry, met at a young farmer’s party, or something
1k: Lead singer of The Jam (Paul Weller) [Ask the Audience: 81% get it right]
2k: Comice is a (pear) [they go 50/50 on this one and are left with plum as well / Phone-A-Friend: Ann back in Ireland
4k: West Ham United’s home ground: (Boleyn Ground) / Goodison Park / White Hart Lane / Stamford Bridge [they go for Stamford Bridge after some deliberation and after saying “I’m probably wrong”]
James and Vi leave with 1k
FFF: Start with EARLIEST, politicians in order of becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer:
DCBA gives us: Roy Jenkins / Geoffrey Howe / Kenneth Clarke / Gordon Brown
67 / 79 / 93 / 97
10 couples are listed, for some reason, I thought we still had existing contestants, down to 7 or 8 / 5/10 get it right / David and Victoria are fastest in 6.32s, and they were definitely in the list of contestants that we saw earlier in the show
[19/03/2019 16:13] And that’s the end of the show, as they get into the chair – not a single question
SLEB WHO: S3Ep1 19-Mar-2019 3am
[19/03/2019 19:25] Hoping to get 30 minutes uninterrupted to make notes here.
1st couple: Jennie Bond and Michael Buerk, both playing for NCH / they went from local news to radio to the BBC
1k: Loss in value of a company’s assets (Depreciation) not Deviation, Demonisation or whatever
2k: Ferry port of mainland Europe (Hook of Holland) not Lake of Lithuania, Isthmus of Italy and so on
4k: Young animal shares its name with a type of heel (kitten)
8k: In which country was heart surgeon MAGDI YACOUB born: Israel / Egypt / Turkey / Morocco [I didn’t know this one: it’s EGYPT]
REVISE: Famous doctors, MAGDI YACOUB heart surgeon born in EGYPT / Christian Barnaard /
16k: Tim Burton film, adapted as a dance show by Matthew Bourne in 2005: Beetlejuice / (Edward Scissorhands) / Mars Attacks / Sleepy Hollow [Phone-A-Friend: Rosie Millard BBC arts correspondent knows it, “sat next to him at the premiere”]
32k: TOY that gets its name from a bakery in Connecticut: Hula hoop / FRISBEE / Pogo Stick / yo-yo [Ask the Audience: 78% go Frisbee / 50/50 gives Hula hoop too] “It’s modelled on pie tins from the Frisbee Bakery in Connecticut”
Cheque has the whole date covered with Tarrant’s thumb – it might even have been blank
64k: DUMBLEDORE is an old-fashioned word for this type of creature: Fish / Reptile / (Insect) / Bird
125k: Literary character who married MARGUERITE ST JUST: Sherlock Holmes / THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL / Doctor Jekyll / Cyrano de Bergerac [They don’t risk it, but would have gone for Cyrano]
REVISE: Plots and characters of Cyrano de Bergerac and Scarlet Pimpernel
Next couple: Elaine Paige and Michael Ball / Her: The children’s trust / St Richards Hospital Day Care Cancer Unit appeal, down in Chichester
1k: “You’ll like it, not a lot, but you’ll like it” is the catchphrase of (Paul Daniels)
2k: Rhinestone is used in imitation of (diamond)
4k: Starred as Tess in Oceans 11 and Oceans 12 (Julia Roberts)
8k: Tenth month in the old Roman Calendar: August / September / November / (December) [Ask the Audience: 57% get it right]
REVISE: Number of soldiers in a legion, and other Roman divisions / is CENTURION one of a hundred?
16k: Dodgers Stadium is in this American city: Houston / Philadelphia / Denver / (Los Angeles) [Phone-A-Friend: Phil Bowdery, Michael Ball’s road manager who puts shows on in stadiums and other large venues / he’s 100% on this one]
32k: Before independence in 1912, Albania was part of this empire: French / Austrian / (Turkish) / Russian [50/50 leaves French as well / they go for it]
Again the cheque has no date visible at all
Again, as with the Nolans, Tarrant walks up behind them and hugs them simultaneously round their necks
64k: Traditionally, who might carry a ditty bag: Tinker / Tailor / Soldier / Sailor [They go for SAILOR and I think I would have too – the right answer]
REVISE: DITTY BAG, a cloth bag for sailors to carry their tools
[19/03/2019 19:53] And that’s the end of the show, good timing, 28 minutes to get through that
COUPLES WHO: Thu 14-Mar-2019, Challenge, missed start, but saw it in April
[19/03/2019 19:56] Let’s start this one off too
[14/04/2019 22:15] I missed the start, but this was repeated early hours of Sun 14-Apr-2019, here’s what I missed:
16k: Mandible is (jawbone)
32k: Island of SUMATRA belongs to (INDONESIA)
REVISE: SUMATRA belongs to INDONESIA
Cheque reads Rob Sawyer 6-1-1
64k: Three Little Maids in the following Gilbert and Sullivan operetta: The Mikado / The Gondoliers / HMS Pinafore / The Pirates of Penzance [Ask the Audience: 72% The Mikado]
REVISE: Three Little Maids is in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Mikado
125k: Fish that catches insects by spitting at them and knocking them in the water: Targetfish / Archerfish / Dartfish / Spitterfish [He’s sure it’s ARCHERFISH and it is]
REVISE: ARCHERFISH catches insects by spitting at them and knocking them in the water
250k: Real name of American singer Garth Brooks: Enos / Troyal / Dilbert / Tregal [Phone-A-Friend: doesn’t say ANYTHING in response to the question – not a word / They don’t risk it / It’s TROYAL]
Rob and Corinne Sawyer leave with 125k
REVISE: Garth Brooks real first name: TROYAL
And this is where I started making notes in March:
10 new contestants
FFF: Deadly sins in alphabetical order
BCDA gives us: Avarice Gluttony Lust Sloth
6/10 get it right, Rod & Ann are fastest in 4.73s
From Oxted in Surrey, he’s a company director, she’s a stay-at-home mum
1k: Not yet been the title of a king of England: (Charles VII)
2k: Tick-tack-toe is an alternative name for (noughts and crosses) [Ask the Audience: 72% get it right]
4k: American great lake also the name of an American state (Michigan) not Ontario, Huron, Superior [They’re not sure but go Michigan eventually]
8k: Film set at New York High School for the Performing Arts (Fame)
16k: In GCSE, the S stands for: Schools / (Secondary) / Standard / Special
32k: If “lactic” is the adjective, what is the noun: (milk) not wax, oil or grass [Phone-A-Friend is pretty sure it’s milk too]
Cheque shows 6-1-0 and the final digit is covered
64k: What is the inscription on the Victoria Cross: For Valour / For Bravery / For Heroism / For Gallantry [It’s FOR VALOUR, I wasn’t sure if it was that or Bravery]
REVISE: inscriptions on medals, Victoria Cross says For Valour, and check when were they instituted – Victoria Cross, George Cross]
125k: “Enero” is the Spanish word for which month: (January) [50/50 leaves Jan and Feb / they think it’s January but don’t risk it]
Rod and Ann leave with 64k
9 couples left
FFF: Start with LARGEST, put these planets in order
CDAB gives us: Jupiter Saturn Earth Mercury
4/9 get it right, Lin and Ste are fastest in 6.44s
From Bolton, son Adam is at university / She’s a purchase ledger clerk and he’s a baker / They’ve been burgled and had her engagement ring stolen / 30th anniversary coming up
1k: Animal that resembles a small kangaroo: Anteater / Koala / Sloth / (Wallaby)
2k: (Pot-boiler) artistic or literary work of little merit, produced mainly to make money, not pan-rattler, crock-shaker, bed-rocker
4k: Nov 2000 contested US Presidential Election for the Democrats: (Al Gore)
8k: In which popular folk song is Uncle Tom Cobbleigh mentioned: Greensleeves / The British Grenadiers / Men of Harlech / WIDDICOMBE FAIR
REVISE: folk tunes like WIDDICOMBE FAIR which mentions Uncle Tom Cobbleigh, and Men of Harlech, words to these old songs
16k: Imran Khan played international cricket for (Pakistan) [Phone-A-Friend is 100%]
32k: 2 dots over a letter in German is: Cedilla / Circumflex / Tilde (Umlaut) [50/50 leaves Tilde as well]
[19/03/2019 20:20] And that’s the end of the show, 2 episodes in 55 minutes / Okay, there’s still a SLEB edition to watch, the continuation of Annabel Croft and Pat Cash but I’m going to check how many episodes I’ve seen today, and shake some action.
Review of WHO: 8 episodes in last 2 days
[19/03/2019 20:27] For the record, that’s what I’ve seen between Monday morning and Tuesday 8.30pm / Time for a break
OLD COUPLES WHO: Challenge 19-Mar-2019, 22-3-01, 24-3-01
[20/03/2019 08:24] Let’s get one of last night’s shows done.
David Anderson and Victoria Best from Sittingbourne, he’s looking for work, she’s a quality assistant / they answered the fastest finger first in the previous episode / they’re getting married the following August and want 8k for the reception, which has already been booked
1k: Bruce Springsteen hit: Born in (the USA)
2k: Oil well from which the oil flows freely without a pump: (Gusher) Gurgler Guzzler Gulper
4k: Profession of Jimmy Carter before he became US President (Peanut farmer) [Ask the Audience: 74% go right, 21% think lawyer]
8k: Fictional detective who constantly refers to the LITTLE GREY CELLS: Miss Marple / Father Brown / Hercule Poirot / Lord Peter Wimsey [No idea on this one / He thinks it’s Poirot / 50/50 leaves him and Miss Marple / They ask Phone-A-Friend, eventually: and he’s 100% sure it’s Poirot / July 2021: Having read a few Agatha Christie novels in recent years this is now an easy question for me.]
16k: A sport in which “stones” are aimed at the “house”: Boules / Croquet / Curling / Skittles [I’d have guessed CURLING, he’s 100% on this, with no lifelines left]
32k: Dame Judi Dench won an Oscar for playing which historical character: (Queen Elizabeth I) / Florence Nightingale / Anne Boleyn / Mary Queen of Scots [They both knew it]
Cheque says: David Anderson, 22-3-01
64k: What type of creature is a JACAMAR: Insect / Rodent / Bird / Reptile [No idea, here’s something else to revise / It’s BIRD, which she thought, but he went for rodents]
David and Victoria leave with 32k
REVISE: JACAMAR is a type of BIRD
9 contestants left
FFF: Starting with MOST, international airports in order of passenger numbers per annum
CBDA gives us: Heathrow / Gatwick / Stansted / Edinburgh
4/9 get it right, Gail and Colin are fastest in 4.84s
Gail Egan, a marketing consultant, Colin McGifford, a courier from Havant in Hampshire, a Jack Russell terrier at home / he has never read a book or used a computer / They only see each other at weekends right now because she travels to London for work
1k: Fortified wine named after an Atlantic island (Madeira)
2k: On TV who plays Chief Inspector Wexford: Frank Windsor / John Nettles / Robbie Coltrane / George Baker [I’m not sure whether it’s Nettles or Baker / she’s pretty sure it’s Baker, and it is]
REVISE: GEORGE BAKER is Inspector Wexford, check other detectives and cop shows that you have NEVER watched, and maybe watch the odd episode
4k: The shroud believed to be Jesus’s burial sheet is associated with (Turin)
8k: (November) is the month Thanksgiving is celebrated in the USA
16k: Battle that saw the final defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie: Bosworth / Stamford Bridge / Culloden / Bannockburn [I was looking this up 2 days ago, in a Kings & Queens book, and I’m pretty sure it’s Culloden / Ask the Audience: 56% go right, 22% go Bannockburn, but I’m sure that’s earlier]
REVISE: Scottish battles, the big 3 and then others: CULLODEN was Bonnie Prince Charlie, something like 1745, FLODDEN FIELD saw the death of one of the James’s, around 1519, check that, and Bannockburn I think was around 1314, so that would have been someone like Robert the Bruce: look all of this stuff up
32k: Muscovy and Mandarin are species of which bird: (Duck) / Swan / Crow / Wren [Again, I’d go for this answer by elimination more than knowing the correct answer / they’ve heard of Mandarin Duck but not Muscovy]
Cheque reads 22-3-0, but it must be 22-3-01
64k: In the film musical “On the town” Gene Kelly plays a sailor on leave in which city: Bangkok / (New York) / Tokyo / Honolulu [That’s more like a 4k question for me / Phone-A-Friend hasn’t the faintest idea / 50/50 leaves them with Honolulu as well / Tarrant does that “You had 32k, you’ve now got another 32k to go with it]
And now they’re both in cream-coloured tops rather than the light blue tops they were wearing before, so this must be a different broadcast
125k: In which country is the port of Odessa: Greece / (Ukraine) / Bulgaria / Iran [He thinks it’s Ukraine but they won’t risk it]
The cheque shows 24-3-01
Gail and Colin leave with 64k
10 new contestants, including “Diana and Charles from Wiltshire” – it’s the Major and his wife
FFF: Start with LOUDEST, musical terms in order
CBAD gives us: Forte / Mezzo forte / Mezzo piano / Piano
2/10 get it right, John and Doreen are fastest in 7.96s
John and Doreen Laurence from Staines Middlesex, she’s a special needs teacher, he’s an ex-policeman who now works as a toastmaster / He’s Scottish, she’s form the south
1k: Peter Tork, Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz were members of (The Monkees)
[20/03/2019 08:55 And that’s the end of the show, another one bites the dust]
COUPLES WHO: Challenge 20-Mar-2019
[23/03/2019 09:15] It’s the Toast Master from Devon and his wife carrying on [John and Doreen Laurence from Staines Middlesex], and I’ve missed the 2k question by not starting this recording in time
4k: (Black Rod) knocks 3 times on the door of the Commons at the State Opening of Parliament, not silver stick, golden mace or white staff
8k: Donna Karan is famous as a (fashion designer) [Ask the Audience: 85% get it right]
16k: George W Bush is 43rd POTUS, who was the 40th: Richard Nixon / George Bush / Jimmy Carter / (Ronald Reagan)
32k: In which country did the first FIFA CLUB World Championship take place: Italy / (Brazil) / France / Germany [Phone-A-Friend: their son was 50% it was Brazil, so was the dad]
REVISE: FIFA CLUB World Championship, the first one was in Brazil
Cheque reads 24-3, no year, but we know it’s 24-3-01
64k: Painted by Thomas Gainsborough: The Skaters / The Night Watch / (The Blue Boy) / The Card Players
REVISE: famous paintings, specifically The Skaters / The Night Watch / (The Blue Boy) / The Card Players
125k: Dogger Bank is in this stretch of water: Irish Sea / Bay of Biscay / English Channel / (North Sea) [He’s pretty sure it’s the North Sea, they talk about it for a while and gamble on it]
250k: HARP and HARBOUR are types of which mammal: Walrus / Beaver / Otter / Seal [I think it’s a seal, but would I gamble? They’re pretty sure it’s a seal, and it is]
On ALL the cheques the year has been covered up
REVISE: HARP and HARBOUR are types of seal
500k: The inn where Chaucer’s pilgrims assembled before their trip to Canterbury: The Admiral Benbow / The Tabard Inn / The Crown / The George and Dragon [They both think it’s the Tabard but they’re not going to risk it / I’m 100% on this one]
John and Doreen leave with 250k
The final view of the cheque shows us it’s 24-3-01
10 new contestants
FFF: Start with SHORTEST, put these athletics races in order of standard total distance
ACBD gives us: 4x400m relay / Steeplechase / Marathon / 50km walk
Only 1/10 get it right, Peter and Anne in 7.02s
Peter and Anne Jenkins from Twickenham Middlesex, run an Internet business, 2 children at home
1k: Wrote “The Female Eunuch”: (Germaine Greer)
2k: Italian cheese, used on pizza, stretches like elastic when cooked: (Mozzarella) [She knows, he doesn’t and asks “Are you sure?” I remember this guy from 18 years ago]
4k: Harvey Smith, Nick Skelton and John Whitaker are associated with (show-jumping)
8k: Shadows 1960 #1 hit single: Sioux / Comanchee / Cherokee / (Apache)
16k: COALPORT in Shropshire is best known for the manufacture of: Carpets / Glass / PORCELAIN / Cutlery [She thinks it’s porcelain, Ask the Audience: 83% go for it too]
32k: In February 2001 a computer virus named after this tennis player caused havoc around the world: (Anna Kournikova)
Cheque shows 26-3- and now year, but it’s 26-3-01
64k: Tour of universities made by companies looking to recruit graduates: (milk round)
125k: What type of creature is a FIELDFARE: bat / bird / butterfly / beetle [NO idea, for them or for me / Phone-A-Friend: doesn’t know, would guess bat / 50/50: Bird or Butterfly / she thinks it’s bird, lots of discussion / It is a bird / The subtitles tell us that she is SHRIEKING]
REVISE: FIELDFARE Is a type of thrush, scientific name TURDUS PILARIS (yes, really), native to Northern Europe and strongly migratory, heading south for the winter
250k: Who provided the voice of Shere Khan the tiger in the 1967 Disney film “The Jungle Book”: Robert Morley / Rex Harrison / Dennis Price / (George Sanders) [She thinks it’s Sanders but they don’t risk it]
Peter and Anne Jenkins leave with 125k
[23/03/2019 09:49] And that’s the end of the show
SLEB WHO: 23-Mar-2019 10pm on Challenge, S1ep9
[24/03/2019 08:44] Philip Schofield and Fern Britton have just got to 32k and we’re carrying on
64k: In 2003, the spacecraft GALILEO was deliberately destroyed by crashing it into the atmosphere of which planet: Jupiter / Mars / Venus / Mercury [Ask the Audience: 40% Jupiter 50% Mars / They go for Mars but it’s JUPITER, and that makes sense because of the GALILEAN moons]
REVISE: spacecraft GALILEO was deliberately destroyed by crashing it into the atmosphere of JUPITER
Next couple: Tim Rice and Alice Beer [I caught some of this live last night] / He was in a group called The AARDVARKS / Her twin daughters, a year old, are called Phoebe and Dora / His charity: Cornwall Air Ambulance / Her charity: Break, offers proper seaside bucket-and-spade holidays to children and adults with learning disabilities]
[Some discussion about SCRUNCHIE for the 500 quid question – Tim Rice had never heard of it]
1k: Which of these animals has horns? Salamander / Shrew / (Springbok) / Squirrel
2k: GRIMSHAW is the surname of which character in “Coronation Street”: (Eileen) / Rita / Emily / Janice [Ask the Audience: 91% go right]
4k: A main port in Morocco: (Tangier) / Tanga / Tanagra / Tangshan [Tanga is in Tanzania]
8k: Pancho Villa was a 20th century revolutionary in: Russia / China / (Mexico) / Spain [Rather a lot of discussion on this one, deciding between Spain and Mexico]
16k: In which county is Windsor Castle: Buckinghamshire / Oxfordshire / (Berkshire) / Hertfordshire
32k: Ben Travers was best known for writing what type of plays: Monologues / Thrillers / (Farces) / Romances
They’ve edited out the bit where Tarrant shows them the cheque
64k: BRIAN WARNER is the original name of which rock star: Iggy Pop / (Marilyn Manson) / Billy Idol / Captain Sensible [Tim Rice knew it before it came up, I would have got it by elimination, but I couldn’t think of Billy Idol’s real name – the others are James Osterberg and Ray Burns / Billy Idol = William Broad]
The 64k cheque shows 17-4-04
REVISE: Real names of Iggy Pop / (Marilyn Manson) / Billy Idol / Captain Sensible = James Newell Osterburg Jr / Brian Warner / William Broad / Ray Burns
Tarrant talks about when he first met Tim Rice, he had just released a cover of The Rolling Stones’ Not Fade Away, on the B-side was “How much is that doggie in the window”, sung backwards. Tim Rice gives us a couple of lines from it, and he thought it would be the big Christmas hit of 1972
125k: In January 2004, which NASA spacecraft photographed and took particles from COMET WILD-2: Starshine / Starlight / Stardust / Starseeker [That’s TWO NASA spacecraft questions in the same show, one for 64k and the other for 125k: clearly a big theme in April 2004 [Phone-A-Friend doesn’t know, and runs out of time: “I would take a guess and probably say (cuts out)” / 50/50 leaves them with Starlight and Stardust / they guess STARDUST and they’re right]
REVISE: NASA Spacecraft / In 2003, the spacecraft GALILEO was deliberately destroyed by crashing it into the atmosphere of JUPITER / In January 2004, NASA spacecraft photographed and took particles from COMET WILD-2: STARDUST
250k: Which herb takes its name from the Greek for “joy of the mountain”: Coriander / Rosemary / OREGANO / Chervil [Lots of discussion before they decide not to risk it, though they’re edging towards Coriander]
Tim Rice and Alice Beer leave with 125k
REVISE: HERBS, Oregano = JOY OF THE MOUNTAINS in Greek / WATCH an episode or two of “The Herbs” – and look up how many episodes there were, it’s only something like 13
REVISE: children’s shows: things like Roobarb & Custard and the chap in the bowler hat, can’t even remember his name, the chap with the shop
Next couple: Dermot Murnighan and Angela Rippon, both playing for NCH / 500 projects, 140,000 children, “They roll up their sleeves and they get on with the job”, no advertising, 92p in every pound goes direct to their work
There’s a brand new audience, so this must be the next episode of the show, but it’s edited into the same one for Challenge
1k: If you want to prevent someone from joining a club or organization what do you give them: (Blackball) / Blackleg / Blackjack / Blackberry [Apparently it was balls in a bag and you gave them the black one – I heard the word first in the context of a chap at college who went to Sandhurst and was blackballed; still not sure what it involved.]
Dermot mentions watching football during Euro 2004 and being sent up to bed by his 12 year old daughter Kitty during a game – so this must have been after the summer, many months after the clips we’ve just seen of Tim Rice and Alice Beer
2k: The Fandango is a dance most associated with this country: (Spain) / India / Russia / Scotland
4k: In which of these sports do you PEG OUT with the final stroke of the game: Table tennis / CROQUET / Polo / Squash
REVISE: the rules of CROQUET and POLO, how many bits and pieces involved, times in a chukka, the colours of the balls in croquet, that kind of thing / In croquet you PEG OUT with the final stroke of the game
[24/03/2019 09:17] And that’s the end of the show
OLD WHO: REPEATS on Sat/ Sun 23/24-Mar-2019, yup, we’ve had 3 repeats in a row after that Sleb edition
The next episode is poor old Michelle Simmonds with her MARSUPIALS and Primates / Then it carries on with Majella Maher / then it jumps, from Jim Whitaker on 22-2-01 to Alastair, product manager from Ely, around the same time – they have skipped past the end of Jim Whitaker’s appearance, but I have notes further back, so I know where we are
The third non-Sleb show of the note ends the same way as when it was shown on Challenge, “27-Feb-2019 on Challenge, from 26-Feb-2001 and the show before that”: “Alan Scrutton leaves with 64k, and that’s the end of the show [28/02/2019 11:30]”
SLEB WHO: Sat 23-Mar-2019 3am on Challenge, Culshaw and Thomson, new format, 12 rather than 15 questions
[24/03/2019 09:41] This was the first of the new fast-tracked way to a million – 12 questions rather than 15
John Thomson and Jon Culshaw / Charities: Catholic Children’s Rescue Society and St Joseph’s Hospice in Ormskirk / Thomson’s roles: Bernard RIGHTON, hapless Pete in Cold Feet, maverick lawyer Charlie Darling NEW STREET LAW
1k: Fictional character able to slide up bannisters: Pollyanna / Truly Scrumptious / Lizzie Dripping / (Mary Poppins) [Ask the Audience: 96% get it right]
[That’s the 2nd mention of Lizzie Dripping in a week of these shows, someone on the show clearly remembered it back then
Nice story from John Thomson about being adopted from the Catholic Children’s Rescue Society, he was adopted from there in 1969, 20 years later he went to the drama school next door / St Francis House Hospice is next door to that, so he’s going to split it
Culshaw’s charity is in his home town of ORMSKIRK
2k: Unter den Linden is a famous boulevard in which capital city: Rome / Stockholm / Berlin / Paris [Rather a lot of chat about this one and then they Phone-A-Friend: he’s sure it’s BERLIN]
[24/03/2019 09:51] Okay, that’s 15 minutes into the show and time to have a stretch
[25/03/2019 05:57] Back again before 6am the next day, to finish this one off
5k: (5) girls in Girls Aloud
10k: (Tony Benn) formerly MP for Chesterfield
20k: A colour that does not appear on the flag of Brazil: Green / Yellow / Blue / (Red)
50k: In a Calendar Year, which is the last of the English Classic horse races? Oaks / Derby / 1000 Guineas / (St Leger) [50/50 leaves 1000 Guineas as well / they don’t know]
Jon and John leave with 20k
Next couple: From “Emmerdale”, Kelly Windsor and Jimmy King, alias ADELE SILVA and NICK MILES [never heard of the actors or the characters] / Her charity: Alzheimer’s Society, she’s a child star, has been in the show since age 12, took 5 years off but returned in 2005 promising to be “the biggest bitch in soaps” / He’s playing for Ovingdean Hall School and in the show is a businessman who was formerly married to Patsy Kensit
1k: In 2005 Angela Merkel became first female Chancellor of (Germany)
2k: In the Harry Potter books the Dursleys live in (4 Privet Drive) [Ask the Audience: 88% get it right]
5k: In 2004 who replaced BARBARA CASSANI as chairman of Britain’s Olympic bid: (Sebastian Coe)
10k: Nationality of comedian WC Fields (American)
20k: Pop star who had a boat called DRUM that capsized in 1985: Boy George / Debbie Hary / (Simon Le Bon) / Rod Stewart [Phone-A-Friend: Griffo on Radio Aire who doesn’t say ANYTHING in the 30 seconds, doesn’t even have a guess, runs out of time / 50/50 leaves Boy George too]
50k: Australia state that does NOT border New South Wales: (Northern Territory) / Queensland / South Australia / Victoria [They don’t know and don’t risk it]
[25/03/2019 06:16] Adele Silva and Nick Miles leave with 20k, and that’s the end of the show
SLEB WHO: Sun 24-Mar-2019 10pm on Challenge, Rippon and Murnaghan continue
[25/03/2019 06:19]
8k: Ivor Novello was born in (Wales)
16k: Charles Dickens novel that includes the line “Barkis is willin’” Great Expectations / Oliver Twist / (David Copperfield) / Nicholas Nickleby
32k: A blue globe is depicted on the flag of (Brazil) Argentina / Chile / Ecuador [50/50 leaves Argentina as well]
Cheque shows 18-09-04
64k: St Crispin’s Day falls in (October) / April / January / August [Ask the Audience: well, they’re not going to know are they? They have been talking about April, so 51% of the audience go for April / Phone-A-Friend: Fred Housego / He says April too, but they’re all wrong]
Dermot and Angela leave with 32k
[25/03/2019 06:28] Quick break there to record the local weather
[25/03/2019 06:32] And now I’m back / Next couple: Antony Worrall Thompson and Rory Bremner / Both playing for NSPCC
1k: (Euphoria) is a state of intense happiness, not eulogy or euphonium
2k: In North America a popsicle is (ice lolly)
4k: The destination for the Queen Mary 2 on her maiden voyage: Cape Town / Hong Kong / New Zealand / Florida [No idea on this one, it’s FLORIDA]
8k: “A rush of blood to the head” 2002 chart-topping album by (Coldplay) [Ask the Audience: 89% get it right]
16k: First name of Field Marshal HAIG who commanded British forces in WW1: Charles / Sidney / Edward / (Douglas) [They take a while to get there]
32k: EH Shepard is best remembered for his illustrations of the works of: CS Lewis / JK Rowling / (AA Milne) / JRR Tolkien
Cheque shows 18-09-04
There’s lots of chat about “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” and Jordan, so that must have happened already, in 2003 I guess
64k: How many North American colonies declared their independence from Britain in 1776: 5 / 9 / 13 / 17 [50/50 leaves 5 and 13 / I thought it was 13 before the question came up, and I guess it is / Bremner thought it was 9 or 13, but after the 50/50 he still went for 5]
Antony & Rory leave with 32k
[25/03/2019 06:46] Okay, that’ll do, the end of one episode and the whole of another
WHO: On Challenge, Sun 24-Mar-2019 11pm
[25/03/2019 11:28] Jean has 4k, all lifelines intact
8k: Marston Moor and Naseby were famous battles of (English Civil War) [50/50 leaves her with the 2 she couldn’t decide on, Hundred Years’ War as well as the correct answer / Ask the Audience: 72% get it right
16k: “The Caretaker” written by (Harold Pinter) [She doesn’t know / Phone-A-Friend: “I don’t know but … I think it’s the first one, Pinter, 25% sure” / She takes the money]
Jean Thomson leaves with 8k, it looks like this is the next one after: Mon 18-Mar-2019 1am on Challenge, 15-10-00
9 contestants
FFF: Snooker balls in order of value starting with lowest
CADB gives us: Brown Blue Pink Black
5/9 get it right, Bav Patel is fastest in 5.4s
From Brighton, works in insurance, his partner Nicky is in the audience / wants to buy Norman Wisdom’s cap and a fast car to cruise along Brighton seafront just behind Chris Eubank
1k: “Tinkle the ivories” [that’s what the question says, not TICKLE the ivories, which I would have said] refers to playing the (piano) [He doesn’t know, Ask the Audience: 90% get it right]
2k: Who plays Q’s assistant R in the James Bond film “The World is not enough” Rowan Atkinson / (John Cleese) / Mel Smith / Richard Briers [He thinks it’s Mel Smith and uses Phone-A-Friend: Debbie leaves it late but thinks it’s Cleese]
4k: Springbok is (antelope) not rabbit, horse or frog [He uses 50/50 and is left with horse as well / he doesn’t know but guesses antelope anyway]
8k: King James I of England was also King James VI of (Scotland)
16k: A “chukka” is a period of playing time in which sport: Badminton / Volleyball / (Polo) / Hockey [He takes ages on this one, doesn’t know, thinks polo looks good, says he’s going to take the money, no, polo, final answer]
32k: Gemstone made from pure carbon: Emerald / Ruby / Opal / (Diamond) [He thinks it’s diamond, says “I haven’t got a clue” for about the 50th time, takes the money]
Bav Patel leaves with 16k
10 new contestants including Jo Webb from Hampshire and Alan Mudd from Norfolk, Bob Webb from Suffolk, Tony Welsh from Northamptonshire, Pete Day from Hampshire [3/10 from Hampshire I think, none from London]
FFF: Starting in south and going north, royal residences in order
DABC gives us: Windsor Castle / Sandringham House / Holyrood House / Balmoral Castle
[Good – wasn’t sure about those last two]
3/10 get it right, Pete Day is fastest in 8.52s
A logistics manager from Southampton / sister Judith is in the audience / Status Quo fan
1k: (Bob Geldof) received an honorary knighthood for his work on Band Aid and Live Aid
2k: “Slam Dunk” is associated with (basketball)
4k: “Long-eared” and “barn” are types of this bird: (owl)
8k: School attended by Prince Philip and his 3 sons (Gordonstoun) [50/50 has left him with Eton as well, and he goes for that]
Pete Day leaves with 1k
[I have seen this, in bits, but back before I was making notes, I think]
FFF: From the EARLIEST, children’s writers in the order they were born
BDAC gives us: Hans Christian Anderson / Lewis Carroll / Enid Blyton / Raymond Briggs
1805 / 1832 / 1897 / 1934
5/9 get it right, Jo Webb is fastest in 6.90s
A full-time mum n FLEET in Hampshire / Cousin Nicky is there, husband and 2 kids at home / She made just one call to the show
[300 quid “Another Opening Another Show” is from (Kiss Me Kate), not Ravish me Roxanne, Love Me Linda or Snog Me Susie]
1k: Played with a plectrum (guitar)
2k: On a suit of armour (Hand) would be covered by a gauntlet
REVISE: Bits of armour, gauntlet is hand, but do the trickier ones – greave = shin I think, check all the less well-known parts]
4k: Took place in East Sussex (Battle) not Bosworth, Culloden or Bannockburn
8k: Who played GAMBIT in the TV series The New Avengers: Lewis Collins / (Gareth Hunt) / Martin Shaw / John Nettles
REVISE: Is Gareth Hunt still alive? And the Professionals, Lewis Collins and Gordon Jackson – when did Jackson die? And who else was in the New Avengers?
16k: Roman numeral for 500: (D)
Tarrant’s all over her at this point, one hand round the back of her neck, the other at the front, and if she wanted to flinch from his kiss she couldn’t / I don’t think that would happen these days
[25/03/2019 12:01] And that’s the end of the show, 33 minutes on that one. I’ll do the next, which will be THREE HOURS of overnight recording cleared from the box, leaving one more hour.
OLD WHO: Sun/Mon 24/25-Mar-2019 on Challenge
[25/03/2019 12:04] Jo Webb is back playing for 32k
32k: Which of these US states does not have a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico: Florida / Mississippi / NEW MEXICO / Texas [Ask the Audience: 47% go Texas, only 12% go Florida, 27% Miss, 14% New Mexico / Phone-A-Friend: her husband Hamish, his guess is New Mexico / 50/50 leaves Mississippi and New Mexico – so I’m way off there, I thought it was Florida / Now I know, from checking the atlas that New Mexico does NOT have a coastline]
REVISE: US Coastal states, and those without a coastline / the states on the Gulf of Mexico (west to east): Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama (just a panhandle), Florida, and then round onto the Atlantic Ocean it goes Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and that’ll do for now
Cheque shows 16-10-0 but we know it’s 16-10-00
64k: By what name is the wife of US Vice President Al Gore known: (Tipper) not Flipper, Chipper, Whipper [She didn’t know, but guessed Tipper]
The next cheque shows clearly that it’s 16-10-00
125k: The word “Robot” comes from: French / German / (Czech) / Latin [She takes a long time on this one, before finally going for Czech] [Coined by a Czech playwright, robot means WORK, says CT]
250k: The tomb of which saint is said to be at Santiago de Compostela: St Andrew / St Peter / (St James) / St Anne [Tarrant pronounces Compostela as if it has 2 LLs, “ay-ya” at the end / She might have gone for St Peter but she doesn’t risk it]
Jo Webb leaves with 125k
8 contestants left
FFF: Start with earliest, television channels in order they were first seen
BCAD gives us: ITV / BBC2 / Channel 4 / Channel 5
3/8 get it right, Tony Welsh is fastest in 4.8s
A primary school teacher from Kettering, works at Woodstock Primary in Leicester / We are told that teachers have not done so well on the show up to this point
1k: A type of police van (Black Maria) not Millicent, Maud or whatever
2k: Classic comedy that features the Ministry of Silly Walks (Monty Python)
4k: Patron saint of travellers (St Christopher)
8k: King executed in 1649: (Charles I)
16k: An area of Canada: Airedale / Samoyed / (Labrador) / Chihuahua
REVISE: Types of dogs: Airedale / Samoyed / Labrador / Chihuahua, were in a question about geography in WHO
A change of shirt before the next question, from blue-lilac to sort-of beige
32k: Known as a rally driver: Michael Doohan / (Colin McRae) / Johnny Herbert / Chris Boardman [50/50 leaves him with the 2 he was torn between, Doohan and McRae / Phone-A-Friend is sure it’s McRae]
Cheque shows 19-10-0 but we know it’s 19-10-00
64k: A PLUVIOMETER is used to measure: hours of sunlight / wind speed / (rainfall) / temperature
125k: In Greek mythology what was left in Pandora’s Box: Faith (Hope) Charity Justice [Ask the Audience: 55% go hope, 25% go for Justice, the others are much less / He thinks it’s hope but doesn’t risk it]
Tony Welsh leaves with 64k
“In the Talbot later tonight”, says CT, “That will last about 64 minutes” – I assume that’s the local pub
10 new contestants including Mark Alcock from NE Lincs – was he on the last series of “Fifteen to One”? – Richard Vaux from Surrey / only ONE woman in the group
FFF: Comedians in the order they were born
ABDC gives us: WC Fields / Bob Hope / Bob Monkhouse / Rown Atkinson
1879 / 1903 / 1928 / 1955
9/10 get it right, Phil Davison is fastest in 4.52s
Getting married the next day, 10 years after they met, 2 kids at home, a bit of the chat was not included in the recording
[25/03/2019 12:37] We get to the 500 quid question (Uncle Sam is the personification of the US) and that’s the end of the show
Phil Davison will be back next time
The Compartments 