WWTBAM Prep, Part 11 (26-Mar-2019 to 30-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: 26-Mar-2019 to 30-Mar-2019. [7,734 words in this piece.]

OLD WHO: Mon 25-Mar-2019 10pm on Challenge, 9-10-04, 16-10-04

[26/03/2019 08:44] The show starts with Graham Barker being given a cheque for 32k, dated 9-10-04

64k: Who is said to have built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife: Tutanhkamen [that’s the spelling on screen, not how I’m used to seeing it] / (Nebuchadnezzar) / Alexander / Charlemagne [Made easier by the alternatives – I thought it was Nebuchadnezzar before the answers came up]

And there’s a change of shirt here, so we’re onto a different episode from the original broadcasts, he was in light beige and now it’s brown

125k: Which of these British prime ministers was not educated at Eton: Anthony Eden / (Winston Churchill( / Harold Macmillan / William Gladstone [He’s been sure of this and the last one]

And the next cheque says 16-10-04

250k: In the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz”, which witch is crushed by Dorothy’s house: Wicked Witch of the North / Wicked Witch of the South / Wicked (Witch of the East) / Wicked Witch of the West [EAST, all day long, but he’s not sure, he goes 50/50 nd is left with South and East and he doesn’t risk it]

Graham Barker leaves with 125k

10 new contestants

FFF: Put these famous “disappearances” in chronological order

BADC gives us: Amelia Earhart / Glenn Miller / Lord Lucan / Shergar

37 / 44 / 74 / 83

4/10 get it right and there’s a TIE-BREAK for the first time that I’ve seen, only the 2nd time in 6 years CT says, Steve Wilson and John Rimmer both take 5.63s

So, it’s another go at fastest finger first for the 2 of them

FFF: Put these cheeses in alphabetical order

BCDA gives us: Camembert / Gruyere / Roquefort / Wensleydale

John Rimmer gets it on the tie-break in 4.37s

An antiques restorer from LYTHAM in Lancashire, his drinking mate Mel is in the audience, wife Jan at home / 3 kids & 2 grandkids / The wife wants a 2nd home in Cornwall / he doesn’t even know why he’s there

1k: Backgammon is traditionally for (2) players [Ask the Audience: 81% get it right]

2k: A person with an obsessive desire to set fire to things: (Pyromaniac) not dipso- biblio or hydro-

4k: Actress who starred in the film One Million Years BC: (Raquel Welch) / Ursula Andress / Brigitte Bardot / Julie Christie [I was sure it was Raquel before the answers came up and then wondered about Ursula / 50/50 leaves Raquel and Brigitte]

REVISE: Ursula Andress and Raquel Welch films – SHE and One Millions Years BC, respectively

8k: Acid that takes its name from the Latin word meaning leaf: Tannic / (Folic) / Acetic / Nitric

REVISE: Acids and vitamins again, right now I can’t remember which of the B vitamins is Folic – 7 or 9 I think, but back in January I didn’t know that Folic WAS a B vitamin / NOTE: B1, B2 and B3, as listed on the back of a cornflakes packet are in REVERSE alphabetical order: B1 = Thiamin, B2 = Riboflavin, B3 = Niacin / Also B5 = Pantothenic Acid, F9 = Folic Acid

16k: Who wrote the play “Hedda Gabler”: Arthur Miller / (Henrik Ibsen) / Anton Chekov / George Bernard Shaw

32k: A woodworm is the larva of what type of insect: Aphid / (Beetle) / Flea / Moth [I’m sure it’s beetle, he’s hesitating, and he’s a furniture restorer so I thought he’d know it straight away

Cheque shows 16-10-04

64k: Sculptor with a museum of their works based in their former residence in ST IVES: Henry Moore / Alberto Giacometti / Barbara Hepworth / August Rodin [It’s Moore or Barbara / I think it’s Barbara Hepworth, and it is]

REVISE: Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, places they worked and major works / Barbara Hepworth: Museum in ST IVES

125k: The song “Killing me softly”, a hit for Roberta Flack in 1973, was written about which singer: Bob Dylan / Don McLean / Peter Cetera / Stevie Wonder [I always heard that it was Don McLean, but I’ve never read anything about it / Phone-A-Friend: he’s absolutely certain it’s Don McLean, and says it was about American Pie / That’s the right answer]

250k: MIUCCIA is the first name of which fashion designer: Kenzo / PRADA / Montana / Ungaro [No idea, and he doesn’t know either / I would probably have gone for Kenzo or Ungaro]

John RImmer leaves with 125k

REVISE: Fashion designer names it’s MIUCCIA PRADA / check first names of Dolce & Gabbana, and Kenzo, Montana and Ungaro

FFF: First Ladies of America in chronological order

BDAC gives us: Jacqueline Nancy Hillary Laura

Only 1/9 got it right, Mark Grogan in 8.96s

A bank manager from Leeds, his fiancé is at home with their little boy

[300 quid: he uses Ask the Audience on this one, the name for someone who cuts down trees: Feller (86%) Tripper Toppler Tumbler]

1k: MP not allied to a political party: (Cross-bencher) not Side- Round- or No-

2k: popular drink in North America (Root beer) not branch, moss or petal beer

4k: MARIO TESTINO is a famous name in (photography)

[26/03/2019 09:16] And that’s the end of the show

SLEB WHO: Bill Kenwright and Jenny Seagrove

[26/03/2019 09:19] And straight on to another one

Jenny Seagrove, A Woman of Substance, lots of stage work, also Judge John Deeds, and her real-life partner is Bill Kenwright, GORDON Turpin in “Coronation Street”, son of Betty / Her charity: World Society for the Protection of Animals, his charity: Teenage Cancer Trust / He’s still chairman of Everton FC at this point

This is the 12-questions per show format, but not with the clock ticking

1k: A DANDY BRUSH is used to groom which of these animals: Cat / Dog / (Horse) / Rabbit [Never heard of it]

REVISE: A DANDY Brush is used to groom horses

2k: First name of Sartre, French Philosopher novelist and dramatist (Jean-Paul)

[Jenny sounds rather serious]

5k: JAMES DOOHAN played which original Star Trek character: HIKARU Sulu / Leonard McCoy / James T Kirk / (Montgomery Scott) [CONFIRMED By a recent episode of “The Chase”, James Doohan helped to create Klingon, and was a Canadian decorated for service in WW2 / Ask the Audience: 96% get it right]

10k: “Strikeout” is a term from which sport: Ice hockey / (Baseball) / Basketball / American Football

20k: Animal Park located in Bedfordshire: Howletts Wild Animal Park / (Whipsnade Zoo) / Longleat Safari Park / Chester Zoo [They don’t know, and go 50/50: Longleat and Whipsnade / She thinks it’s Whipsnade and they go for it]

Tarrant gets up and does that thing of going behind her, putting his arms round her and saying into her ear “You’ve just won 20k” before kissing her

50k: Who published a handbook called NOTES ON NURSING in 1860: Edith Cavell / (Florence Nightingale) / Elizabeth Fry / Elizabeth Blackwell [She thinks it’s too early for Florence / Phone-A-Friend: a headmaster, he doesn’t know but would guess Edith Cavell / they risk it and they lose 19k / It turned out to be the obvious answer after all / Edith Cavell died in WWI, so she was unlikely to be writing a book 50+ years earlier]

Bill Kenwright and Jenny Seagrove leave with 1k

Next couple: Kate Garraway and her husband DEREK DRAPER / She was on BBC News 24 and is now on the sofa at GMTV, playing for Help the Aged / he’s playing for Kid’s Company, he’s a newspaper journalist and psychotherapist, he trained after his well-publicized departure from the Labour Party where he was a spin doctor, architect of New Labour, that sort of thing, and worked for Peter Mandelson / July 2021: He has been in the news over the last year or more for the amount of time he spent in hospital with Covid]

1k: In “Friends” (Joey) is the character who is an actor

2k: The Kennedy Space Center is in which US State: Texas / (Florida) / California / Alaska [They both think it’s Florida and go 50/50: Alaska is the other option]

5k: Sports commentator who called his autobiography “Unless I’m very much mistaken”: Dan Maskell / (Murray Walker) / David Vine / David Coleman [They say that they don’t know anything about sport, Phone-A-Friend: Andrew Castle, says it’s Vine or Coleman, probably Coleman / Ask the Audience: 62% say David Coleman, 27% say Murray Walker / I think they’re all wrong, I’d definitely go for Murray Walker / Yup, it’s Walker]

Kate Garraway and Derek Draper leave with 1k

Next couple Kay Burley and Eamonn Holmes from Sky News / She was on a local paper in Wigan, came to prominence covering for Anne Diamond when she was on maternity leave / Holmes was on GMTV from when it began in 1993 then moved to Sky News to avoid early starts, and now presents Sunrise, THEIR Morning offering

They’re both playing for Macmillan Cancer Care

1k: Computing term referring to an online diary: (Blog) / Bluetooth / Burn / Browser

2k: Marilyn Monroe 1953 film: How to marry a (millionaire)

5k: PETER the Goatherd is a character in which classic children’s novel: The Secret Garden / (Heidi) / Tom Brown’s Schooldays / The Railway Children

REVISE: Classic children’s books: PETER the goatherd is in Heidi

10k: The mineral OLIVINE, often used for jewellery, is normally what colour: White / (Green) / Red / Purple

[26/03/2019 09:49] And that’s the end of the show

Kay Burley and Eamonn Holmes to carry on

WHO: From Challenge, Tue 26-Mar-2019 10pm

[27/03/2019 08:27] Mark Grogan carries on from yesterday’s show

8k: (Christopher Lee) played The Man with the Golden Gun in the James Bond film

16k: KERNOW is the Celtic name for which county: Cumbria / (Cornwall) / Cheshire / Cambridgeshire [Phone-A-Friend: tells us that ST PIRAN is patron saint of Cornwall, and the name of his son]

REVISE: Celtic and Roman names for places in the UK / Deva = Cheshire (check) and check names for Colchester and so on

32k: In 2003, which comedian stood for election as Chancellor of Oxford University: Jo Brand / Ruby Wax / Sandi Toksvig / Dawn French [50/50 leaves Ruby and Sandi / Sandi was my inkling, but I don’t know / Would I have known back then? It is SANDI TOKSVIG]

He doesn’t know, and Mark Grogan leaves with 16k

REVISE: SLEB Chancellors of universities, like St Andrews, Dundee / Sandi Toksvig stood for election as Chancellor of Oxford University in 2003

10 new contestants

FFF: Actors in the order the first portrayed Henry VIII on film or television

DACB gives us: Charles Laughton / Robert Shaw / Keith Michell / Ray Winstone

4/10 get it right, Lucy Parker is fastest in 2.72s WOW

Administrator from Stratford-on-Avon, a friend in the audience, husband Mike is at home with the 2 boys, and we see a photo of them – this is the kind of thing they did in 2004 / Orlando Bloom is her fantasy guy

500 quid: BRIDGE roll is a soft white roll [never heard of that]

1k: And pretty maids all in a row is the end of this nursery rhyme (Mary Mary Quite Contrary)

REVISE: LITTLE POLLY FLINDERS, was mentioned as a nursery rhyme with Mary Mary Quite Contrary, I don’t know how it goes

2k: An actuary is most likely to work in (Insurance) not education, agriculture or optics [Ask the Audience: 71% go right]

4k: football ground that is Scotland’s National Stadium: (Hampden Park)

REVISE: Smaller Scottish football teams and grounds, who plays at Fir Park? Easy ones: Pittodrie Aberdeen, Celtic Park, Ibrox [50/50 leaves Ibrox as well but she doesn’t know which it is / Phone-A-Friend: her dad, who knows it / she would have gone Ibrox]

8k: The grey squirrel was introduced to Britain from which continent: Africa / Australia / South America / (North America)

16k: TV character who drove a yellow vintage car called Bessie: Doctor Kildare / Doctor Quinn / Doctor Finlay / Doctor Who [I’d have gone Doctor Finlay, but I DON’T KNOW it / It’s DOCTOR WHO]

REVISE: Dr Who cars, BESSIE was a yellow vintage car, who drove it? And were there any other cars in the show?

32k: What does the F stand for in F Scott Fitzgerald: Francis / Frederick / Fidel / Ferdinand [Well, there’s something to knock your confidence: 3 in a row I didn’t know, up to and including 32k / I’d guess Francis, but I don’t know / It IS FRANCIS / she guessed Frederick and loses 15k]

Lucy Parker leaves with 1k

FFF: Parts of a play in the order they take place

DBAC gives us: Prologue / Act 1: Scene 2 / Act 2: Scene 1 / Epilogue

3/9 get it right, David Meyer is fastest in 3.64s

A pharmacist from Edinburgh, his stepson is with him / He plays poker and was last year’s European Poker Champion / A big win would pay for him to take part in the World Series in Las Vegas the following year

500 quid: (Solomon Grundy) was married on Wednesday

REVISE: The SOLOMON GRUNDY rhyme

1k: Liposuction is used to remove (fat)

[Chat about poker – he’s been playing for 6 years but would have liked to start earlier, it’s more of a young man’s game, this guy looks like he’s in his 40s]

2k: The market town of Ashford is in: (Kent) / Suffolk / Hampshire / Norfolk

4k: A traditional ingredient of Scotch broth: (Pearl Barley) not oats or rice

8k: Nationality of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: (Norwegian)

16k: GRACIE MANSION is the official residence of (Mayor of New York) not French President, Bishop of London or Italian prime minister [Ask the Audience: 66% get it right]

32k: King John of England was (brother) to Richard the Lionheart

Cheque says 23-10-04

64k: Main exhibit in the DUVEEN Gallery at the British Museum: Samurai armour / Elgin Marbles / Egyptian mummies / Porcelain [It’s the ELGIN MARBLES]

REVISE: Rooms at the British Museum, V&A, Science Museum / The Elgin Marbles are in the DUVEEN GALLERY

[27/03/2019 11:39] Back again

125k: Author who referred to cricketers as “flannelled fools” [Phone-A-Friend: a vicar who doesn’t know / 50/50 leaves Kipling and Hughes / I thought that it was KIPLING but probably wouldn’t have risked it]

REVISE: Kipling works, quotes, life, name of his residence / “Flannelled Fools” comes from his poem The Islanders

250k: A pop act that never included siblings: Bros / Sister Sledge / (Righteous Brothers) / Pointer Sisters [That’s an easy 250k question for me / he doesn’t know and all lifelines are gone]

David Meyer leaves with 125k

10 new contestants on this Saturday night, I didn’t make a note of where the join was between one show and the next – his shirt was blue throughout, but there must have been two different ones]

10 new contestants including Barry Simmons from West Yorkshire (who’s now on “Eggheads”) and 2 people from Hampshire, one of them called Paul Newman

FFF: Famous Welshmen in the order they were born

DCBA gives us: Owen Glendower / David Lloyd George / Tom Jones / Ryan Giggs

7/10 get it right (and Barry Simmons is NOT one of them) Nick Perkins is fastest in 3.42s

[27/03/2019 11:45] And that’s the end of the show

SLEB WHO: 27-Mar-2019 3am, Challenge, Holmes and Burley return

[27/03/2019 15:22] Aiming to get through this by 4pm

20k: (Tony Hawks) wrote about travels round Ireland with a fridge

50k: In 1970 Laurence Olivier was created Baron Olivier of: Bradford / Brighton / Brixham / Braintree [I’m pretty sure it’s Brighton, from a question on “Fifteen to One” / 50/50 leaves Brighton and Brixham / Ask the Audience: 54% Brighton, 46% Brixham / Phone-A-Friend: Kay Burley’s neighbour Michael, 95% sure it’s Brighton / they take an ad break / It is BRIGHTON]

REVISE: Lords and Ladies of places, Baroness Betty Boothroyd / Lord Olivier of Brighton was born in Dorking

75k: NOT one of the daughters in “The Waltons”: Erin / Elizabeth / SARAH-JO / Mary Ellen [I don’t know]

REVISE: The WALTONS, Erin, Elizabeth and Mary Ellen were all daughters / How many children were there?

Again, the date on the cheque is very deliberately covered up

150k: In 2005, won the baseball World Series for the first time since 1917: Florida Marlins / Pittsburgh Pirates / (Chicago White Sox) / Toronto Blue Jays [She had a hunch about that and she’s right]

250k: David Lloyd George, the Liberal prime minister, was born in which city: Bristol / Aberdeen / (Manchester) / Londonderry [They don’t know, he’d go Bristol, she’d go Londonderry, they don’t risk it]

Holmes and Burley leave with 150k

Next couple: Tricia Penrose and Jonathan Kerrigan from Heartbeat, never heard of them

She’s playing for Cinnamon Trust, they help the elderly and their dogs

She was Damon Grant’s 14 year old girlfriend, plays a barmaid in Heartbeat, came close to representing the UK in Eurovision in 2002

He was Mick in Byker Grove, and is playing for Sheffield Children’s Hospital

1k: (Des O’Connor) replaced Des Lynam as host of “Countdown”

She did Fame Academy and was beaten by Tara / He says he would rather be making music than being in Heartbeat, he has a company that does incidental music for TV and films

2k: Mark Philippoussis plays (tennis)

5k: (Eminem) released “The Slim Shady LP” in 1999

10k: Whitby and Scarborough are situated on the edge of which National Park: Snowdonia / (North York Moors) / Peak District / Exmoor

20k: Nationality of fashion designer Donna Karan: French / Australian / American / Russian [DKNY – so I guess she’s American / Phone-A-Friend: 76% say American / She is, Donna Karan is AMERICAN]

REVISE: Fashion, Donna Karan is AMERICAN

50k: Cartoonist who created “The Fosdyke Saga”: Bill Tidy / Ralph Steadman / Carl Giles / Reg Smythe [Phone-A-Friend thinks it’s Tidy or Smyth / 50/50, surprise surprise, gives us Tidy and Smythe / They gamble on BILL TIDY and it’s right]

REVISE: Cartoonists: Bill Tidy created the FOSDYKE SAGA, what did Carl Giles and Reg Smythe create? Anything of note by Ralph Steadman? Who did Fred Bassett? And Andy Capp? Check out those kind of things

75k: Wrote the script for 1981 film “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”: (Harold Pinter)

150k: Founder of King’s College Cambridge: (Henry VI) [He thought Edward VI, she thought Edward III but they don’t risk it]

[27/03/2019 15:46] Tricia Penrose and Jonathan Kerrigan leave with 75k and that’s the end of the show

SLEB WHO: 15-Mar-2019 0.00 to 1am on Challenge, Pat Cash and Annabel

[28/03/2019 16:04] Pat Cash and Annabel Giles continue, nearly 2 weeks after I saw their first show, when they got to 150k

250k: HENRY BEAUFORT, who became Chancellor of England in 1403 was half-brother of which king: Richard I / Charles II / William III / (Henry IV) [Easy from the date, the others are nowhere close / they don’t know and don’t risk it]

Pat and Annabel leave with 150k / The date line on the cheque is completely blank – we see it clearly

Next couple: Real-life couple of actors Alison Steadman, born in Liverpool, and Michael ELWYN, born in Pontypridd [I thought that Alison was married to Mike Leigh – just checked, they were married in the 1970s, separated in 1995 and divorced in 2001] / He’s been in The Bill, Crossroads, Midsomer Murders, and recently as Maid Marian in the 21st C update of Robin Hood

Charity: Theatre Company Haringey Shed

1k: A first name of one of Henry VIII’s wives: (Jane) Matilda Mary Eleanor

Haringey Shed: it’s a very special place, 30% of participants have additional needs, including severely disabled kids in wheelchairs, no auditions

2k: (Lee Mead) TV reality star who married Denise van Outen in 2009

5k: Not an initial letter of a US State: A (B) C D

10k: Prince William has a degree in which subject: French (Geography) Politics Mathematics [Ask the Audience: 72% get it right]

20k: Which country won the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest: Armenia / Norway / Croatia / Estonia [Phone-A-Friend thinks it’s Norway, so does he, they risk it and it IS NORWAY]

REVISE: Eurovision Song Contest winners, at the very least countries that have and haven’t won it: AZERBAIJAN have, Norway have, I’m not sure that Croatia have

50k: “Paneer” in an Indian restaurant is: cabbage / lamb / (cheese) / bread

REVISE: Indian food words, PANEER is cheese, check Sag and Aloo

75k: JESSICA KURTEN is a leading name in which sport: Golf / Athletics / SHOWJUMPING / Gymnastics [They guessed Gymnastics, I probably would have too but she’s a showjumper]

REVISE: Equestrians, JESSICA KURTEN is a showjumper

Next couple: Mike Reed and Robin Gibb, I caught a bit of this live but didn’t make notes / Mike Reed began on radio in CT’s home town of Reading / Co-hosted the last “Top of the Pops” / musicals, contemporary art, still on Radio Luxembourg / Bee Gees born in Isle of Man before emigrating to Australia, where their career began

Their charity: Shooting Star Children’s Hospice

1k: UTILITY, working and TOY are types of: horse / cat / (dog) / sheep [Rather a lot of discussion here, before they go 50/50 and are left with dog and sheep]

2k: Surname of the actress with the initials SJP: Price / (Parker) / Platt / Pagett [3rd question in a row that Robin Gibb doesn’t know, and neither does Reed / Ask the Audience: 97% get it right]

5k: A statue of which comedian stands near the former home of the Birmingham Blood Transfusion Service: Arthur Askey / Tony Hancock / Sid James / Kenneth Williams [Must be Hancock, and this is the first one they’ve been sure of]

REVISE: Statues and plaques, TONY HANCOCK was from Birmingham and there is a statue near the former home of the Birmingham Blood Transfusion Service

10k: Which club won the 2009 FA Cup: Arsenal / (Chelsea) / Liverpool / Manchester United [Made easy by the other answers, at this stage the most recent wins were Arsenal 2005, Liverpool 2006 and Man U 2004 / Phone-A-Friend: John Inverdale is 100% on it, they beat Everton]

20k: SIMON RIX and NICK BAINES are members of which band: Keane / Snow Patrol / The Arctic Monkeys / Kaiser Chiefs [No idea, I might have gone Keane, but it’s KAISER CHIEFS, never heard of those guys / they’ve gone Keane and lose 9k]

Mike Reed and Robin Gibb leave with 1k

[28/03/2019 16:35] And that’s the end of the show

REVISE: Members of Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Snow Patrol and The Arctic Monkeys, SIMON RIX and NICK BAINES are in Kaiser Chiefs

COUPLES WHO: 21-Mar-2019 10pm on Challenge 2-1-01, 4-1-01 [repeated Sat 4-May-2019 at 11pm]

[29/03/2019 10:20] I’ll go for 2 or more episodes on this Friday morning, all being well

10 new couples (not introduced to us)

FFF: From forehead down to chin, make-up items in order of where they are usually applied

CDAB gives us: eyebrow pencil / mascara / blusher / lipstick

5/10 get it right, Trudy and Andy are fastest in 5.8s

Trudy Palmer and partner Andy Hall from Chesterfield

[They use Ask the Audience on “Old School Tie”, about loyalties and values associated with British public schools – he thought it was “Old Academy Cap” / 93% get it right]

1k: 20,000th West End performance of this play in December 2000 (The Mousetrap) / Cats / Woman in Black / Art [They don’t know, they think it’s Cats and 50/50 leaves them with that and the right answer / Phone-A-Friend, her dad: He thinks it’s The Mousetrap]

2k: Raymond Blanc is best known as a (chef)

4k: Tannin would most likely be found in: vodka / milk / lemonade / (Red Wine) [He doesn’t know, she thinks it’s red wine and he says, a bit sulky, “Well you drink more wine than me”]

8k: Martina Navratilova was born in (Czechoslovakia) [He’s sure, she’s not and she’s trying to talk him out of it]

16k: NOT a flatfish: (mackerel) / Dover sole / Halibut / Plaice [She thought it was mackerel but they didn’t risk it]

Trudy and Andy leave with 8k

FFF: Months in alphabetical order

DBAC gives us: April / February / January / March

4/9 get it right, Laraine and Russell are fastest in 7.38s

She screams / They’ve been married for 30 years, from Sutton Coldfield in West Midlands / Later we learn that their retail business has been under threat for a long time because of planned re-development in Birmingham City Centre

500 quid: (Roger) means message received and understood [Why?]

REVISE: Why does (Roger) means message received and understood in radio communication?

1k: (City Desk) in a newspaper deals with financial news

2k: Portugal shares a land border with (Spain)

4k: Chipmunk is native to (North America) not Australia, Asia or Antarctica

8k: Means speaking quietly, in an undertone: Sub judice / Mea Culpa / Coup de grace / (Sotto Voce)

16k: In November 2000 (Leeds United) bought Rio Ferdinand for 18m, not Man U, Arsenal or Chelsea

32k: “Poussin” is: Lobster / (Chicken) / Mussels / Quail [Ask the Audience: 74% get it right, 19% for quail]

Cheque shows the date clearly: 2-1-01, made out to Laraine Thomas

64k: King of England who took part in the Third Crusade: William the Conqueror / (Richard the Lionheart) / Edward the Confessor / Ethelred the Unready [She does the rhyme, Willy Willy Harry Steve / Harry Dick John, they take a LONG TIME on this one before settling on the right answer]

125k: Comedy Duo that starred in “Way Out West”: Abbott and Costello / Three Stooges / Marx Brothers / (Laurel and Hardy) [They say No Idea, and use 50/50 before Phone-A-Friend, leaving them with A&C and L&H: Phone-A-Friend is 100% sure it’s Laurel and Hardy]

250k: American First Lady who wrote “It Takes a Village”: Rosalynn Carter / Nancy Reagan / Barbara Bush / (Hillary Clinton)

REVISE: First Ladies, ROSALYNN Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton / Hillary wrote “It Takes a Village”

The final cheque shows 4-1-01, and there’s been a change of clothing, they were in red and now they’re in blue, after an ad break

[29/03/2019 10:47] And that’s the end of the show

WHO: Fri 22-Mar-2019 10pm on Challenge

[29/03/2019 10:50] And on to the next one / I caught bits of both this one and the one immediately above here, last weekend, not taking notes

A new series, 10 new contestants

FFF: Events in SCOTTISH History in chronological order

CABD gives us: Hadrian’s Wall built / Battle of Bannockburn / Act of Union with England / Scottish Parliament opened

6/10 get it right, Charlie Gibbins is fastest in 4.07s

A Special Educational Needs teaching assistant from CRICK in Northamptonshire / Wife Michelle is there, FIVE kids at home, and she’d like more /

1k: A taverna is a traditional restaurant in (Greece) [He used Ask the Audience: 68% get it right, 16% go Italy, 8% France and Spain]

2k: (e-books) can be read online, not b-, c- or d-books

4k: In 2001 BEN was born to which “Coronation Street” couple: Maxine and Ashley / Emma and Norman / Janice and Les / Vera and Jack [it’s down to the first two / Phone-A-Friend: says NOTHING / the contestant has never seen the show / 50/50 leaves him with Janice and Les and EMMA AND NORMAN, so it’s them]

REVISE: children in Soap Operas, BEN was born to Emma & Norman in “Coronation Street” in 2001 / what news has there been in the last 5 years for births in “Eastenders”, “Emmerdale”, “Coronation Street” and the rest? I’m not up-to-date at all on any of these shows

8k: Appointed as Shadow Chancellor by Michael Howard in 2003: Theresa May / (Oliver Letwin) / Liam Fox / David Davis

16k: ALBERT PARK is the setting for which F1 Grand Prix: Italian / Australian / Malaysian / Canadian [NOPE, don’t know, and nor does he, might have guessed Canadian / It’s AUSTRALIAN]

REVISE: F1 settings, ALBERT PARK is in Australia /

REVISE: Other Australian sports venues, ALBERT PARK is used for F1

FFF: Words in order to form a common phrase

ADBC gives us: Finders Keepers Losers Weepers

4/9 get it right, Dan O’Mahoney was fastest in 5.1s

Works in IT / comes from WIMBORNE in Dorset / daughter Louise in the audience, his partner and her other daughter Michelle is a Phone-A-Friend / He travels all over the world with his work but doesn’t get to see much, and would use a million quid to give up work and travel around to show her the places he’s visited

1k: Nickname of former footballer Neil Ruddock (Razor)

2k: The Swinging 60s and the (Roaring) 20s

4k: Small green Jedi Master from “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”: Akhbar / Greedo / Jango / (Yoda) [Ask the Audience: 93% get it right]

REVISE: Star Wars characters including Jedi Masters – are there any more apart from YODA? Would a run-through of all the plotlines of all the movies be enough? WATCHING them all would take 12 hours or more and I still might not know what was going on

8k: Used by ENGLISH HERITAGE to mark homes of famous people in London: Green doors / Red stars / (Blue Plaques) / Gold doorsteps

16k: Hillary Clinton’s Memoir, published 2003: Living Truth / Living my life / Living with Bill / (Living History) [Phone-A-Friend: Bill in New York, “I don’t know” 50/50 leaves Living Truth as well / he takes his time, thinks it’s Living History, but doesn’t risk it]

Dan O’Mahoney leaves with 8k

REVISE: First Lady Memoirs, Hillary Clinton’s is LIVING HISTORY, check the name of Michelle Obama’s (Becoming) / Hillary also wrote “It takes a village”

8 contestants left

FFF: Famous traitors in the order they were born

ADBC gives us: Judas Iscariot / Guy Fawkes / Benedict Arnold / Kim Philby

1st AD / 1570 / 1741 / 1912

5/8 get it right, Graham Barker is fastest in 3.59s [I have notes on his follow-up, 26/03/2019 08:44, when he gets to 125k, this is from 9-10-2004]

A dentist from Widnes in Merseyside / Wife Deirdre is there, 2 kids Jessica and James, 25 years as a dentist, he’s cancelled today’s appointments without telling his patients why / he would like to visit all 50 US states

500 quid: Winner of 2004 series of “I’m a celebrity get me out of here”: Jennie Bond / Lord Brocket / KERRY MCFADDEN / Peter Andre [I might have known that back then, but from the look of it the series must have ended by October]

REVISE: “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” winners, years, contestants, scandals

1k: Wurzels #1 (Combine Harvester)

2k: Mongolia is in (Asia)

4k: Jack Charlton spent his entire playing career with (Leeds United) not West Ham, Carlisle or Sheffield United

8k: Flower that takes its name from the Latin word for wolf: Delphnium / Hollyhock / (Lupin) / Carnation

REVISE: Derivation of flower names, especially Delphnium / Hollyhock / Lupin (WOLF) / Carnation

16k: Play that features Blanche DuBois: A chorus of disapproval / The Rivals / Under Milk Wood / (A streetcar named desire)

32k: In October 2003 construction finished on the tallest building in the world, in which city: Tokyo / Beijing / Taipei / Bangkok [Ask the Audience: 33% Tokyo, 34% Beijing, 26% Taipei, 7% Bangkok, Phone-A-Friend: Carl in Liverpool says “Taipei, 100%”]

REVISE: Tallest buildings in the world, progress, and especially in the last 15 years / In October 2003 the world’s tallest building was in Taipei

[29/03/2019 11:23] And that’s the end of the show

WHO: Mon 25-Mar-2019, 1am on Challenge, from 19-10-00

[29/03/2019 11:25] A start on this one at least / Phil, out of sequence from the ones I’ve just seen

1k: First Gospel in the New Testament (Matthew) [Ask the Audience: 84% get it right, but he had said he was 99% sure it was]

2k: Profession of Members of BMA: (doctor) [Phone-A-Friend: 100% sure]

4k: Any natural satellite that orbits a planet: (Moon) / Asteroid / Comet / Meteor

8k: The bulldog in Tom and Jerry cartoons: (Spike)

16k: Musical instrument with which LEO Fender is most associated: (guitar)

32k: Ireland’s longest river: (Shannon) not Boyne, Liffey or Lee [50/50 leaves Liffey as well / He’s certain it’s Liffey but doesn’t want to risk it]

Phil leaves with 16k

9 contestants left

FFF: Countries in alphabetical order

CADB gives us: Yemen / Zaire / Zambia / Zimbabwe

[So, was Zaire still a country that recently?]

4/9 get it right, Matthew Stephenson is fastest in 6.37s

A project analyst from Wakefield / His dad Roger is in the audience / he’s 2nd cousin by marriage to Leo Sayer / Wife Christine is at home, 2 kids 7 and 11 months / Gave up half-marathons when beaten by a pantomime goose

REVISE: characters and actors in Auf Wiedersehen Pet (Jimmy Nail and others)

REVISE: famous hairdressers, Vidal Sassoon and others

1k: Himalayas are in (Asia)

2k: Bill Clinton’s daughter: (Chelsea)

4k: (Limbo) the dance where people pass under a bar while leaning backwards

8k: Actress in Beaches, Outrageous Fortune and First Wives Club (Bette Midler) not Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton or Barbara Hershey [50/50 leaves Barbara Hershey, as expected, because she’s in Beaches]

16k: Stevie Nicks is most associated with (Fleetwood Mac) not Blondie, Siouxsie and the Banshees or The Pretenders

32k: Haile Selassie was ruler of (Ethiopia) [Ask the Audience: 77% get it right, 10% go Uganda]

Cheque shows Matthew Stephenson 19-10-00

64k: The name for the tiny raised bumps of rubber on the surface of a table tennis bat: PIMPLES / Nubbles / Dapples / Speckles [He thinks it’s pimples, Phone-A-Friend thinks so too, I’d have gone for Nubbles and got it wrong]

REVISE: PIMPLES are the tiny raised bumps of rubber on the surface of a table tennis bat

125k: Thorny tree that produces red fruits called “haws”: (May) / Lilac / Acacia / Rowan [He hasn’t got a clue, doesn’t risk it]

Matthew Stephenson leaves with 64k

FFF: British titles in order starting with HIGHEST

DABC gives us: Duke / Earl / Viscount / Baron

That was a guess from me, wasn’t 100% sure

1/8 got it right, Steve Wayland in 9.52s

REVISE: Order of titles: Duke / Earl / Viscount / Baron is correct, but what goes in between them?

A plumber from Rochester in Kent, daughter Carla is in the audience, wife, son and grandkids are at home / He’s a big fan of “The Simpsons”, Homer is his role model / He’s only ever won one thing before – a bit of meat in a pub raffle

1k: IT stands for (Information Technology)

We’re onto a different show in the original broadcasts – his shirt is either the same or very similar, but his daughter has changed from a red top to a purple one

2k: The CN Tower is in this Canadian city: Vancouver / Montreal / Toronto / Ottawa [Ask the Audience: 79% go TORONTO]

REVISE: I wrote it within the last 30 minutes, but it’s the same: tall towers, the CN Tower is in TORONTO

4k: (Jason Donovan) sang with Kylie Minogue on “Especially for you”

8k: Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football ground is in: Aberdeen / (Glasgow) / Dundee / Edinburgh

16k: G in MGM stands for (Goldwyn)

32k: Charles Lindbergh’s first nonstop transatlantic flight was between: Toronto and Stockholm / Chicago and London / St Louis and Dublin / (New York and Paris) [He thinks it’s one of the last two, and 50/50 leaves him with those two, he knows the plane was Spirit of St Louis and wants to go for St Louis and Dublin / He does, and loses 15k]

Steve Wayland leaves with 1k

REVISE: Charles Lindbergh’s first nonstop transatlantic flight was between New York and Paris

10 new contestants including Rob Parker from Cambridgeshire, Sue Riley from Surrey, Keith Hubbard from Leicestershire

FFF: Explorers in the order they were born

DBCA gives us: Marco Polo / Christopher Columbus / David Livingstone / Robert Falcon Scott

1254, 1451, 1813, 1868

5/10 get it right, Duncan is fastest in 5.08s

A Helicopter instructor from Brentwood / sister Gillian is in the audience / he wants to go scuba diving with Anna Kournikova

1k: TE Lawrence was known as Lawrence of (Arabia)

2k: European country in which over half the population live on reclaimed land: (Netherlands) not Luxembourg, Belgium or Luxembourg

4k: Anthropologist studies (Human Beings)

[29/03/2019 11:57] And that’s the end of the show, 3 hours cleared in under 100 minutes / There are FOUR episodes left, all from the last 2 days

WHO: Wed 27-Mar-2019 10pm on Challenge, no cheques on view, sometime in 11-2004

[30/03/2019 21:37] First quizzing of the day

Nick Perkins part-time DJ from CANNOCK in Staffordshire, sister Lucinda is in the audience, we saw him win fastest finger first but haven’t had any questions yet

1k: Curved instrument used for pruning and chopping: (Billhook) not Ben, Brian or Bob [He uses Ask the Audience on this one: 71% get it right]

2k: Sister Wendy became famous on TV as an expert on (Art) [50/50 leaves him with gardening too] [She was Sister Wendy BECKETT]

4k: City known as KOSKVA in its original language: (Moscow) not Messina, Madrid or Muscat

8k: A traditional name for a clown: Jacky (Joey) Johnny Jimmy [Named after JOSEPH GRIMALDI, one of the first great clowns]

16k: “The Black Spot” is a chapter in which classic novel: Robinson Crusoe / Kidnapped / (Treasure Island) / Moonfleet

REVISE: Classic children’s literature, The BLACK SPOT is in Treasure Island, possibly the name of the pub, check characters, plotlines, also Kidnapped and Moonfleet

32k: What is the main protein found in milk and cheese: (Casein) / Gluten / Keratin / Collagen [He’s gone wrong, on Gluten, and loses 15k]

Nick Perkins leaves with 1k

REVISE: What are Keratin and Collagen, exactly? CASEIN is the main protein found in milk and cheese

FFF: Lloyd Webber musicals in order

I went wrong with ACBD: Jesus Christ Superstar / Evita / The Beautiful Game / Sunset Boulevard

It should be ACDB for: Jesus Christ Superstar / Evita / Sunset Boulevard / The Beautiful Game

First staged: 71, 78, 93, 00

2/9 get it right, and again Barry from “Eggheads” isn’t one of them, Jennifer Taylor is fastest in 4.48s

A civil servant from Portsmouth Hampshire / boyfriend Matthew is in the audience, they met doing martial arts (NINJUTSU)

1k: Christmas Carol, complete the line: “While shepherds watched their flocks by night all seated …“ (On the ground) [Ask the Audience: 83% get it right]

2k: Most likely to perform a suture: (Surgeon)

4k: Style of hair where it’s braided into parallel plaits (Corn Rows) not potato, rice or wheat [She uses 50/50 and is left with Wheat Rows too]

8k: Shakespearean character who kills his wife: Hamlet / King Lear / (Othello) / Julius Caesar

16k: pp at the end of a letter, written with the signature, stands for: Pro patria / (Per pro) / Pre populus / Post pace [Phone-A-Friend: isn’t sure and just about runs out of time before saying “it’s the pro something” / she goes for it]

32k: West Midlands region known as the capital of the Black Country: Dudley / Sutton Coldfield / Sandwell / Wolverhampton [NO idea, could be anything / she takes the money / DUDLEY is generally regarded as the capital]

Jennifer Taylor leaves with 16k

We now have 10 new contestants, so it looks like Barry the Egghead didn’t get on that time, or we’re getting shows completely out of sequence

FFF: Words in the order they appear in a famous phrase which uses all the letters of the alphabet

DBCA gives us: Quick / Fox / Lazy / Dog

Only 3/10 get it right, Gary Alexander is fastest in 3.91s

A hospital orderly from Salisbury in Wiltshire, middle daughter Katie is in the audience, has just got engaged, youngest daughter is 6, and is in Rhyl with his wife

1k: Chef who featured in ITV reality show “Hell’s Kitchen”: (Gordon Ramsay)

2k: Notorious for felling trees using its large teeth: Badger / Baboon / Bison / (Beaver)

[30/03/2019 22:08] And that’s the end of the show

WHO: Thu 28-Mar-2019 10pm on Challenge, 6-11-04

[30/03/2019 22:11] Continuing straight on with Gary Alexander from Salisbury, who did time in the British Army and the Foreign Legion and says he is “trying to get his karma back in balance” / Maybe he did some heavy stuff

Everyone is wearing very carefully positioned poppies – looks like they’ve been measured precisely

4k: 1985 best-selling single The Power of Love was by Jennifer (Rush)

8k: Reno, “The biggest little city in the world” is in (Nevada)

16k: The name of the butcher in the traditional card game Happy Families: Mr Hook / Mr Lamb / Mr Cleaver / Mr Bones [Ask the Audience: 45% Bones, 29% Lamb 22% Cleaver only 4% Hook / 50/50 leaves Bones and Cleaver / It is BONES]

REVISE: Happy Families characters – haven’t seen these for DECADES / Mr BONES is the butcher

32k: Who wrote the play “The Dumb Waiter”: Tom Stoppard / (Harold Pinter) / Arthur Miller / Tennessee Williams [Phone-A-Friend: his brother, who has an MA in literature, he’s 100% sure]

Cheque shows 6-11-04

64k: HALL GREEN and BROUGH PARK are venues most associated with: Horse Racing / Cricket / Greyhound Racing / Golf [By elimination I’d say it’s GREYHOUND RACING, and it is]

REVISE: Greyhound racing venues including Hall Green and Brough Park

125k: Harold Holt, who disappeared in 1967, was the prime minister of which Commonwealth country: (Australia) / Bahamas / Jamaica / St Lucia

250k: As what was Ford Madox Brown most famous: Engineer / Composer / (Painter) / Scientist [He doesn’t know and doesn’t risk it, he thinks it’s engineer]

Gary Alexander leaves with 125k

REVISE: Ford Madox Brown paintings and Ford Madox FORD works, and was there any relationship between them – was the MADOX bit significant?

FFF: Major British sporting venues from North to south

BDAC gives us: Gleneagles / Old Trafford / Trent Bridge / Hickstead

[Hickstead is in Sussex]

6/9 get it right, Matt Curtis is fastest in 3.59s

A Police Constable from Northampton / his sister is in the audience

1k: (Short Fuse) someone who loses their temper quickly

2k: Gateshead stands on the south bank of which river: Thames / Tamar / (Tyne) / Tees [Ask the Audience: 86% get it right]

REVISE: Rivers, check that TAMAR is in Cornwall, Gateshead is on the south side of the TYNE

4k: Footballer named PFA Player of the Year in 2004: Alan Shearer / Jay-Jay Okocha / Frank Lampard / (Thierry Henry)

REVISE: Recent PFA Players of the Year, and history, Henry won it 2 years running, anyone else?

8k: Oswald Boateng is a famous name in: Cookery / (Fashion) / Music / Sport [He doesn’t have a clue, goes 50/50 and is left with Sport as well / Phone-A-Friend doesn’t know, thinks it might be sport, he goes for it and loses 3k]

Matt Curtis leaves with 1k

FFF: Country music stars in the order they were born

CADB gives us: Patsy Cline / Dolly Parton / Shania Twain / LeAnn Rimes

Only 1/8 got it right, Alan Totten in 4.2s

An electronic assembler from Motherwell in NORTH LANARKSHIRE / Wife Hazel is in the audience, their LURCHER (a dog, I think) is at home with her mum

1k: (Guru) is a leading authority in a particular field, not gaucho or other g-words

2k: Sadie King in “Emmerdale” is played by: Sadie Frost / (Patsy Kensit) / Billie Piper / Anna Friel

REVISE: Patsy Kensit’s career, “Emmerdale” and other shows / She played SADIE KING in “Emmerdale”

4k: In the financial abbreviation ERM, E stands for: Economy / European / (Exchange) / Exchequer

Here’s a new show from the original broadcasts, he was wearing a greyish shirt, now it’s brown

8k: The city of MONS is in which country: Netherlands / Denmark / Belgium / Spain [I don’t know, I’d guess Belgium / Ask the Audience: 73% go for Belgium]

REVISE: BeNeLux places, MONS is in Belgium, and so is DUFFEL

16k: In Germany a RATHAUS is: Cathedral / Hospital / (Town Hall) / Police Station [Phone-A-Friend: doesn’t know / 50/50 leaves Police Station and Town Hall, he thought it was town hall before he used Phone-A-Friend, but doesn’t risk it]

Alan Totten leaves with 8k

10 new contestants

FFF: Events in the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger in order

DBAC gives us: Joins Austrian army / Wins Mr Universe / Stars in the Terminator / Becomes Governor of California

Years: 65 / 67 / 84 / 03

6/10 get it right, Philip Brough is fastest in 4.01s

A lecturer from Carshalton in Surrey, with a pony-tail / wife Alice is in the audience, married in a civic ceremony followed by a pagan wedding, 2 kids Monica and Camilla / He likes Vikings and they had a Norwegian lord bind their hands with Thor’s hammer and then they drank mead from a horn

[30/03/2019 22:47] And that’s the end of the show, another one bites the dust

OLD WHO: Sat 30-Mar-2019 on Challenge, 11pm is a repeat of Ceri Andrews on Thu 28-Feb-2019, from 26-2-01 / and the midnight and 1am were also repeats, Jo Blacker and Liz Richards

[30/03/2019 23:10] It’s recording anyway, but I know I won’t have to watch it through again. And that’s all for now folks