WWTBAM Prep, Part 25 (4-Jun-2019 to 20-Jun-2019)
Notes taken while watching the UK edition of WWTBAM, May 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: 4-Jun-2019 to 20-Jun-2019 . [7,369 words in this piece.]
SLEB WHO: teens and grown-ups, from Sun 2-Jun-2019, 10pm on Challenge, “School’s Out”
[04/06/2019 23:20] I have caught bits of this since Sunday, it’s in 2 recordings on the New Hard Disk Recorder / Time to go through it
1st Pair: Steve Redgrave and son Zak
500 quid: musical of (Chariots of Fire) in time for London Olympics
REVISE: Check out the Chariots of Fire musical from around 2012, it passed me
1k: (Upgrade) in hotel or on flight
2k: RED flag on British beach (No swimming), silly alternatives like no ice cream, deckchairs or sandcastles
5k: Will, Simon, Jay and Neil are 6th-formers in (The Inbetweeners)
REVISE: The 6th-formers in The Inbetweeners are Will, Simon, Jay and Neil
10k: Venn diagram is composed of (circles)
20k: The only English county to have 2 completely separate coastlines: (Devon) [Ask the Audience: 55% get it right, 29% go for Kent]
50k: The world’s oldest monarchy currently in existence: Denmark / Monaco / JAPAN / Saudi Arabia [50/50 leaves Denmark and Japan / Phone-A-Friend: the head of the boy Zak’s school, Anthony – familiar face (they have photos in this series), he’s been on “Desert Island Discs” I think [Was he head of Marlborough?] – and says “It could be either” / they take the money]
Steve Redgrave and son Zak leave with 20k
2nd Pair: Kelvin Fletcher from “Emmerdale” and his brother Brayden, who’s 15 / “Emmerdale” celebrated its 40th birthday that year, he joined aged 12 [Kelvin would become very familiar to us later on “Strictly Come Dancing”]
1k: No Likey, No Lighty is a catchphrase from (Take me out)
2k: (Paper Clip) icon to attach files to email
5k: (Insomnia) is medical term for inability to sleep
10k: Earth wire in standard UK 13-amp plug is (green and yellow) [Ask the Audience: 64% get it right] [Brown is live]
20k: MERCHANDISE 7X is code name for exact formula of this, since its invention in 1886: (Coca-Cola) / Branston Pickle / Pimms / Heinz tomato ketchup [Phone-A-Friend: would go for Coca-Cola / I think it’s that]
REVISE: Merchandise 7X is the secret formula for Coca-Cola, since its invention in 1886
50k: According to the UN, approximately how many different spoken languages are there in the world: 70 / 700 / 7000 / 70,000 [50/50 leaves 700 and 7,000, it must be 7,000, and it is / they don’t risk it]
Kelvin from “Emmerdale” and his brother leave with 20k / they’ve got the Viewer Pot again, I’m always confused by these new-fangled things
3rd Pair: Dermot Murnaghan and his daughter Molly, 15, 2nd oldest, she’s watched every episode of “Friends”
1k: (Builder’s) Tea is very strong tea
2k: Very hungry (Caterpillar) revealed to be the most read children’s book in a survey
5k: (Dragons) is Welsh Rugby team’s nickname
10k: LED = Light emitting (Diode)
20k: Great feat of human endeavour announced on day of the Queen’s coronation (Conquest of Everest)
50k: With an average male height of 6 feet, who are the world’s tallest people: (Dutch) / Scots / Americans / Swedes [Phone-A-Friend: Pat Gibson, from “Eggheads”, he thinks it’s the Dutch / 50/50 leaves Dutch and Americans / It’s DUTCH, which I knew]
And the Klaxon goes, that’s the end of the show, and they’re not coming back
[04/06/2019 23:54] And I’m done, with both recordings
OLD WHO: Wed 5-Jun-2019, 10pm was a repeat of Sun 19-May-2019, 2am,
[06/06/2019 11:25] I’ve just spent 10 minutes forwarding through it, and making some notes on the things I wanted to revise.
OLD WHO: Thu 6-Jun-2019 10pm is a repeat of 19-May-2019 2am, 16-9-06 and 23-9-06, Ingram Wilcox wins 1m
[06/06/2019 23:30] I’ve already made notes on this one
OLD WHO: Sat 8-Jun-2019, 11pm on Challenge [Repeated Fri 21-Jun-2019 at 10pm]
[09/06/2019 07:56] Mike Hawes from Braintree in Essex is back on 300 quid / Wife Judy is a nurse, married 29 years
1k: Bell-bottomed trousers worn by (Sailor)
2k: Bobby Crush plays (Piano) [Ask the Audience: 83% get it right]
4k: CGI stands for Computer Generated (Imagery) [50/50 left him with Infinity as well]
8k: First name of painter Landseer (Edwin) [Phone-A-Friend: “I couldn’t give an answer mate” / He wants to go for Edwin and does]
16k: First venue to host two Winter Olympic Games: Albertville / Oslo / St Moritz / Lake Placid [Good question, and my prep hasn’t made me ready for this one / He goes for Oslo, which I know is wrong, it’s ST MORITZ 1928 and 1948]
REVISE: FIRST venue to host two Winter Olympic Games, ST MORITZ 1928 and 1948
10 new contestants: James Thurstan, Kim Henser, Chris Elliott, Dave Genner, Mo Libby, Mark Conway, Tommy Davies, Tori Bennett, Paul Dawson, Jeremy Rowe
FFF: Actors in order they first played Batman on film
CDBA gives us: Michael Keaton / Val Kilmer / George Clooney / Christian Bale
[I had to think about Kilmer & Clooney, they’re 95 and 97 / Bale was 05]
Only 1/10 gets it right, James Thurstan in 4.77s
From Blacko in Lancashire, was in army for 5 years, then a series of driving jobs / is now a postie / partner Tracy in the audience, 18 month old baby at home / 2 cats, a dog, fish, they want to move to a bigger place / he applied for the show just once
1k: (Conclave) is where cardinals elect a Pope [Ask the Audience: 76% get it right]
2k: “You’re fired” is the TV catchphrase of (Alan Sugar)
4k: Wife of David Cameron (Samantha) [Phone-A-Friend: his uncle Chris, doesn’t know, doesn’t have time to give an answer after asking him to repeat the question / 50/50 leaves Miranda as well]
8k: Marchmont and Portobello are areas of which city: Durham / Edinburgh / Gloucester / Norwich [I think it’s Edinburgh, not sure, and it is: EDINBURGH]
REVISE: Marchmont and Portobello are areas of Edinburgh
16k: Who is reputed to have said “A desperate disease required a dangerous remedy”? Walter Raleigh / Queen Elizabeth I / Oliver Cromwell / Guy Fawkes [Tough one for 16k, I’d guess Guy Fawkes / he doesn’t risk it / It is GUY FAWKES]
REVISE: Guy Fawkes quote: “A desperate disease required a dangerous remedy”
FFF: Members of a famous band in alphabetical order of surname
BACD gives us: Mickey Dolenz / Davy Jones / Mike Nesmith / Peter Tork
7/9 get it right, Chris Elliott is fastest in 3.43s
From Wellingborough in Northamptonshire / MD of his own marketing and communications business / events, presentations, websites for other companies / wife in the audience, married for 1 year, they were both married before, 3 young children between them, they knew each other in the 80s / he hadn’t travelled outside Britain till his 40s, he says has some catching up to do
1k: (Hilda Ogden) in “Coronation Street” was famous for wearing hair curlers
[Chat about spending money on building work, buying everyone in the family a bike, and about how he and his wife play PlayStation games together, including up to 2am on the day their 4 year old Evie was born]
2k: Calvados apple brandy is usually produced in: US / Germany / (France) / Ireland [Ask the Audience: 68% get it right]
4k: South Bank Polytechnic, which became a university in 1992 is in (London) [50/50 leaves Birmingham too
[09/06/2019 08:22] And that’s the end of the show
OLD WHO: Sat/Sun 8/9-June-2019, midnight [repeated Mon 24-Jun-2019, 10pm]
[09/06/2019 08:23] Straight on with the next one, James Thurstan is back on 4k
8k: (Eric Idle) adapted Monty Python and the Holy Grail for the musical Spamalot [He’s confident that it’s Terry Jones and he loses 3k]
James Thurstan leaves with 1k
10 new contestants: Rosalie Rossi, Kenny Owens, Tracey Vann, Gary Dermody, Gordon Galliford, Anita Twiddy, Tony Smallridge, Paddy Moore, Jane Fisher
FFF: Words of a charity in the right order
CDBA gives us: Royal / Society / Protection / Birds
9/10 get it right, Anita Twiddy is fastest in 2.09s
A part-time accountant from Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire / husband John in the audience / she went part-time when she had 2 kids / They are moving house soon / She loves to sing, would use money to record her voice in a proper studio
1k: Sacha Distell was (French)
[Keen on cricket, never played, used to score when her dad played, has done the MCC umpiring course / also likes Meat Loaf]
2k: (Rake) is the slope of a stage in the theatre [I thought it was the slope of the auditorium, not the stage, but that’s what they’re getting at]
4k: Georgette Heyer was best known for her romances set in this period: 1920s / World War II / The Dark Ages / (Regency) [She’s never heard of her / Ask the Audience: 63% get it right]
[More chat about singing around the house, to Barcelona by Mercury and Caballe, and about learning the double bass]
8k: Katherine Hepburn’s character in The African Queen: Amanda Bonner / Susan Vance / Tess Harding / (Rose Sayer) [I looked this up earlier this year, but am not sure about it / Could it be Amanda? No, I think it’s Rose / Phone-A-Friend: doesn’t know, no guess / 50/50 leaves Rose and Tess and she guesses right]
REVISE: Katherine Hepburn’s character in The African Queen: Rose Sayer
16k: South American country named after a person: Argentina / (Colombia) / Ecuador / Paraguay [After some minutes she finally goes for it]
32k: The Grand Old Duke of York in the nursery rhyme was the son of which monarch: Henry VIII / William I / Victoria / (George III) [If it had been other Georges I might not have been sure, but the other choices make it easy]
Anita Twiddy leaves with 16k
[09/06/2019 08:42] 1:31 into this recording, 46 minutes of watching, and over a thousand words of new text
[16/06/2019 20:56] Okay, this one has been sat on the hard drive for over a week, time to clear it
FFF: British Towns in order from south to north
I went wrong with DBAC: King’s Lynn / Kettering / Kendal / Kilmarnock
It should be BDAC: Kettering / King’s Lynn / Kendal / Kilmarnock
King’s Lynn is further north than Kettering
6/9 get it right, Gordon Galliford is fastest in 4.47s
Single, no kids, living with his parents / From Newport “in Gwent” but county and national borders are a bit of a bone of contention with him – the Welsh don’t want them, the English don’t know about them / Admin in a major car showroom and garage / his mate of 15 years is in the audience / a big win and he’d get a place of his own
1k: (Mature) student, someone who returns to education some years after leaving school
2k: A light pastry cake (Viennese whirl)
4k: A growth on an oak tree: (oak apple) / oak peach / oak cherry / oak orange
REVISE: What exactly is an Oak Apple?
8k: Mother of actress Rachael Stirling (Diana Rigg)
16k: A word like Motel or Brunch, combines the meaning of two others (Portmanteau word) [he uses 50/50 and is left with Portcullis word as well]
[He’s in a different shirt now so this is a new show from the original broadcasts]
32k: A greatest hits album by this band was the first to be given a platinum classification by the Recording Industry Association of America: Chicago / Eagles / Supertramp / Doors [I think it would be the Eagles / Ask the Audience: 75% for Eagles too, I’m impressed by that / Phone-A-Friend: would guess Eagles, he goes for it eventually, and it’s the right answer: EAGLES]
Once again, no date on the cheque: it looks blank and it’s completely covered up by Tarrant’s thumb
64k: “At the castle gate” is the signature tune to which TV series? “Mastermind” / The Sky at Night / “Question Time” / Newsnight [I’d guess the Sky at Night, especially at this phase, a 64k question in the old format / He guesses Newsnight / It’s The SKY AT NIGHT / I didn’t think “Question Time” or Newsnight would have a theme with an actual name, and “Mastermind” is “Approaching Menace”]
REVISE: “At the castle gate” is the signature tune to The Sky at Night
Gordon Galliford leaves with 32k
[16/06/2019 21:12] And that’s the end of that one
OLD WHO: Sun 9-June-2019, 1am [repeated Mon 24-Jun-2019, 11pm]
[16/06/2019 21:13] Straight on with the next one
10 new contestants: Andrew Tait, Frances Richardson, Gary Dermody, Peter Brook, Alex Campbell, Mark James, Robert Dilger, Mick Dolan, Peter Scott, Steve Kermode
FFF: Words in the right order for a family relation
DABC gives us: Second Cousin Once Removed
7/10 get it right, Mark James is fastest in 3.63s
Single, works in a complaints department at BT / “No baggage”, “his words not mine, ladies” / A mate Paul in the audience, who won 16k recently, and Mark was a Phone-A-Friend for him / 3 godchildren, nieces and nephews
500 quid: he uses 50/50 on a question about “Pecs”, “where are the muscles known as ‘pecs’?” and is left with stomach and (chest)
1k: A BROADLOOM Is a piece of household furnishing: Chair / Curtain / Cupboard / Carpet [Literally never heard of this / he’s using Ask the Audience, and so would I: 74% go for carpet, 20% say chair / It’s CARPET]
REVISE: A broadloom is a carpet [It seems obvious now, in August 2021]
2k: Gujarati is mainly spoken in this Asian country: China (India) Mongolia Vietnam
4k: Former “EastEnders” actress, was a bridesmaid at Liza Minnelli’s wedding in 2002: MARTINE MCCUTCHEON / Michelle Collins / Anita Dobson / Danniella Westrbook [Bloody hell, that’s another tough one / He’s going for Martine and he’s right]
REVISE: MARTINE MCCUTCHEON was a bridesmaid at Liza Minnelli’s wedding in 2002
8k: Evil sorcerer Rothbart and his daughter Odile feature in this ballet: Nutcracker / (Swan Lake) / The Firebird / Petrushka [Phone-A-Friend: would guess Swan Lake, but not sure / he doesn’t risk it]
REVISE: Evil sorcerer ROTHBART and his daughter Odile feature in Swan Lake
Mark James leaves with 4k
FFF: Start in the Caribbean and work east, put these international sporting teams in order
DBCA gives us: Reggae Boyz / Lions / Springboks /All Blacks
7/9 get it right, Peter Brook is fastest in 4.23s
From Darrington in West Yorkshire / runs his own business designing and building aerial timber decking for gardens / wife Kate of 26 years, at home, daughter Sophie is in the audience, and she has been his PA for 3 years / 2 farm-houses, the daughter lives in one, he’d like to thatch them and turn them into one big house
1k: “Call”, “raise” and “fold” are words most associated with this card game (Poker)
[He designed the 2nd deck and pool for Big Brother, at Elstree, which is where “Who wants to be a millionaire?” is recorded]
2k: (Sodium Fluoride) is added to the water supply to help reduce tooth decay
[He is a keen amateur guitarist, plays classic 70s rock like Thin Lizzy and Free]
4k: KURT GEIGER is most associated with which fashion accessories: Hats / Scarves / SHOES / Jewellery [Nope, I don’t know this one / Ask the Audience: 78% say shoes]
REVISE: KURT GEIGER is most associated with SHOES
8k: In a classic TV sketch, Morecambe and Wise prepared breakfast to this piece of music: (The Stripper)
16k: Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge at SALTASH spans which river: Tees / Tweed / Tyne / TAMAR [It’s in the south east]
REVISE: Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge at SALTASH spans the River Tamar
32k: American actor who gives his name to an airport in Orange County California: Clark Gable / Gary Cooper / Spencer Tracy / John Wayne [Bloody hell, either my brain’s turned to mush or these questions are really difficult / that’s 3 in a row I don’t know, and that’s RARE / Phone-A-Friend: She’s 100% that it’s John Wayne] [Used to be called Orange County Airport, now it’s named after the Duke]
REVISE: Airport names, Orange County Airport California now named after JOHN WAYNE
Once again, no date on the cheque
64k: Gaynor Hopkins is the real name of: Kiki Dee / Cerys Matthews / Sheena Easton / (Bonnie Tyler) [At last, there’s something I know / 50/50 leaves him with Cerys too / Kiki Dee’s real name is Pauline Matthews]
125k: Author who became Mrs William Heelis when she married in 1913: Beatrix Potter / Virginia Woolf / Enid Blyton / Agatha Christie [I think it’s Beatrix Potter, the only one I can definitely eliminate is Virginia Woolf / he thinks it’s Enid but doesn’t risk it / It is BEATRIX POTTER]
Peter Brook leaves with 64k
REVISE: Marriages and dates of these authors: Beatrix Potter / Virginia Woolf / Enid Blyton / Agatha Christie / BEATRIX POTTER became Mrs William Heelis when she married in 1913
10 new contestants but we didn’t see them wave: Tony Muir, Jonathan Pash, Mark Dyer, Phil Martin, Alex Campbell, David McAloone, Martin George, Paddy Moore, Adam Tipping, David Evans
FFF: Joints of the body in order from highest to lowest
DBCA gives us: Shoulder / Hip / Knee / Ankle
5/10 get it right (as far as I can see – the subtitles covered some of the names) Phil Martin is fastest in in 2.98s
[16/06/2019 21:48] And that’s the end of the show, before we see even one question
OLD WHO: Sun 9-June-2019, 2am [repeated Tue 25-Jun-2019, 10pm]
[16/06/2019 21:50] And straight on with the next one, Phil Martin about to face his first question
A computer programmer from Mangotsfield near Bristol, originally from Cleethorpes, moved to marry Catherine / she’s in the audience, 3 year old with the grandparents / they met when she was playing a big bass drum and he was training a brass band / He set up Novo to teach children movement and dance
1k: Pewter is a shade of (grey) [Ask the Audience: 85% get it right]
2k: A diamond-shaped fish: Cod / Mackerel / Salmon/ (Skate)
4k: Fashion Designer Karl Lagerfeld was born in: Belgium / Denmark / Netherlands / Germany [I don’t know and I should, he died this year / 50/50 leaves Denmark and Germany / Phone-A-Friend would guess Germany, he doesn’t risk it / It is Germany]
Phil Martin leaves with 2k
REVISE: Fashion designers, Karl Lagerfeld, born 1933 Hamburg, died 2019 Paris, creative director for Chanel, also designed for Fendi / His cat, hugely indulged, was called Choupette
FFF: Start with most, vehicles in order of how mnay wheels they usually have:
BCAD gives us: Quad bike / Tricycle / bicycle / Unicycle
6/9 get it right, Paddy Moore is fastest in 3.60s
[16/06/2019 22:02] That’s the end of that recording, and it continues with another recording for the last bit of this show / I’m now recording the live Sunday night shows, and I’ll take a break before watching the rest of this show
[16/06/2019 22:13] Paddy Moore, from Glengormley in Antrim / an employment law consultant / wife Pauline at home with 6 year old daughter, they’ve been married 20 years / His lifelong mate Paul is in the audience
1k: nursery rhyme that features silver bells (Mary Mary Quite Contrary)
2k: A well-known phrase: Poacher turned (gamekeeper)
4k: A US President in the 19th century: (James Madison) not Jesse James, James Last or Henry James
8k: the island of St Helena belongs to: France / Australia / USA / Great Britain [I think it’s GB / Phone-A-Friend: He’s sure it’s Britain, and he’s right]
[He’s in a different shirt, so this is a different show from the original broadcasts]
16k: THE ASIAN HARLEQUIN, which threatens native British species, is what kind of insect? Wasp / Ant / LADYBIRD / Butterfly [I’d guess wasp, but 50/50 leaves Ant and Ladybird / Ask the Audience: 74% go ladybird]
REVISE: Insects: The ASIAN HARLEQUIN, which threatens native British species, is a LADYBIRD
32k: The first name of Tom Selleck’s character in the TV series “Magnum PI”: Terence / THOMAS / Timothy / Tony [He doesn’t risk it]
Paddy Moore leaves with 16k
REVISE: TV Cops, the first name of Tom Selleck’s character in “Magnum PI”: THOMAS
10 new contestants: Clare Wadsworth, Peter Thompson, Graham Bell, Frank Hanson, Avis Newell, David Evans, Tania Bradshaw, Eric Sandelands, Peter Scott, Stuart Gray
FFF: Start at the head and work down, conditions in order of body part affected
BDCA gives us: Conjunctivitis / Tonsilitis / Lumbago / Athlete’s Foot
5/10 get it right, Peter Thompson is fastest in 3.64s
From Burnage in Greater Manchester / Was a customer adviser for the Post Office, has taken voluntary redundancy after 20 years / married for 11 years, one child, she’s just started work as a driving instructor / A mate in the audience he’s known since he was 11 / Wants a bigger house with a bigger garden for 2 Great Danes [not sure if they’ve got the Great Danes or not]
1k: Smallville is the childhood home of which superhero (Superman) [Ask the Audience: 91% get it right]
2k: Basmati Rice comes from: China (India) Japan Malaysia
4k: In 2005, Paula Radcliffe became world champion in this event: Long jump / 400m / 5000m / (Marathon)
8k: Which historical event was recorded on the ZAPRUDER film: 1936 Olympics / (Kennedy Assassination) / 1936 Abdication broadcast / Russian Revolution [ABRAHAM Zapruder’s footage]
REVISE: JFK’s assassination was captured on ABRAHAM Zapruder’s footage
16k: Islands that are not in the Pacific Ocean: Aleutian Islands / Cayman Islands / Juan Fernandez Islands / Pitcairn Islands [50/50 leaves Cayman and Juan Fernandez / Phone-A-Friend: he’s pretty sure it’s the Cayman Islands, and that’s my thought – in the Caribbean I think / Yes, it’s the Cayman Islands]
REVISE: Island Groups: Aleutian Islands / Juan Fernandez Islands / Pitcairn Islands are all in the Pacific / Cayman Islands: Western Caribbean or “Greater Antilles”, south of Cuba, north-east of Honduras
[16/06/2019 22:36] And that’s the end of that show, Peter Thompson to return at some point for his 32k question / There are FOUR hours of “Who wants to be a millionaire?” on Challenge tonight
OLD WHO: Sun 9-Jun-2019 11pm, repeat of Fri 8-Feb-2019, from 22-1-01, David Stainer 64k, Bryan Williams 16k, Tony Stevens, 32k
[10/06/2019 14:41] I have spent around 30 minutes on this and the next one, checking through questions, and making sure that the notes elsewhere are up-to-date
OLD WHO: Sun/Mon 9/10-Jun-2019 midnight to 1am, repeat of Mon 11-Feb-2019, from 25-1-01 and 27-1-01, Innes Scott 32k, Ravinder Rai 32k, Keith Wilcock up to 64k
[10/06/2019 14:41] I have spent around 30 minutes on this and the next one, checking through questions, and making sure that the notes elsewhere are up-to-date
SLEB WHO: Sun 9-Jun-2019, 10pm on Challenge, Mother’s Day 2012
[10/06/2019 14:43] It’s another one out of sequence, and some of the questions are very up to the minute
1st pair: ANTONY SCOTT from “Coronation Street” and his mum Enid, who also acts, and was a seamstress, and taught him how to sew for his part in “Coronation Street” / She’s from Bury
Playing for Albert Kennedy Trust for young gay and transgender people who are homeless or living in a hostile environment
500 quid: (Yummy mummy) attractive stylish mother
1k: (Englebert Humperdinck) chosen to represent UK at Eurovision “this year” [2012]
[Chat about going to see Steve Pemberton on stage, in She Stoops to Conquer, and pix of the 3 contestants as kids]
2k: “The next leap year is” (2016)
5k: “Last week” Dr Rowan Williams announced he would be stepping down from this post: (Archbishop of Canterbury)
10k: Climbers of (Mount Everest) might encounter the “Balcony” and the “Hillary Step”
20k: Spike Milligan’s epitaph written in (Gaelic) and translates as “I told you I was ill” [Ask the Audience: 56% get it right]
[Before the break there’s a clip of their last Christmas show, and a woman called DOT winning 77.5k by ringing in and answering a question about the 3 Wise Men and their gifts: Bronze was not one of them / I don’t think I’ve seen that one]
50k: This acid forms in your eyes when you cut an onion, and makes them water: Tartaric acid / Sulphuric acid / Acetic acid / Hydrochloric acid [Phone-A-Friend: His dad, thinks it’s acetic / 50/50 leaves Sulphuric and Acetic: They go for Acetic, but it’s SULPHURIC ACID, really? SULPHURIC ACID?]
REVISE: SULPHURIC ACID forms in your eyes when you cut an onion, and makes them water
Antony Scott and his mum Enid lose 19k and leave with 1k
2nd Pair: Steve Pemberton and his mum Margaret / He’s in “She stoops to conquer” at the National Theatre at the time, and has been in Benidorm (even in 2012) and Whitechapel
Their charity: DERIAN House Hospice in Lancs, respite care and support for terminally ill children and their families
500 quid: (hosepipe) ban earlier that week
1k: At that year’s Oscar’s ceremony, wore a collar with an 18-carat gold and satin bow-tie: Brad Pitt / Billy Crystal / Colin Firth / (Uggie the Dog)
REVISE: UGGIE is the dog from The Artist, a Jack Russell, wore a collar with an 18-carat gold and satin bow-tie at the Oscars ceremony in 2012
[Chat about him dressing up as a kid, including a picture of him as Boy George, and a pic of Samantha Janus dressed up / and Antony Cotton in Snow White, Suranne Jones played Snow White]
2k: NOT a type of British cheese: Red Leicester / Suffolk Brown / Shropshire Blue / White Stilton [I assume it’s Suffolk Brown / Ask the Audience: 80% get it right, it’s SUFFOLK BROWN]
5k: “On this day” in 1965, Russian ALEXEI LEONOV became the first man to: Fly an aeroplane / (Walk in space) / Swim the Channel / Appear on TV [By elimination if nothing else / they use 50/50 and are left with Fly an aeroplane too]
REVISE: In 1965 Russian ALEXEI LEONOV became the first man to Walk in space
10k: Olympic Sportsman who has NOT been knighted: Chris Hoy / Steve Redgrave / (Mark Cavendish) / Matthew Pinsent [Phone-A-Friend: is pretty sure it’s Cav / August 2021: Mark Cavendish is an MBE, no higher-ranked honours yet]
REVISE: GB & Commonwealth sportsmen who have been knighted, and other honours, including Sir Curtly Ambrose, Sir Richard Hadlee / Also: Sir Brendan Foster (that passed me by) / The Lord (Ian) Botham of RAVENSWORTH (Knighted 2007) / Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Geoff Boycott all knighted in 2019 / This probably needs a separate list for each sport
20k: How many flat sides on a standard, and most commonly made, pencil: 5 (6) 7 8
50k: The CARD PLAYERS “last month” [2012] fetched 160m quid, the highest price ever paid for a work of art, by: Vincent van Gogh / Renoir / Pissarro / (CEZANNE) [I’d have gone for Vincent van Gogh, but it’s CEZANNE]
REVISE: a timeline of most expensive art works at auction, The CARD PLAYERS by Cezanne set the record in 2012, for 160m quid (250m USD) / It has been surpassed twice: Sep 2015 300m USD paid for INTERCHANGE (1955) by Willem de Kooning, bought by Kenneth C Griffen, sold by David Geffen Foundation / AND Nov 2017 450m USD paid for Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi (c1500), sold by Dmitry Rybolovlev, bought by Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud
3rd pair: Samantha Janus and her mum Di / She’s a GP manager, lives in North London, a big pub quizzer, and she looks like her daughter, stories about that, including the premiere of South Pacific, where she played Nelly (and she was Ronnie in “EastEnders”)
Their Charity: The SOMERS TOWN Community Association, run by local people to provide educational, recreational and welfare services throughout North London
500 quid: children traditionally give their mothers (Cards and flowers) on Mothers’ Day
1k: Perfect eyesight: (20/20)
[Chat about being giggly, she represented UK at Eurovision when she was a teenager / she’s happy with Englebert Humperdinck representing the UK / Tarrant is not so sure / “A Message to your Heart” was her entry, made it to #30 in 1991]
2k: Joined other celebrities and recorded his voice for BT’s Speaking Clock for this year’s Sport Relief: Prince Charles / Nick Clegg / DAVID WALLIAMS / The Pope [Ask the Audience: 89% go Walliams]
5k: “Which team won rugby union’s Six Nations Championship yesterday?” [Remember, this was March 2012] WALES / England / Scotland / Ireland [I might have known at the time, but as I noted earlier, this is very up-to-date / Phone-A-Friend: he knows it]
[10/06/2019 15:16] And that’s the end of the show, “And we’re back in May” / 830 words and 33 minutes
OLD WHO: Mon 10-Jun-2019, 10pm on Challenge, a repeat of Sat 25-May-2019, 10pm [28-10-06]
[11/06/2019 08:13] I saw bits of it live, recorded the end just to make sure it was exactly the same show that I made notes on last month, and it is.
OLD WHO: Tue 11-Jun-2019 was a repeat of Sat 25-May-2019, 11pm, 4-11-06, 64k, 1k, [David Smith from Chiswick]
[12/06/2019 16:03] That’s another hour’s worth of TV I don’t have to watch again
OLD WHO: Thu 13-Jun-2019 10pm on Challenge, another repeat, for the record, from Sun 26-May-2019, 1am on Challenge, no date on the cheque
[14/06/2019 10:05] I didn’t even bother to record it onto the hard drive to make sure, the whole week has been repeats of episodes from within the last month.
OLD WHO: Fri 14-Jun-2019, 10pm on Challenge, a repeat of Sun 26-May-2019, 2am, John Cullen and Terry Lowell
[16/06/2019 13:11] There are still something like 8 hours of episodes to get through, but I have cleared all the repeat recordings
OLD WHO: Sun 16-Jun-2019, 11pm on Challenge, repeat from February, notes to be consolidated
[16/06/2019 23:33] Lying on the sofa, not making notes, everything since 11pm has been a repeat. My notes are in 2 different places and need to be reconciled: tomorrow.
OLD WHO: Sun/Mon 16/17-Jun-2019, 11pm to 2am, 3 episodes all repeats, noted below, from Feb-2019, and again in Mar-2019
[17/06/2019 08:27] Reconciled notes below for the 3 episodes overnight / They were ALSO repeated in early March, 3-Mar-2019 midnight and 1am
OLD WHO: Challenge 12-Feb-2019, continued from yesterday, 27-1-2000
[13/02/2019 08:18] It’s Keith Wilcock and here’s the 125k question / I am watching in real time
125k “Charlotte was the queen of which British king?” (George III) / William IV / George VI / Edward VII [The options confirm it for me – if George IV had been there too I might have been less certain / I get Charlotte and Caroline mixed up / He’s still got his lifelines and uses 50/50 for George III and William IV / He’s using Phone-A-Friend too, not 100% / He’s going for it]
250k: “Which gas is a constituent of common salt?” Oxygen / (Chlorine) / Hydrogen / Argon [Blimey, I hope I get a 250k question that’s as easy as that / He’s sure too and gives the answer quickly]
500k: “In which country is the world’s oldest parliament?” Greenland / Iceland / Switzerland / Finland [He’s using Ask the Audience, because he still has that lifeline / I’m pretty sure it’s Iceland / 61% of the audience think it’s Switzerland, only 21% think Iceland / It IS Iceland]
He’s taking the money, Keith Wilcock leaves with 250k
FFF: Arnold Schwarzenegger films in the order they were first released
DACB gives us: Pumping Iron / The Terminator / Total Recall / True Lies
I got that right, wasn’t sure about the order of the last 2 but it’s 1990 and then 1994
5/8 got it right, and Charles Ingram is still in the list / John Tuff was fastest, in 7.48s
He’s an insurance claims adjuster (or something) from Harold Wood in Essex
1k: British InterCity 125 travels (on a railway track), not at sea, by road or whatever
2k: Widow Twankey appears in this panto (Aladdin) not Cinderella, Dick Whittington or Babes in the Wood [He’s using Ask the Audience / 61% go Aladdin]
Revise: Panto characters, Widow Twankey in Aladdin, where does Wishy Washy appear?
4k: “White goods”: Newspaper / ice cream / (Fridge) / Car [He’s using Phone-A-Friend for this / bloody hell / His dad doesn’t know, doesn’t even guess / He’s gone 50/50 and is left with Fridge and Car / He goes for Fridge, finally]
8k: “What sort of people founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood?” (Artists) / Monks / Faith healers / Gamblers [“It’s between artists and monks” he says]
He leaves with 4k
Now it’s time to meet 10 brand new contestants – so Major Charles Ingram didn’t make it through on his first go, assuming they haven’t chopped and changed these episode too much
FFF: Historical documents in the order they came into effect
BCDA gives us: US Constitution / Geneva Convention / Treaty of Rome / Maastricht Treaty
1789 / 1864 / 1957 / 1993
3/10 got it right, Arrol Toplin is fastest in 6.84s
[13/02/2019 12:31] To be continued
[17/06/2019 08:28] I had never reconciled the 2 parts of this show, seen at different times, so here are the next bits, from the other PC
OLD WHO: 12-Feb-2019 on Challenge, from 29-1-2001, Arrol Toplin wins 125k, SECOND HALF
[14/02/2019 20:33] ARROL TOPLIN, solicitor from Chesham Bucks, he’s from Toronto, didn’t get into law school there and has been in the UK for 27 years, he’s wearing a red shirt
1k: (Grass) is the surface at Wimbledon
2k: Niagara Falls are in (North America)
4k: Confucius was (Chinese)
8k: NOT a song in “Guys and Dolls”: (Climb Every Mountain) / Luck be a lady / “Guys and Dolls” / Adelaide’s Lament
16k: Peregrine is a (Falcon) Eagle Stork Owl
32k: Tolstoy was (Russian)
64k: Stately Home, seat of the Marquess of Bath: (Longleat) Woburn Chatsworth Blenheim [He’s used Ask the Audience, 77% get it right]
Revise: Stately homes, country seats, Longleat is the seat of the Marquess of Bath
125k: (Jane Wyman) was first wife of Ronald Reagan
250k: What is a ‘lentigo’, often found on human skin: Beauty spot / (FRECKLE) / Mole / Tattoo [He uses Phone-A-Friend, thinks it’s freckle, not sure]
He doesn’t risk it, Arrol Toplin goes home with 125k
Revise: Medical names for freckles, beauty spots and so on / Lentigo = freckle
FFF: Mediterranean islands in order from west to east
BACD gives us: Corsica Corfu Crete Cyprus
TOUGH Fastest Finger First there, I wasn’t sure about Corfu and Crete: check them on a map sometime
REVISE: Greek Islands, positions, size, clusters – the Cyclades and so on
Only 1 got it right, BRIAN ADAMS in 10.97s, he’s a cop from Scotland (Kilacolm, Renfrewshire), wearing a purple shirt
REVISE: Renfrewshire and more Scottish geography
OLD WHO: 13-Feb-2019, on Challenge, from 29-1-2001 and 1-2-2001
Continuing on from yesterday, Brian Adams the cop from Renfrewshire
1k: French town of Roquefort is famous for (cheese)
2k: Palm Springs is a resort in (California)
4k: (Lodge) building that shares its name with a branch of the Freemasons
8k: Louis B Mayer is associated with (cinema) [He uses Ask the Audience, 82% get it right]
16k: (Frank Dobson) official Labour candidate in 2000 race for London mayor
[There’s an ad-break at this point on Challenge, and when we come back he’s wearing a BLUE rather than a PURPLE shirt and we’re on to 2-1-2001
32k: James Joyce wrote (Ulysses) named after a mythical character [He uses Phone-A-Friend / he’s sure it’s Ulysses]
64k: NOT a book of the Old Testament: Joshua Judges (Jacob) Job
He’s taking his time, Tarrant takes out a bar of chocolate, they share it, and then he goes for Judges, Brian Adams leaves with 32k
10 brand new contestants: Jon Powell, Mark Tynan, Andria Harbinson, John Martin, Jane Crickmore, Peter Burke, John Hughes, Kate Nixon, David Milne, John Stockdale
FFF: parts of a bridal outfit rhyme in order
CBDA gives us: Something old / Something new / Something borrowed / Something blue
6/10 get it right, Jon Powell in 4.35s is quickest
Jon Powell, a tax adviser from Manchester, big Man City fan / his wife and 2 kids are at home / A mate is in the audience / He would like to buy all the season tickets for Man U and never go
1k: Tahiti is in (Pacific) Ocean [He uses Ask the Audience, 75% get it right]
2k: (A tap) illustrates Water Works on Monopoly board
4k: (Prefab Sprout) is name of a British pop group
REVISE: Prefab Sprout singles
8k: Adonis was famous for (beauty)
16k: Irving Berlin musical: Call me (Madam) [He uses Phone-A-Friend, for his mother-in-law, who is not in the UK / she gives him the right answer]
32k: NOT US President: (Benjamin Franklin) [He uses 50/50 and is left with Franklin and George Washington]
REVISE: Irving Berlin musicals, and Gershwin and Cole Porter, songs in Call me Madam, AND who wrote “Call me irresponsible”|
We’re still on 1-2-2001, and this cheque takes total winnings on this show to date to 16m quid
64k: In RL Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’, Ben Gunn dreams of which food? Bacon / CHEESE / Sausages / Eggs [Never heard of this before, I thought it would be sausages, but he guesses right with cheese]
Revise: Treasure Island, characters, plot, famous moments, and films / Ben Gunn dreams of CHEESE
125k: In Germany, a Schloss is a (castle)
He doesn’t risk it, Jon Powell leaves with 64k
FFF: Child stars in order they made their first film performances
CABD gives us: Shirley Temple / Hayley Mills / Tatum O’Neal / Macaulay Culkin
6/9 get it right, Peter Burke is quickest in 6.4s
Peter Burke is a truck driver from Scunthorpe, has driven trucks for LOADS of bands, all over the world, including Queen, The Who, Iron Maiden, Elton John, Diana Ross, Madonna, Tina Turner, Sting / He tells us about The Grateful Dead in 1978, 3 nights of gigs in front of the Pyramids
He would like to kit out his truck for more comfort, as he spends 200 nights a year in it
Revise: Boxing weights and major champions
1k: (Dresser) Open cupboard for storing and displaying crockery [He uses Ask the Audience for this / 58% get it right]
2k: (Destiny’s Child) 2000 #1 in UK with Independent Women [He uses Phone-A-Friend for this, his daughter Amanda / she gets it]
4k: Title of a Chekov play (The Cherry Orchard) not The Lemon Grove and similar
8k: Changing the structure of a gene: (Mutation) Reservation Animation Nomination [Just to show you how easy the options are sometimes]
16k: Seoul is the capital of (South Korea)
Check: capital of Cambodia [Phnom Penh]
32k: ‘Ally McBeal’ is set in Philadelphia / New York / Chicago / BOSTON [He uses 50/50, is left with Philadelphia and Boston, doesn’t risk it]
Peter Burke leaves with 16k
REVISE: BIG US TV series, locations, plots and so on / Ally McBeal is set in BOSTON
FFF: European football teams in order from EAST to WEST
CBAD gives us: Spartak Moscow / Roma / Marseille / Valencia
3/8 get it right, John Stockdale in 6.1s is fastest
[14/02/2019 21:21] And that’s the end of the show [15/02/2019 00:18] It’s also the start of the next show
OLD WHO: 14-Feb-2019 on Challenge, no dates: nobody gets a cheque
[15/02/2019 20:20] Let’s go for another one
FFF: Teams from east to west: Spartak Moscow / Roma / Marseille / Valencia
It starts with John Stockdale having just won fastest finger first
1k: Male rabbit is a (Buck)
2k: (Breathless Mahoney) played by Madonna in Dick Tracy [He uses Ask the Audience and 82% get it right]
4k: Tate Britain is in (London) Glasgow Manchester Liverpool [He’s using Phone-A-Friend / she doesn’t know / he uses 50/50, is left with Manchester and London, he goes wrong and leaves with 1k]
10 new contestants: Anton Johnson, Eddie Carr, Ged Taylor, Bob Johnson, Keith Mackie, Peter Smith, John Clark, Ian McClure, Lina Southam, Peter Williams
FFF: Put these famous Edwards in the order they were born
CABD gives us: Edward the Confessor / Edward Lear / Edward G Robinson / Edward Woodward
8/10 got it right, Anton Johnson is quickest in 3.34
He looks like the mate of someone earlier, the golf pro, yes he is – he’s TONY’S mate and was in the audience when he was on earlier, and now the roles are reversed / he’s a hairdresser from Warrington
1k: The men who drafted the US Constitution: (Founding Fathers), not Bounding, Grounding or Sounding Fathers [He uses Ask the Audience, 93% get it right]
2k: Alistair McGowan is a known as (Impressionist) [He uses Phone-A-Friend / he’s 80% sure of the right answer]
4k: The Big O was (Roy Orbison) [He uses 50/50 and is left with Roy and Billy Ocean]
8k: Utensil in a carving set used to sharpen the knife: The Iron / (The steel) / The tin / The diamond
16k: Former kingdom of Castile comprises much of which modern country: France / Italy / Germany / (Spain)
He doesn’t risk it, thinks it’s France, he leaves with 16k
FFF: Prime ministers in order of age when they took office:
DCBA gives us: Tony Blair / John Major / Margaret Thatcher / James Callaghan
3/9 get it right, Peter Williams is fastest in 6.27s
He’s a car broker from Huddersfield, he exfoliates and moisturizes every day, his wife Zoe is in the audience
1k: Singapore is in (Asia)
2k: A singer and a Henry Fielding novel (Tom Jones) [He’s using Ask the Audience, 86% get it right]
4k You would (lie) on a futon, not eat it
8k: A type of white wine: Claret / Merlot / Chianti / (Chardonnay)
16k: Ptarmigan is a fish / (bird) / Rodent / Marsupial [He uses Phone-A-Friend / she has no idea / he goes 50/50 and is left with bird and rodent]
He goes for rodent and leaves with 1k
FFF: Mohs Scale from softest to hardest
CBDA gives us: Talc Gypsum Topaz Diamond
7/8 got that right, Ged Taylor is fastest in 5.12s
He’s from Solihull
1k: (Romans) invaded Britain in 1st C AD, not Cossacks, Aztecs or Egyptians
2k: (Monica and Ross) are the brother and sister pair in “Friends” [He uses Ask the Audience and 89% get it right]
4k: “Which of these is the name of a dish of seasoned mashed potato baked in the oven?” Countess / Marchioness / (Duchess) / Baroness [He uses Phone-A-Friend and she gets the right answer]
[15/02/2019 20:45] [That was the end originally]
[17/06/2019 08:42] Mission accomplished, 3 hours of repeats checked in 15 minutes, with additional notes on contestant names and that sort of thing. All done
REVISE: potato dishes, sauces, chicken dishes (Hunter Chicken and whatever was in “Fifteen to One”, chicken chasseur, ingredients in a Caesar salad, things like that)
OLD WHO: Tue 18-Jun-2019, 10pm is a repeat of Sat/Sun 1/2-Jun-2019 midnight, no cheques
[20/06/2019 08:49] For the record, Tue 18-Jun-2019, 10pm is a repeat of Sat/Sun 1/2-Jun-2019 midnight, no cheques, but I’m now winding down my “Who wants to be a millionaire?” time
OLD WHO: Wed 19-Jun-2019, 10pm is a repeat of Sun 2-Jun-2019 1am, no dates, probably around 2006
[20/06/2019 08:50] Again, for the record, Wed 19-Jun-2019, 10pm is a repeat of Sun 2-Jun-2019 1am, no dates, probably around 2006; I’m winding down my “Who wants to be a millionaire?” time
The Compartments 