WWTBAM Prep, Part 8 (9-Mar-2019 to 13-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: 9-Mar-2019 to 13-Mar-2019. [7,158 words in this piece.]
NEW WHO: 8-Mar-2019
[09/03/2019 10:03] Okay, and straight on to another NEW one
[09/03/2019 10:03] I started making notes live last night but with a few gaps, partly because of interruptions, and also because I was distracted by England’s 2nd T20 against the West Indies – a thumping win as it turned out, England made 188 and West Indies were bowled out for 45.
Christopher Page is back from yesterday, a 21 year old English graduate from Oxford who wants to be an actor
1k: CO2 = (Carbon dioxide)
2k: (Rowing) Matthew Pinsent won 4 consecutive Olympic gold medals
4k: (Lexicographer) compiles and edits dictionaries
8k: (Phineas Taylor) first names of character played by Hugh Jackman in the film “The Greatest Showman), not Jerome David, Edward Morgan or Wystam Hugh [Those are the forenames of Salinger, Forster and Auden]
16k (James) was king during the Gunpowder Plot of 1605
32k: Donald Tusk was prime minister of (Poland) before he became President of the European Council in 2014
[09/03/2019 10:09] Ad-break, and now we’re into questions that I didn’t see last night
Safety net set at 64k
64k: The capital cities of Kinshasa and Brazzaville are separated by this river: Nile / Zambesi / Niger / (Congo)
125k: OPERATION TORCH was a major military operation held during which war: Boer War / World War I / World War II / Korean War [Ask the Host: He thinks it’s WW2, can’t remember what it was / Phone-A-Friend: He thinks its WW2, invasion of North Africa, 95% sure]
250k: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, as used in Fantasia, is by Gustave Charpentier / (Paul Dukas) / Charles Gounod / Georges Bizet [That one Classics for Pleasure album we had when I was a child came in handy there.]
500k: Won the Wimbledon ladies’ singles title in 2000: Martina Hingis / Lindsay Davenport / Serena Williams / Venus Williams [50/50 leaves Lindsay and Venus; I knew it was one of them, and I think it’s VENUS / Ask the Audience: 68% Venus 32% Lindsay, and it IS Venus Williams]
Christopher Page leaves with 250k
REVISE: Wimbledon single’s winners, it’s hard to distinguish many of the years between 1998 (Novotna) and 2004 (Sharapova), which I know for sure
6 new contestants
FFF: chemical elements in alphabetical order
CADB gives us: Helium Hydrogen Magnesium Titanium
6/6 get it right, Katy Chambers is fastest in 3.16s
HR Officer from Hereford
1k: Type of car used by Marty McFly in Back to the Future (De Lorean DMC-12)
2k: RSVP is from (French)
4k: The flute is from this section of the orchestra (woodwind) string brass percussion [Ask the Audience: 86% get it right]
8k: Rigatoni pasta is what shape? Butterfly / Ribbon / Corkscrew / (Tube)
REVISE: ALL the different pasta shapes, and translations, there are easy ones like linguine (tongue) and vermicelli (worms) but plenty more to learn
16k: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle wedding took place in (Berkshire)
32k: “The Broken Column” and “Diego and I” are works by which painter: Georgia O’Keeffe / (Frida Kahlo) / Salvador Dali / Claude Monet
Safety net set at 64k
64k: In the 1995 film “Toy Story”, which character says the final 3 words, “Wow, a puppy” Woody / Andy / Buzz Lightyear / Mr Potato Head [Ask the Host: He doesn’t know / I think it’s Andy / 50/50 leaves Andy and Woody, and it IS Andy]
125k: Age of William Pitt the Younger when he became the UK’s youngest ever prime minister: 18 / 21 / 24 / 27 [I’m pretty sure it’s 24 / Phone-A-Friend: not sure, but reckons it’s 24]
250k: A theodolite is most likely to be used by somebody with which occupation: Car mechanic / Surgeon / Jeweller / (Surveyor) [I would love a 250k question like that / she doesn’t know, would go for Jeweller if she went for it, she doesn’t]
Katy Chambers leaves with 125k
[09/03/2019 10:33] And that’s the end of the show, 2 episodes in an hour
SLEB WHO: 9-Mar-2019 from Challenge, 21-9-02 and 10-4-04
[10/03/2019 07:16] Neil Pearson and Charlie Higson, carrying on from last week
1k: (Michael Johnson) won the 200m and 400m at Atlanta Olympics
2k: Walter Raleigh was the favourite of (Elizabeth I)
4k: (East-north-east) is the compass point between east and north-east
8k: Oscar-winning song “I’ve had the time of my life” features in (Dirty Dancing)
16k: (East Timor) achieved independence in MAY 2002, not East Samoa, Melanesia or Papua New Guinea
32k: Composer Philip Glass is (American) [50/50 leaves American and English, rather than American and Canadian, which we all expected]
Cheque, to National Council for One Parent Families, shows 21-9-02 (my birthday, a Saturday) and takes the money raised by slebs to over 1m quid.
64k: The name of a STAG in its second year: Docket / Pocket / Brocket / Socket [Phone-A-Friend, Gavin in London: he thinks it’s a brocket, 98% sure, that’s what I thought too: BROCKET]
125k: The war that broke out between Finland and Russia in 1939: (Winter War) not summer, spring or autumn [Ask the Audience: 41% spring, 34% winter / they go for Spring War and lose 32k / I have come across this enough times for it to be a straightforward question, but don’t recall from all the times I studied WW2 at school and university]
Charlie Higson and Neil Pearson leave with 32k
Next couple: Ah, this is the Jon Snow and Tony Slattery bit, which I still recorded onto the hard drive ages ago
Tony: NSPCC / Snow: Macmillan Cancer Relief
1k: NOT a conifer: (English oak) / Austrian pine / Norway Spruce / Scotch pine
2k: WW1 took place in the (20th) Century
4k: A representative of which country won the World Idol contest in 2003? Germany / Norway / UK / South Africa [Ask the Audience: 76% say Norway, and it’s right, his name was KURT NILSON]
Hang on, that cheque for Higson & Pearson said 2002 / have we jumped forward a year or two?
8k: The law that says “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion” (Parkinson’s Law), not Newton, Boyle or Faraday [Named after Cyril Northcote Parkinson]
16k: A speciality of the Perigord region of France: (Truffles) / Caviar / Oysters / champagne
32k: Camulodunum is the Roman name for: (Colchester) not Carlisle, Christchurch, Cleethorpes Phone-A-Friend is confident]
Cheque shows: 10/4/04 so they have jumped forward 18 months on this show on Challenge
64k: Greer Garson is the title character in this 1942 film (Mrs Miniver) [50/50 gave Mrs Fitzherbert too]
125k: Mrs Beeton’s name, famous for her 1861 “Book of Household Management” Emmelia / Cicely / Delphine / Isabella [They go Cicely but it’s ISABELLA / and this is that annoying bit where Jon Snow goes on and on about Cicely]
OLD WHO: Challenge Sat/Sun 9/10-Mar-2019, ALL repeats, noted further back
[10/03/2019 10:03] And the next TWO episodes, recorded onto this box, I already have notes on – up to MONKEY PUZZLE. I can delete this recording, all 3 hours of it.
So, just to confirm, we had John Stockdale, Ged Taylor, and we went up as far as Malcolm Knight from Chiswick
Yup, we’ve got all of this, 3 episodes I don’t need to make notes on, we’ve ended up with MALCOLM KNIGHT the theatrical agent from Chiswick on his 32k question, and once again the show ends before we see the cheque
This is a repeat from the Challenge episode on 18-Feb-2019
SLEB WHO: Challenge Sun 10-Mar-2019
[11/03/2019 08:57] Jilly Peasgood and daughter Kate, raising money for St Andrew’s Hospice in GRIMSBY / It’s a Christmas Special
1k: Valley of the kings is in (Egypt)
2k: A regular character on “Fawlty Towers” (The Major) not Captain, Corporal or Sergeant [Ask the Audience 91%]
4k: Sir Freddie Laker is most commonly associated with (aviation)
8k: Notorious gangster Al Capone convicted on (Tax evasion) charges in 1931
16k: Thriller in Manila was Muhammad Ali versus: (Joe Frazier) / Leon Spinks / George Foreman / Earnie Shavers [Is it Frazier, or is it Foreman? Phone-A-Friend thinks Frazier or Foreman, probably Frazer / 50/50 gives us Frazier and Spinks / It’s Frazier]
REVISE: Thriller in Manila, 1 October 1975, 3rd and match between Ali and Frazier / “Fight of the century”, 8 March 1971 in Madison Square Garden / Rematch January 1974, neither was champion – Frazier had been knocked out by Foreman a year earlier, Ali had 2 split bouts with Ken Norton / Rumble in the Jungle was 30 October 1974, Ali knocked out Foreman to become undisputed champ
32k: Invented by Alfred Nobel (Dynamite) [They don’t know, and don’t risk it]
Jilly Peasgood and daughter Kate leave with 16k
Next pair: Neil Morrissey and Arabella Weir, also playing for the National Council for One Parent Families (same as Neil Pearson)
1k: Duck egg is a shade of (blue)
2k: Eucharist is specifically associated with which event in the Bible (Last Supper)
4k: Never had it so good quote: Harold Macmillan [They don’t know, and they FLIP the question, to get rid of it, I don’t recall that rule – they used their 50/50 for it]
Another 4k: Kym Marsh, formerly in Hear’Say, married which soap actor in 2002: Steve McFadden / Jack Ryder / Martin Kemp / Adam Woodyatt [By elimination I’d go for Ryder, but I don’t know / They do, and it’s JACK RYDER – I’d never heard of him / He played Jamie Mitchell in “EastEnders” 1998-2002, and we share a birthday – he was born 21 September 1981]
8k: 2002 World Snooker Champ: Peter Ebdon / Paul Hunger / John Higgins / Matthew Stevens [Ask the Audience: 68% go Ebdon / I would have known this in 2002, but couldn’t confidently list the WSC champs from around 1995 onwards, apart from Ronnie O’Sullivan]
16k: “There’s no business like show business” is a song from: Annie Get your gun / Calamity Jane / Show Boat / Porgy and Bess [I don’t know / they’re having a long discussion about it / She thinks Show Boat, he thinks Annie Get Your Gun / They’ve gone for Show Boat, and they lost 15k / It’s Annie Get Your Gun]
Arabella Weir and Neil Morrissey leave with 1k
REVISE: “There’s no business like show business” is a song from Annie Get your gun
Oh dear. It’s Jim Davidson next and his Generation Game co-host LEAH CHRISTENSEN
Her: Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund [Brinsworth House down in Twickenham] / Him: British Forces Foundation
1k: (Rushes) unedited prints of a film meant for immediate viewing
2k: Honky Tonk Women, UK #1 for (The Rolling Stones) in 1969
4k: Minnehaha is the wife of (Hiawatha) not Beowulf, Robin Hood, Sir Lancelot
8k: Military leader Manuel Belgrano was Brazilian / Paraguayan / Venezuelan / (Argentinian)
REVISE: Trivia: USS Phoenix was one of the few ships to survive Pearl Harbour, it was sold by the US to Argentina and BECAME the Belgrano / MANUEL Belgrano lived 1770-1820: lawyer, politician, economist, journalist, military leader, involved in Wars for Independence AND designed the Argentine flag
And that’s the end of the show, Davidson on 8k, and if that bit of USS PHOENIX / BELGRANO information comes up as a big-money question, those minutes watching him will not have been wasted
OLD WHO: Sun 10-Mar-2019, 11pm on Challenge, 28-9-00
[11/03/2019 09:21] We’re onto the next one of the morning; do I carry on?
10 new contestants, no familiar faces
FFF: Bingo calls in order, from lowest value to highest
CABD gives us: Kelly’s Eye / Two Little Ducks / Clickety Click / Two Fat Ladies
5/10 get it right, Graham Hickin is fastest in 6.77s
A civil servant from Pontefract / obsessed with American football and Bugs Bunny / He fell off his motorbike and broke his collarbone so his right arm is stuck inside his shirt
REVISE: Cat in “Coronation Street” / BOBBY the cat belonged to Minnie Caldwell, early 60s onwards, until she moved away 1976 / FRISKY the cat was chosen for the the titles sequence from 1990 and his ashes were auctioned in 2010 for £700
1k: (Nutcracker) is a popular Tchaikovsky ballet
2k: The EPCOT Center is a feature which tourist attraction: Alton Towers / DISNEY WORLD / Universal Studios / Millennium Dome [It’s in FLORIDA]
4k: The law that states if anything can go wrong, it will (Murphy’s Law) / Parkinson’s Law / Boyle’s Law / Cole’s Law
REVISE: Laws like Murphy, Parkinson and the Peter Principle
8k: (Hypotenuse) is the longest side of a right-angled triangle
REVISE: Other HYPO words, and that specific Greek root, hypocrite, hypoderm, hypocaust
16k: Garston, Riverside and Walton are parliamentary constituencies in: LIVERPOOL / Manchester / Birmingham / Newcastle
32k: Laura Davies is a famous name in (Golf)
Now we’re onto a new show from the original broadcasts, and we haven’t seen the cheque yet / He’s in a red shirt rather than the blue shirt of the previous show
64k: Queen Elizabeth I belonged to House of (Tudor)
125k: What type of plant is a STINKHORN: Fern / Moss / Conifer / Fungus [50/50 leaves Fern and Fungus / He goes FUNGUS, and it’s the right answer]
Cheque is dated 28-9-00, and he’s not touching it, or even looking at it
REVISE: Stinkhorn is a FUNGUS
250k: Spiro Agnew was the Vice President to which US President: LBJ / (Richard Nixon) / Gerald Ford / Jimmy Carter [Ask the Audience: 37% Nixon, 26% LBJ, 20% Ford, 17% Carter, not conclusive at all / Phone-A-Friend: he doesn’t know, but agrees that it might be Nixon]
500k: A Russian Name that means FELLOW TRAVELLER: Sputnik / Vostok / Soyuz / Voskhod [NOPE, and he’s done / It’s SPUTNIK]
Graham Hickin leaves with 250k / “I got made redundant in 1988 … Our Martin’s got cerebral palsey, he’s in a wheelchair, I want to make a house for him”
REVISE: Sputnik, Soyuz, Vostok and other Russian words, especially related to SPACE / SPUTNIK means “fellow traveller”
FFF: artists in order of first UK solo #1 single
DBAC give us: Gary Barlow / Robbie Williams / Geri Halliwell / Melanie C
[Correct, but slower than I should have been / the years: 96 / 98 / 99 / 00, so not much in it]
4/10 get it right, Steve Cornfield is fastest in 6.69s
A teacher from Birmingham, partner Suki is up there too, he’s middle-aged but the youngest member of his table tennis club
1k: (Epicentre) is the point on the earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake, not Epilogue, epidemic or epigram
REVISE: EPI words (like HYPO, further back: what does the epi mean?)
2k: (Kildare) Irish county and doctor played by Richard Chamberlain
4k: Milliner makes (hats)
[11/03/2019 09:44] Okay, time to go, and 1:34 into this recording, 94 minutes done.
[11/03/2019 12:16] Back again
8k: “La Manche” is the French name for (English Channel)
16k: Sheffield Wednesday nickname is (the Owls)
32k: Coffee shop in “Friends”: (Central Perk)
Cheque says 28-9-00
64k: The Royal Armouries Museum is in (Leeds) [Phone-A-Friend: 100% positive it’s Leeds]
125k: First name of the Black Prince, son of Edward III (Edward) Henry Richard George [50/50 leaves him with Henry and Edward / he plays Edward]
250k: First name of Sherlock Holmes’s assistant Dr Watson: James / John / Joshua [James or John, I thought that it was James before the answer came up / Ask the Audience: 45% James 38% John, he doesn’t risk it / It’s JOHN]
Steven Cornfield leaves with 125k
REVISE: Dr Watson, assistant to Sherlock Holmes, first name JOHN
FFF: football clubs from North to South
CDBA gives us: Celtic Everton Aston Villa Arsenal
5/9 get it right, Margaret Roberts is fastest in 6.31s
A customer service adviser from Widnes, she’s there with her son
1k: Frankfurt is a major city in (Germany) [She uses Ask the Audience: 94% get it right]
2k: Mills & Boon are associated with (Romance) books
4k: Cutty Sark was a (clipper)
[11/03/2019 12:34] And that’s the end of the show
OLD WHO: Sun/Mon 10/11-Mar-2019, midnight, 1-10-00
[11/03/2019 14:31] Back again, to get through the last hour from last night.
8k: The Domesday Book was compiled during the reign of (William I) [She doesn’t know, 50/50 has left her with Richard III as well / Phone-A-Friend thinks it’s William I, about 80%, she goes for it]
16k: TV sitcom “The Good Life” was set in (Surbiton) Tooting Chigwell Peckham
She’s very pleased, tearful, “made up”, that clears all her debts, that’s all she came for
32k: The port city of Baltimore is in (Maryland) Michigan Maine Massachusetts [She doesn’t know]
Margaret Roberts leaves with 16k
FFF: Last four leaders of the Labour party, starting with the earliest
BDAC gives us: Michael Foot / Neil Kinnock / John Smith / Tony Blair
4/8 get it right, Peter Dauncey is fastest in 5.34s
No chat before the questions
1k: (Mull of Kintyre) was a hit for Wings
2k: C in TUC stands for (Congress)
4k: Antigua is in this sea: (Caribbean)
8k: “Arboreal” animals live (in trees)
REVISE: Names for animals that live in caves, deserts, other habitats
16k: (Ladybug) is American for ladybird [50/50 leaves him with Ladyspot as well]
32k: Helen Fielding wrote a best-selling novel about (Bridget Jones’s) Diary
Cheque says 1-10- no part of the year is visible, but I assume it’s 1-10-00
64k: Michelangelo’s sculpture David is in (Florence)
125k: The Hammer of the Scots was (Edward I) not Mary Queen of Scots, Edward II or George III [Ask the Audience: they’ve got it wrong, 48% Edward II, 34% Edward I, 9% on each of the others / Phone-A-Friend: 90-odd% sure it’s Edward I / He goes for it, eventually]
The 2nd and 3rd cheques both read 1-10-0
250k: In which US state is the city of Chattanooga: Florida / Montana / Washington / (Tennessee) [This might even be where I learn this fact, back in 2000]
Peter Dauncey leaves with 125k, and FINALLY we confirm that it’s 1-10-00
10 new contestants including Keith Richards from Cornwall, Ann Stanley, Fred Smith, David Truscott, Shirley Gorton, John Sedeno from London, Nick Ferguson from London
FFF: actresses in the order they were born
DBCA gives us: Nell Gwyn / Margaret Rutherford / Judi Dench / Emma Thompson
8/10 get it right, John Sedeno is fastest in 5.42s
1k: ITV children’s magazine programme (Magpie)
2k: Primate of All England is (Archbishop of Canterbury) [50/50 has left him with Queen Elizabeth II as well]
4k: (Britney Spears) #1 hit with (Baby one more time)
8k: (Norway) donates Trafalgar Square Christmas Trees every year
16k: According to the Bible, the walls of (Jericho) came down with the sound of trumpets
32k: River that runs along the border of the USA and Mexico: (Rio Grande) Missouri / Potomac / St Lawrence
REVISE: US Rivers, and take a good look at where the Rio Grande is – seeing the film 35 years ago has been no help at all with my US geography / It runs along the US border with Mexico
It’s still 1-10-00
64k: What type of animal is a BRIARD: horse / cat / pig / dog [Ask the Audience: 74% say dog and they’re RIGHT]
REVISE: BRIARD is a type of DOG
125k: What was the PHAROS of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Statue / Tomb / Lighthouse / Temple [I’m pretty sure it’s lighthouse / Phone-A-Friend: too slow, and he doesn’t give an answer / he doesn’t risk it]
John Sedeno leaves with 64k
FFF: Harry Potter books in the order they were published
I went wrong with DBCA: Philosopher’s Stone / Chamber of Secrets / Goblet of Fire / Prisoner of Azkaban
But it should be:
DBAC: Philosopher’s Stone / Chamber of Secrets / Prisoner of Azkaban / Goblet of Fire
97 / 98 / 99 / 00 – at this point there had only been FOUR Potter books
Only 1/9 gets it right, Ann Stanley in 15.13s
[18/03/2019 09:05 NOTE: At this point the 11pm show on Sun 17-Mar-2019 began]
We get some chat now, she’s from RUGELEY in Staffordshire, her husband is there, 2 sons, 5 grandkids, one of them is a Potter fan and she stays in his room when she visits / she was visualizing the books in order on his shelf
1k: “Chinese gooseberry” is another name for (kiwi fruit) not prickly Pear, Star fruit, satsuma [Ask the Audience: 81% say kiwi fruit]
REVISE: Exotic fruits, like Prickly pear, star fruit, ackee – what are they exactly?
[11/03/2019 15:05] And that’s the end of that / school run time shortly / not sure if I’ll get through the next episode before I have to go
OLD WHO: Mon 11-Mar-2019 1am on Challenge, 2-10-00
[11/03/2019 15:06]
Peter Lee was the biggest winner ever at this point, 500k, and the previous evening, at the 100th show party, she met him and swapped one of her Phone-A-Friends for him / There was a LOT of chat at the start of this episode – she is on the waiting list for a hip replacement but would go private if she won enough money / She has ridden elephants and done all sorts of exotic things / We’re still with Ann Stanley
2k: Cadiz is a city and naval base in (Spain)
4k: (Luciano) is the first name of Pavarotti
8k: “Genevieve” in the 1953 film was a (Car)
Bloody hell, he’s all over her, kisses on both cheeks, mwah-mwah noises, arms round her neck, the lot
16k: (Edward Heath) shares his name with a bandleader
32k: Dan Quayle served as Vice President under (George Bush) [She goes 50/50, is left with Reagan too, she was going to go Reagan but she uses Phone-A-Friend: Peter Lee, who won 500k, at the time the show’s biggest winner / There’s chat about the previous night’s 100th show party, a big thank you from him / He thinks it’s Bush, not Reagan / She goes for his answer, fortunately]
[On a REPEAT of this show we see that the cheque is for 2-10-00]
64k: Éclair, the English meaning is: Treat / Toenail / Split log / (Lightning) [She doesn’t think it’s toenail or lightning and she’s going for Split Log]
Ann Stanley leaves with 32k, no sign of the cheque or the date
10 new contestants including John Hayes from Manchester
FFF: “Coronation Street” couples in the order they got married
I was way out on this one, went for DABC: Ken & Deirdre / Mike & Linda / Alec & Bet / Curly & Raquel
But it should be:
DBCA: Ken & Deirdre / Alec & Bet / Curly & Raquel / Mike & Linda
1981 / 1987 / 1995 / 2000
[I’d stopped watching “Coronation Street” by then, I never even saw Mike & Linda]
4/10 got it right, George Arnold is fastest in 4.59s
NO chat before the questions begin
1k: Lead weight on the line of a fishing rod: Plumber (Sinker) Stinker Plonker [Ask the Audience: 78% go sinker]
2k: (Clark Gable) played Rhett Butler in “Gone with the wind”
4k: Death Valley is in (California) [50/50 also leaves him with Virginia / Phone-A-Friend: 90 % sure]
8k: A merino is a cow / horse / pig / (sheep)
16k: LLB LLM LLD after your names mean you have a degree in (law)
32k: Item of clothing named after a French trapeze artist: Bikini / Anorak / Camisole / (Leotard) [He doesn’t risk it / I’ve heard that fact a few times on “Countdown”]
George leaves with 16k
FFF: Starting with earliest, Football World Cup venues in order:
ADCB gives us: Brazil England Spain USA
Only 1/9 gets it right, that’s my kind of fastest finger first question / Peter Hughes in 13.12
Again, no chat before the questions begin, he’s from Liverpool, that’s all we know
300 quid: EDWARD TEACH was Blackbeard, associated with (piracy)
REVISE: EDWARD TEACH was the pirate Blackbeard, died 22 November 1718 (same date as JFK, 245 years earlier) / Knowing that Blackbeard died in 1718 won Donald Fear 1m quid in September 2020
1k: (Jayne and Christopher) are first names of Torvill and Dean
2k: (Palm Sunday) is the Sunday before Easter
4k: Chief of the gods in Greek mythology (Zeus)
8k: Southernmost point of South America: (Cape Horn) / Cape Cod / Cape of Good Hope / Cape Verde [I had to think about that one]
16k: Italian term for the words of an opera: Canaletto / Vaporetto / Allegretto / (Libretto) [50/50 leaves him with Allegretto as well / he’s not sure / he’s fidgety, but he’s gone for libretto ]
32k: (Father Brown) was the famous detective created by GK Chesterton
Cheque shows: 2-10-00
64k: An American variety of apple: James / Jonathan / Jack / Joshua [I think it’s Jonathan / Ask the Audience: 34% Jonathan, 26% Jack, 20% on the other 2 / he’s going for Joshua / It IS JONATHAN]
REVISE: Apple varieties, JONATHAN is an American variety
Peter Hughes leaves with 32k
[11/03/2019 15:38] And that’s the end of the show
PANTO WHO: 8-Mar-2019 on Challenge [repeated Sun 30-Jun-2019, 10pm]
[11/03/2019 21:29] This is a later one, the first question is for 500 quid and they only have 15s to answer questions 1 and 2 / Tarrant looks a bit older
David Hasselhoff and Denise Welch are first
30s to answer each of the first 5 questions
2k: (Genie) features in Aladdin
5k: (Michael Phelps) became most decorated Olympian at London 2012
10k: (Rolls Royce) carry the SPIRIT OF ECSTASY on their bonnets [Ask the Audience: 88% go right]
20k: Famous landmark was due to be demolished 1909 when its lease ran out: Taj Mahal / Eiffel Tower / Big Ben / Stonehenge [Phone-A-Friend: Paul Ross is sure it’s EIFFEL TOWER]
50k: Approximately how many hairs are there on a human head: 1000 / 10,000 / 100,000 / 1,000,000 [10,000 I think / NOPE, apparently it’s 100,000 / They panicked and said, “We’ll take the money” – 30s doesn’t take long / I haven’t got 100,000 hairs on my head, that’s for sure]
Next Couple: Tim Vine and CHERYL FERGUSON (from “Eastenders”)
Last time, with the Vine brothers, it was a shambles, they dropped from 50k to 1k
1k: 50th anniversary of (The Rolling Stones) in 2012
2k: (Jack and the Beanstalk) features Fee-fi-fo-fum
5k: Premier League’s longest-serving manager (Alex Ferguson), so this is before 2013 when he retired
10k: British mammal that does NOT hibernate: Dormouse / Grey Squirrel / Hedgehog / Bat [I’d go grey squirrel – we see them all year round / Ask the Audience: split, 40% grey squirrel, 21% dormouse, 34% bat / It IS grey squirrel[
20k: Officially recognized as a minority language by the UK government: Geordie / (Cornish) / Cockney / Scouse [50/50 leaves cockney and Cornish]
50k: A world figure who has a private pilot’s licence: Dalai Lama / Pope Benedict XVI / Nelson Mandela / Queen Elizabeth II [No idea, I’d guess Dalai Lama / Phone-A-Friend: he would guess Dalai Lama too / They take the money, in a panic again] / It’s NOT the Dalai Lama, it’s the POPE who sometimes flies the papal helicopter]
REVISE: Pope Benedict XVI had a pilot’s licence, to fly the papal helicopter
3rd couple: JOHN PARTRIDGE and Alison Hammond [John won “Celebrity Masterchef” last year, ex “Eastenders”] / Alison looks good with her fairy makeup, something about the eyes
1k: (Wales) is known as The Valleys
2k: (Pumpkin) turned into a gold carriage in Cinderella
5k: RT = (Retweet) on Twitter
10k: Large glass pyramid serves as the entrance to (Louvre)
REVISE: Louvre pyramid designer
20k: Universal recycling symbol, known as the Moebius Loop has how many curved arrows: 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 [Ask the Audience: 68% go 3 / Alison thought it was to begin with, and it is 3]
50k: Gold pillarbox in honour of Jessica Ennis is in: Liverpool / Bradford / (Sheffield) / Birmingham [50/50 leaves Bradford as well / Phone-A-Friend: Alan Dedicoat goes Sheffield, he’s Not too sure / they’ve gone for it, decisively]
75k: Like human beings, these creatures have unique fingerprints: giant panda / Koala / Meerkat / Chinchilla [It’s KOALA, but they’ve done a swap]
75k again: Hilary Mantel, 2nd Booker Prize Winner “this year” was Bring up the: Dirt / Goods / Fish / (Bodies) [He thought it was Bodies, she thought it was Dirt, they went for dirt and leave with 50k]
Question Writers: Mary Kirkland / James Ellis / Carle Earl-Ocran [They don’t usually show the names]
OLD WHO: Mon 11-Mar-2019 on Challenge
[11/03/2019 22:04] This is on live but I’m about to go to bed, nothing familiar yet from the 10 new contestants or the first few questions.
[12/03/2019 11:53] And now I’m back, to make notes properly
FFF: Parties according to number of MPs elected to parliament at last general election
DACB gives us: Labour /Conservative / Lib Dems / SNP
418 / 165 / 46 / 6
The most recent election must have been 1997, when this show was first broadcast
6/10 get it right, Norman Mackenzie is fastest in 4.12s
A staff nurse from Blackburn (he’s Scottish), wife Belinda is there, kids are at home, he would like to ride the Tour de France, into his cycling, would like an 8k bike that Tarrant goes on about / He practised fastest finger first on his thighs, we keep hearing
1k: (Semester) is name for a school or university term in US
2k: (St Pancras) saint who shares a name with a London station
4k: kibbutz is a communal settlement in (Israel)
8k: Won the 1999 Rugby World Cup (Australia) [Ask the Audience: 43% go right, 28% go New Zealand, 16% go South Africa, 13% go France / Phone-A-Friend thinks it’s South Africa but is not certain / 50/50 leaves him with France and Australia / he finally goes for the right answer, having used all his lifelines]
16k: “Gentleman’s Relish” is a paste made with this fish: anchovy / mackerel / herring / eel [I’m pretty sure it’s anchovy, he doesn’t know and doesn’t risk it / it is ANCHOVY]
Norman Mackenzie leaves with 8k
FFF: Snow White panto dwarfs in alphabetical order
DBCA gives us: Bashful / Doc / Grumpy / Happy
6/9 get it right, Mike Pomfrey is fastest in 5.20s
A bridge teacher from Dronfield Woodhouse in Derbyshire / he’s got Minnie Moose, a good luck charm sticking out of his top pocket / it’s odd, sometimes there’s NO CHAT at all, and sometimes we get way too much of it / his grown-up daughter is in the audience, his EX-WIFE is one of his Phone-A-Friends
1k: (allotment) a small plot of land rented to a person to cultivate
2k: (tributary) a stream or river that feeds into a larger one
4k: In a 1997 WBA Championship boxing match, Mike Tyson bit which part of Evander Holyfield (Ear)
8k: (HMS Beagle) the ship on which Charles Darwin made his voyage of scientific discovery [1831-36]
16k: Father of presenter Zoe Ball (Johnny Bal) [Ask the Audience: 80% go for Johnny / This question was on TV when I went up to bed last night]
32k: (Robert Redford) founded the Sundance Institute
64k: Curved blade used by Gurkas: KUKRI / Cutlass / Machete / Kirpan
REVISE: Knives and swords, what is a KIRPAN? A KUKRI is a curved blade used by the Gurkas /
Cheque shows 12-3-0 and the last digit is covered, it’s either 18 years ago or 19 years ago This Very Day / And next time round we see that it’s 12-3-01 / I was sat in Lemonia in Primrose Hill when this was first aired
125k: In “The Merchant of Venice” Portia talks about the quality of (mercy)
[He knew the last two before they came up, and gave the next line of the speech here, to which Tarrant said “Nobody likes a SMART-ARSE”]
250k: Symbol that appears on the flag of India: Bird (Wheel) Star Mountain [Easy-peasy 250k question for me / He thinks it’s a wheel 50/50 leaves him with Wheel and Star / Phone-A-Friend: Georgie, his ex-wife, she’s pretty sure it’s a wheel]
500k: CAPYBARA is the largest member of which animal order; (rodents) marsupials / primates / Carnivores
1m: TOMAS MASARYK was the first President of which country: Czechoslovakia / Poland / Hungary / Yugoslavia [He thought it was Poland, so did I – and I must have seen this question, because I looked up all the 1m questions at the start of the year / it’s CZECHOSLOVAKIA, Tomas Masaryk
REVISE: Post-war European Presidents, and leading figures: Tomas Masaryk was the first President of CZECHOSLOVAKIA
[12/03/2019 12:27] And that’s the end of the show, and I flicked through the questions in Bullseye afterwards: FRANK WHITTLE invented the jet engine / Mary Robinson was first female President of Ireland, 1990 / Old Glory flag of the USA (check)
Mike Pomfrey leaves with 500k
WHO: Tue 12-Mar-2019 on Challenge, the first couples special
[13/03/2019 08:36] I don’t really fancy this one, to be honest, but I’ll give it a go and get rid of it, I hope
10 couples, the first couples show
FFF: Put these lengths in order
ACBD gives us: 3cm / 3in / 3ft / 3m
6/10 get it right, Rod & Vicky are fastest, in 5.90s
From Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, together for 7 years, he’s a builder and she’s a systems analyst / he did some building work for her, stayed in her spare room, “the rest is history” / they have a daughter
[Bing Crosby’s first name was HARRY]
1k: (Opposition) is the principal party in parliament that is not in power
2k: Macedonia is in (Europe) [They’re not sure, one of them thinks it’s Asia / Ask the Audience: 77% get it right]
4k: NOT a member of the cat family: Cheetah / Lynx / (Mongoose) / Jaguar
REVISE: What exactly IS a mongoose?
8k: For what would a chef use a mandolin: Tenderising meat / Brewing tea / Whisking egg whites / (Slicing vegetables) [I certainly wouldn’t have known that back then, but no trouble now]
16k: A&R = (Artists and repertoire) [They don’t know / Phone-A-Friend is pretty sure of the right answer]
32k: (Richard) is the father of David and Jonathan Dimbleby
[Tarrant has just called the male contestant here “laughing boy”]
Cheque says: Rod Arkle, 1-1-01
64k: Which of these is a plant: Gem-of-Jerusalem / Star-of-Bethlehem / Jewel-of-Jordan / Star-of-David [I think it’s Star-of-Bethlehem / so do they / 50/50 leaves that answer and Star-of-David]
REVISE: STAR-OF-BETHLEHEM is a plant
Tarrant did that annoying thing of “You HAD 32 thousand pounds. You still have 32 thousand pounds. And you’ve got another 32 thousand pounds to go with it
125k: A 2-wheeled vehicle used in trotting or harness races: Moody / Sulky / Gloomy / Greedy [A Moody I think, but I’m wrong, it’s SULKY]
REVISE: SULKY Is a 2-wheeled vehicle used in trotting or harness races
FFF: Starting with the MOST populous, put these continents in order
BADC gives us: Asia / Africa / Europe / Antarctica
Not sure if I got Africa and Europe the right way round there / Yes, I did
6/9 get it right, Sheila & John are fastest in 6.09s
From Redditch, a bank cashier and a plant hire manager
[Lois Maxwell was Miss Moneypenny]
1k: (Whites) are worn by cricketers
2k: (Mark Twain) wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
4k: (JFK) is the major international airport for New York City
8k: Handel’s Messiah is this kind of work: Opera / (Oratorio) / Cantata / Concerto [they’ve already said they think it’s B or D, Ask the Audience goes 59% B Oratorio and 27% Concerto]
REVISE: What exactly is a Cantata / Concerto / Oratorio
16k: Cheese that translates into English as “sweet milk” (Dolcelatte) not Provolone [Phone-A-Friend, her sister, is absolutely sure of the right answer]
REVISE: Cheeses, specifically Provolone (never heard of it) and get a grip on cheese made from different types of milk: cow, sheep, goat, buffalo
32k: Granada is a city in this European country (Spain)
Cheque shows: Sheila Wilde 1-1-01
64k: In traditional folk tales this wild animal if often called Brock: (Badger)
REVISE: Why are badgers called Brock
125k: Carol Decker was lead singer of which 1980s band (T’Pau) [50/50 leaves them with Fairground Attraction as well / She thinks it’s T’Pau but they don’t risk it]
They leave with 64k
Bullseye questions: Interpol HQ is in PARIS / Churchill was born in BLENHEIM PALACE, 2 months premature while his mother was staying with her in-laws / Mark McManus played TAGGART / Benazir Bhutto 1990
Binnacle houses the compass on a ship / RAFFLES 1819 founded Singapore / successive monarchs face in different directions on coins: QE2 faces RIGHT on coins, LEFT on stamps / Lusitania sunk by Germans in 1915 / DIGITALIS comes from (Foxglove)
KEVIN KENNY is the professional darts player throwing for charity
[13/03/2019 09:42] Okay, that took a lot longer than usual: I flicked through TWO episodes of Bullseye that I had recorded last night, but I also had a 20-minute call, mainly about the London Book Fair.
WHO: 20-Jan-2019 on Challenge, Peter Lee wins 500k 18-1-00, Margaret Whittaker 250k 19-1-00
[13/03/2019 22:10] I recorded this one many months ago, unfortunately without subtitles, so I won’t be able to forward as quickly as I usually do / This one has been on the hard drive for many weeks.
Show opens with a cheque showing Peter Lee 18-1-00 for 32k [Ah, this is the guy who would late be a Phone-A-Friend for Ann Stanley
64k: Which of these actresses has not appeared in “Coronation Street”: Patricia Routledge / Maureen Lipman / Prunella Scales / Joanna Lumley [It’s Maureen Lipman but she has appeared on it since, and is still in it as of 2021]
125k: John Osborne play that features the character Archie Rice: (The Entertainer) / West of Suez / Look Back in Anger / Time Present
Revise: John Osborne plays, make sure that these are also plays by him, and when: WEST OF SUEZ / / TIME PRESENT, never heard of them, but have heard of Look Back in Anger and The Entertainer
250k: French impressionist painter had a son who became a successful film director: Pissarro / Dega / Sisley / (Renoir) [He thinks it’s Renoir but goes for 50/50, and is also left with Pissarro / Phone-A-Friend thinks it’s Renoir, he goes for it, there’s a break – it’s very different watching on x2 speed without subtitles / this should prompt me to remember to ALWAYS record with subtitles on the hard drive]
500k: Japanese word ‘kamikaze’ literally means: Sacred venture / (Divine wind) / Self-destruction / Final attack [This was the first time someone had got to 500k on the UK show]
1m: Which county cricket side is based at Chester-le-Street: Warwickshire / (Durham) / Northants / Leicestershire [I remember from at the time, and was surprised he didn’t know: I’d have known this aged 10, from UK geography: Chester-le-Street is in the North East,like Durham / He would have gone with Leicestershire, but didn’t.]
Peter Lee leaves with 500k
10 new contestants
FFF: 4 words in alphabetical order
BDAC gives us: Acacia / Accent / Achieve / Actually
Only 3/10 get it right, Margaret Whittaker is fastest in 8.20s
No chat before the questions
[Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar were the 3 Wise Men / Kingpin is the front skittle in the triangle in 10 pin bowling]
1k: (Busman) associated with “a holiday spent doing the same thing one does at work”
2k: Only poisonous snake native to Britain: Grass snake / Smooth snake / Slow worm / (Adder)
REVISE: Snakes, again, Adder is the only poisonous snake native to Britain, and run through constrictors and venomous snakes
4k: (Mayflower) the ship in which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America
8k: Genealogist studies (family history)
16k: (Mr Rochester) married Jane Eyre
32k: Stonehenge is in this county: (Wiltshire) / Cornwall / Dorset / Hampshire
REVISE: Where does Wiltshire meet its neighbours?
Cheque reads 19-1-0, final digit is obscured but we know it’s 19-1-00, and the next cheque shows it clearly
64k: Showman ERICH WEISS was better known by which name: (Harry Houdini) / Charles Blondin / Phineas T Barnum / Evel Knievel [Ask the Audience: 60% go Houdini, 27% Evel Knievel]
125k: A specific name for an angler’s basket for carrying his catch: Trug / Creel / Skip / Pannier [50/50 leaves Trug and Creel which is what I expected / I thought it was CREEL, so does she, and it is]
REVISE: Trug, Creel, Skip, Pannier, are they all associated with angling?
What does 125k mean to her? She says something like, “It’s indescribable. As a single mum every day is a struggle, this will mean I don’t have to worry about things”.
250k: Five spice powder is a traditional ingredient of which cuisine: Chinese / Mediterranean / Polynesian / Middle Eastern [Her Phone-A-Friend is confident that it’s Chinese, and it is]
REVISE: Five Spice, Star Anise, all sorts of food things I only have a vague idea of
500k: Who was US President at the outbreak of WW1: Calvin Coolidge / Herbert Hoover / William Taft / (Woodrow Wilson) [I wouldn’t have known this back in 2000, but it’s embedded now: Wilson was Pres in 1916, when Harold Wilson was born; he took over AFTER Taft in 1913]
Margaret Whittaker leaves with 250k, the most any woman had won on the show up to that point
FFF: Start with OLDEST, members of Royal Family in order of their age
DACB gives us: Viscount Linley / Zara Phillips / Prince Harry / Princess Beatrice
1961 / 1981 / 1984 / 1988
Only 2/9 get it right, Jan Garner is fastest in 8.74s
1k: (Apes) raised Tarzan after he was orphaned [She’s gone 50/50, left with Bears and Apes]
2k: Brace and bit used to (Bore a hole) [Ask the Audience: 65% go right, 32% go for “join two pieces of wood”]
4k: PC after an MPs name stands for (Privy Counsellor)
8k: The city formerly known as both Constantinople and Byzantium is in (Turkey)
16k: Roger Moore first played Bond in (Live and let die) [She uses Phone-A-Friend: he doesn’t know, would guess Live and let die / She doesn’t risk it]
Jan Garner leaves with 8k
The Compartments 