Episode 5 Richard Hammond's Blast Lab

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

No, I don't know what it is either I've no idea, why don't you try it?

GULP!

Anything?

Yeah? Feeling good?

Oh, great! Well, whatever it is, it's good.

No, wait! I've just remembered I left some ooze from a toxic tank

on a radiator for about a week, it could be that...

Yeah...it was that.

Still, never mind.

I'm Richard Hammond and welcome to my Blast Lab!

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

I shall be inviting two teams of Britain's brightest young scientists

to battle against each other for top prizes.

That is assuming they can find their way here.

This place is top secret so I couldn't give them directions

for legal reasons.

I'm pretty sure they'll chance upon it eventually.

Coming up, in Mini Science with Mini Miss,

our teams test pressure by building bazookas.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

We attempt to separate fact from fiction in Fact Nav 2.0 with Oliver.

Meanwhile our Lab Rats are reunited with an old expert,

and his new cannon.

And today's Messy, Messy Mess Test is the Bridge of Destiny.

Destiny... Bridge of.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Keeping my lab secret isn't easy,

especially since my self-made cloaking device

keeps flashing luminous yellow lights

and shouting, "IT'S HERE!" every hour.

It's tricky, so I employed the best of the best to keep intruders out

and that is, of course, my Ninja Nan!

Let's see what she's up to in the Ninja Nannex. There she is.

Started a book club with her friends from the Cobra Squad.

There was trouble when they took their books back to the library,

they'd worn them all out.

Right, let's have a look at who's trying to get into my lab today.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Hello! So, you three claim to be the Red Team, yeah, that's what you say.

For security, I'd better check with your security file...

Your names, please.

-Anuj.

-Rishil.

-Aanand.

Anuj, Rishil, Aanand. That's what I've got here.

Also under "talent"... what are you going to do?

I can play my arms.

Anuj, you can play your arm?

OK, go!

TOOT TOOT PARP

It's not the most musical thing I've heard,

but there's a noise coming from his armpit.

Come on into the lab, you're in.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Hello, hello, hello. That's far enough.

You're not completely through security yet.

Ninja Nan's watching. At any moment, she could spring.

Might not look like it, but she could, she could.

We agreed a password with the real Red Team,

which, if you are the real Red Team,

and are going to be allowed access into the lab, you would know.

So what do you reckon it is.?

-ALL: Brussels sprouts.

-It is! Why?

ALL: Cos we hate them!

That doesn't narrow it down, though.

Everybody hates Brussels sprouts don't they?

Does anybody here like Brussels sprouts?

You do? Nobody but him likes Brussels sprouts,

but that's what I've got written here, I'll accept that password.

You're allowed in. Go and sit down ready for the first game.

They are the... There's the Red Team.

Yeah!

We've got a Red Team, we need another.

We need a Yellow Team, this lot says it's them.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Yes, it's all well and good clapping and applauding,

we don't yet that you are the real the Yellow Team.

So I have your security file, your names are on it, what are they?

-Sophie.

-Amelie.

-Louisa.

Sophie, Amelie, Louisa. That's what it says.

Talent, what are you going to do?

We can all count to five in Cantonese.

Yeah, we can all do that but...

just to check how would I do it? Go on.

Yuht, Yee, Sahm, Say, Mmm.

I've no idea if that's what you did,

but I'll take your word for it, come into the lab.

Hello, team. Hello, hello.

Well, you're very nearly through security.

Just one more thing to do and that's the password.

We agreed it with the real team. If that's you, you'd know. What is it?

-ALL: Frozen fish.

-Yes!

Why have we got this food theme going today?

I don't like their eyes.

What?

-I don't like their eyes.

-Aren't they pretty enough?

-They're horrid.

-Really?

Argh - there's a frozen fish!

Sneaking up behind you! You really don't like them?

OK. That's what it says on the security file

so I have to believe you.

You are the Yellow Team.

Go and get ready! You're into the Blast Lab!

We've got two teams and now I'd like to introduce a car

who devours complex maths problems for breakfast,

but makes a meal of left-hand turns and reversing.

It is Oliver!

Oliver! Will you join us?

Let's get him...docked into Fact Nav. Get him hooked up.

There you go. System up and running. Oh, yeah.

He looks like an old car but to keep him right up to the minute

I bought the very latest Fact Nav 2.0 upgrade.

It's brilliant - crammed with millions of science facts.

Really, it's fabulous.

The only slight problem is I didn't have it installed...

by an authorised dealer - I had it installed by a cowboy.

And I do mean...an actual cowboy.

So very good herding cattle and wearing a big hat -

useless at installing in-car gadgetry.

And as a result of that, I need your help, teams, to tell me

whether the science facts I give you are true or false.

Once you give me your answers, if they're true Oliver will do this.

OLIVER: Yee hah!

Like I said, installed by a cowboy.

If it's false, he'll let us know by doing this.

OLIVER: Mooo!

Thank you, Oliver.

That's how we know whether it's true or false. Here's how the game works.

Teams, each of you has three red lights right now.

Every time you answer correctly, I will turn one light green.

That's a good thing - the first team to get three lights lit green wins.

Hoorah! However...

if you answer incorrectly, I don't turn one of your lights green -

instead, I turn one of the other team's lights green.

So Yellows, get it wrong enough - you could win it for Reds,

and the other way round.

The first question decides who gets control of the game

from the beginning and then gets the next true-or-false question.

This is "nearest-to" answer I want for this.

So here is your question. In just one second,

how many times can a woodpecker peck?

In just one second, how many times can a woodpecker peck?

You've got a bit of time. Have a chat.

You'll need to answer soon. Write it down on your boards.

Teams, I need to start hurrying you up.

Time's up!

OK, time is up. Both team's got an answer written down?

Yellows, what have you written down?

1,000?

Yes.

In a second. Gives you a headache just thinking about it.

Reds. 11.

There is some disparity in the two answers there,

1,000 from the Yellows, 11 from the Reds.

I think we can safely say one of the two teams is going to be closest

to the real answer. The real answer is...

..in just one second, a woodpecker can peck...

25 times, which means the Reds take that green light.

Yellows don't.

That's pretty frantic - 25 times a second.

A woodpecker has shock-absorbing tissue around the eyes and skull

so it's brain has a tough membrane so it doesn't bounce around,

otherwise it would hurt. Right,

Reds have the first green light - you have control of the game.

This is your first true-or-false question.

I need you to tell me whether this is true or false.

The noise made when you crack your knuckles

is caused by bubbles of gas.

Is that true or false? You can have a little bit a think.

So, noise of cracking knuckles is bubbles of gas -

-true or false?

-True.

-You think it's true.

All in agreement. That's good to see. OK.

Oliver, for the real answer, let's find out. Is that true or false?

-OLIVER: Yee haa!

-It's true! Well done, Reds.

Well done. That's the second green light for you. Well done.

That means the Reds have two green lights. Looking good.

It's because there's fluid between the joints in the knuckles

and there's gas trapped in that.

The fluid's there to help them move

and when you crack the knuckles this gas is released,

and it can pop - that's what makes the cracking sound.

That's not the only gas released from the body.

LAB RAT BLOWS RASPBERRY

Yeah, thank you, lab rat.

Right, Yellows, back to business. This is important for you now.

Here's your fact.

Starfish can push their stomachs out of their mouths.

Is that true or false?

Starfish can push their stomachs out of their mouths.

Let's see what the audience thinks.

Vote with your feet. Is that true or false?

Coming through. Ooh, a fair bit of mind-changing going on there.

-You think not, no?

-Er, no.

-No. No?

Any theories on this?

-They don't have any hands or feet.

-So how would they do it?

-They don't have any bones.

-But they must have stomachs.

-What do you think?

-I don't think they have stomachs.

Starfish are not coming out of this well.

Thank you. Get back to your places.

Let's find out what the team thinks.

Right. So it all hangs on this one for you, Yellows.

Starfish can push their stomachs out of their mouths. What do you think?

-True.

-True.

-You think it's true. OK.

Oliver, the Yellows think it's true. Is it true or false, Oliver?

-OLIVER: Yee haa!

-It's true!

Well done, Yellows. Oh!

Yellows, you're still in with one green light.

Reds, here is your science fact.

The largest known star

is three times brighter than the sun.

and at least two of you guys are quite into astronomy. OK?

Well, maybe it'll help.

The largest known star is three times brighter than the sun.

True or false?

-False.

-You're going with false.

Oliver, the Reds think it's false.

We need to know, is it true or false?

-OLIVER: Mooo!

-It is false!

The third light is green for the Reds! Well done!

It's actually thought to be about 500,000 times brighter than the sun.

The Reds are the winners, so it's 1-0 to the Reds.

Times tables, French, capital cities, karaoke

and time machines - things that I'm terrible at.

The first four I've known for years, but I only found out

I was terrible at building time machines when I tried

to bring my old science teacher back through time

and she ended up looking like that. It is, of course, Mini Miss!

"That"?

I think you'd better add "manners" to that list of yours as well, Richard.

Beg your pardon, Miss. Sorry. What have you got for us today?

Well, today our teams are going to be playing the game I like to call...

Wow! Now, Miss, this already looks like it could be my favourite

experiment of all time.

That's great. It's mine, too, because it involves chemistry and physics.

Ah. It's mine because it involves bazookas and great big targets.

There's a surprise(!) The teams must fill their pots half full with water.

This one looks more like it's half empty to me, Miss.

-No-one likes a smart Alec.

-No. Or coffee-flavoured jellybeans.

-Shush!

-Sorry, Miss.

They then have to pop a vitamin C tablet in,

put the lid on and strap the pot onto the bazooka.

The tablet fizzes, releasing carbon dioxide on the end of their bazooka.

So when the pressure inside the pot gets too great

with the carbon dioxide being released,

the lid flies off the end of it and there you go.

-Correct!

-The teams are aiming their lids into this giant target.

The closer a lid lands to the bull's-eye,

-the more points it scores.

-Have we got all that, teams?

-Yep.

So we know what to do. You have some time to fire as many lids as you can

and that some time starts...

now!

Away go both teams, filling their pots with water.

The amount of water will affect how quickly their bazooka will fire.

Reds are the first to get firing.

Pressure builds up until...boom!

The top flies off.

Yellows are now firing and reloading with water.

And getting the hang of it, with Sophie and Amelie

bazooka-ing a top each.

That's two points for the Yellows

and the Reds follow suit with an equally useful couple of points.

The reason the lids pop off is all down to what's in those tablets.

They have Vitamin C,

but they've also got a little bit of acid and alkaline

and these are kept separate in the dry tablet

but when a tablet is put in water they dissolve and they mix

and when acid and alkaline mix, they make carbon dioxide gas

and it's this gas that builds up inside the pot until eventually

the lid is made to pop off because the pressure's too much to stay in.

Hopefully the, lid then flies towards the targets, some are.

The rest are going everywhere. The teams have really got their eye in

and the tops are raining down on the scoring zone.

Oh, and look at that!

Amelie has got the Yellows a bull's-eye, that's five points.

It really could be anybody's game, this.

BUZZER SOUNDS

OK, teams. OK, teams, put them down.

-Oh, that one's going to go, there you go.

-There you go.

It didn't score anyway, that's OK.

Teams, well done both of you that was quite frantic.

What we must now do is tot up the scores.

For the Yellows...

28 points. For the Reds...

22 which means it's a win for the Yellows! Well done, it was close!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It was close, Yellows, you just scored more.

That means the score overall is one all! Lovely.

To fully test a scientific theory,

you have to do a well-considered double-blind test,

taking into account a set of control conditions

and latching down any variables that could affect the results.

It's either that or do the same thing again but much, much bigger.

I went for the second option, cos it's more fun.

In an earlier big experiment, I invited a spud launcher expert

to see if he could use compressed air and an air cannon,

well, a drainpipe,

to break the world record for the fastest tennis ball.

He didn't. It's not all bad though,

from firing a potato through a tennis racket with steel strings,

he did land a lucrative chip-making contact. He's happy.

Today we've decided to challenge him one more time

to see whether he has a world record in him at all.

The world record attempt here today... Golf.

The longest ever golf drive was set by an American called Jack Hamm,

who reached a distance of 418.78 metres.

Let's see how far the average man... Well, less-than-average man -

a Lab Rat, in fact - can hit a golf ball.

When a golfer hits a golf ball,

the contact between the face of the club and the golf ball

lasts less than half a millisecond.

That's 600 times quicker than it takes you to blink.

I don't think the world record is under any threat from this man,

but it might just be a little worried by the sight of this man

and a certain powerful machine slung under his shoulder.

Hello, I'm a spud launcher expert.

But we're not launching any spuds today,

we'll have to upgrade him, so who is he now?

-I'm a golf ball launcher expert.

-That's better.

Our golf-ball cannon uses compressed air as the source of energy

to launch our ball on it's hopefully world record-breaking journey.

In our launcher the compressed air is held in a sealed chamber

just next to the golf ball.

When the compressed air is released,

it rapidly expands into the pipe housing the golf ball,

forcing the ball up and out of the end of the pipe,

hopefully launching it a record-breaking distance.

You can see the distance he has to beat - a whopping 418.78 metres -

more than a quarter of a mile. But has he got what it takes?

Will he beat the world golf-drive record?

BLAM!

Hold the experiment right there.

Teams, there's a point up for grabs here.

You could both do with it, the score right now one-all.

So I will give another point to the team that can tell me...

Does he do it? Does he break the record?

Reds? Will he do it?

-We think it don't work.

-It won't work.

-Won't work, OK.

Reds think it won't work.

-We think it will.

-Yes.

You think it will work?

Well, simple enough then, let's find out. Carry on with the experiment.

OK, let's go through the pre-launch check list.

Nerves of steel?

No, he probably doesn't need those, this is actually surprisingly safe,

probably even safer than real golf.

Argh!

Peak physical fitness?

I don't think that would be necessary, either.

He's just standing there really, isn't he?

The ability to just stand there and just push the trigger? Check.

That's enough of that, let's get on with the launch.

Three, two, one...

fire.

Wow! It went a long way but where?

Let's fire lots more just to make it easy to find them at the other end.

And the answer to the question that's been on our lips.

No, not does the golf ball launcher expert's house

still have any guttering? Although I am intrigued.

No, I mean, the answer to the second biggest question -

did he break the record?

Let's send in my Lab Rat,

who's been specially cross-bred with a Labrador

to make him particularly efficient at retrieving objects.

There's one!

I believe we have a new world record, more than 450 metres.

Take that, America!

CHEERING

Well, there we go. He does it, that means a point goes to the Yellows,

The score now is 2-1.

It's time for...

Now, in this tank here are pieces of a bridge,

but not just any old bridge.

It's the Bridge of Destiny.

The Bridge of Destiny!

-Comfortable in there?

-Yeah.

Good, well you won't be, don't you worry.

You have to find all the pieces to make your bridge

and as soon you've finished, pull this lever.

At that moment the car that's pulling your trailer of prizes

will cross the tank.

It's that simple. That is how you play the Bridge of Destiny.

The Bridge of Destiny!

Yeah, thank you.

The team that crosses it first will win all the prizes,

that's including a skeleton model,

a dinosaur egg and an internal combustion engine.

So, if we're ready teams, let's play the Bridge of Destiny.

The Bridge of Destiny!

Yee haa!

Let me guess, you're the cowboy that fitted Oliver's Fact Nav 2.0?

Yeah. OK, thank you.

Each team has a squeegee. When you've finished your bridge,

you can use it to clean the gunk off

to give your car a clear run,

but it's up to you how much time you spend doing that, OK?

You've got to make that judgement.

Yellow Team, you are leading so you've got a five-second head start.

Reds, you go when you hear the second claxon.

OK, well, if we are ready.

Let's do it. Go!

CLAXTON SOUNDS

Away go the Yellows, seeking their bridge parts.

CLAXTON SOUNDS

Oh, and now the Reds are up and running, too.

I forgot to tell the teams about Alan, my massive robot,

-who has the most terrible cold.

-Achooo!

Still, they know now!

Despite Alan, the Reds are putting their second bridge piece in place.

The Yellows look to be struggling,

but look at that, the Reds they could be done in record time.

Ah, I think I've spoken too soon, the Reds have a problem.

That last piece will not go in.

Rishil was about to pull the lever, but Aanand stopped him just in time.

Meanwhile, the Yellows are now making good progress.

And look at that - the Yellows are about to add their last piece.

The Reds need to sort their problems and fast.

In goes the final piece, the Yellows have come back to win!

What?

They're now cleaning the bridge rather than pulling the lever.

The Reds could still win this

while the Yellows are still giving their bridge a spring clean!

The Reds now trying to sort their problems.

Yellows, pull the lever! Pull the lever!

Finally they do and away goes their car.

CHEERING

Now that was quite tense for those of us watching.

Both teams, incredible attention to detail,

Reds really wrestling with getting the bridge assembled.

Yellows even when your bridge was built,

what were you going to do with that bridge, operate on it?

It was pretty clean by the time you'd finished.

But we do have our winners and they are the Yellow Team! Well done!

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Sorry, lads. That was brilliant Yellows, well done.

Let's find out exactly what you've won.

All right, Lab Rat, drop the whole cowboy thing, thank you.

Ninja Nan, are you ready? A skeleton model, there you go.

An internal combustion engine.

A transforming ball.

A butterfly garden.

A dinosaur egg.

A metal detector.

A puzzle cube.

And Tomb of Doom.

Yellows, well done, all of those prizes for you.

Reds, wow that was quite a battle in there.

And that's exactly what you would have been taking home

but on Blast Lab one team goes home with their prizes,

the other team get to do exactly the same.

apart from the "with the prizes" bit, you just go home

because it now time for Bidet Goes Bang!

Yellows, well played.

That Bridge of Destiny

is going to be the cleanest bridge in the entire universe.

I've never seen anything like it. Congratulations, you won all these!

That's great. Reds.

I'm sorry, that was the tensest end game we've ever, ever had.

I don't know if I could stand another one.

Well done. Right up until the very end when, all of a sudden, you lost.

It's time for the Walk of Shame. Follow me, Reds.

GROANING

I know, be strong, be strong. Come on.

Yep, audience. It's tough.

Be strong, Reds.

Be strong.

Lads, you've been great sports, thanks for playing and you've lost.

Now you'll blow your prizes up. All right?

-Yep.

-Good. Lift the plunger and we will count you down.

Audience, if we're ready.

ALL: Five, four, three, two, one.

BLAST

Well done, Reds.

Well done, team. Thanks for being great sports.

So what have we learnt today?

Have we learnt about pressure, force and chemical reactions?

Yes, but we've also learnt how to use bits of old drainpipe

to cheat at golf, which is just as useful. I'll see you soon. Goodbye.

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