Episode 30 Debatable

Hello and welcome to Debatable where today one player must answer

a series of tricky questions to try to walk away with a jackpot

of over £3,000.

But they're not on their own.

They will have a panel of well-known faces debating their way

to the answers. Will they help or will they hinder?

As always, that is debatable.

So let's meet them.

We have broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen.

We have a musician and cheese maker Alex James

and comedian Hal Cruttenden.

APPLAUSE

It is a thing of beauty, our panel today.

Alex, you're in the centre chair.

How are you going to rule today's panel?

-Well, I don't know about ruling.

-You are going to be delegating.

Yes, definitely delegate, that's the way forward.

How are your debating skills?

I think they've probably got better.

I was far too impatient to listen when I was young.

You know, I loved the certainty of youth but I was the bass player

-in a band and the job of the bass...

-In a very big band, come on.

In one of the biggest bands in the world.

Well, yes, and I guess the job of the bass is to underpin the harmony

and support the upper voices,

so I guess that was a sort of levelling thing.

So I hope I can bring that into my debating technique.

So, Hal, how are your debating skills?

I was in the debating society at school but I was a bit of an idiot.

I sort of did it for fun but we had...

Two years below me was the ex-chancellor George Osborne and he

was two years below us and he used to turn up, little podgy junior

would come up and make points from the floor and be very sort of...

Really annoying little bloke he was.

So even then you saw that he would go on to great things?

Yes, I think I knew from then that he'd go far in politics just because

of the personality he had.

Very, very diplomatic there, Hal. Very diplomatic.

Esther, of course, you ran for Parliament yourself.

Yes, in Luton South, I was an independent candidate in 2010.

We did 12 hustings, which were great, and I lost my deposit,

so I don't know quite what that proves,

but it maybe proved something about my debating.

That is the panel.

Let's meet today's contestant.

It's Maxine from London.

APPLAUSE

Welcome to the show. How are you doing?

-Very well.

-Tell us a little bit about yourself, Maxine.

Well, after 22 years at a major auction house as a furniture expert,

I left a year ago, took my year off, had a wonderful time,

did lots of travelling,

and now I've set up as an independent art consultant.

And what does an independent art consultant do?

I'll be visiting country houses,

I'll be taking clients to visit auctions,

I'll be doing some academic work as well.

I've just finished something for the National Trust.

I'll also be teaching.

Maxine, can I just say that on immediately meeting you,

you may be way too highbrow for this show?

LAUGHTER

I'm just putting it out there.

I don't think so. Looking at the members of the panel, they've all

got a lot to offer and have had great careers, having great careers.

What do you make of our artefacts here today?

How would you categorise our panel?

Well, they are in a very good state of preservation and they have

illustrious provenance so they're definitely good for sale.

Well, look, keep a close eye on them.

You will be choosing one of them for the Final Debate.

-OK.

-Ready to play?

-Ready to play.

-OK, here we go, Maxine, it's time for Round One.

OK, Maxine, round one is multiple choice, four possible answers.

We need you to find the correct answer,

£200 up for grabs for each correct answer, a possible £800.

Here we go, best of luck.

I think I know but as there is a musician on the panel,

I'd like maybe to put it to the panel.

I see what you are doing here, Maxine.

You think you might know but you'd like to test our panel with this.

Panel, your debate starts now.

The golden age of songwriting.

Do you love a musical?

I love a musical and I felt so strongly about it that I used to

test my children on the great American musical

when we were driving to school.

They had to know all the songs, they had to know all the composers.

But they failed maths and English!

Indeed.

They did appallingly.

The great American musical, so I do know.

These are my favourite musicals and I know which

There Is Nothing Like A Dame comes from.

Are there any we can discount immediately?

-Three of them.

-Three of them.

LAUGHTER

Well, it doesn't come from West Side Story.

What's the big song in West Side Story?

There are so many. Tonight or Something's Coming.

# Tonight, there's nothing like a dame. #

I Feel Pretty, Oh, So Pretty.

Lyrics by Sondheim.

Guys And Dolls is fabulous.

Luck Be A Lady Tonight.

Oh, so many.

-Wonderful...

-Sit Down, You're Rockin' The Boat.

Indeed. Oklahoma, Oh, What A Beautiful Morning.

Oh, what a beautiful day. And it doesn't come from any of those,

so it does come from South Pacific because it's what the sailors sang.

-Rodgers and Hammerstein?

-You've got it.

-Oh!

Cos I was going to go that it's Guys And Dolls.

I thought it was Guys And Dolls.

Well, overrule me.

It's all the blokes...

# Luck be a lady tonight

# Never get out of my sight

# Luck, if you ever were a lady to begin with

# There is nothing like a dame. #

-No, I don't think so.

-Wouldn't it be great if we started the whole show

again? And went, # Luck, be a lady tonight. #

-We'd push this out the way...

-Push the desk out.

Are you absolutely sure it is South Pacific?

I am... Listen, I lost my deposit, OK?

I am completely positive it is South Pacific.

Well, the panel's decision is clearly South Pacific.

So, the panel and by the panel, Maxine, we mean Esther's decision

on this is South Pacific.

I'm a bit torn between Oklahoma and South Pacific.

I've got the song in my head,

but Esther sounded so certain, I think I'll go with South Pacific.

OK, you're going with South Pacific.

For £200, the correct answer is...

It is South Pacific!

Rodgers and Hammerstein, the song is sung by the sailors

who all long for the women in their lives.

Here we go.

# There is nothin' like a dame

# Nothin' in the world

# There is nothin' you can name

# That is anything like a dame. #

There we go and from that music

we can tell that that was on a South Pacific island somewhere(!)

Very well done, Esther.

Very well done, Maxine, you're up and running. £200.

APPLAUSE

You're up and running, here comes your next question.

I think it could be buttocks or breasts but I'm not sure.

-I'd like to hear what the panel says.

-OK.

I'm thinking of hill-shaped bits of the anatomy but I could be wrong.

I'm sure they can sort out their buttocks from their breasts.

Panel, your debate starts now.

Well, I've got absolutely no idea, so in my position as captain...

I was in the same position of thinking buttocks or breasts

and thinking breasts is too rude.

Scottish people are quite proper.

Aren't they? Who's Scottish here?

I think Rabbie Burns wasn't proper at all.

I think he had a short life but a very merry one.

-Oh, right.

-Lots of ladies.

-Ah!

-Is this the poem, "This is the fair chieftain of the pudding race"?

That one. Absolutely.

Knees and fingers don't look like hills.

Hurdies... Does that mean...

that only a woman has them?

So they are her...

-dies.

-It's spelt H-U-R, isn't it, as in Ben Hur?

Right, well, Ben Hur, as I recall in the chariot race, had rather firm

buttocks, didn't he?

Are you a breast or a buttocks man?

I would possibly say buttocks.

-Really?

-Yeah.

I'd go breasts just because I think it's cheeky.

You've got one breast, one buttock, you choose.

By a narrow margin, breasts.

It's pretty clear from this that our panel don't know

their buttocks from their elbows.

I think he probably wrote it to a woman so I'm going to agree with two

of the panel and go for breasts.

OK, going with the panel again.

Are hurdies your breasts for £200?

Oh!

-Esther.

-Sorry, Esther.

That's OK. That's OK.

So, buttocks to that.

The poem is traditionally recited at a Burn's Night supper.

There is a traditional Scottish phrase which means head over heels

which is "heels over hurdies".

-Oh!

-You're still on £200.

Here comes your next question, though.

This one is a tough one.

I don't think it's The Colbys because I think that was a spin-off.

I think it's possibly Mork & Mindy.

OK, can we help with this, panel? Your debate starts now.

Nanu, Nanu.

-Nanu, Nanu.

-Does this fall within your area of expertise?

Well, I know two of them.

I know Frasier came from Cheers...

..because he was the psychiatrist

that was also one of the drinkers in the pub.

And The Colbys, I think, was a spin-off from one of the...

Was it Dynasty?

Dynasty, that's it.

I think I'm pretty sure that it's The Golden Girls.

-What is Mork & Mindy?

-Mork appeared on Happy Days.

I'm pretty sure he did, I'm pretty sure he made his first appearance...

He wasn't, like, a regular character.

I'm pretty sure he appeared on Happy Days

and they spun it off Happy Days,

-I think...

-Bearing in mind we got it completely wrong last time.

-Yes!

-Only some of us.

-We're making a comeback now,

but I am pretty sure The Golden Girls

-didn't come from anything else.

-I think that's right.

I think it's Golden Girls.

-I do, too.

-I admire your confidence and I'm going to roll with it.

So I think the panel will go with The Golden Girls.

So, panel going with Golden Girls.

A little bit of Mork & Mindy knowledge from Hal - or is it?

I think it is a bit of knowledge from Hal so I'm going to go with

The Golden Girls.

So, you're changing your answer from Mork & Mindy to The Golden Girls.

Yes.

Was The Golden Girls not a spin off?

For £200.

It's the correct answer.

APPLAUSE

Very well done. You were right, Hal.

Mork & Mindy came from an episode of Happy Days when Richie Cunningham

had a dream he met an alien played by Robin Williams who tried to take

him home to the planet of Ork.

The Colbys was a spin-off of Dynasty as we call it in this country or

"Die-nasty" as they called it in the States.

The series ended with the alien abduction of Emma Samms' character

Fallon before she returned to Dynasty

and that's the reason why that show got cancelled.

That is well played, Maxine. £200 into the prize pot.

You're up to £400.

Here comes your next question.

I think there was a dance that was Gangnam Style

and I think he came from Seoul,

but it's either Seoul or Tokyo.

OK, panel, do you have any Gangnam style?

Your debate starts now.

I know he was Korean, so I would always say Seoul

because all the others are...

Shanghai is China, Tokyo is Japan, Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam.

I think the whole... That's what I think.

But maybe he was visiting Tokyo and heard Gangnam.

I remember it's a wealthy suburb he's lampooning.

Possibly. What I know about it I've learnt from Ed Balls' unique

characterisation on Strictly.

When he jumped over his poor, little, fragile partner

and sort of rode her off into the distance.

It brought a whole new element of violence to Strictly

which I hadn't anticipated.

But I definitely think it's Seoul music.

What a moment it was, though.

Do you remember it was the first video to get a billion...

Did he get a billion hits or something on YouTube?

So, are we at a majority?

Unanimous, in fact.

-Yes.

-Yes, the panel is pretty confident that Gangnam is

a suburb of Seoul in South Korea.

OK, they're pretty sure about this one, Maxine.

I've been totally convinced by the panel,

-so I'm going to go with Seoul, as well.

-OK, convinced by the panel.

All in for Seoul.

Is Gangnam a district of Seoul?

Yes, it is.

Very well done, very well played.

It literally means south of the river.

The cab drivers go, "I'm not going to Gangnam."

It refers to all of Seoul south of the Han River and more specifically

to the upmarket and chic neighbourhoods

that founded the area. And here's a little...

# Oppa Gangnam style!

# Gangnam style!

# Op, op, op, oppa Gangnam style! #

That will never see the light of day, hopefully!

It will. OK.

OK, well played, Maxine.

At the end of Round One, it means you are up to £600.

So, how do you think the panel is faring so far?

Well, they've helped win me £600 so I can't complain.

Some would say they have lost £200, as well.

No, I think I lost that one.

-I made the decision myself.

-OK, fair enough.

Anybody standing out in particular?

-It's too early to say.

-It is too early to say.

Keep them on their toes. A couple more rounds to go before you have to

choose one to play the Final Debate.

OK, let's see how they cope with pictures - it's time for Round Two.

OK, Maxine, Round Two is our picture round.

We need you to put three pictures in order.

Three questions in this round, £300 for each correct answer,

a possible 900 up for grabs.

This is totally outside of my comfort zone.

I don't know anything about rugby.

I'm going to pass this one to the panel totally.

-I'm in their hands.

-OK, panel, Maxine is in your hands.

-Your debate starts now.

-No pressure at all.

I understand you're a huge fan of rugby.

I am a massive rugby fan and this is really hard, though, still.

This guy had a really long career, Rory Underwood,

and I think he scored the most tries.

Will Carling also had a long career but he's a centre

and wingers score more.

Ben Cohen, an illustrious player curtailed by injury.

It's like Sherlock Holmes!

-It's amazing.

-I think Rory Underwood, then Ben Cohen,

then Will Carling for the fewest.

Esther, if the question was,

match the faces to the names would you be able to do it?

-I wouldn't even be able to do that.

-Absolutely not.

All I know about rugby is that now rugby players are

so huge, so professional,

that every match is like a car crash and they have to be put together

again after a match.

Unfortunately, the men in my family love rugby and I wish they didn't

because I'm so worried about the injuries.

My son plays it, I'm terrified.

Sorry, can I just put in a ridiculous name-drop?

At university, Will Carling asked my sister out.

-LAUGHTER

-But get this -

she turned him down. And he was...

The free tickets we could have had for years

cos he was about to take off and she turned him down!

I think Will Carling... Ben Cohen was a great try-scorer

but didn't have as long a career as Will Carling.

So do you want to move them the other way around?

I think Will Carling had the least but I don't know.

So the panel thinks Will, Ben, Rory.

I think I could have made a real fool of myself in this,

I'm not sure. It's a really hard question.

OK, so, Hal, at the beginning, very forthright.

He thinks it's Will, then Ben, then Rory.

The minute that we lock the answer in, Hal is already apologising.

LAUGHTER

I'm actually going to swap the first two around.

I know nothing about rugby but I have a gut feeling.

So you're going against the panel

based on no rugby knowledge whatsoever?

Well, I'm going with my gut.

OK, you're going with your gut.

For £300, is that the correct order?

-Oh!

-Wrong order, Maxine.

Let's have a look at the correct order.

The panel, otherwise known as Hal for this question...

..were right. Will Carling scored 12 tries for England, then Ben Cohen,

star of Strictly Come Dancing, 31,

and then England's record try-scorer Rory Underwood on 49.

So, Maxine, I'm afraid nothing for that

but two more picture questions to go. Here comes your next one.

I'd put London Bridge first.

Then maybe Brooklyn Bridge and then the longest,

I did go over it and it did seem awfully long,

cos I'm scared of heights,

I'd put the longest as Golden Gate Bridge,

but I'd like to throw it over to the panel.

OK. You've been over the Golden Gate Bridge, it did seem quite long.

Panel, can you sort this out for us?

-Your debate starts now.

-That was my first thought.

-Yeah.

-Have you seen these bridges in action?

London Bridge only went over the Thames.

This is the American who thought he was buying Tower Bridge

and he bought London Bridge by mistake.

-Yes.

-So this goes over the Thames...

-Yes.

-..which is a river.

-So that would be the shortest.

OK. So it's really between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate.

But that goes across a bay, doesn't it?

Yeah, that's a bay and this is... Is it the Hudson?

-Yes, that's the Hudson River.

-So, it's got to be longer.

But we don't think there's anything tricksy about Brooklyn Bridge?

It's just a plain old bridge going over a plain old river.

Was it over the Brooklyn Bridge they went at the beginning of Taxi -

-the credits?

-No. No, no, it's...

-We could do a whole credits thing,

with a taxi driving over Brooklyn Bridge.

-Oh, it is, isn't it?

-In the comedy series, yeah.

So we are saying...

I think it's that... It's definitely longer than London Bridge.

So I think we've reached a unanimous decision here with you, Maxine.

We're going London Bridge shortest, Brooklyn Bridge in the middle,

Golden Gate longest.

But we have been wrong before.

They have been wrong before but they are going with you on this one,

Maxine. Anything in there to change your mind?

No, I don't think so.

I'll go with that one, go with the panel.

You went against them the last time.

For £300, is that the correct order?

It is!

Very well done. Very well played.

London Bridge is 283 metres.

As its name suggested, it used to span the Thames.

When the City of London decided to replace the bridge in the 1960s,

they sold it to a rich American, Robert P McCulloch.

It was then dismantled and moved to Lake Havasu City,

where it stands today. Both the seller and the buyer deny the rumour

that it was Tower Bridge that he thought he was buying.

Who knows? Brooklyn Bridge is just over 1,800 metres

and then the Golden Gate Bridge

in California is 2,737 metres,

which is 1.7 miles.

The bridge from Taxi was the Queensboro Bridge.

-Oh.

-Yeah, so it was.

Very well done. Well done, panel.

£300 into your prize pot, Maxine.

You're up to £900.

APPLAUSE

Still another picture question to go,

let's see if we can get it up to 1,200. Here it comes.

Well, I think Chris Moyles had quite a short tenure and then

I think probably Mike Smith next and Noel Edmonds has been going on

forever - I think he's like Dorian Gray, he doesn't age.

But I'd like the panel's input.

OK. Well, the panel, I'm sure,

have the right mix of music and entertainment

to sort this out very quickly. Panel, your debate starts now.

Well, Noel Edmonds has had a massively

long career as a broadcaster,

hasn't he? But I'm not sure how long he presented the breakfast show.

I think Chris Moyes is the longest.

-Cos wasn't he for ages...

-But he left, though, didn't he?

-Yeah.

-Do you remember he left and he went to LA

and he got really skinny?

Cos I remember the first time I took my kids to LA was when Blur

played there and I was saying it is, like,

literally ridiculous because you just go into a cafe and it's full of

famous people. I remember the first cafe we went to,

Chris Moyles was in there and they absolutely went completely mental

and I was like, "Be cool, be cool!"

So, yeah, he went off to LA.

I'm not... Oh, he's brilliant, Chris Moyles,

but I'm not sure how long he stuck...

I think he sort of went to LA to take it up a notch.

I think it was, like, ten years.

-Or more.

-Was it?

-I'm not a Radio 1 listener,

so this is dodgy that I'm saying this,

but I'm sure he was a long time cos he started very young.

Can you shine any light on this?

I can shine no light on it because I seem to remember Tony Blackburn on

the Radio 1 breakfast show.

That was Junior Choice, wasn't it?

-Saturday mornings. That was brilliant.

-Flowers In The Rain.

-Happy days.

-So who would do the shortest?

I reckon Edmonds did the l...

-The shortest?

-Was he?

When was he? '70s Radio 1?

-My hunch is...

-He does have good hunches.

-I know.

-So my hunch would be exactly that - Mike Smith is the shortest.

Well, I think I'll back Hal's hunch.

-Are you going to back Hal's hunch?

-I'm definitely going to. Yup.

-So the panel think...

-Taking responsibility for this...

..Mike Smith, Noel Edmonds, Chris Moyles.

I'm going to go with the panel's hunch

because Hal was right over the

rugby question and, I have to say, Chris Moyles,

I don't listen to him, so...

..I'm going on his hunch.

OK, going on Hal's hunch.

Mike Smith, the shortest, then Noel Edmonds,

then Chris Moyles as the longest-serving Radio 1

breakfast host out of those three.

£300, is that the correct order?

It is!

Very well done.

I don't even listen to Radio 1.

Oh, you tell us now!

Mike Smith hosted the show for two years between 1986 and 1988.

Noel Edmonds did it for nearly five years from 1973.

Tony Blackburn's stint was the longest

until taken over by Chris Moyles

to present the show for over eight years.

Well done, Maxine, you were right to go with Hal's hunch.

It means, at the end of Round Two, you're up to £1,200.

APPLAUSE

And there's still another 1,500 to play for in Round Three.

But, as we turn our gaze to our panellists,

who do we think is performing best here now, Maxine?

Who's standing out for you?

Well, Hal seems to have a very good broad range of knowledge,

like rugby and music.

-Yes.

-But the other two panel members are also quite sure about certain

things as well, so I've not made up my mind 100% yet.

All to play for, as we play Round Three.

In this round, you're going to face questions that contain three

statements about a person, a place or a thing. Only one is true.

We need to try to find that true statement.

Because it's the final round, £500 for each correct answer.

So, lots to play for. Here comes your first one.

I'm going to go with B, but I'm torn between B and C.

So again I'm going to ask the panel what they think.

All right. Let's see if the panel can sort this out.

Panel, your debate starts now.

Maxine, you may be surprised to learn that I collect apple trees.

-Ah.

-Erm... But I still don't know the answer.

I do have a cutting from the apple tree

from which the apple fell on Isaac Newton's head in Cambridge.

I think we can discount A because he had no sense of humour,

Isaac Newton, and he wouldn't...

And a "pomme" is apple, he wouldn't have called it appleology, would he?

-No.

-My gut feeling is that they're not part of the rose family.

Because usually you can tell by the leaf, can't you?

And they haven't got leaves anything like the rose family.

So I think, yes, the Dancing Orange could well be a variety of apple.

What are the names of the apples that...

-apple trees that you collect?

-There are absolutely hundreds of them.

I think the apple's, like, the most widespread fruit in the world.

But they do have names with colours cos there's Pink Lady, isn't there?

Blenheim Orange.

-Blenheim Orange.

-Very nice, that's a local one in Oxfordshire.

It is a Northern Irish one, the Dancing Orange.

The Dancing Orange.

Can I ask you a question?

If there is a Blenheim Orange, as you say, would anyone name...

It's quite a pretty name, though, isn't it?

It is a pretty name and if they're orange...

You're trying to sell your apple trees.

Oh, yes, madam, the Dancing Orange, very popular this year.

-So, not A.

-I think it's C.

-Let's go for C.

-Just seems the most likely.

We don't really know, do we?

By a careful process of elimination and guessing,

the panel thinks it might be C.

By process of elimination - not quite sure on this.

Neither am I, but I know it's definitely not A,

and B, I don't know enough about the rose family,

so I'm going to go with elimination and guessing and go with C.

OK, you're going with the panel.

£500.

Is the Dancing Orange a variety of apple?

-Oh!

-Oh, that shows what I know.

The correct answer - apples are part of the rose family.

-I never knew that.

-No.

That's counterintuitive.

That is counterintuitive, but it also shows how ignorant I am.

Pomology is the science of fruit-growing.

However, Newton's field of study was physics.

-I'm sorry, Maxine.

-That's very hard.

-Don't worry.

-I've failed you.

-Don't worry.

-The tree that you have from Isaac Newton is known as the

gravity tree. And it is the flower of Kent is the variety which are

cooking apples. Tricky, tricky question.

No money for that one, Maxine,

but there's still £1,000 up for grabs here.

Here comes your next one.

Are you superstitious, Maxine?

No. But I remember the Great Storm of '87,

because a tree fell across our drive and we couldn't get out,

but I thought that was more midweek than a Friday.

It could be something off the wall,

like the horror film director Wes Craven was born, but I'm not sure,

so I'm going to go to the panel.

It could be any of those. Panel, could you sort this out?

Your debate starts now.

Esther, I know you're tempted to put a nice big cross through and

-eliminate...

-I'm remembering the Great Storm of 1987,

cos I was filming, actually, and I was filming, I think, in Manchester,

where the weather was perfectly calm.

There hadn't been any kind of hurricane or storm at all.

And I couldn't understand why,

when you turned on the television,

everybody was broadcasting by candlelight.

But gradually I became aware, and when I got back to London,

the trees had fallen over like skittles.

It was really tragic.

But, like you, I think it was in the middle of the week.

But of course everybody laughed at poor old Michael Fish...

-Oh, yes.

-..who said we don't get hurricanes.

"Don't worry" - was his thing.

"We don't get hurricanes in England."

-So not C.

-Buckingham Palace was bombed on Friday the 13th.

I think we would perhaps know about that if that had happened.

Wouldn't that be one of the great English myths?

Cos there was, you know, the famous Queen Mother's quote...

-Oh, yes, yes.

-Which was why she wouldn't send her children,

the Queen and Princess Margaret...

When they were little she wouldn't send them to Canada

-to keep them safe.

-I've got a hunch that might be completely wrong,

but I've got a feeling I've heard about Wes Craven

-being born on Friday the 13th.

-Have you? Who is he?

He made things like Nightmare On Elm Street.

I don't think he made the film Friday The 13th.

He did start from those real shock-horror films

and then became supposedly more sophisticated

with Nightmare On Elm Street and things like that.

I've got a feeling I've heard it.

Well, shall we take the plunge?

-Let's take the plunge.

-OK. I'm getting a bit cocky.

But I just have a feeling I've heard that.

I think we're veering towards A,

that horror film director Wes Craven was born on Friday the 13th.

OK. Hal has a hunch.

But they're not quite sure.

I don't think it was B, because I agree with Esther,

that it would be imprinted in our memory

it was bombed on Friday the 13th.

I'm going to go with A, and your hunch again, Wes Craven.

OK, Maxine, you're going with the panel,

to keep Hal's winning streak going...

LAUGHTER

Was Wes Craven born on Friday the 13th?

For £500.

-Oh!

-No!

-So sorry.

Oh, dear, never mind.

Buckingham Palace WAS bombed on Friday the 13th.

Five German bombs hit Buckingham Palace

on Friday the 13th of September, 1940.

Members of the royal family were at home at the time.

Wes Craven was born on Wednesday the 2nd of August, 1939.

The Great Storm hit the UK on the night of the 15th/16th of October,

1987. It was a Thursday going into a Friday.

The number 13 was considered unlucky because there were 13 at the

Last Supper, and Fridays were because

Jesus' crucifixion took place on Good Friday,

but there is no record of the two being considered unlucky

together until the 19th century.

So, Maxine, nothing for that,

but there is still one more question left,

so let's see if you can get your hands on the 500 for this.

Well, I definitely don't think it's C.

And B could be a red herring, because of Fawlty Towers.

And I don't know how many Oscars he's been nominated for,

so I'm going to go with the panel. I think it's A.

-OK, you think it's A.

-Yeah. But it could be B.

Let's see if we can bring any cheese knowledge to this panel.

Your debate starts now.

My instant response is exactly the same as yours.

As far as I know, he wasn't ever called Cheese.

Much as I would applaud a name like that.

His family name was formerly Cheese,

you'd keep it if you were a comedian, wouldn't you?

But I don't think he started out as a comedian,

and I think his father may have changed it.

Or it could be that I'm completely barmy.

Is anybody ever called Cheese, though?

My parents' neighbour was called Cheeser.

-Oh, really?

-Which I always thought was a cracking name.

-Cheeser?

-Cheeser.

Isn't that good? Has he been actually nominated for four Oscars?

He's done a lot of films, hasn't he?

That doesn't necessarily follow, does it?

I mean... So has Alfred Hitchcock.

Does he have to have been nominated as a writer, director?

The Monty Python films must have had some nominations.

They love the Pythons in America.

Did he get nominated for A Fish Called Wanda, as well?

A Fish Called Wanda would be very popular.

Did that do well at the Oscars?

I can't remember. I think the four Oscars is the most likely.

-Four?

-Only nominations, it doesn't say anything about winning.

-OK.

The legend about Fawlty Towers was he stayed in a hotel

-in Cornwall, wasn't it?

-Absolutely. Torquay.

-Was it Torquay?

It was Terry Jones. They were filming.

I think a lot of them are...

And he stayed there. It was so spectacularly, brilliantly bad.

It doesn't sound like he's from Devon.

I thought his dad was Army or something.

So we're basically no further on than we were when we started.

Exactly, so, so, come along, then.

Panel's instinct says Oscars.

-Two out of three. And one's got this horrible sort of...

-Cheese thing.

..Cheese thing. In my brain.

Probably Oscars, maybe cheese, if it's not Devon.

LAUGHTER

-Ignore me.

-John Cleese has been nominated for four Oscars.

That's what we think.

I think I'm going to go with A, the Oscars,

because I think B's a bit obvious with the Fawlty Towers connection,

but I could be wrong and I'm not convinced about Cheese.

OK, you're not convinced about Cheese.

-No, so I'm going for A.

-You're going for A.

£500.

The true statement about John Cleese is...

-Oh!

-No!

His family name was formerly Cheese.

-Oh!

-Yeah.

I did have this thing in my brain.

Esther, you were absolutely right.

His father was called Reginald Cheese.

LAUGHTER

He was born in a sketch.

And he changed his name before he went into the Army so he wouldn't be

ridiculed. John has reputedly said that he actually prefers the name

Cheese to Cleese.

Born in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset,

his father was an insurance salesman, they didn't run a hotel.

He has only been nominated for one Oscar.

I mean, only? Come on.

He's been nominated for an Oscar

for the screenplay of A Fish Called Wanda.

I don't think anybody is going to forget that fact.

Unfortunately, Maxine, it's no use to you.

It means at the end of Round Three you're up to £1,200.

So, one question between you and that £1,200.

If you manage to get it correct,

what do you think you'll spend the cash on?

Well, I'll spend some of it on...

I'd like to take my nieces and nephew to Rome.

They've never been to Rome before. It's one of my favourite cities.

And I'd take them around and it's a city I know very well.

-OK.

-I'd just like to give a little bit to charity if there's any left

-over at the end.

-Well, look,

there is one question between you and that money.

It is of course the Final Debate question.

Yes. There will be six possible answers.

-Right.

-Only three are correct.

However, you will not be facing this question on your own.

-ESTHER:

-Oh, dear.

You will get to choose one of these huge intellects to help you on your

quest. And so, will it be "nothin' like a dame" Esther Rantzen,

or will you go for a man who doesn't know his Cheese from his

Cleese - Alex?

Or will you risk Hal making a hurdies of himself?

I'm going to go for Dame Esther.

OK, you're going for Dame Esther.

Esther, please join us for the Final Debate.

APPLAUSE

OK, Esther, Maxine has chosen you for the final debate.

I'm thinking it's the Cheese/Cleese knowledge that's got you here.

Yes, but I didn't have the courage of my convictions, did I?

-No.

-And sometimes I have the courage of my convictions and I'm

completely wrong, so I've just got to play it right for your sake.

Are you feeling confident, Maxine?

Now that I've got Esther on my right-hand side, definitely.

I mean, anybody who's got Esther on her right-hand side...

Exactly. If she's on my team, that's a good thing.

It's in a good place. OK, it is the Final Debate,

so you get to choose from these two categories.

Have a look at this. Talk it through and tell me what you fancy.

I mean, they are very broad categories,

so it could be very specific in either.

Well, education is kind of my thing.

I teach. But TV...

It's sort of... It's quite general, so...

And you've got TV expertise, so what would you feel confident with?

Well, television's the obvious one.

-Yeah.

-But I think you should go with your heart.

Well, they are equal, so why don't we go with TV?

We'll have a go. Because I watch a fair bit.

-OK.

-OK, Maxine, we're wishing you all the best of luck.

-Thank you.

£1,200 up for grabs.

You are against the clock - 45 seconds.

Here comes your Final Debate question.

Your time starts now.

Did you ever see it? Nor did I. So this is entire guesswork.

OK.

I think maybe they'd have sort of bonkers names,

like, Saracen sounds...

I think they would have a bonkers names like Saracen.

So, Saracen definitely.

Do you think Scorpio, as well?

-That's sort of a...

-They all sound perfectly logical, don't they?

Well, Rogue? Let's take Rogue out.

-Let's take him out.

-20 seconds.

Let's take Flame out, for no reason.

-And we need three.

-We need three.

-OK.

-So I think Saracen, do you think Scorpio?

Scorpio. And we're going either for Havok or Beast.

-Beast.

-And of the two...

I think they'd enjoy saying, "And here comes the Beast!"

I do, and I can imagine, you know...

Maxine, I need three answers.

I think we've got the three.

Scorpio, Beast and Saracen.

Guess, wild guess.

Should have chosen education.

-Sorry.

-Too late.

So, purely on guesswork here.

OK, let's start with Saracen, then.

Was Saracen on the first series of Gladiators?

To keep us in the game for £1,200.

Saracen was a Gladiator.

Well, maybe we did watch it and we're not admitting to it.

We don't deserve our luck sometimes.

-Right.

-OK, next you gave me Scorpio.

Was Scorpio a Gladiator in 1992?

We need this to be right to stay in the game.

Scorpio was a Gladiator.

So it's all down to this.

You guys thought it sounded right, you thought Beast...

-"Come on, Beast!"

-..sounded like a Gladiator.

It's probably Rogue.

£1,200.

Was Beast a Gladiator?

-Oh!

-Maxine. I am so sorry.

-I am so, so sorry.

-Have a little look at the correct answer.

-It was Flame.

-Oh, I had never thought Flame!

-No.

-Absolutely not.

The other three - Havok, Beast and Rogue - were all X-Men characters.

I mean, it was pure guesswork, but you almost did it.

And you played the game so, so well. Give it up one more time for Maxine.

Well done. APPLAUSE

That is it for Debatable. There is just enough time for me to thank our

fantastic panel - to Esther Rantzen, Alex James and Hal Cruttenden.

APPLAUSE

I do hope you've enjoyed watching. We will see you next time

for more heated debates. For now it's goodbye from me.