Episode 4 Debatable

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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 £2,000.

As always, they're not on their own - they will have

a panel of well-known faces debating their way to the answers.

Will it be all talk and no action?

As always, that is Debatable, so let's meet them.

Chatting their way to the answers today,

we have broadcaster Rick Edwards,

we have Olympian and sports

presenter Jonathan Edwards

and retired MP and writer

Ann Widdecombe.

APPLAUSE

That's the panel, let's meet today's contestant.

It is Dorothy from Chorley.

-Dorothy.

-Hi.

-How are you doing?

-Good, thanks.

-Welcome to the show.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

As you said, I'm from Chorley, I work as a critical care nurse

in a hospital near me, and I've done that since I was 18.

Other than that, I just worked on the Manchester market

selling dead chickens!

LAUGHTER

Hang on, hang on - you can't compare

saving people's lives as a nurse to working with dead chickens!

I didn't compare, they were the only two things I've ever done.

-You like your job?

-I LOVE my job, yes. It's hard work, but...

What's the best thing about the job?

Getting people better, seeing them progress,

-and if you can't get them better, making it comfortable for them.

-OK.

Panel, Jonathan, you're in the chair. Sell yourself to Dorothy.

What have you got to offer her today?

Well, obviously the sporting knowledge.

I've travelled round the world with my athletics

and my sports broadcasting, so maybe a little bit on the geography side.

But my strongest, I think, offering

is the people to my right and my left.

It looks a great team, well-balanced.

I've just noticed that when Jonathan leans forward into the camera,

he kind of has that sincerity that a politician needs, Ann.

Yes, thank you very much(!)

I'm the oldest on the team by a couple of decades,

so I'm useful in as much as I can remember things they can't.

-RICK:

-I think that Jonathan was being

quite modest,

because he didn't even mention,

and he won't mind me saying this,

that he has also got a bronze Duke of Edinburgh award.

-Yeah, I have! I have.

-Excellent!

-That could well come in handy.

OK, well done, panel. I think this is going to go very well.

Dorothy, you've got to pay close attention to what our panel

have to say. You can only choose one of them in the final debate.

-Ready for this?

-Yes.

-OK, here we go - let's play Round One.

Round One is multiple choice, Dorothy.

Four possible answers, only one is correct.

Three questions in this round,

£200 up for grabs for each correct answer, a possible 600.

Here comes your first question.

We're a highbrow show, as you can tell, Dorothy, from our words there.

-Are you a Scrabble fan?

-I enjoy playing Scrabble.

Is there anything up there that stands out?

Yes, I could perhaps work them out.

Zippy has a Z and two Ps and a Y, so that's a ten,

two threes and a four.

Don't be doing any more calculating,

because we want to actually see the panel suffer. Panel?

No pens and paper for this, but your debate starts now.

-Do we agree with Dorothy that Zippy is looking...?

-Oh, forget Zippy.

-Sooty is eight, isn't it? The other two are nine?

-Sooty or Sweep?

Hang on, Sooty is eight, do we agree?

Yes, because S, O and T are all one,

Y is four, so eight for Sooty...

And do we agree that Sweep is nine?

-Er, yes, because W is...

-Four.

-Actually, I think P is...

-Two.

-Three.

-Oh, is it three?

-Well, that's definitely out.

-So, ten.

-And Bungle's...

Bungle - three, two...

-Nine.

-Nine?

-Yes.

And Zippy is...

Loads. Zippy is 21, isn't it?

JONATHAN: Yeah, Sooty.

So we, the panel, are in violent agreement,

it is Sooty which has the least score in Scrabble.

Did you say you were in violent agreement?

-Yes, we're most insistent, and it's rare.

-Yes.

They sound very convincing there, Dorothy.

I'm well impressed with the knowledge

and I'm sure that they've got to be right.

OK, you're going with the panel.

You're also saying Sooty to get you up and running. For £200,

is Sooty worth the least in Scrabble?

It is! Very well played.

-Very well done.

-Thank you, team!

Very well played. Well done, panel.

In violent agreement.

So, let's have a look at these - Zippy is worth 21 points...

Bungle is worth nine points,

Sooty is worth eight and Sweep is worth ten -

very well played, Dorothy.

You're up and running, £200 in the prize pot.

Here comes your next one.

Now, what do those eyebrows mean, Dorothy?

-It means that I know the panel will know the answer to this.

-OK.

-You believe that the panel will know this.

-I have every confidence.

You have every confidence in the panel,

this can only go one way, panel. Your debate starts now.

Has London ever been the City of Culture?

London, there's basically no need.

-It's kind of given to...

-Easy, now.

-..cities as a way of...

-Easy, now.

Just working out how to phrase this!

Like Liverpool in 2008,

I remember Newcastle Gateshead was bidding for the City of Culture.

We were in a little school in Walker, waiting for Tessa Jowell

actually, to make the announcement

and she said Liverpool.

I think Newcastle Gateshead was already doing

a huge amount - Angel of the North... I'm not bitter.

I say this is Glasgow and the reason

I say this is Glasgow is I was a minister at the time.

That is quite persuasive, isn't it?

What Minister were you at that time?

I think when that happened, I was probably in Employment,

but it could have been Social Security or the Home Office,

I just remember it happening.

Cardiff actually I think is the European Capital of Sport

this year, or last year, but not European Capital of Culture.

So, our answer is Glasgow.

So, Dorothy, they think they know this one.

I think they talked that through well, yes.

I think I remember Glasgow being up there, so, hopefully,

it's the one that ties with culture, so I'll go with the panel.

OK, you're going with the panel - you say Glasgow. For £200 -

is Glasgow a former European City of Culture?

It is!

Very well done, panel. Glasgow was European City of Culture in 1990.

Well played, Dorothy. That's another £200 into the prize pot.

You're up to £400.

Let's see if we can make it a clean sweep in Round One, here it comes.

-Getting harder!

-What are you thinking?

I'm hoping the panel have got the answer!

So, panel...

Your debate starts now.

We're feeling less confident, I would say,

-even though I haven't spoken...

-Yeah...

-There's no violent agreement.

-There isn't.

-You can feel the vibe!

So do we agree that Chinook is obviously a helicopter,

but is it named after a wind?

That seems likely, doesn't it?

The only other one that I think I know is a wind is a Loo wind,

because I think when I was a kid, I found that funny.

Muselet sounds quite romantic, as a wind might, but...

"As a wind might!"

You know, "The Muselet coming down from the mountains."

Helm is quite likely to be the name of a wind.

Kind of nautical parlance?

I mean, I'm looking between Helm and Muselet, which, to be fair,

I was going to pronounce Muse-let, so I'm glad that...!

So was I.

Oh, no, the Muse-let is picking up.

-Or is Chinook just a helicopter?

-Great question! I don't know!

I think the thing about Chinook is it must be named after

something and it just...

I reckon the odd one out is Muselet.

-Muse-let.

-OK.

-Although, of course,

you are of course worried that it sounds romantic, "as a wind might".

-As a wind might!

-Very cautiously.

-Or not, as the case may be.

So the panel is less certain about this one.

-We're going to go for Muselet, or Muse-lett, or...

-Muse-let.

Hm.

-What do you make of that, Dorothy?

-Um...

Yes, the Loo wind sounds right.

Helm wind sounds right, this is where I hit my indecisions!

Muselet does sound like it could be a wind,

but the panel has brought me this far, so I'll stick with the panel.

-Muselet.

-OK, you're sticking with the panel

on the basis that they brought you this far.

Is Muselet the correct answer for £200?

It is!

THEY SPEAK OVER EACH OTHER

Well debated!

-Well debated.

-Well debated.

-Never in doubt(!)

Good knowledge there, panel.

Muselet is the French word for the little cage

that goes over the cork on a champagne bottle,

so it's actually got more to do with gas than wind.

Very well done, Dorothy. You can't do better than that.

At the end of Round One, you're on £600.

Thanks, panel!

So, how do you think our panel are faring so far, Dorothy?

Their debating powers and their knowledge is phenomenal.

Anybody in particular standing out for you?

I wouldn't like to say at this point. I don't want to...

Treat them mean, keep them keen -

you get to choose one at the end of the show.

Let's see how they cope with pictures. It's time for Round Two.

Round Two is the picture round, Dorothy.

We need you to put three pictures in order.

Two questions in this round,

£300 for each correct answer,

a possible 600 up for grabs.

Here comes your first one.

-I'm looking at the plants in the garden, not the birds!

-No clue?

My husband, if he watches this at home, he'll be shouting,

"You should have known that one!"

-So your husband, bit of a bird-watcher?

-Yeah.

Don't worry, Dorothy. I'm sure our panel can sort this out.

Panel, your debate starts now.

I can only go on personal

experience, nothing else, cos

-I don't have the knowledge.

-Hm.

But I see blue tits and blackbirds

all the time in the garden.

I don't often see a chaffinch.

What's your feeling?

I would agree with you that

the chaffinch is the least spotted.

Shall we start here?

That one goes up there, yes.

And then...

-I used to sketch birds when I was younger.

-Oh, yeah?

-Oh, well done.

-Particularly a bullfinch.

-Keep talking.

I used to do a bullfinch.

I think I see more blue tits than blackbirds.

-I think I do...

-I think I probably do as well. Where do we all live?

-I live in Devon.

-Newcastle.

-OK.

But I have lived in London and in Kent and I would say the same

-applied.

-Well, I've got London, Newcastle, Devon.

We all think we see more blue tits than blackbirds.

-Yeah.

-They feel more common, blackbirds,

don't they, than blue tits?

Maybe it's just because they LOOK common.

-That's mean!

-I mean, slightly mean, but that is more colourful. Anyway.

-I mean, sparrows presumably are the most common?

-Oh, sparrows galore.

-And you've got thrushes, wrens...

-Starlings.

-Oh, can't bear them.

-Crows.

-My mum doesn't like starlings.

-And magpies.

OK, on that basis,

the panel has decided the chaffinch is the least sighted,

the blue tit's the most sighted

and the blackbird in the middle.

So, not hugely scientific, but they do live from Devon to London

to Newcastle, and our panel is going for that order.

They think the chaffinch, then the blackbird, then the blue tit.

I think blackbirds might be more common than blue tits,

but you see a blue tit if you put food down for it and I think

the people that have been doing the survey will be the bird-watchers.

So you think they may be putting the food out?

Yes, and therefore they may see more blue tits.

-So you're going for...?

-Stick with chaffinch, blackbird and blue tit.

OK, you're going to go with the panel.

For £300, is that the correct order?

It IS the correct order!

My team!

-Very well done, panel.

-Thanks, again.

-Very well played, Dorothy.

Chaffinch came in at seventh,

blackbird came fourth and the blue tit came third.

The house sparrow came first.

Well done, Dorothy, that's another £300 into the prize pot,

you're up to £900.

Let's see if we can keep this run going,

here comes your next picture question.

-Well, I've not eaten in any of those places, so...

-Nor have I!

Le Gavroche sounds very expensive

and an address like Mayfair,

it's £400 on the Monopoly board!

I love that, working out how expensive the restaurant is

by the Monopoly board!

Mayfair, £2,000 with a hotel.

So...I shall see what my esteemed panel say.

What you want is a panel of showbiz luvvies that

no doubt have eaten in all three.

OK, panel, your debate starts now.

I've been to Le Gavroche and neither of the others.

-I haven't been to any of them.

-I've been to Barrafina.

This is Michel Roux Jr, and it's definitely three stars.

-So that's...

-So that must be our top one.

I'm sure The Fat Duck in Berkshire is better than something in

-Soho, quite sure of it.

-And that's definitely at least two.

-It's unusual.

-This is Heston Blumenthal's gaff, isn't it?

-Is it?

-Yes, it is.

I was going to say that I think Barrafina,

the one that I ate in, is only one.

I say only one, it's not bad still!

-I don't know who cooks there.

-No, I don't, actually.

So in order, starting with the one with the fewest Michelin stars,

I'm going to go Barrafina there...

-Le Gavroche...

-With three.

-The Fat Duck...

-And you're sure this one is not a surprise?

No, that's Heston Blumenthal's restaurant and it's two or three.

Fine, I don't know.

That would be my guess.

So, yes. The panel's decision...

Barrafina we think has one star, The Fat Duck is two stars,

but still with three stars, Le Gavroche restaurant.

That's our choice, Dorothy.

You seem pretty sure about this one.

Impressive knowledge. I hope!

So far, I've relied on my panel and they've never let me down,

so I think I should stick with the panel until they tell me otherwise.

Going with the panel again,

let's see if we can keep this run continuing.

Is that the correct order for £300?

Ooh! It's the wrong order.

JONATHAN: Goodness, that's a shocker.

Let's have a look at the correct order.

Barrafina, then Le Gavroche,

THEN The Fat Duck.

Barrafina has one star,

Le Gavroche has two stars and The Fat Duck,

three stars.

-Hmm.

-It's a good job Heston is not on the panel!

So, the panel's run has come to an end

and I'm in shock.

It was the authority that you delivered that with.

-JONATHAN: We were sure about that one.

-Tell you what,

we're not going to Le Gavroche any more.

You're not going to be invited, now you got that wrong!

I don't think I was getting invited before!

OK, Dorothy. Still £1,000 up for grabs. It's time for Round Three.

In Round Three, Dorothy,

you're going to face questions that contain three statements

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

We need you to find those true statements.

Because it's the final round,

the money goes up to £500 for each correct answer.

So, best of luck. Here we go.

How's your history, Dorothy?

They've done that very cleverly, haven't they, with that 1066?

LAUGHTER

Yes, they have cunningly put 1066 in all of the options.

-Yes, yes, yes.

-LAUGHTER

The fiends!

Well, William the Conqueror, you know, there was something

about William in 1066 but I don't think it involved Christmas Day.

But then again, maybe he was...

Hold that thought.

Let's go over to our historical experts, panel,

your debate starts now.

-Well, I think you could probably run out the second because...

-Started...

It was started but I can't believe it was finished in 1066.

-No, I don't think it was.

-I think you can cross that out.

The third one is really very obvious, isn't it?

I mean, we know that William the Conqueror came over and won in 1066.

Yeah. Presumably, he would have been crowned king in 1066?

Or would they have...? Would it have taken a bit longer?

It wouldn't have taken longer to crown him unless

-he met an awful lot of resistance after Hastings.

-Mm.

They've kind of got rid of the resistance, haven't they?

-LAUGHTER

-If it was Christmas Day,

would it not perhaps be common knowledge?

In the sense, you know, "He was crowned on Christmas Day,"

-type thing.

-Yeah, maybe on the tapestry,

-there'd be a Christmas tree at the end.

-Yeah.

A few lights... Ann...

-It wouldn't be a Christmas tree.

-Sorry, Ann!

LAUGHTER

Hang on - would they crown a king on Christmas Day

or would that be sacrilegious?

-Ooh, yeah.

-You know the one I actually rather like is Macbeth.

Was the character Macbeth, I don't know this,

-based on a real Scottish king?

-Oh, Macbeth existed, yes.

-OK.

So we're going to go either the first or the third.

-I think so.

-Your bet?

-I would probably go for

crowned on Christmas Day in 1066, cos if you're going to get crowned

and you've got to pick a day, pick a good one.

As Ann says, you wouldn't have a Christmas tree but it's not all bad.

Probably have some crackers, wouldn't you? Christmas Day, Ann?

I think we have a majority for Christmas Day and

a minority vote for possibly Macbeth,

but I'm not wholly convinced it could be Christmas Day.

-That's not much of a flow, is it?

-Over to you, skipper.

I don't like it! I don't like Christmas Day. You liked Macbeth...

-I...

-Go with whatever you feel, Jonathan.

-Right.

-Yes, no pressure.

-There's no pressure.

-No pressure, no.

From this side of the studio, there is pressure.

LAUGHTER

On the basis that Dorothy is going to make her own mind up,

we're going to gently advise her on Macbeth

-being killed in battle in 1066.

-So, a majority decision from our panel.

What do you make of that, Dorothy?

-It's probably B, but I'll go for C.

-You think it's probably B

-but you're going to go for C?

-Yes!

Going against the panel? We like this, Dorothy.

-Just totally dismissed ours.

-LAUGHTER

Christmas Day wasn't that big a deal in 1066.

OK, so, you're going against the panel.

You believe that William the Conqueror was crowned King on

Christmas Day in 1066.

Is that true, for £500?

It is!

Well done, Dorothy. Very well done. Sorry, very well done, Dorothy.

No, the debating sets your mind thinking and rolling and...

So, the fact that they debated and went for the wrong answer

-led you to the right answer?

-Correct, undoubtedly,

-and I couldn't have done it without you guys.

-Always our plan.

Well played, the real Macbeth was killed in battle against Malcolm III

in the year 1057.

The Domesday book was William the Conqueror's survey of England,

-it was commissioned in 1085.

-It wasn't even started.

Very well done, Dorothy.

You were right to go against the panel.

It means your prize pot is up to £1,400!

APPLAUSE

Still £500 up for grabs. Here's your final question of this round.

-What do you think?

-I think I've got an idea.

You're going to hold on to that idea and we'll let the panel

-sweat this out?

-Yeah.

-OK.

We're going to keep our powder dry over here, panel.

What do you make of this? Your debate starts now.

So, was Chaplin a rebel?

-Did he refuse to attend the Academy ceremony in 1972?

-Why would he?

-What would have been the reason?

-Yeah, I'm trying to think...

Is there anything politically sensitive in '72?

Real-life daughter played his mother in the 1992 film?

Could quite easily do.

So, his granddaughter, Una Chaplin, is an actress, quite possible...

-I don't know who his daughter is, actually.

-That's feasible, isn't it?

Yeah, and also it's a believable thing

that if I'm a casting director, I'd think,

"Oh, this is cute, this is a nice little nod."

Two and three are quite plausible.

Yeah, to be honest they're all quite plausible.

Yeah, we can't eliminate anything.

We've just got to go on what we think is...

No, I'd get rid of the Oscars one just because we can't think

of any particular reason that he wouldn't have attended.

-We'll go for the middle one.

-We'll go for the middle one.

-Yeah,

on the basis that acting is in the family

and it's the most interesting,

we'll go for the middle one,

that his daughter played his mother in the 1992 film Chaplin.

The panel have gone for his real-life daughter playing

his mother in the movie.

-What was your first thought?

-That was my first thought.

-Ooh.

-Anything in there to make you change your mind?

And I ain't going to ruin it, I'll stick with that first thought,

-with the panel, they're back on form.

-OK, that's your first thought.

You're agreeing with the panel.

For £500, did Charlie Chaplin's real-life daughter play his

mother in the 1992 film Chaplin?

She did!

-Well done, that was a result.

-Very well done.

Good knowledge there from Dorothy.

In fact, he memorably ATTENDED the Academy Awards in 1972.

He was 82 years old and he received a 12-minute standing ovation,

which, to date, is the longest standing ovation

in the history of the Oscars.

Well done, Dorothy. You're doing ever so well.

At the end of Round Three, your prize pot is up to £1,900!

-APPLAUSE

-Exciting!

What do you think you'll do with the cash if you manage to win today?

My eldest daughter currently lives in Australia.

She's been there for a year

and she's going on to Canada,

so I'm going to meet her up in Canada with the cousins

and have Thanksgiving in Canada, in Vancouver, by the looks of it.

OK, so, there's a family reunion at stake,

there is only one question between you and that money.

-It is of course the final debate question.

-Oh...

Six possible answers, we need you to give us the three correct answers.

As always, you're not going to be on your own,

you will get to choose one of these fine panellists to help you.

So, who would you like to join you in the final debate?

Will you be scrambling around for the answers with Rick?

Will Jonathan be the wind beneath your wings

or will you make a blue tit of yourself with Ann?

Well, Ann seems to have a similar knowledge base to me,

so I think together we can make it!

OK, Ann, please join us for the final debate.

OK, Ann, Dorothy has chosen you for the final debate.

Are you feeling confident?

Well, no, not at all. I mean, I can't do sport, I cant do pop,

I can't do film, I can't do TV,

I can't do much after 1066, actually!

LAUGHTER

Well, look, as it is the final debate,

you get an option to choose between these two topics.

-Have a look at these, tell me what you fancy.

-Oh!

-Dance.

-Dance.

-OK, you're going for Dance.

£1,900 up for grabs, we all wish you the best of luck.

Here comes your final debate question.

Your final debate starts now.

-Ballroom...

-Quickstep... Tango.

And I would have said Viennese Waltz.

-So, Viennese Waltz...

-Quickstep and Tango.

-..Quickstep and Tango.

-But don't be led by me, that's just my view.

-What sort of dance is the Merengue?

-A darn silly one, probably.

-I don't know.

-LAUGHTER

That's in Dirty Dancing, I know that much. They do the Merengue.

And the Bossa Nova...

Viennese Waltz is definitely a ballroom... A tango...

-Those three are ballroom.

-Definitely ballroom.

-So, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep and Tango...

-Actually, Polka's ballroom.

Are the...? Official competition ballroom dances,

defined by the World Dance Council.

Tango...

Time is up, I need three answers, Dorothy.

-Viennese Waltz, Quickstep, Tango.

-Viennese Waltz, Quickstep, Tango.

You know how this works, we need all three of these to be correct.

Yep, I know.

So, for £1,900,

is the Viennese Waltz an official competition ballroom dance?

It is! APPLAUSE

Originating from folk dances in Germany and Austria.

Next, you gave me the Quickstep.

We need this to be right to keep you in the game for £1,900.

Is Quickstep an official ballroom dance?

It is! APPLAUSE

It's Tango or Polka.

The Quickstep is like the Foxtrot only, would you believe, quicker?

-Oh, never!

-So, Dorothy, it all boils down to this.

You gave me Tango.

For £1,900...

..is Tango an official ballroom dance?

Yes!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Have confidence!

Well played! You have just won £1,900! Well done!

-Canada, here I come!

-Canada, here you come!

Well done, Dorothy. There we go.

That is it for Debatable.

Just enough time for me to thank our fantastic panel -

to Ann Widdecombe, to Rick Edwards and Jonathan Edwards!

APPLAUSE I hope you've enjoyed watching,

we'll see you next time for more heated debates.

For now, it's goodbye from me.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE