Episode 18 Beat the Brain

Hello, it's me, the friendly Brain.

Sharp wits and agile minds are what our team of four contestants

will need today.

Have a go at these examples of the type of games the team might face.

Which of the four wheels on the right matches the one on the left?

And try this one.

Name the missing winners and losers.

Think you're right? I'll give you the answers at the end of the show.

Now watch whether our team today can get the questions right

as they try to Beat The Brain!

Please welcome the man who's got all the answers, John Craven.

Hello, and thank you for joining us on Beat The Brain.

Play along with our games today

and your mind will benefit from a session in the mental gym.

But just like going to a real gym, you might feel a bit battered

and bruised afterwards.

So, are you going to be easy on us today, Brain?

Of course not! May I say, you're looking wonderful today, John.

You know, I want to lock you up in a brain cell

and keep you there for ever.

I hope you're going to be as nice to our team. Let's meet them.

Introduce yourselves.

I'm Jane and I run an all-female comedy club.

I'm Kerrie and I'm at university doing a Master's in social work.

I'm Indu and I work as a bank IT specialist.

I'm Sam, I'm the team captain, and I'm a financial research analyst.

APPLAUSE

So, welcome everybody,

and what have you decided to call your team?

-We are Southville Running Minds.

-Why is that?

We are from Southville Running Club,

which is a running club from Bristol.

Ah, right. Are they long distance runners or what?

All kinds of distances. I've done a few half marathons.

Some people have done longer distances.

Well, you all look pretty fit, and I hope you're in for a good,

long run today, OK? Right. So, here's how we play.

The show's brain is divided into six Zones.

The Brain will select four of these six Zones for you to play today,

and Sam, as captain, you must nominate which team member

you think will perform best in each zone.

You're playing for time instead of points,

with every correct answer adding three seconds to your total,

to what we call your Brain Bank,

and the more time you build up,

the more chance you have of beating the Brain and today's final,

and walking away with our jackpot.

-So, Southville Running Minds, are you ready to play?

-We are.

-Yeah.

Right. Time to find out which Zone you'll be facing first.

Brain, a Zone, please.

Sam, who are you going to choose to join me in the Orientation Zone?

I believe this is one of Indu's stronger subjects.

I think he knows exactly where he is. I think he'll do very well.

Right. Your first away then, Indu.

Come and join me in the Orientation Zone.

APPLAUSE

-Good to see you.

-Good to see you.

-Are you a long distance runner, then?

-I'm a medium distance runner.

I do a half marathons, long distance.

Full marathons are too much for me.

Uh-huh. And what got you into running?

My landlord was telling me, "If you don't start running, I'm going

-"to kick you out." So, I thought, "OK, let's do it!"

-Why was that?

He was a sort of runner and he used to do ultra marathons,

and I was the only guy in his friend circle who used to drink beer

-while they are running, so I thought, "OK."

-Right, well,

let's play, and you'll play two games in this Zone.

Both games have three questions worth three seconds each.

So, Brain, what's the first game?

BRAIN CHUCKLES

-Hello, Indu.

-Hello.

-So, you like running, yes?

-Oh, yeah.

I don't run, obviously.

Sometimes John puts me in a backpack and takes me for a jog.

JOHN LAUGHS

Anyway, let's get on with your first game. Ooh, I like your glasses.

LAUGHTER

-Thank you.

-Here's your first game.

Indu, what is the real time? To help you out, have a trial run.

So, there's a mirror image. What's the real time?

What do you reckon?

It's ten past...

Ten past...?

-It's ten past nine.

-Ten past nine, you think.

Let's see if you're correct, Indu.

And you are indeed. Well done.

So, you've got the hang of this now.

Because you're against the clock, you're going

-to have to be much quicker.

-Yes.

-So, Brain, over to you.

Please remember, Indu, I can only accept your first answer.

You have 45 seconds to answer three questions.

Your game starts now.

What's the real time?

-It's half nine.

-Half past nine? You correct?

Yes, you are. Next one.

What's the real time?

-30 seconds left.

-It's five past two.

Five past two? It is indeed.

And the third one. You've got 23 seconds left.

It's 3:55.

3:55, you're saying?

Yes indeed. That's correct, isn't it? Well done.

APPLAUSE

So, that is very good.

Right, Brain, what's the next game, please, game two?

I thought that was a little too easy for Indu.

Let's try something a little more difficult. Ah, yes, here's one.

The second game is...

Which wheel matches the one on the left?

To get your eye in, Indu, have a trial run.

So, which of the four matches the one on the left?

C.

C? You're absolutely correct.

Some people find that very difficult, that one,

but you obviously didn't, so far, anyway. Off we go.

Can we have the game, please, Brain?

Indu, you have a maximum of 45 seconds to answer three questions.

Your game starts now.

Which matches the one on the left?

A.

-Option A.

-That's correct.

Next one.

30 seconds left.

-Which one, you think?

-C.

C? Incorrect.

What's this one? 15 seconds to go.

B.

B, you're saying.

That is correct.

Not bad there, Brain.

Indu, you almost got a full house, but not quite.

You added 15 seconds in that Zone. This means, in total,

Southville Running Minds have 15 seconds in their Brain Bank.

-Well done, Indu.

-Thanks a lot.

-And rejoin your team.

So, time to find out which Zone we're going to next

and who is going to take it on. Brain, Zone, please.

Sam, who are you going to nominate to be a multi-tasker?

Well, after getting five out of six,

I'm starting to feel it's a shame we can't have Indu twice,

but I know that Jane does, like, a million things at once

-all the time, and I know she's really good at multi-tasking.

-OK.

Jane, come and join me in the Multi-tasking Zone.

APPLAUSE

-Hi, John.

-How do you feel about being nominated as a multi-tasker?

I don't know, let's see how it goes.

SHE LAUGHS

-When it comes to running... You went running naked.

-I did.

Well, I believe in accepting any challenge that comes my way, and I

heard about this race in London, at the London Zoo, to do a naked

-run, and I thought, "Well, why not?"

-You weren't on your own?

I wasn't on my own. It was an organised event.

It was in the evening, so the zoo was closed to the public,

but there were several hundred of us and we all stripped down,

and we just had our trainers on and we all stripped down.

Lots of people had body paint on and some people had masks.

-What did you have on?

-I just had a mask on to protect my dignity.

It was really fun, actually.

It was really liberating and really confidence-boosting.

-Would you do it again?

-Maybe!

THEY LAUGH

-Maybe.

-Well, let's see how you are at multi-tasking.

Brain, please reveal the first game that Jane will be playing today.

-Of course! Hello, Jane.

-Hello!

-I'm naked all the time, of course.

-Take a gander at my frontal lobe.

-Beautiful.

-Thank you!

Anyway, let's get on, shall we? This is your first game.

Tell me how many people are left on the bus, not including the driver.

To give you a practice, Jane, have a little trail run.

BELL CLANGS

Empty bus apart from the driver.

How many are left on the bus now?

I completely messed it up! Um... Ah!

-Three?

-Let's see if that's correct.

It was four. So, not a bad guess.

-But not the right one.

-No.

-You happy to play?

-OK.

-Right. Off we go.

Please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

BELL CLANGS

-What do you reckon there?

-Six?

Six?

Oh, incorrect. Sorry.

Next game, please, Brain.

BELL CLANGS

-How many left there?

-Seven?

Seven? Let's see if that's right.

Oh, my goodness!

JOHN CHUCKLES

-More people got on after...

-I'm so sorry, team.

And the third one.

BELL CLANGS

-Two?

-Two?

Let's see if that's correct.

-Nobody left on the bus, then.

-Oh, my word.

-It is a hard one, that one.

What about the rest of the team? Anybody get those right?

-The first one, but those last two were really hard.

-Really quick.

-It's quick, yeah.

-OK. Right. Brain, game two, please.

Of course, John.

-I'm sorry, I was rather evil then, wasn't I, Jane?

-Yes!

I'm going to carry on being that way. Ooh!

Perhaps you'd like a little rest. Here's your second game.

When the number of sheep matches the number I say,

add that number to the total.

To get you in the groove, have a trial run.

One.

Four. Three.

One. Two.

Three. Four.

Two. Two.

Two.

-Nine.

-Nine, you're saying.

And you're perfectly correct there.

THEY LAUGH

Right. Please, may we play the game, Brain?

Your game starts now.

Two. Three.

Two. Four.

One. Four.

Three. One.

Three. One.

11.

Yep, 11. Well done. Yeah.

Game two now.

Four. Two.

Four. Three.

One. Four.

Three. Two.

Three. Four.

14?

Yep. Well done. Good. Right.

And now here comes the third game.

Four. One.

Three. Four.

One. Four.

Four. One.

Two. Two.

-16.

-16.

Yes! Well, you're certainly good at that type of multi-taking.

JOHN AND JANE LAUGH

Brain, what do you make of that?

I thought she did very well for that second game.

I'm sure Martin Kemp would be very proud of you.

That's her celeb crush, John. I don't know why it isn't you.

Anyway, Jane, you added nine seconds in that Zone.

This means, in total,

Southville Running Minds now have 24 seconds in their Brain Bank.

Well, that is pretty good! Lovely to meet you. Rejoin your team.

So, how are you getting on at home? Don't worry if you're struggling.

We have a saying on this show that it's different

brains for different games.

So, let's find out which Zone is next and who is going to take it on.

So, Brain, the Zone please.

So, Sam, who is going to be playing against The Brain

when it comes to memory?

Well, it definitely won't be me, because I struggle to remember my

own name, let alone other people's,

and I think this is definitely going to be Kerrie.

Kerrie, come and join me, please.

APPLAUSE

What kind of running do you like best, then?

Well, I'm quite new to the club, only started end of last year,

so at the moment I'm just working up towards doing a half

marathon in September.

-And you're also doing your Master's at the same time.

-Yes.

What would you like to do eventually?

I'm really interested in outdoor sports

and how it can help disengaged youth feel re-confident and re-motivated,

so I want to open my own outdoor centre for sort of at-risk youth.

-Well, that's a big ambition, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Do you think it does make a difference if people, you know,

are out of touch with the kind of reality of life, really,

it brings them back again?

Yeah, definitely, cos I think there's all sorts of ways

they can be re-engaged, get a bit better self esteem,

they're going to feel more proud of themselves,

have more respect for them and other people. I think it helps.

Well, all the very best with that. A great ambition.

And let's see how you do in the Memory Zone.

Brain, please reveal which game Kerrie will be playing first.

-Of course, John. Hello, Kerrie.

-Hi!

-Here's your first game.

Kerrie, remember where the pictures were once they have disappeared.

You can warm up by having a trial run.

Where are the strawberries?

-One and three.

-One and three.

Yep. One and three.

Right, so you got the hang of that pretty quickly, didn't you?

-I imagine it's going to get harder, though.

-Well, Brain, over to you.

Your game starts now.

-Memorise them.

-Pipes.

-Pipe, hat.

Sherlock Holmes things.

-Where are the pipes?

-Two and six.

Two and six.

Absolutely correct. Well done. Next one, please.

-Just trying to remember the pattern.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Where are the red slippers.

-Nine, five and seven.

Nine, five and seven.

Well done! Brilliant, yeah! So, one more.

Where are the doughnuts?

Ooh. Six...

Oh, God.

Six, 11, eight and four?

Six... Ah. No. One, seven... No, no.

But you did very well on the first two, didn't you?

I was trying to remember the dummy.

-So, Brain, let's have game two, please.

-Absolutely.

Are you good at remembering names, Kerrie?

I am quite good at names.

Good. Most actors, you know, just call everybody "darling".

JOHN AND KERRIE CHUCKLE

Here's your second game.

You will see four named pictures. The pictures will disappear.

One will come back. Tell us what its name is.

To help you out, have a trial run.

That's Betty. Is it?

That is Betty the turkey.

Isn't it?

THEY LAUGH

You've got the hang of that one.

Strange names for the different creatures, but there we go.

That's what you have to remember,

the name that's attached to the object or creature. Right.

-Brain, off we go, please.

-Your game starts now.

SHE MUTTERS INAUDIBLY

-That was Piglet.

-Piglet the teapot. Let's see if that's correct.

And it is. Well done. On to the next one.

Peter the hamster, Michael the rabbit, Hook and Wendy.

-Hook.

-Hook...

is the tortoise. Absolutely correct. Yeah. Well done.

One last one.

Robbie, Gary, Mark, Howard.

-That was Mark.

-That was Mark.

Mark with the right answer.

And it was indeed. Well done! Maximum on that one, yeah.

-Brain, what did you think?

-I thought she was wonderful. My kind of woman.

Kerrie, you added 15 seconds in that Zone.

This means, in total,

Southville Running Minds have 39 seconds in the Brain Bank.

That's very good indeed!

So, Sam, you're our final player, so why don't you swap places now

with Kerrie and we'll find out which Zone you'll be playing.

APPLAUSE

Hello, Sam.

Well, I think you've chosen well so far with who you've delegated,

haven't you? And there are three Zones left now.

There's Logic, Language and Observation.

-So, which would you like?

-I think logic is my strongest area.

-Right.

Well, we'll wait and see what comes up in a moment,

but first of all, tell me a little bit more about yourself.

How did you get involved with running?

I started a new job, I started to feel a lot better about myself

and I started to feel like I should just get fit again,

and about a year after I started running,

I joined the running club and I've never looked back, really.

It's made me a lot stronger and fitter and able to feel a lot

better about myself than I would have felt running alone.

Great. Do you have any big ambitions?

Yes, my ultimate running ambition is to run a marathon on every

-continent, including the North Pole.

-Have you achieved any of it so far?

-Well, I've done Europe.

-Uh-huh.

Which continent comes next, do you reckon?

I think North America, because my sister lives in Toronto

-and I'd quite like to do the Toronto Marathon.

-Well, very best of luck.

Let's find out which Zone you're going to be facing. Brain?

The Zone, please.

-Well, there we are. That's what you wanted, isn't it?

-Score.

-Yeah.

-So, let's find out if your dream is going to come true.

-Hello, Sam.

-Hello.

-This is your first game.

Three darts will be thrown.

You must add up the score and subtract it from the total.

Have yourself a trial run.

Eight.

Double six.

18.

So, that would be eight, 20, 38.

-463.

-463.

-Well done. You a darts player?

-No, like watching it on TV, though.

I wonder if you're going to get 180. We'll see. Off we go, Brain.

You have 45 seconds to answer these questions correctly, Sam.

Please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

Eight.

11.

13.

HE COUNTS QUIETLY

-469.

-469?

Absolutely correct. You ARE a darts player.

Double 16.

14.

12.

30 seconds to go.

HE COUNTS QUIETLY

-411.

-411.

Absolutely right!

17.

Double nine.

Triple 13.

HE COUNTS QUIETLY

74...

-337.

-337.

337 is correct. Well done. Yeah.

Perhaps I could've been a darts player

if my hand-eye coordination wasn't absolutely terrible.

-So, Brain, on to game two, please.

-Mm, he's good! Calm and good.

Here's your second game.

Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper and paper beats rock.

All you need to do is identify all three missing items.

Here's a trial run to help you get a feel for the game.

So, that's...

So, scissors beats paper, which is beaten by rock,

and rock beats scissors, so it's scissors, scissors, rock.

Scissors, scissors, rock.

Absolutely correct. You confident?

-Yeah, feeling confident.

-Jolly good. Brain, start the game.

Sam, you have a maximum of 45 seconds to answer three questions.

Please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

HE MUTTERS INAUDIBLY

Rock, scissors, rock.

Rock, scissors rock.

Well done, yeah. Correct. Next one.

Rock, paper, paper.

Rock, paper, paper, you say.

Rock, paper, paper. Well done. You've got 25 seconds left.

HE MUTTERS INAUDIBLY

Scissors, rock, paper.

Scissors, rock, paper, you say.

Scissors, rock paper is correct! Well done.

I actually used to own a book called How To Win At Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Never!

Believe it or not, it's about 90 pages long.

JOHN LAUGHS

Well, you read the book, didn't you? Very carefully, obviously.

-It's finally come in useful.

-It has indeed. You ever think it would do?

-No.

-Well, congratulations to you, Sam.

-You did very well indeed, didn't he, Brain?

-Yes.

I'm a little worried about this team. I think they just might beat me.

Sam, you added 18 seconds in that Zone,

which means that Southville Running Minds,

you have finished with a grand total of 57 seconds in your Brain Bank.

Well, that is a pretty good score. So, Sam, congratulations to you.

Please go and rejoin your team-mates.

We've finished the individual rounds now,

so it's time for our team to try to beat The Brain one last time

and take home some money in today's big final.

Southville Running Minds,

you've built up 57 seconds in the four Zones.

Now the challenge is for each of you in turn to answer two

questions correctly within that time.

If you can do that, you'll take home our top prize.

If you can't, then there's till an opportunity to win some cash.

The Brain has given you a further two minutes in which

to get those answers.

But as the time ticks down, so does the money, and the longer you take,

the less there is to win, and if you take too long,

you'll win nothing at all.

So, Sam, you picked the order in which your team are going to play.

What's your reasoning behind that?

Well, Jane's got a really strong strength at mental puzzles,

so I'm putting her first cos I think she'll get us

off to a really good, fast start, and I'm going last

because I think it falls on me to be the person who's right at the end.

OK. Well, now, it's time to get serious. Let's play today's final.

Over to you, Brain.

You'll only face questions from the games you've already seen today.

But for every game in the final, I will only accept your first answer.

The big question is, can you beat The Brain?

As usual, we'll start with the player on the left,

that's Jane, and once you've answered two questions

correctly, Jane, we move on to Kerrie and so on down the line.

Good luck, everybody. Let's start the game.

What time is it?

Ten to...11.

Correct.

BELL CLANGS

-How many on the bus?

-Pass.

Remember the image and name.

Charlton.

Nope.

Double 17.

18.

13.

11.

SHE GIGGLES

No.

One. Two.

Three. Four.

Two.

Two.

Yes. Kerrie.

Which wheel matches the one on the left?

C.

Yes.

What's the winners and losers?

Erm...

Rock...

Paper...

Paper.

Yep. Indu, remember where the objects are.

Where are the fiddles?

One, seven, eight.

Yep.

BELL CLANGS

How many on the bus?

Zero.

Yes. Sam, what time is it?

HE MUTTERS INAUDIBLY

Five past 11.

Yes.

What's the winners and losers?

Scissors, rock, rock.

Stop the clock. Yes!

APPLAUSE

You've won £1,850! Congratulations!

JOHN CHUCKLES

Sam, you got your favourite - rock, paper, scissor question -

right at the end, didn't you?

-So, how do you all feel?

-Good!

-Very good.

-Woo-hoo!

TEAM LAUGHS

You beat The Brain. How do you feel about that, Brain?

I'm absolutely distraught!

But I will say, you know, I'm not a sore loser, so, well done,

and may I say, you all have lovely teeth.

LAUGHTER

Thank you all for watching today. I hope you enjoyed playing along.

For now, though, it's goodbye from Southville Running Minds...

-Goodbye!

-Goodbye!

-From the Brain...

-Goodbye!

And from me. See you next time.

I gave you two special play at home questions at the start of the show.

Time to see whether you got them right.

Which of the four wheels on the right matches the one on the left?

The answer is...

And what about the second? Name the missing winners and losers.

The answer is...

Whether you got those right or wrong, you can always improve

your mental muscle by watching us next time on Beat The Brain.