Episode 26 Beat the Brain

Hello, it's me - The Brain.

These are the kind of challenges

our team will face today.

Have a go at home.

Solve the riddle.

Try one more.

What number plate do you see?

I'll relieve your anxiety by giving you the answers

at the end of the show.

Now, let's see if four brains are better than one.

It's Beat The Brain.

Please meet the man who runs rings around other quiz show presenters.

It's John Craven.

Well, thank you very much. Hello, welcome to Beat The Brain.

Now, depending on what sort of mood The Brain is in,

you may feel as if you've run a mental marathon

by the end of today's show.

So, give us a clue. Brain, what kind of mood are you in?

A fierce one today, Johnny. A fierce one.

I'm going to leave everyone breathless.

Well, is that an empty threat? I've got a feeling

that our team today are going to run rings around her.

Please introduce yourselves.

Hi, I'm Chris, and I've been an air traffic controller for 18 months.

I'm Shaun, and I've been an air traffic controller for six years.

I'm James, and I've been an air traffic controller

for two and a half years.

Hi, I'm Wes. I'm the team captain,

and I've been an air traffic controller for 12 years.

Well, welcome, everybody.

And, Wes, as team captain, what team name have you chosen?

-Our team name is No Direction.

-And why on earth is that?

Well, as air traffic controllers,

we're used to giving aircraft direction.

Shaun, such a huge fan of the boy band,

so he demanded that we incorporate that into our name,

and we have come up with No Direction.

Air traffic controllers, are you ready to take off?

ALL: We are.

Well, this is how it works.

The show's Brain is divided into six Zones.

Now, The Brain will select four of those six Zones

for you to play today.

And, Wes, as the team captain, you must decide

which member of your team will perform best

in each of those Zones. OK?

You will face a series of questions in our Zone

with each correct answer adding three seconds

to what we call the Brain Bank.

And the more time you build up,

the more chance you have of beating The Brain in today's final

and walking away with a jackpot of £3,000.

So, No Direction, it's chocks away. OK?

Let's find out what the first Zone is and who will be facing it.

Brain, the Zone, please.

Orientation, it is, Wes.

So who do you reckon is going to be best at that?

I think...I think I'd like to take this one as the first hit.

-Set the standard high.

-What do you think?

-If you feel confident.

-I think we need to save you just in case...

-Save me?

No, we need to save Shaun in case Multitasking comes up.

-I'll take this one, John.

-OK, captain first, then.

Come and join me, Wes.

-So, how long have you been a controller?

-12 years.

-Wow!

What made you decide to go in for that, then?

-They wouldn't take me as a pilot.

-Oh, dear.

-No.

Why...why wouldn't they take you?

Because I had hay fever. It's always the way, honestly, but then...

-Always some small, little medical reason.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Yeah, of course, there are no pilots out there with hay fever.

-No, of course not.

-And not that I'm bitter.

-Well, all the very best as we play the first Zone.

-Thank you very much.

Brain, what is the first game, please?

Hello, captain Wes.

-Hello, Brain.

-I like your bowtie.

-Thank you very much.

-What's the pattern?

-It's cats and fish.

Oh, you're cute.

-Are you ready for liftoff?

-I am.

-Here's your first game.

Follow the car's journey and identify in which direction it ends up facing.

To help you out, have a trial run.

Turn left.

Turn right.

Turn left.

-Which direction...

-West.

-..No Direction?

HE LAUGHS

West, you're saying. Let's have a look.

You are absolutely correct.

OK, Brain, let's play the game.

-Captain Wes, please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

-OK.

And every correct answer will add three seconds to your Brain Bank.

Your game starts now.

Turn left.

Turn left.

U-turn.

-North.

-North, you're saying. Are you correct?

You are indeed. Well done, Wes. On to the next one, please.

U-turn.

U-turn.

Turn left.

Turn left.

-South.

-South, you're saying now. Is that right?

It is, yes. Well done.

Two out of three. One more to go.

Turn left.

Turn left.

Turn left.

U-turn.

-West.

-West, you're saying.

You are correct. Well, full house.

You weren't put off by that quick U-turn at the end?

No, they were tricky. Those U-turns can really throw you,

especially the east-west direction.

Yeah, I must admit - I got the wrong answer on that one.

Let's find out what game two has in store for you.

Maybe I was a little too kind there.

Here's your second game.

Captain Wes, which wheel matches the one on the left?

To get your eye in, you can have a trial run.

A, B, C or D?

-A.

-A, you're saying.

Let's see if you're right. You are indeed. Yeah.

-No problems there so far.

-That's tricky.

-That is a trickier one, isn't it?

-That's a tricky one, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Let's see how you do, cos we're ready to play?

-Yes.

-Off we go.

You have a maximum of 45 seconds to answer three questions.

Please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

-B.

-Let's see if you're right.

You are, yeah. Next one.

B.

Yes, well done.

25 seconds to go.

15 seconds.

-C.

-C, you are saying. Is that correct?

Yes, it is, yeah.

Maximum seconds, I make that. So, what do you think, Brain?

Captain Wes, I thought you liked me.

That was a clean sweep.

If you keep this up, my jackpot will be in jeopardy.

Wes, you added 18 seconds in that Zone.

This means, in total, No Direction have 18 seconds

in their Brain Bank.

-What a good start!

-Thank you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Thanks, John.

So, now it's time to find out our next Zone, please,

and who is going to take it on.

Brain, the Zone, please.

Language, it is. So, Wes, who are you selecting for the Language Zone?

Right, it's a difficult one, this,

because none of us are really language-orientated.

-Captain's decision.

-OK, let's go. Erm...

-..Shaun.

-OK.

-Come and join me, Shaun in the Language Zone.

-How are you doing?

-Yeah, not too bad. Thank you.

-He gave you a very good start, didn't he?

-He did.

-He set the bar high.

-Didn't he? No pressure.

No, and with a topic like Language as well.

What made you become an air traffic controller, then?

I enjoy being mentally challenged. It keeps you on your toes, so...

Yeah, you got to really be very logistical, haven't you?

That's correct. Yeah, there's a lot of set skills that...

And there is language involved, isn't there?

-You do have to speak to people.

-Yeah, you speak to each other.

Speak to the pilots, make sure they can understand what you're saying.

-Yeah, indeed.

-So, are you ready to play?

-Ready.

Well, let's play the Language Zone.

Brain, please, reveal the first game.

-Hello, Shaun.

-Hello, Brain.

This is your first game.

Use one letter from each column to create a word.

The clue will help you find it.

To give you some practice, Shaun, have a trial run.

It's one letter from each column to make...

Drum.

-I think there's 'drum' in there.

-Drum. Let's have a look and see.

Yes, you're right. Yeah.

-So, not too hard...

-Whoa.

-..to start with for you.

-We shall see if they're all...

-We shall see.

Well, let's see what hidden words

we have in store for you as we play the game.

You have 45 seconds to answer three questions correctly.

But, please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

-Pink.

-Pink, you're saying.

Well done, yes. Well done.

35 seconds left.

-Boot.

-Boot.

Yeah, very good. Very quick.

20 seconds left.

Ten seconds.

-Five. Put in a guess?

-I can't see it.

-An extra letter in there, wasn't there?

-Yeah, there is.

-Time's out.

-Can't see it.

-Let's reveal what the answer is.

It's 'dress'.

It's top, bottom, top, bottom.

Now, you can see it, can't you? Yes.

Bad luck, but in a Zone that you didn't particularly want,

you're doing very well so far. OK, so let's see how you do in game two.

-I got you there, Shaun.

-You did.

Here's your second game.

What word is missing from all three others?

Have a trial run.

Any ideas?

No.

I'm seeing words,

but not necessarily a three-letter word that's...

I see 'badge' or...

Let me give you a clue cos I think I've got it.

It starts with R.

-Rid.

-Rid.

Yes, rid.

-Let's have a look and see.

-I saw 'corridor', but...

-Correct.

-Are you ready to play, Shaun?

-We'll give it a go.

-OK.

Off we go, please.

Shaun, you can have as many guesses as you like, but I will not move on

to the next question until you give me the correct answer

or you can pass.

You only have 45 seconds to answer three questions.

Your game starts now.

-The.

-The. Well done, yes. Next one. 30 seconds to go.

-Gin.

-Gin. Yes, well done. Last one.

-20 seconds.

-Out.

-Out.

-Yes! Well done, Shaun. Wow!

-Trial run helped.

-Big relief there for you, eh?

-Yeah, I was feeling the pressure

-about the trial run.

-That trial run really flummoxed you, didn't it?

-Yeah.

-But that is a very good score.

-Thank you.

-Isn't it, Brain?

-Were you teasing me, Shaun? You were so bad in the trial run.

-Thanks!

Every second counts in the final,

and that score has helped out a lot, Shaun.

You added 15 seconds in that Zone.

This means, in total, No Direction have 33 seconds

in their Brain Bank.

That is very good at halfway.

So, well done, Shaun. Please rejoin the other controllers.

Well, great going so far,

but remember, of course, the aim of the game, at this stage,

is to get as many right as you can and add as much time as you can

to your Brain Bank. The better you do,

the greater chance you have of beating The Brain in today's final

and winning a £3,000 jackpot.

And, at this stage, it's looking pretty good for you.

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

Brain, the Zone, please.

OK, Wes, who is going to be playing this?

Right, so we've got Observation, Logic and Memory

-and Multitasking to go.

-Yeah.

-I'm happy with Observation.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-OK, in that case, then,

-we'll take James for Observation.

-James. Good.

Come and join me, then, in the Observation Zone.

-How are you?

-I'm good, thank you.

Now, you wear both hats, don't you,

-cos you're a traffic controller and you're also a pilot.

-I am, yes.

-So, I see...I see it from both sides.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-How old were you when...? Because you look pretty young now.

-Thanks.

-How old were you when you became a pilot?

-I was...

I started my first flying with the Air Cadets at age 15.

-Really?

-I flew my first aircraft solo at the age of 19.

-And that wasn't long after I had the driving licence.

-Oh, wow.

-So...

Yeah, a lot of responsibility.

Which do you prefer - flying or controlling the flyers?

I think I prefer to be flying,

but controlling, I do enjoy as well, so...

So, you're used to pressure.

So, let's see how you do when The Brain provides a bit for you.

So, let's play the Observation Zone.

Brain, the first game, please.

-Hello, James.

-Hello, Brain.

If you think you can beat me, wiggle your ears.

JOHN LAUGHS

-Oh, dear.

-How was that?

Very good! Here's your first game.

James, tell me which number plate you saw.

You can warm up with a trial run.

-Number five.

-Number five, you reckon? Was that correct?

-It was indeed.

-JAMES SIGHS

-So, we're going to play for real. Are you ready?

-Let's go.

OK, Brain, bring on the game.

Please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

Every correct answer will add three seconds to your Brain Bank.

Your game starts now.

-Number six.

-Number six, you're saying.

Is that correct?

It was. Well done. Next one, please.

-Number three.

-Number three, you think. Was that correct?

Yes, it was.

One more to go. You're doing incredibly well, James.

-Number two.

-Number two.

Well done. Went the opposite direction that time.

-That threw me.

-But that didn't put you off, did it? No.

So, well done. I mean, that is maximum seconds on that first game.

-Yeah, that was tough.

-What a game!

What a performance by this team.

Brain must be shuddering at this moment. Are you, Brain?

Absolutely. This is making me very, very sad indeed.

-Well, can we have the second game, please?

-Of course, you can, Johnny.

Tell me the order the balloons pop.

Have a trial run, James.

That was red, yellow, blue, I think.

Is that right?

Yes, it was indeed. Good. Excellent. Happy to play?

-Let's see what happens.

-See what happens. Off we go.

Remember, I can only accept your first answer, James.

Your game starts now.

-Blue, red, white.

-Blue, red, white. Is that right?

It is indeed. Next one, please.

White, yellow, red.

White, yellow, red.

-HE SIGHS

-No. White, red, yellow.

One more to go.

Blue, white, yellow, red.

Blue, white, yellow, red.

-Yes, well done. Yeah, that was a harder one...

-That was very tough.

-..because there were four going off there, weren't there?

-Yeah.

So, I reckon you can be pretty proud of your performance, James.

You held the banner high for the team. Didn't he, Brain?

Absolutely. James, you added 15 seconds in that Zone.

This means, in total, No Direction have 48 seconds

in their Brain Bank.

-Wow!

-Cheers.

-Very good indeed.

-Nice to see you, James, and all the very best.

-Thank you.

Well, Chris, you are our final player today,

so why don't you come and join me,

and we'll find out which of the three remaining Zones

you will be facing. So, come over here, please.

-Good to see you, Chris.

-Good to see you.

-Now, you look to be the youngest.

-I am the youngest.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And what made you become a controller, then?

It's something that I felt played to my skills.

A lot of people dream of being a pilot

and being involved with that sort of thing.

It's, again, a thing that I can do,

-so I wanted to get involved within...

-In aviation.

-Yeah.

-But you used to be a police officer, didn't you?

-I did. Briefly.

-Any special things happened to you then?

-Eh...

I might have accidentally pranged a police car

-into another police car.

-Really? Might have done?

Well, no, I did.

It didn't go down particularly well, and it was quite early on.

And it might have led to certain things happening afterwards

and why I'm not a policeman any more, maybe.

Oh, no. Well, I make out that you have Logic left

and Multitasking and Memory.

So, which one of those three would you like to get?

Erm...Multitasking, potentially.

Well, let's find out what The Brain has got for you.

Brain, a Zone, please.

-It's Logic. Well, that's not too bad, then, is it?

-Will do.

So, Brain, can we have the first game, please?

-Hello, Christopher.

-Hello.

-You are a bonny lad.

Thank you very much, Brain.

You're going to be nice to me and do very badly, aren't you?

-Yes.

-Good boy.

Here's your first game.

I will show you a series of four pictures,

and your challenge is to find the common link.

Christopher, have yourself a trial run.

Yeah, call out what you see there,

and you might find out the link.

Beach, apple, fur, palm.

Palm of the hand.

Tree. Types of tree. Palm tree...

Shall we find out what the answer is?

-It was tree. That's what you said, isn't it?

-It was.

-Well done.

So, you were pretty quick on that one.

It's not the easiest of games, this, I don't think.

No, I don't either.

So, let's see how you do. Please can we play the game?

You can have as many guesses as you like, Chris,

but I will not move on to the next question

until you give me the correct answer or you can pass.

You only have 45 seconds to answer three questions.

Your game starts now.

Pen, pocket, bread, kitchen.

Bin.

Wash...bread.

Basket.

-Ink.

-30 seconds left.

-You can pass this...

-Yeah, let's pass this one.

-Pass that one. All right. Knife.

-Oh, knife.

-Next one, please.

Polo, tee, rugby, dress.

Shirt. Rugby shirt, T-shirt.

Shirt. Well done. Last one.

Diamond, pearl, China, gold.

Five seconds left. Take a guess.

Type... Anniversaries.

Oh, you got it just in time.

-Anniversary. Well done.

-Thank you.

So, that is two out of three.

I'm happy with that.

-A lot of people, including me, struggle with that game.

-Yeah.

So, I think you did very well

especially as it is against the clock.

You're worrying about the time ticking away

as well as getting the answer. Let's have the second game, please.

Well done, Chris. You added some valuable seconds there.

Here's your second game.

Use the clues to work out the position of a particular animal.

The clues describe the animals from your perspective.

Have a trial run.

JOHN READS

Oh, wow.

Where do you think Lottie might be?

-It's my perspective, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-We said this earlier.

Erm...

So, Lottie must be on the right.

-You're saying 'right'?

-Yeah.

Let's have a look and see.

Yeah, you're absolutely correct.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Are you ready for that?

-Yes!

Right, off we go, please, Brain.

You have 45 seconds to answer three questions correctly.

Remember, I'll only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

It's that on the right.

On the right.

No, on the left. Next one.

30 seconds left.

20 seconds.

-You can pass if you want.

-Left.

Left, you're saying. Is that right?

No, it was 'right'.

Here comes the last one.

Ten seconds left.

-Centre.

-In the centre?

Yes, well done. Yeah, good.

Brain, I think you managed to...perplex him a little.

I did, didn't I?

But he still managed to get valuable seconds for the final.

Chris, you added nine seconds in that Zone,

which means, No Direction, you have finished with a grand total

of 57 seconds in your Brain Bank.

Very good indeed.

Chris, I hope you enjoyed playing the game.

Please rejoin the team.

Well, we've finished the individual Zones now,

and it's time for our team to try to beat The Brain

one last time and take home some serious cash in today's final.

No Direction, you added an impressive 57 seconds

to your Brain Bank in the four opening Zones.

Your task, now, is to answer eight questions correctly,

that's two each, as quickly as you can.

Do that within your 57 seconds,

and you'll win today's jackpot of £3,000.

If you can't do that, there is still a chance to win some money

because The Brain has kindly given you another two minutes

in which to find the answers, but there is a catch.

As the time counts down, so does the money at the rate of £25 a second.

Take too long,

and both the time and the money will run out, leaving you with nothing.

Well, Wes, as team captain, you've chosen the order of play.

What's your reasoning behind that?

Well, I think it's all about how we start and how we finish today.

So, I picked Shaun for a strong start,

and, as team captain, if it all goes wrong,

I can take the blame at the end as the person who finishes.

Yeah, all your fault. You are the anchorman there.

Well, are you all ready? Because it is time to get serious.

Let's start today's final.

Brain, over to you.

You will 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.

No Direction, beat me if you can.

That is your challenge, and, as always,

we will start with the player on the left. That is you, Shaun.

I need two correct answers from you before we can pass down the line.

Understand, everybody?

The best of luck. Let's get underway.

Let's play the final.

Which wheel matches the one on the left?

C.

Correct.

Yellow, white, red.

Yes. Chris, what is the missing word?

Age.

Correct.

Solve the riddle.

Left.

No.

Turn left.

Turn left.

Turn left.

Which direction?

-HE MUMBLES

-East.

Yes. James, find the hidden word.

Fork.

Correct.

What's the connection?

-BUZZER

-Pass.

What number plate.

Six.

Correct.

Wes, which wheel matches

the one on the left?

D.

Solve the riddle.

-Right.

-Stop the clock.

THEY CHEER

Well, congratulations.

Eight correct answers, and you have won £2,325.

-So, how about that, Wes?

-That last one was a guess.

-THEY LAUGH

-A very good guess.

-It earned you a lot of money.

-Happy with that.

No, the team have done really well there.

I mean, that last round had a few fastballs.

The games were quicker and more difficult,

and everyone maintained their focus. It was good.

Well, The Brain was determined to catch you, but she didn't, did she?

Just wait till we catch her!

-How about that, Brain?

-SHE SIGHS

Oh, I thought I was going to be a high-flyer then,

but you boys have brought me back down to the ground

very safely, though, I may say.

-Congratulations.

-Yes, congratulations from all of us.

And thank you at home for watching today.

I hope you enjoyed playing along.

For now, though, it's goodbye from No Direction.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-Goodbye from Brain.

-Goodbye.

And it's goodbye from me. See you next time.

Before you go, let's see the answers to the questions

I set you at home at the start of the show.

Solve the riddle.

The answer is...

Poppins is on the left.

And what about the second game? What number plate do you see?

The answer is...

three.

Whether you got these right or wrong,

you can always improve your intellect

by watching us next time on Beat The Brain.