Episode 8 Beat the Brain

Hello. It's me, Brain.

Our team of four are poised for a strenuous mental workout.

To get you in the mood, try these two examples.

Count the kites.

And here's another one...

What three-letter word is missing?

Confident?

I'll give you the answers at the end of the show.

Now let's see if our four contestants can work together,

as they try to beat The Brain.

APPLAUSE

Show your appreciation for a TV titan.

It's John Craven! JOHN LAUGHS

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

Over the next half hour,

our team of four contestants will face a series of tricky challenges

designed to test how their mind works, not their general knowledge.

And why don't you play along at home as well?

Time to meet our instructor in the mental gym.

How are you today, Brain?

I'm fighting fit, John.

And ready to make your team sweat.

Well, that is no idle threat.

How are our team going to cope?

Let's find out by meeting them now. Introduce yourselves, please.

I'm Sue and I'm an office administrator.

I'm Anthony and I'm a mechanical engineer.

I'm Chris, I'm a company director.

I'm Paul, I'm the team captain

and I'm a retired marketing manager.

APPLAUSE

Welcome, everybody.

Paul, as team captain, have you chosen a name for the team?

Yes, John.

Our team name is Mind Over Matter.

How do you all know each other?

I'm a friend of the family, the family,

and there's Sue on the end, and then there's Anthony,

Sue's son, and then we have Chris, which is Sue's sister.

-So, family and friends?

-Yes.

-OK. Well, let's get going, shall we?

This is how it works, the show's brain is divided into six zones...

Now, The Brain will select four of these six zones

for you to play today and Paul,

as team captain, you must decide which member of the team

-you think is best for each of those zones, OK?

-Yes.

You're playing the time instead of points,

with every correct answer adding three seconds to your total,

to your Brain Bank.

The more time you build up, the more chance you'll have

of beating The Brain in today's final

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

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

Brain, zone, please.

Memory.

So, Paul, who do you think

of your four players would be best in the Memory Zone?

I think if I take this one on, it may help us tactically later on

when more preferential zones come up for the rest of the team.

So, you're the sacrificial lamb to start with, are you?

-THEY LAUGH

-They might be saying that!

Come up and join me!

APPLAUSE

-Good to see you, Paul.

-Yes, good to see you, John.

And the captain's taken it on his broad shoulders to go first.

-Yes.

-Yes. So, do you have a good memory? Really?

I will say it's not as good as it used to be,

but I think that is just synonymous with age, John.

I tell you what, let's sharpen up your memory now, shall we?

As we play the Memory Zone.

You play two games in this zone,

both have three questions worth three seconds each. OK?

-Brain, what's the first game?

-Hello, captain Paul.

-Hello, Brain.

Here's your first game.

Captain Paul, you will see four named pictures.

The pictures will disappear.

One will come back.

Tell us what its name is.

I'm going to give you a trial run.

They've got three creatures.

Who was the parrot? What's the name of the parrot?

-Badger.

-Badger, you think.

Let's see if that's correct.

And it is. Yes. Ready to play the game properly?

-Yes, this is where it matters, though!

-Right, off we go.

Please remember, captain Paul, I can only accept your first answer.

-OK.

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

Your game starts now...

-What's the name...

-Yes.

-..of the sprout?

Not so sure on this one. Um...

-Branwell?

-Branwell? Let's see if you're correct.

-No, it was Anne.

-Mm.

OK, next one, please.

Er...

..yeah, difficult again.

-What's the name of the duck?

-Hendrix?

Hendrix, you think? Let's have a look and see.

-No.

-Clapton.

-Wrong again. Memory's gone.

-Wrong musician, yes.

THEY LAUGH

Right, next, please.

PAUL WHISPERS

What's the parrot?

Difficult to remember even the names, let alone...

-Um...

-Parrot?

Is it Pietersen?

Pietersen the parrot, was it?

-No, it was Flintoff the parrot.

-Mm.

No need to worry, Paul, there's still one more game to come for you,

-so let's find out what that is.

-Yes, OK.

Here's your second game.

Paul, identify the winning line in this game of noughts and crosses.

To get your eye in, have a trial run.

Which one of these four was that?

I'll try B on this one.

B, you're thinking.

You're right, yes. You're right, Paul.

So, let's play the game, please.

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

OK.

Your game starts now...

What are you thinking?

-Yes, I think I've nailed this one, John.

-Right.

-I think it's D.

-D.

-We'll go with D.

-D, OK.

Well done, yes. Next one, please.

Not so straightforward, that one.

-Not as confident on this one as I was on the first one...

-Right.

-..but I will weigh in with C.

-C. C?

Yes, that was a pretty good guess, then.

And the last one coming up.

-That was a hard one.

-Mm-hm.

Bit of a guess, but I will opt for D.

D, you're saying.

Let's see if that's correct. And it is.

-Pretty good guess there.

-Shame about the first one, though.

You look back and you think,

-I wish I'd done a bit better on that.

-I know.

-Brain, what do you think?

-Paul, you added nine seconds in that zone.

This means Mind Over Matter have nine seconds in their Brain Bank.

-GENTLE APPLAUSE

-Good to see you, Paul.

-And you.

-All the very best.

-Thanks very much.

-Return to your team-mates.

Time to find out what our next zone is going to be

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

Multi-Tasking. Paul, who's going to be good in this zone?

I seem to remember in a conversation we had, Sue,

you said that you would consider doing this one.

-Do you still feel happy to take it on?

-Yes, I feel fine about that.

-Happy to take it on?

-I do everything, yes.

We'll go with that then, yes. So, Sue.

You've been designated to multi-task.

APPLAUSE

Good to see you.

So, do you think that's the right decision?

Well, hopefully. I'll have a go.

Do you multi-task a lot?

Yes, I do everything. Try to do too many things at once sometimes.

OK, Brain, please reveal the first game

that Sue will be playing today.

-Hello, smiley Sue.

-Hello.

Here's your first game.

Tell me, Sue, how many people are left on the bus,

not including the driver?

To give you some practice, have a trial run. BELL RINGS

So, how many people do you reckon are still left on that bus?

I think there's two people left on it.

-Two?

-Two.

Two, let's have a look and see if you're right.

-Three. You missed one.

-THEY LAUGH

-My tip on this is use your fingers.

-Yes.

Counting people on with one hand, counting them off with the other.

-Yes, right.

-Let's hope that there are no more than five!

-SUE LAUGHS

-But you can start again.

-Yes.

-Right, so, here we go. Are you ready to play?

-I am, yes.

-Brain, over to you.

Please remember I can only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

BELL RINGS

So, how many on the bus,

not including the driver?

-Four.

-Four. Let's see.

Yes, correct with that one. Right, good.

Next bus, please.

BELL RINGS

God...

-Difficult.

-So, how many left?

-SUE SIGHS

-I think there's two.

Let's see if that's right.

-Four.

-No, it was four.

-Oh.

-Couple still on board.

Right, let's have our third bus then, please.

BELL RINGS

-How many still on now?

-Oh, it's difficult. Um...

..I think there's one person left.

Just one left, going a bit quicker, wasn't it? One left?

-It was five.

-THEY LAUGH

-Oh, well. You started well.

-Yes.

If only one bus had come along, you'd be fine,

but you got three at the same time.

THEY LAUGH

-So, let's have the second game, please, Brain.

-Of course, John.

Sue, here's your second game.

Count the number of times the named object

appears in the spinning wheels.

To help you out, have a trial run.

Count the bananas.

So, how many bananas do you reckon there were?

I think there's 14.

14, you reckon. Is that correct?

-13.

-13, just one out.

So, let's play the game, please.

Please remember, I can only accept your first answer.

Your game starts now.

Count the ice creams.

How many ice creams?

-Ten.

-Ten. Let's see if that's right.

It was. Well done, good.

Next one, please.

Count the carrots.

So, how many carrots?

-Going a bit faster.

-11.

-11.

Let's see if that's right. It was.

Brilliant. Last one, please.

Count the red teapots.

How many teapots were there?

I think there's 18.

18. Let's see if that's right.

-Wow. Well, that was a cracking round, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Feeling happier now?

-I am.

-THEY LAUGH

-What do you think, Brain?

-Sue did very, very well

and added 12 seconds in that zone.

This means in total, Mind Over Matter have 21 seconds in their Brain Bank.

-That's pretty good.

-APPLAUSE

-Thank you.

-Well done, Sue. Nice to see you. If you rejoin...

-Thank you.

..the rest of Mind Over Matter.

Well, those are the first two of our four zones today.

How have you been getting on at home?

Don't worry if you've been caught out, because as we say,

on this show, it takes different brains for different games.

Let's see if our next two games are to your liking.

Brain, the zone, please.

So, Paul, Language.

Is it going to be Chris or Anthony?

Well, I think it's going to be Chris.

Right, Chris, come and join me.

APPLAUSE

-Hello, Chris. Nice to meet you.

-Hello, thank you.

So, do you think he's right about Language and you?

They say I talk a bit, so, Language is good for me.

And of course, Brain has very strange ideas

about what might be in a Language Zone.

Hope you're prepared for that.

Yeah, depends what comes up. We'll have to see.

So, Brain, please reveal the first game that Chris is going to play.

Here's your first game, Chris.

What word is missing from all three others?

-You can warm up by having a trial run.

-Thank you.

It's a three-letter word, obviously in the middle of those other three.

What do you think it might be?

Is it INK?

INK. Let's see. Is it INK?

It is indeed.

You got that pretty quickly. Are you ready to play?

-It's because it was a practice!

-THEY LAUGH

-Are you ready for it?

-I'm ready to play.

-OK, let's go, please.

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 pass.

You only have 45 seconds to answer three questions.

Your game starts now...

-Is it HAM?

-HAM, let's see if it's HAM.

Yes, it is. Next one, please.

You can pass if you want.

-20 seconds left.

-Pass, sorry, pass.

-That's all right.

-Couldn't get that one at all.

-Right.

15 seconds left.

-DIG? Is it DIG?

-Five seconds.

-Is it DIG?

-It is, yes, just in time.

-Oh!

-Three seconds to spare.

-It was cardigan that did it.

Two out of three, that's not bad. That's a pretty good start.

-It's hard when the time's ticking.

-Yes, isn't it?

That's the added pressure.

-Let's have the second game, please.

-Thank you.

Yes, Chris, it's always harder when the time is ticking.

Ah, yes.

-Like life, really.

-Yes, you're right.

Here's your second game.

Find the hidden word using the sentence as your clue.

Have a trial run.

-WHISPERING

-"This kitchen item..."

The clue is in the sentence, and a wording of the sentence.

And the hidden word could be within a word, or...

-"This kitchen item..."

-..three words may be together, to words.

"Grate a potato."

See anything in grate a potato?

A little clue there?

-Teapot.

-Teapot.

-Got it! Took some doing.

THEY LAUGH

-Oh!

-You did it though.

-I need a tea now.

Yes, you might have to be a bit quicker.

I'm going to say that didn't come out straight away, that one.

Right, OK, ready to play.

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 pass.

-Right.

Your game starts now.

-WHISPERING

-"This religious figure..."

"Religious figure loves soap operas."

CHRIS WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY

30 seconds.

-Pass it now?

-I'll have to pass.

-Pass that one, let's find out.

-Oh, yes.

-OK, yes, next one.

-Not obvious to me.

-WHISPERING

-"This school punishment is used to stamp out silliness."

Ten seconds. You can pass on this one if you want.

CHRIS WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY

-Five seconds, three.

-Pass, pass, sorry.

-OK, right.

There we are. LINES, right at the end, out of time we were.

Brain, what do you think of Chris' performance?

-I got you there fair and square, didn't I, Chris?

-You did, you did.

-Never mind, you have a nice necklace.

-Thank you!

-Chris, you added six seconds in that zone.

-Sorry.

In total, Mind Over Matter have 27 seconds in their Brain Bank.

-APPLAUSE

-That is not bad at all.

-Thank you.

Not a bad score after three contestants.

Please rejoin your team-mates.

So, Anthony, you're the last player left.

-Looks that way.

-Come and join me

and we'll find out which one of the three zones remaining

you'll be playing.

APPLAUSE

-Good to see you, Anthony.

-Thanks, John?

Three left and I make it Orientation, Observation and Logic.

Which of those three do you hope to get?

My favourite one would be Orientation, I think that's,

-my strengths lie there, to be honest.

-Let's find out, Anthony,

which zone The Brain has chosen for you.

Brain, the zone, please.

It's Orientation, that's the one you were wanting.

Yes, I'm pleased with that.

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

-Hello, Anthony.

-Hello, Brain.

You like Johnny Cash, don't you?

-I do, yeah, big Johnny Cash fan.

-Me too!

Well, you're sitting next to Johnny. Let's hope you win some cash.

JOHN LAUGHS Did you see what I did there, Anthony?

-Very clever.

-I know.

Here's your first game.

Follow the car's journey

and identify in which direction it ends up facing.

Have yourself a trial run.

I'll use my hands on this one.

-Yes, talk through it.

-Turn right.

Turn right.

U-turn.

What direction is that car finally facing, do you reckon?

-I would say north.

-North, you reckon. Is that correct?

-It was! Well done. So, you ready to play?

-Yeah.

-Let's do Sat-nav then, please.

-Your game starts now.

Turn left.

Turn left.

Turn left.

-East.

-East.

Let's have a look.

East. Those hand movements are working well.

Onto the second one.

U-turn.

U-turn.

Turn left.

U-turn.

-East again.

-East again, you're saying.

East again! Yeah! So, here comes the last one.

Turn right.

Turn right.

Turn left.

Turn left.

-North. I'm not as convinced about that one, but north.

-North.

Yes, you were correct! Three out of three.

-Certainly worked, that, didn't it? That really helped you.

-Somehow.

JOHN AND ANTHONY LAUGH

So, Brain, he's doing well. Can we have the second game, please?

I enjoyed watching you then.

You looked like Madonna in the Vogue video.

CHUCKLING

-I've often modelled myself on Madonna.

-Yes, I can tell!

Here's your second game.

Anthony, match the viewpoint on the left to the numbered

position on the right.

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

Right, I can see the blue circle's in the middle,

so centrally, that's going to be either six or two, I would say.

Actually, from more of an angle, I think perhaps three. Yeah.

-Are you thinking three?

-I'm thinking three.

-Right. Let's see.

-You are correct. So, ready to play?

-Yeah, I think so, John.

Off we go for real.

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

Your game starts now.

-Five.

-Five, you're saying? Is that right?

Yes, it is. Next one, please.

-Two.

-Two? Is that right?

Yes, it is. Yes. And the last one? 25 seconds left.

-Six.

-Six, you say?

And right. Well! Goodness me!

-You certainly proved yourself in the Orientation Zone.

-Thank you.

-You've done exceedingly well, hasn't he, Brain?

-Yes. Very clever boy.

You added 18 seconds in that Zone, which means Mind Over Matter,

you have finished with a grand total of 45 seconds in your Brain Bank!

Very good!

Your team certainly needed those 18 seconds,

so well done, congratulations, and return to the team-mates.

APPLAUSE

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.

And today's final...

Mind Over Matter, you've ended up with 45 seconds in your Brain Bank.

If you can each answer two questions correctly within that time,

you can walk away with today's jackpot of...

If you can't, there's still a chance to earn, because The Brain

has given you two more minutes to get those eight correct answers.

But it comes at a price.

As the time counts down, so does the money, falling by £25 a second.

The more time you take, the more it costs you,

and if you take too long, well, then you'll be left with nothing. OK?

Let's get serious. Let's start today's final.

Over to you, Brain.

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.

Mind Over Matter, beat me if you can.

That's the big question now. Can you Beat The Brain?

And as always, we'll start with the player on the left.

That's you, Paul.

I need two correct answers from you before we can

move on to the next player and so on down the line. OK?

-Everybody understand that?

-Yes.

-Right. Let's start the game.

Remember the image and name.

Brains.

No.

BELL DINGS

How many on the bus?

Five.

No.

What's the missing word?

Pass.

Turn left. Turn right. Turn right.

East.

Yes.

Count the pigs.

Four?

No.

Which line won the game?

D?

Nope.

Find the hidden word.

Oats?

Nope.

Pass. Sorry.

BELL DINGS

Three?

No.

Del Boy?

Yes. Sue.

Pass.

Count the yellow boots.

Five.

Yes.

-Turn right. Turn left. U-turn.

-Pass.

A.

No.

Soaker.

No.

Pass.

Bjorn?

No.

BELL DINGS

One.

Nope.

Quickly.

Tuna.

That's correct, but sorry, time is up.

Bad luck, Mind Over Matter.

Oh, dear. You really...

Once you get stuck, it's difficult to get going again, isn't it?

I hope you enjoyed yourselves.

You're not going back to Middlesbrough too downhearted.

-We really enjoyed ourselves.

-We'll be fine.

And Brain certainly enjoyed playing against you, didn't you, Brain?

Absolutely. Mind Over Matter, as they say in Middlesbrough, I am buzzin'.

You must be fumin'. But I did think you were proper mint, like.

THEY LAUGH

It's been lovely meeting you all,

and thank you for watching today at home.

I hope you enjoyed playing along.

For now, though, it's time to say goodbye from Mind Over Matter...

-Goodbye!

-Goodbye!

-From the Brain...

-Goodbye!

-And from me.

See you again next time.

Before you go, it's time to find out how you did with our two

play at home questions.

Here's a reminder and the answers.

The answer is...

How about the second one?

What three-letter word is missing?

The answer is "all".

Join John and me for another mental workout

on next time's Beat The Brain.