Episode 6 Britain's Brightest

We scoured the land for ordinary people with extraordinary powers.

I have the same IQ as Einstein, which is 153.

It was an unusual talent search...

I didn't go to university, but I'm not dumb.

..as we looked for Britain's Brightest.

My fastest time for solving a Rubik's Cube is 7.91 seconds.

They had to pass brain-busting tests.

Oh, you are horrible.

Finally, 24 made it through.

'They gave it everything.'

That is amazing. Maximum points. Well done.

Oh, Peter.

'But for some, everything wasn't enough.'

Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry.

'Just five remain and tonight we will find Britain's Brightest'

APPLAUSE

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome your host, Clare Balding.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Good evening and welcome to the Final of Britain's Brightest 2013.

Over the last five weeks, 24 incredible players have

had their intelligence tested in every way imaginable.

One by one they fell by the wayside as the very best brains emerged.

Now we have our top five, the premier league of smart,

all putting their minds on the line one last time for the title,

Britain's Brightest 2013 and a cheque for £50,000.

CHEERING

So, with everything to play for, we are putting everything in their way.

The toughest challenges, the biggest acts, the most fiendish puzzles

will decide who has earned the title, Britain's Brightest.

Let's remind ourselves how our five finalists got here.

'First to book their place in the final

'was maths teacher Clair Collins.'

75 times 75 equals what?

Clair is straight there, so fast. You just see it and do it.

You have 27 seconds, how long did you take?

26 seconds, that is amazing.

'A flawless performance saw her lead from start to finish.'

It's really important to show that actually being bright is

a really good thing.

Next up was managing director Zoe Cunningham.

I come across as very friendly, but I am absolutely ruthless.

'After a slow climb up the leaderboard...'

-What do you need to do?

-I need to score points.

Score points, it's amazing.

Zoe, very brave.

-Winston Churchill.

-Winston Churchill is correct.

Well done, you have won the second round, congratulations.

'..a last-gasp effort saw her clinch the top spot.'

19 is the target. 23 seconds

and that means tonight's winner is Zoe, with 29 points, well done.

'Week three was won by physics graduate Sam Hyatt Twynam.'

I'm a very competitive guy. As for my tactics - speed, aggression, poise.

Confidence is everything.

'Despite a rocky start...'

Incorrect from Sam.

'..he dug deep.'

Sam is straight there.

Sam wins again.

Sam is there. Well done, Sam.

'And his terrific timing took him through.'

22 seconds, you were bang on it. That is amazing.

'Scientist Alan Gibbs became our fourth finalist.'

64.

Venice.

It is.

'He dominated the competition throughout...'

-Alan.

-Albert Einstein.

-Once again it's Alan who's brave.

-Watership Down?

It is Watership Down. Outstanding. And maximum points again.

'..and sailed into the final.'

He's led from start to finish. With 33 points is Alan.

I've always had a very high opinion of my own talents

and if I could win the show it'd prove that I was right for once.

'And during last week's playoffs

'our plucky runners-up were thrown a lifeline.

'After an incredibly close fought battle...'

600.

Porcupine.

-Porcupine is correct.

-One.

-Nayomie.

-15.

-Is wrong.

'..father of two Andy Thomas

'kept his cool to secure his place in the final.'

Andy, you are through to the final.

I am incredibly competitive, with a steely edge

and I have it in me to win.

APPLAUSE

Now, only one of those five can win the title,

Britain's Brightest 2013, so please welcome back Alan Gibbs.

APPLAUSE

Clair Collins.

APPLAUSE

Sam Hyatt Twynam.

APPLAUSE

Zoe Cunningham.

APPLAUSE

And last week's playoff winner Andy Thomas.

APPLAUSE

A huge welcome to all of you. What a brilliant line-up for our Final.

Now, Andy, what was the reaction of your children, Daisy and Charlie,

when they heard that you'd got through to the Final?

They were very excited, but that doesn't mean a lot

cos they get excited at everything. They're three and five so, yeah,

ice-cream van comes, it's the end of the world, you know.

Zoe, you are a backgammon champion

and you're very good at planning ahead.

You're very strategic, have you got a plan tonight?

It's extremely hard when you don't know the games, you actually,

there's very little you can do to prepare

and it comes down to getting a good night's sleep, making sure

you've eaten and setting yourself up to be the best you can on the day.

Now, Sam, you are a very confident person.

Confidence is everything, Clare.

What's your motto?

Opportunism in methods, consistency in aims.

Which roughly translated means,

"I'm going to take every chance I can and I'm going to try and win?"

-Yes, indeed.

-Yes.

Now, Clair, you scored maximum points in your heat,

you won every single challenge.

Who's been helping you prepare?

Well, my family do the Sunday quiz with me

so I've been doing that and that was quite good this week.

And my dad's been helping with some number crunching,

just with maths being my best genre,

I thought I'd better just make sure I win that one if it comes up.

Now, Alan, what's your approach?

It's just such an honour to be here

and to be playing against guys like these.

My approach is to test myself against the games rather than

the opponents and if I'm able to perform well enough in the

actual games themselves to do well on the show then that's fantastic.

After the next five games just two of you will remain

to go head-to-head for £50,000.

The time for talking is over. Now it's the time for thinking.

Good luck to you all and let's see the first group challenge.

APPLAUSE

So within this picture are hidden visual clues that lead to

names of places in the UK.

So for example, the person there with the invisible dogs.

-That would bring you to...?

-Leeds.

-Leeds. Yes.

It's a test of creative thinking, of making associations

and speed of reactions.

There are three rounds with four pictures in each.

Once you've buzzed in and given me a correct answer, you can step back

and relax for the rest of that round.

But if you give me a wrong answer,

you will be locked out for the rest of that question.

Good luck and let's see the first picture clue.

BUZZER

Andy.

Edinburgh.

Is it Edinburgh?

It is a man with his head in a bra. Well done, Andy.

Very, very well worked out and good speed of reactions as well.

So everyone, let's see the picture again

and here is the next place name.

BUZZER

-Alan.

-Belfast.

Belfast.

It's a bell, it's running fast, it is Belfast. Well done, Alan.

Clair, Sam, Zoe, here is your next place name.

BUZZER

Sam.

Kingston.

Is it Kingston?

It is a king with his tongue sticking out,

so, Clair and Zoe, just one of you will take points from this round.

Here is your final picture puzzle.

Where is this?

BUZZER

Zoe.

Crewe.

Is it Crewe?

It is Crewe. Well done, Zoe.

Clair, I'm afraid you were flummoxed there, weren't you?

Geography has never been my strong point

so I'm going to struggle in this game, I think.

Let's ask all of you back in again.

Round Two and here's your first clue.

BUZZER

Andy again, fastest on the buzzer, can you be right again

and win this round?

Ramsbottom?

Is it Ramsbottom?

-Hey!

-It is a comedy bottom on a Ram.

Well done, Andy, and step back again.

For the rest of you, here is your next clue.

BUZZER

-Alan.

-Matlock.

The mats are locked together. It is.

We have the same result as the first round.

Andy first, Alan second

so, the three who remain, here is your next clue.

BUZZER

Sam.

I've got it now, Shrewsbury.

Is that correct?

They are shrews, it is a berry. Well done, Sam.

Clair and Zoe, it's down to just you two.

One of you will take points from this round.

Let's have a look at the picture.

Where is this?

BUZZER

Zoe.

Tenby.

Is it Tenby?

There are ten bees. It is Tenby. Well done, Zoe. You looked unsure

but you were absolutely right and, Clair, again,

it just doesn't suit your brain.

Well, I got Tenby but I thought,

"Well that's not a place so that's daft," so I just didn't go for it.

Let's ask all five of you to step forward.

Here is your final round. Where is this?

BUZZER

Alan, you're shaking your head but you're giving it a go.

Complete random guess. Torquay?

Is it Torquay?

It's not. Would anyone else like to buzz in?

BUZZER

Andy.

Newquay?

It is shining and sparkly new. Is it Newquay?

It is. Well done, Andy. Sensational stuff.

You've won all three rounds. Step back and relax.

For the four that remain, here is your next place name to decipher.

BUZZER

-Alan.

-Bury?

It is a dog burying something. Who knows what? Probably a bone.

Well done, Alan.

Sam, Zoe and Clair, here is your next clue.

BUZZER

Sam's going for it, where is it Sam?

Luton.

The switch says on. It is a lute. It is Luton.

So, Zoe and Clair, one of you will score a point, the other will not.

Are you ready? Where is this?

BUZZER

Clair.

Fishhead?

Is it Fishhead? It's not.

BUZZER

Zoe's smiling. Have you got it?

Is it Fishguard?

Is it Fishguard?

It is Fishguard. Well done, Zoe. Clair, so close.

If the rest of you would like to step forward.

Well, I think this is the first time in the series that, for every round,

the result has been exactly the same order.

Andy, you were sensational there and given that in the heats you

started relatively slowly, you've come out like a steam train.

Yeah, I think that's a round that suited me a lot.

I've done a lot of travelling around the country with previous jobs

that I've done so I'm quite up on my place names

and I like the challenge of that puzzle.

So after that task, Andy, as the clear winner, you get 10 points.

Alan, in second, you score six.

Sam, you score three.

Zoe, you snatched one point from that

but, Clair, I'm afraid you get nothing.

Plenty of opportunities though to make up that ground

and I'm sure you will.

Before the next challenge, we have a very special guest in the audience.

Comedian, musician, actor, Bill Bailey is here.

CHEERING

Hello, Bill.

Can I ask you, Bill, what is your definition of bright?

Well, I think bright is being able to think laterally,

being quite smart, being able also to think on your feet.

-You studied music at school, didn't you?

-That's right.

There's plenty of research that suggests that music

and maths are linked.

Music is, a lot of it is about rhythm, about patterns.

I think if you're good with numbers then that can sometimes mean

you're good at music. You know, I think the two can cross over.

Well, I think our next challenge might suit you really well.

Are you prepared to do more than just sit and enjoy it?

Yes, I am.

Will you take on our five Britain's Brightest finalists?

-Yes, I would.

-You are a good man, Bill Bailey.

Oh, yes.

CHEERING

-We will keep a record of your score from this challenge.

-OK.

And we'll see how you get on.

Well, they wowed a global audience at the closing ceremony

of the Paralympic Games. Please welcome Feeding The Fish.

APPLAUSE

MUSIC: "Happy Valley" by Vanessa Mae

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

So, normally, when you watch a performance,

you can just sit back, enjoy it, relax.

But if you do that here, it could cost you £50,000

because Feeding The Fish are going to perform some of their routine

displaying numbers as they go and after each performance I'll ask

some quickfire maths questions based on the numbers you've just seen.

Now, whoever's at the bottom of the leaderboard at the end of

this challenge will be leaving the competition, but with 10 points

on offer to the winner, Clair, you can still avoid that happening.

So let's start the challenge.

MUSIC: "Alpha Male" by Royksopp

APPLAUSE

So you watched it and now you've got to work out the answer to

these questions. What do you get

if you divide the total of all of the numbers you saw by 2?

All your answers are in. Let's see what you said.

And all of you have said 17 and all of you are correct. Well done.

APPLAUSE

Next question. Add the largest and smallest numbers that you saw and

then subtract the remaining number from the total, what do you get?

Your answers have been accepted. Let's see them.

And all of you say 8 and again all of you are right.

APPLAUSE

What do you get if you multiply the first number you saw

by the third number you saw?

Let's have a look.

And again, all of you say the same thing,

all of you say 38 and you are all correct.

APPLAUSE

Multiply the first and second numbers you saw together

then take that total and multiply it by the third number you saw.

Let's see your answers.

This time we do have a bit of disagreement.

The answer is 494. Well done to Alan, Clair and Zoe.

APPLAUSE

And you get that by multiplying 2 times 13 times 19.

So 2 times 13 is 26, times that by 19 and you get 494.

Well done. Let's have a look now at the next performance.

Good luck.

MUSIC PLAYS

APPLAUSE

First question.

How many of the numbers you saw were wholly divisible by 3?

Let's have a look at your answers.

All of you say 3 and 3 is correct.

APPLAUSE

Calculate the total of the two largest numbers that you saw.

Here are your answers.

All of you say 113 and 113 is correct.

APPLAUSE

Multiply the two highest numbers that you saw

then subtract the lowest number that you saw from that total.

Let's see your answers.

Are any of those correct?

Just one of them is correct and it's Alan.

Well done. 2,319 is the correct answer.

APPLAUSE

So your final question in this round.

Total all the numbers you saw

and then subtract the lowest of those numbers from that total.

And let's see your answers.

You all say 122 apart from Andy who says 121.

Oh.

122 is the correct answer.

APPLAUSE

So, after two of the three rounds,

Alan has not got a single question wrong, he is out in front.

Clair and Zoe are just behind him, then we have Sam.

At the moment Andy is trailing.

So here is the last set of spinning numbers.

MUSIC PLAYS

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you to Feeding The Fish and here is the last round of questions.

How many different numbers did you see in total?

These are your answers.

Four of you say 6, Alan says 5.

The correct answer is 6. Four of you are right.

Alan, I'm afraid you missed it there.

APPLAUSE

How many times did the digit 2 appear through that performance?

And here are your answers.

Four of you say 2, Andy says 1.

The correct answer is 2.

APPLAUSE

What is the total sum of the numbers you saw?

Here are your answers.

Three of you say 270.

The correct answer is 270.

Clair, Sam and Zoe, you are all correct.

APPLAUSE

The very last question is this -

subtract the total of the odd numbers that you saw

from the total of the even numbers.

We have all of our answers.

The correct answer is 178. Well done to Clair, Sam and Zoe.

APPLAUSE

Alan, you looked desperately upset with yourself

cos you clearly missed a number.

I didn't see one of the numbers. I only saw five numbers there.

So everything else was gone?

There was basically not an awful lot I could do about that. I just

thought there were only five numbers on display, so, what can you do?

Extraordinarily difficult maths questions there.

-Bill, it's difficult, isn't it?

-Very, very difficult.

It's incredibly hard to firstly see the numbers, make them out,

and then at the same time perform these feats of mental arithmetic.

There were 12 questions in total and you got five right.

-Five.

-Yes.

-Oh, well, there you go, it's not too bad.

APPLAUSE

Clair and Zoe, you tied in first place in that challenge.

You will get eight points each.

Sam, you came third, worth three points.

Alan in fourth gets one point and Andy in fifth gets zero.

Five players started this final but now one must leave us.

It is time for the first elimination.

Here's what those scores have done to the leaderboard.

Still in first place with 10 points, it's Andy.

APPLAUSE

In second place we find Zoe with nine points.

APPLAUSE

She's moved up from second last to second.

In third place we have Clair who was last and is now third.

She has eight points.

APPLAUSE

In fourth we have Alan with seven.

APPLAUSE

And that means, I'm afraid, that in last place after two group

challenges and leaving Britain's Brightest, it is Sam.

I'm sorry, Sam.

You have been sensational.

APPLAUSE

And you are so quick, you're so sharp

but you have come up against some brilliant minds tonight.

Not quick or sharp enough, sadly. No, I'm devastated.

He's been a great contestant. Ladies and gentlemen, Sam.

APPLAUSE

Four finalists fight on. Now let's see what you're up against.

You're about to meet twins called Jonathan and Edward.

LAUGHTER

Relax, relax, it's not who you think.

Jonathan and Edward are about to

give an account of a shared experience.

You must listen and remember as many details as you can because

there will be questions afterwards

and be warned, at times they'll be talking together.

Let's play Round One.

-Hi there.

-BOTH: Our names are Edward and Jonathan.

-As you can tell, we're twins.

-You mean identically handsome twins.

That's right. I'm going to tell you this story when

-we went on this extraordinary...

-..blind date double date.

-Actually, is that a thing?

-It is a thing.

OK, well, I was born 243 seconds after him

-and he says I've...

-..been trying to catch up ever since.

I was running late and he kept texting me saying...

-Where are you? The girls are going to be here any minute.

-Standard.

I hate waiting around and unlike him I hate making fake phone calls.

Yeah, did he really say that to Susie?

No, look, sorry, mate, I've got to go.

Yeah, look, I'm on TV. I've got to go, all right, see you, bye.

I think you're better at fake phone calls than real calls.

I ran all the way there. I was exhausted, out of breath

and then, boom, our ladies walked in.

FEMALE TWINS: Hiya.

We looked at them, looked at each other, and at once we all said...

ALL: Twins!

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

So your challenge is to remember everything they said

and you can buzz in if you know the answer.

Your questions are coming up now.

Which male twin spoke first?

BUZZER

-Alan.

-Edward.

Edward is correct.

How many seconds after...?

BUZZER

-Andy.

-243.

243 is correct.

-Who did Edward mention...?

-BUZZER

-Andy.

-Susie?

Susie is correct. In his fake phone conversation.

How many times was the word "fake" spoken?

BUZZER

-Alan.

-Four.

Four is incorrect. The correct answer is two.

When the twins spoke in unison for the third time, what did they say?

BUZZER

-Andy.

-Standard.

Standard is correct.

Brilliant memory from Andy. Very quick answering as well.

Congratulations. Very, very strong on that round.

Clair and Zoe, so far not getting a look in.

So let's go back to Beki and Hannah as they continue the twins' tale.

Here's the start of Round Two.

I hate going on blind dates normally but Beki said...

Come on, Hannah, it'll be fun.

Katie says we'll really like them. She says we've got loads in common.

And the next thing I knew it was all happening.

-She'd committed us to going on a...

-..blind date double date.

That's a thing, apparently.

She's a bit of a planner,

the sort of person who makes lists of things to talk about.

You know, in case the chat dries up.

Who would you most like to get stuck in a lift with?

And what's cuter, tiger cubs or baby penguins?

Duh! That's a silly question. I mean, it's obviously...

-Baby penguins!

-Tiger cubs!

Anyway, she spent so long on emergency chat ideas that we

had to take a taxi to get to the restaurant in time.

What's the cab number again? Is it 54972?

No, it's 65973.

The driver made good time in the end and we were only 14 minutes late.

I was worried that when we got there

we'd spend ages finding our dates but, of course, it was obvious.

MALE TWINS: Hello, ladies.

FEMALE TWINS: Twins!

APPLAUSE

So again, buzz in if you know the answer.

Here come your questions.

What was the name of the friend who put Hannah...?

-BUZZER

-Clair.

-Katie.

-Katie is correct.

Which of the two animals did Beki think was...?

BUZZER

-Andy.

-Baby penguins.

Baby penguins is correct. Beki thought they were cuter.

What was the second digit of the correct cab...?

BUZZER

-Alan.

-5.

5 is correct.

If Hannah and Beki had arrived at the date seven minutes earlier...

BUZZER

Zoe.

Seven minutes.

..how late for the date would they have been?

Seven minutes is correct. Well done.

What was the last digit of the in...?

BUZZER

-Alan.

-2.

..of the incorrect phone number?

2 is right. Well done.

APPLAUSE

Very good round. Clair and Zoe both getting on the score board there.

Alan being particularly fast.

Andy, once again, good, but spread more evenly across the four of you.

Well done.

APPLAUSE

So they are concentrating once again as we see the final instalment

of this tale of two twins, or indeed, two pairs of twins.

I don't know what she was thinking.

We were on a blind date double date.

I'm saying nothing.

We both wore white and she still ordered...

-Spaghetti bolognese, please.

-MALE TWINS: Brave.

Part of me hopes every date will be like in Lady And The Tramp.

It went really well. We discussed all sorts. Including...

-My holiday in Thailand.

-My colleague's fancy-dress wedding.

-Benedict Cumberbatch.

-Finding the best suit.

-Then I got up, went over to the loo.

-And for some reason,

he got the tablecloth caught in his jacket.

As he stepped away from the table, the tablecloth whipped away.

It was like a really bad, bad magic trick.

-Everything fell on the floor.

-My spaghetti went into the air.

-It flew straight past me.

-And splattered in my face.

FEMALE TWINS: We couldn't stop laughing.

ALL: That's the last time I date an identical twin.

APPLAUSE

Here's your first question. Who mentioned Benedict Cumberbatch?

BUZZER

-Andy.

-Hannah.

Hannah is correct.

-What colour was Beki wearing...?

-BUZZER

-Alan.

-White.

White is correct.

-What word did the male twins...?

-BUZZER

-Alan.

-Brave.

Brave is correct. What word did they use

to describe Hannah for ordering a spaghetti bolognese?

-How many times...?

-BUZZER

"How many times" is the question.

What's your answer, Andy?

I think the rose changed hands three times.

That is stunning anticipation

and he's correct, that was going to be the question, he's right.

APPLAUSE

-Who got hit by the flying spaghetti?

-BUZZER

-Alan.

-Jonathan.

Jonathan is correct.

APPLAUSE

So thank you to both pairs of twins,

to Hannah and Beki, to Jonathan and Edward as well, many thanks.

What an extraordinary challenge, amazing feats of memory,

particularly from Alan and Andy,

who got exactly the same number of questions right

and you are the tied winners of that round.

Zoe and Clair, you also got the same number of questions right,

not as many, as you know.

Which means that Andy and Alan, you get eight points each.

Clair and Zoe, you get two points each

and let's have a look and see

what those scores have done to the leaderboard.

Andy extends his lead,

now on 18 points and out in front.

In second place is Alan,

having moved up from fourth, now with 15 points.

In third place is Zoe with 11 points

and just behind her in fourth place and currently in the danger zone

is Clair with 10 points.

But after the next game, we are losing another player

so the challenge is not to be at the bottom of the leaderboard.

It's time for the four of you to get multi-tasking once again.

You know all about the least relaxing seat in Britain,

The Chair.

APPLAUSE

Your challenge is to estimate when 28 seconds has passed

and hit this button.

If you press on exactly 28 seconds,

you will win 10 bonus points in this game.

But as ever, you won't be able to see a clock and you'll be busy

trying to make four-letter words from the grid in front of you.

You will get three points for every word that you make,

but if you go over 28 seconds, you will be deducted a point

for every second that you go over the time.

You're going to be playing in alphabetical order,

so Alan, you're up first.

Would you like to take a seat?

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Alan, so have you been practising at all?

Have you come up with a system?

I have been trying to keep a bit of a tally of time in my head

and time myself on a stopwatch, but sometimes it's good,

sometimes it's bad, but you can't replicate being sat here.

-Good luck, Alan.

-Thank you.

Your time starts now.

Alan went six seconds over the allowable time

last time he tried this.

He's seeing four-letter words very quickly.

Just a hesitation now, he can't see anything.

The letters have to be connected horizontally,

vertically or diagonally.

And he's pressed the button.

He's not happy with himself there.

-Alan, you made...

-A bit of a disaster, I'm afraid.

-Well, you made four words.

-I don't think two of them exist, do they?

You're correct, two of them don't

so two words, three points each,

that gives you six.

You were aiming for 28 seconds

and you took...

29 seconds, just one over.

It means you only lose one point

and walk away with a total of five and that is a positive score, Alan.

-Not bad at all. Thank you.

-Thank you.

And let's welcome back Andy.

Now Andy is currently in the lead in the competition.

And he has played The Chair twice.

You came up with a rather brilliant system in the play-off, which was

you told me that you sang a song that you knew was a certain length.

-Yes.

-Are you going to do the same again?

-I'll give it a whirl, yeah.

-Good luck.

Your time starts now.

It's a very hard grid, this,

it's not easy to see the connected letters.

Straightaway Andy's got two words up there, both of them allowable.

Oh, he's really rocketing now.

And he's pressed the button.

Andy, well done, your four words score you three points each,

so that is 12.

Let's see what your time was.

It was 25 seconds.

So three seconds under.

I sang the song slightly quicker than The Beatles sang it originally.

LAUGHTER

Well, it has stood you in very good stead because 25 isn't bad at all

and 12 is a very good score. Well done, Andy.

Now coming to The Chair is Clair.

And Clair knows that really she needs to win this game

and the last time you played this game, Clair, you did win it.

-Yep.

-You were just one second under the time, I think, weren't you?

-That's correct, yeah.

-Good luck.

-Thanks.

And your time starts now.

The words are not jumping out at Clair at all

and she's panicking slightly.

She can't see a way to start.

Now she's registering points on the board.

But how is she keeping track of time?

You need to press the button.

Clair, you struggled to get going there, didn't you?

I did, yeah, that was really hard.

You made two words, "knee" and "teen".

Those are both allowable, so that gives you six points.

The crucial thing is the time. Your time was...

30 seconds.

So two seconds over, two time penalties.

That leaves you with a score of four.

For now, well done to Clair.

And our last contestant is Zoe.

So I know, Zoe, that you will have been practising.

-What's your plan?

-I'm aiming for one or maximum two words

but to make sure I come in well under the time.

Zoe, good luck.

Zoe, your time starts now.

Now, this is an interesting strategy

because if Zoe doesn't make any words at all, she won't win.

She has one word on the board, she needs another one

and she needs to be absolutely accurate on time.

So Zoe, we could see you counting out loud to yourself there.

You made two words, "meek" and "leek". Those are both good words.

That gives you six points.

Your time was...

19 seconds, so you're well under, you could have made more words,

but you lose nothing from your six

and you walk away with six points.

Let's bring the others back out and, Zoe, find out where that stands you.

APPLAUSE

Such an interesting game, very, very close.

Andy, you made double the amount of words of anybody else.

You scored ten points. Zoe, you end with six points in second place.

Alan, you came third, you get three points

and Clair, I'm afraid no points to you.

Going over really cost you dear.

As you know, the player with the lowest score

is about to leave the competition.

So please, can we see the leaderboard?

In first place, still, with 28 points,

it's Andy.

Another strong performance from him.

He is ten points clear of Alan, who is second.

In third is Zoe

and that means fourth and now leaving Britain's Brightest

is Clair, with ten points.

And, Clair, such a shame. I mean, it just hasn't quite gone for you.

No, I knew today I wasn't 100%

and I think I knew after quite a lot of the rounds

that I would be going home quite early on.

You have been absolutely fabulous. I'm very sorry to say you're going.

Ladies and gentlemen, Clair.

Thank you.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

We still have a fascinating final ahead

and here is a fascinating fact.

A hormone in our brain called oxytocin is released

whenever we fall in love.

So the cliche is true -

there really is a chemical reaction when love strikes.

And there's a lot more to the brain than love

as Britain's Brightest's man on the street, Steve Mould,

has been finding out.

Have you ever followed a crowd

just because you assumed that was the right way to go?

Well, you're not alone and there's a very good reason for that.

Here's an experiment in group mentality.

We have placed a meaningless red square on the ground and we want

to see what happens when a group of stooges starts avoiding the square.

Will ordinary members of the public automatically follow their lead?

Here come our stooges.

They avoid the square as planned,

but look at the people around them.

They're also avoiding the square for no apparent reason.

Here's a similar experiment.

This time, two of our stooges pretend to be holding an imaginary rope.

Initially, people avoid walking through it.

But once our stooges take the lead and step over it,

others follow.

Watch this guy.

He's not one of ours, and nor is she.

What these experiments show is our desire to obey the rules

of the crowd, which can overwhelm our individual rational sense.

I want to see just how dominant this urge can be.

'I've set up a game. Here are our contestants.

'They're all stooges except for this one woman.

'I'm going to ask them

'a series of simple questions they should get right.'

What is the capital of France?

Paris.

-Paris.

-Paris.

-Paris.

-Paris.

-Paris.

'Now, this time the stooges

'are going to deliberately get the answer wrong.

'What will our real contestant do?'

Which of the three circles on the left is the same size

as the one on the right?

'It should be clear that the answer isn't circle number two.'

Two.

-Two.

-Two.

-Two.

-Two.

-Two.

OK. What is the capital of Germany?

Vienna.

-Vienna.

-Vienna.

Vienna.

Vienna.

Vienna.

Are you a plant or a real contestant?

I'm a plant.

-I'm a plant.

-I'm a plant.

I'm a plant.

-I'm a plant.

-I'm a plant.

So why did you say you were a plant?

'Despite the answers being increasingly ridiculous,

'our real contestant followed everyone else. Why?'

I don't know.

'Yes, getting those answers wrong can be embarrassing.'

I knew in a way they were wrong,

but I just wanted to go along with the same answers as everyone else's.

These group experiments can show us up and make us feel silly,

but I don't see it that way.

They actually demonstrate our incredible survival instinct.

As herd animals, we're instinctively seeking safety in numbers

and in evolutionary terms, that's keeping us alive,

even if it means sometimes getting the capital of Germany wrong.

What are you doing?

HE MUTTERS

Thank you to Steve.

Now, over the last five weeks, you have judged age

and you've judged weight.

But now you are going to be judging something very different

and equally personal. Let's see.

Hello, everyone.

In front of you, you see 22 people.

They are all in love.

It's not some kind of cult,

they are two halves of the same romantic whole.

Your challenge is to use your social perception

and your emotional intelligence to discover who goes with whom.

You'll have help, though, because when you pick a person,

they will reveal a symbol - they're holding it in their hands.

If you find the other person with the same symbol, then bingo,

you've found the couple.

First to match three couples will win, so good luck.

Alan, you're going to go first.

Who is your first pick?

OK, I'm going to go with Ken.

Ken, can we see your symbol please?

Who are you picking to go with Ken?

I'm going to go with Susan.

So you think Susan is Ken's partner.

Susan, could we see your symbol, please?

She's not, so that's not a pair.

Andy, you are next.

Right.

Tony, please.

Tony, let's see your card.

So, who do you think might go with Tony?

I would like to see Annette.

Annette, let's see your symbol.

No.

Zoe, your turn.

I'll have Lol, please.

Lol.

A-ha.

I'd like to go for Annette, please.

And Annette.

Lol and Annette are a pair.

Well done.

APPLAUSE

So, Zoe, if you find two more couples,

you will have won this game.

Alan, it's now back to you.

Who is your first selection?

I'm going to go with Gill this time.

And who do you think Gill goes with?

OK, right...

Anthony.

Let's see if you're right.

And that is Anthony's symbol, so no.

They are not a couple.

Andy.

I'll go for Alex, please.

So Alex let's have a look at your symbol.

And Marwen.

They're not, no.

Zoe, who would you like as your first selection?

I'd like Stephanie, please.

And Zoe, who do you think is Stephanie's other half?

I'd like to go for Tony.

Tony.

love is in the air. Well done, Zoe.

You have another pair.

APPLAUSE

Zoe, you have two couples already.

One more and you've won.

Right, Alan.

Let's go with Mimi.

Mimi, could we please see your symbol?

So who goes with Mimi?

Anthony.

Let's see. Anthony, can we see your symbol?

Well done, Alan, yes!

APPLAUSE

Excellent. So, Andy.

-Yes.

-Where would you like to go?

I should like to try Joseph, please.

Joseph, let's see your symbol, please.

And who is Joseph's other half?

I knew he was standing next to his love. It's Susan.

If you are correct and they're standing next to each other,

you'll have your first pair. Susan, can we see your symbol, please?

-Yeah!

-They are indeed standing side by side. Joseph and Susan,

thank you both very much.

So, Alan, Andy, you have one each.

If Zoe can find her third couple right now, she will win this game.

Zoe, who would you like?

I'd like to go for Mark, please.

Mark.

And I'd like to go for Gill.

If you are correct, they will be sitting side by side.

Gill, let's have a look.

You are! Congratulations, well done, Zoe, that is your third pair,

your third couple, excellent work.

Zoe can relax, you've won the game,

we are looking, though, for second place

because the person who finishes third

will get no points at all from this round. The pressure is on.

So, Alan, who would you like to pick next?

I'll go with Andrew.

Andrew, let's have a look.

And now who do you think Andrew's other half is?

Can I go with Samuel?

Samuel, sitting right next to him.

Samuel, can we see your symbol, please?

They're not.

So, Andy, has that given you any clues?

I hope so. I'd like to see Alex again.

Alex, let's see your symbol.

And you would like to put Alex with?

-Samuel.

-Let's see.

Let the bells ring out. You are correct.

Well done, Andy, you have another pair.

APPLAUSE

So, Alan, can you even it up?

Magda.

Let's see your card, Magda.

So...

Joe.

OK, Joe, let's find out whether Alan is right.

You're correct! Well done, Alan.

See? It's within you, you can do this.

Well done. You have two pairs. Thank you to Magda and Joe.

Here we go, a third couple for Andy and you will take second place.

Andy, where would you like to direct your attention?

Well, I've got a very good friend called Gwyn,

so I'm going to go with this Gwyn.

Gwyn, could we see your symbol, please?

That's familiar.

Where did you see it before?

And who is Gwyn's other half?

I think it's Ken.

Ken?

Absolutely spot on. Well done, Andy,

you get your third couple, your third pair

and you take second place.

So well done, all of you

and thank you once again to our loving couples.

Great fun game as well as a revealing one.

At the end of that challenge,

Zoe, you scored ten points,

Andy taking second place, you scored six.

Alan, I'm afraid no points for you.

Tonight, we've tested your creative thinking, your logic,

your numerical skills and your emotional intelligence

and now its time to reveal

the two players who have survived those tests

and the player who is leaving us.

Let's have a look at the leaderboard.

In first place, still, we have Andy with 34 points.

APPLAUSE

In second is Zoe with 27 points.

APPLAUSE

Which of course means that in third place and leaving us

so close to the finish line, it's Alan.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Alan, I'm so sorry, you have been terrific,

-you've got a lot of supporters here.

-So it seems, yeah.

-And I hope you're proud of your performance.

-Oh, absolutely.

To get so close to the final and the competition as tough as this

with great competitors such as these guys,

I'm very happy with the way it's gone. I would have loved it

to have gone on for one more round, but it wasn't to be.

Ladies and gentlemen, Alan.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Auditions, heats, challenges, puzzles, fierce competition

and two amazing brains have brought you both to this moment.

Whoever wins the title will have truly earned it.

Up until now, this round has been Fight For Survival.

Tonight, it's Fight For The Title.

Zoe, how are you feeling?

I'm kind of oscillating between being quite amazed

and elated that I've made it through and I'm still in

and being slightly daunted by the challenge ahead of me.

Andy, have you thought about the £50,000?

It'd be a huge, huge boost for us.

We're looking at some point soon to upsize a bit

and this money would go so far and help us with that.

So it would mean something huge to the whole family?

-Absolutely, yes.

-So here we go.

On the screen is a grid of numbers.

You must pick a number to reveal a question or puzzle.

Once you've picked a number, your clock will start counting down

until you give me a correct answer.

Then your opponent must pick a number

and tackle a challenge as their own clock starts ticking.

If you can't solve a puzzle, pass, choose another number from the grid.

If your clock runs out of time,

that's it, your opponent has won the title.

Since every second is vital,

there won't be time for me to give the answers

but they will be on our website, bbc.co.uk/britainsbrightest.

Zoe, you are first to play.

For the final, we are putting two minutes on your clocks.

That's longer than we've ever played this game.

Andy, you are currently seven points ahead on the leaderboard

and for each of those points,

we are adding two seconds onto your clock.

That's a 14-second advantage.

Let's start this Fight For The Title.

Zoe, pick a number.

-One.

-One.

Pass.

-Pick another number.

-Two.

-Pass.

-Pick another number.

Three.

Pass.

-Another number.

-Four.

Stick.

Is correct. Stop the clock.

-Andy, pick a number.

-Two.

Daisy.

Daisy is correct. Zoe, pick a number.

Five.

Four.

-Pick another number.

-Six.

Anorak.

Stop the clock. Andy.

Three.

Bluebell?

Correct. Zoe, pick a number.

Seven.

Adequate.

Correct. Andy.

One.

90?

Pick another number.

Five.

Eight.

Zoe.

One.

968.

-Pick another number.

-Eight.

Somerset?

Correct. Andy.

21.

One.

-Zoe.

-Nine.

And you are out of time, Zoe.

That means that, Andy,

congratulations, you are Britain's Brightest 2013!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Well done, well done!

Brilliant. And bad luck to Zoe.

-Well played.

-Well played.

You were incredible, you were amazing. Particularly tonight.

I can't believe it.

-£50,000 is an awful lot of money.

-Uh-huh.

Does that mean a lot to you?

Or is it the title, Britain's Brightest,

that you will forever carry with you?

Do you know what? Over the past three shows that I've been in,

I have been up against and working with such brilliant people,

brilliant in every sense of the word.

I'm a bit overwhelmed that I'm here.

And what would you like to say right now

to Charlie, to Daisy and to Sarah?

I can't wait to see you, wherever you are.

-Love you.

-They will be so, so proud of you.

Zoe, for you, you came so close.

I was so emotional just before we went into that and I was like,

"Whatever way it goes, I think I'm just going to cry."

You have been a great contestant, you really have.

You have been beaten by just a brilliant, brilliant mind.

A very calm, cool, just fabulous competitor.

Britain's Brightest 2013,

Andy Thomas.

CHEERING

So we have trawled the whole of Britain

and we have found the brightest.

Thanks to all of our contestants over the series,

to the twins, Feeding The Fish and of course Bill Bailey

and our five fabulous finalists.

On behalf of all of us here, thanks for watching and good night.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd