Episode 11 Debatable

APPLAUSE

Hello and welcome to Debatable,

the quiz show that proves when it comes to celebrity chat

you can never get too much of a good thing.

Today our panel of celebrities will try to help one contestant

debate their way to a ?2,000 jackpot,

but will they help or will they hinder?

That's Debatable. So, let's meet them.

On today's show we have comedian Susan Calman,

entrepreneur Peter Jones

and hip-hop artist and writer Akala.

APPLAUSE

That's the panel. Let's see who's playing today.

It is Suda Perera from Croydon.

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Hi, Suda. Hi, Paddy. How are you doing?

Very well, thank you. Welcome to the show.

Thank you very much. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

So, I'm 29, I'm from Croydon. I've got a husband called Paul.

We're newlyweds, just got married a few months ago...

Congratulations.

..and I'm a research fellow at the University of Birmingham.

I see. Yeah. What do we make of our panel today, Suda?

You can tell the truth, we haven't started.

My husband's going to be really jealous that I get to meet Akala,

because he is a massive, massive fan.

Would you like the rest of us to just leave?

We can just go at this point.

OK, let's see how this goes,

let's get this Debatable show on the road, Suda, as we play Round One.

Suda, this round is multiple choice.

Each question has four possible answers, but only one is correct.

Helping you find the correct answer is our panel.

Will you go your own way, or will you go with what they say?

It's entirely up to you.

Two questions in this round, ?200 for each correct answer.

Ready to play? Yes. Here we go. Here it comes.

Question one.

I'd like to hear what the panel think.

I'm sort of leaning towards one way but I'm not at all sure,

so I'll wait to say.

I'm sure we can sort this out very easily, panel.

The debate starts now.

OK, raccoons...

Not indigenous to this country,

so I've not encountered a group of raccoons in my street. No.

Bearing in mind they used to name groups of animals

far before modern nomenclature and college is slightly more modern,

I'm leaning towards an academy or a nursery.

I'm with you, the same.

I'm definitely down to academy and nursery. Yes.

Why would you call a group of animals an academy? No.

That's more of an academic thing,

and you are not judging the intelligence

of the animals, are you? So, a nursery?

What d'you think?

I'm not sure I can write college off so easily. No?

I was torn between nursery and college.

So, a college of raccoons or a nursery of raccoons.

They both sound better than school or academy.

They do, so we can forget them.

I think it is more likely to be a nursery,

partly because I think they look adorable,

and I know that's a silly reason.

I'm just going with my gut,

but I think college is a more modern representation than a nursery

which is when the old-time explorers would have seen a group of them

and gone, "That looks like a nursery."

PETER: I feel it's a nursery,

because college I still think is educational. Yes.

Well, the panel think that the word that best describes

a group of raccoons is "nursery".

So, Suda, any help?

I was kind of between academy and college,

and to be honest I was going to go towards college,

on the grounds that... something Susan said,

they are not indigenous to the UK,

and I associate raccoons with North America and the US.

Good point. I sort of think college is more a US thing than academy.

I'm going to really regret it,

but I'm going to overrule the panel

and I'm going to go with college of raccoons.

Oh, no!

So, Akala did suggest college. Yeah.

I think that sort of swayed me.

Let's see - for ?200, you are going for college,

our panel have said nursery. The correct answer is...

It was nursery!

You should have gone with the panel. I should have listened to Susan.

Don't listen to me! I know I'm not one of your favourites!

That is very clear, that I'm not your favourite on this panel,

but I have your best interests at heart, Suda. Yeah.

Unfortunately, nothing in the prize pot. Yeah.

There's still loads of cash up there.

Let's see if we can get some cash in the prize pot

with your next question. Here it comes, Suda.

Scrabble fan? Yes.

My grandad was a massive Scrabble nut.

He, in fact, wrote a book on Scrabble,

so I grew up playing a lot of Scrabble.

I think I know the chemical symbols for each one of those.

Which are? So, PB for lead,

AG for silver,

FE for iron and PT for platinum.

So, now it is a case of doing maths in my head,

which is not a strong point!

OK, while you are thinking about it,

our panel, I'm sure, will come to the answer on this

very quickly, Peter. Yes.

The debate starts now.

PETER: I'm more of a Monopoly guy myself.

I've sort of blacked out Scrabble,

cos my mum used to make me play it as punishment.

Platinum is PB...

Are they both high-scoring letters? I think they are.

I think P is four or five, and B is a three or a four. Lead was...

Silver is AG.

Silver is AG. So, that's a low score. That's a low scorer.

That's going to be four or five.

AKALA: I did well in my science GCSEs at school,

but it makes me feel quite old that I can't remember this.

Chemistry was not my strong point at all.

My gut says platinum, just because...

PETER: I'm pretty confident

that PB is very high-scoring.

Which is... Is that lead or platinum? PB.

I'm pretty sure it's lead. Lead, OK.

But if it's not lead and it is platinum, Suda will know that.

And she'll go with the right answer, the highest score.

Yes. Great point.

What do you think? I agree.

Let's do it. I agree.

It's lead or platinum, whichever was the PB is the highest.

I'd go with lead.

The panel have made a decision

that we are going to go with lead.

So, what are you thinking?

Now, because both lead and platinum begin with P,

I think it is going to be higher than T.

I think P is probably worth about three,

and I have a feeling B is also worth about three.

So, I am going to say lead, as well, and agree with them.

OK, so you are agreeing with the panel. Yes.

OK, for ?200, is lead the correct answer?

It is the correct answer! Yay!

Thank you!

Well done. Lead, PB, three plus three is six.

Very well worked out yourself.

That is ?200 banked.

Means at the end of Round One, ?200.

APPLAUSE

So this is the point of the show

where we look at the panel for the first time.

I should have listened to Susan on the first one,

so I really regret not listening,

but they've had the right answer both times.

It's all gone now, Suda, it's a clean slate.

So, Suda, make sure and pay close attention,

because you can only pick one at the end of the show.

Based on today's performance so far, who would that be?

I think I might have to pick Susan,

cos she has been right both times so far. So...

And that is Susan trying to hide her smug face.

LAUGHTER

She is.

Let's see how our panel cope with pictures.

It's time for Round Two.

OK, Suda, Round Two is our picture round.

All you have to do is put three pictures in the correct order.

Two questions again in this round,

and each correct answer is now worth ?300.

So, here we go.

OK.

I'm not really sure.

I think I've got a bit of an inkling.

All right, panel, your debate starts now.

I am a massive Doctor Who nerd. Yes!

I started a campaign #CalmanforDoctorWho

to be the first female Doctor Who

because I think it should be me.

Just saying. Wow.

What I do know is that Doctor Who was started, just for information,

to get kids more interested in science.

Which says to me it might have started before Blue Peter,

because if they had a show like that,

maybe they wouldn't have needed Doctor Who.

PETER: How old do you think it is?

Do you think '60s? Doctor Who, yes.

Wasn't there an anniversary recently? Yeah.

Was it the 50th? It must have been.

It must have been... It was the '60s. That would be '66.

'65. Something like that, yeah.

That's the year I was born, '66. Right. So, that's 50.

But I remember Blue Peter,

because my sister is eight years older than me

and I remember her talking about Blue Peter,

so I think Blue Peter has been on longer, before I was born.

AKALA: I've got a Blue Peter badge, by the way,

I just want to put that out there. Have you? I have.

What did you get that for? My company,

The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company, performed on there.

I gave it to my little brother, because you have to, and my nephew.

Coronation Street, I don't know a lot about.

I don't think that's the earliest.

I think certainly Doctor Who and Blue Peter have been around before.

I think that's the last one to start.

The early Coronation Streets look better.

I know that sounds silly.

Were they black and white? Yeah, they are.

They are black and white,

the original Doctor Whos don't look particularly good.

I think, it's just me, Coronation Street was the latest,

and it's a toss-up between Blue Peter and Doctor Who

as to which one was the earliest.

PETER: I do think that Blue Peter is the oldest. Right.

My view is it is Blue Peter, Doctor Who, Coronation Street.

I'm happy with that.

AKALA: Is Corrie older than 50?

It's my nan's favourite soap.

What's your gut saying, Peter?

My gut tells me that you're right.

Oh, no! I've got to go with you.

So, the panel have decided

the order is Blue Peter, Doctor Who, Coronation Street.

OK, Suda.

There's something about Coronation Street

being the longest-running soap.

I really like Peter's reasoning

about remembering Doctor Who beginning

and Blue Peter being there before, so I think that order is right.

I'm really reluctant to go against Susan,

cos last time I went against her I was wrong... No!

..but I'm going to switch Coronation Street and Doctor Who around.

OK, you're going against the panel.

Yeah!

For ?300, is Blue Peter, then Coronation Street,

then Doctor Who the correct order?

It is!

Well done. Brilliant.

You were right to doubt the panel.

Let's have a look - Blue Peter, 1958.

Coronation Street, 1960.

Then Doctor Who, 1963.

That was pretty close. Yeah. It was really close.

When Coronation Street began filming in high-definition in 2010,

they had to rebuild the chimneys with fibreglass

because apparently high-definition

makes things look slightly unflattering.

Very well played, Suda.

You went against the panel, it was a very wise decision.

We have added ?300 to the prize pot.

You are now up to ?500.

APPLAUSE

OK, let's have a look at question two in your picture round.

I think this is a good one for me.

Why is this a good one for you?

Well, my family are from Sri Lanka.

This is a very good start.

The world's first female prime minister,

although not at school at the same time as my mum,

went to the same school as my mum

and she loves to bang on about it,

so I know that for a fact.

The second bit is a little bit more difficult,

but I think I've got an inkling,

but I'd like to hear what the panel think.

Let's see what expertise the panel brings to this -

or not, as the case may be.

Your debate starts now.

Yes, so Julia Gillard did a very famous speech on misogyny

in the Australian Parliament, and was ousted only...?

About two years ago. Two, three years ago?

I vaguely remember. I was out there on tour

and I remember there being a hoo-ha about her,

but there is always a hoo-ha about Australian politics.

But I think she was the first

and that was obviously very recent... Yeah.

..and we know who the UK's first female was.

PETER: And Maggie was, what, '79?

Something like that.

I wasn't born until '83. After the winter of...

Not showing off or anything.

I was - I know it doesn't look like it, but I was.

There's been a lot of debate about female leaders recently

because of Hillary Clinton,

and I was listening to a discussion on why America has such a problem,

given that other countries have had female prime ministers,

and Sri Lanka was mentioned as one of the first countries

to have a female leader.

So I think actually I agree with Suda that this is the first country,

UK next and then Australia. I think it's in order.

It's interesting, cos in that region of the world

generally there's been a tradition of female leadership

for hundreds of years.

Even though it's cast in terms of prime minister,

there were a lot of famous queens in anticolonial struggles

and even before that.

So female leadership in that region of the world

goes back a very long time.

I think we can be pretty confident. Yeah, I think so.

PETER: Well, the panel are incredibly confident

that this is definitely the right order.

In the order of Sri Lanka, the UK and Australia.

You did think Sri Lanka was the first. Yep.

Has our panel sorted the other two out for you?

Yeah, so I'm really confident.

Obviously, Margaret Thatcher in 1979

and then Julia Gillard was a few years ago,

I think, when Tony Abbott overthrew her.

So, I'm really happy with that order as well.

We're all in agreement.

For ?300...

is that the correct order?

Yes! It is the correct order!

APPLAUSE

Very well done. Thank you.

So Sri Lanka's first prime minister was?

Sirimavo Bandaranayake.

And she went to school...?

She went to St Bridget's School in...Colombo, I think.

Of course she went to St Bridget's School(!)

Sri Lanka elected their first female prime minister in 1960,

then the UK in 1979

and Australia in 2010.

I mean, well played, panel,

and well played, Suda.

That's ?300 in the prize pot.

Well done.

APPLAUSE

Still another ?1,000 up for grabs as we play Round Three.

In this round, Suda, you'll face questions

that contain three statements about a person, place or thing,

and only one of those is correct.

You have to decide which one.

There are two questions in this round.

Because it's our final round,

the money goes up to ?500 per correct answer.

So, let's see how we do.

Here it comes.

OK, I think I can rule out...

A, cos I know he was born in Cardiff.

The other two I'm a little bit unsure about.

All right, panel, your debate starts now.

He was definitely born in Wales. Right.

Norwegian background, but definitely Welsh. OK.

AKALA: Even though I don't associate him with a James Bond script,

if there was a sequel to Matilda...

People would know about it. It would be famous.

I'm a bit obsessed with...ahem, James Bond.

He wrote the script for - I think it was You Only Live Twice.

I think, which was the fifth James Bond film.

I may be incorrect in the details,

but in Scotland in the long summer, winter months

when they replay James Bond films continually on television,

I believe Roald Dahl wrote the script for a James Bond film.

PETER: Well, that is good enough for me,

because I am pretty sure he didn't publish a sequel to Matilda.

AKALA: I agree. I absolutely agree.

Matilda is such a huge book,

and none of us have ever read a sequel to Matilda, have we? No.

He only started writing when he had children.

It prompted him to write children's books. Right.

Are we all agreed? Yes.

The panel have made a decision,

and we believe that the script for a James Bond film

was written by Roald Dahl.

I read Matilda over and over again as a kid,

and I think I would have been really excited if a sequel had come out.

I feel... I feel I've heard...

When you said that about You Only Live Twice,

I feel like I've heard that.

I'm really happy with B.

Yeah, I think that's the one we'll go for.

OK, all in and agreed? Yep.

For ?500, did Roald Dahl write a script for James Bond?

He did!

APPLAUSE

Great, thank you.

He did. He was born in Wales, but from Norwegian ancestry.

He wrote the screenplay, Susan, for You Only Live Twice.

1967.

He never wrote a sequel to Matilda.

He didn't start writing for children until he had children of his own.

Good knowledge, Peter Jones.

Well played, well worked out.

?500 into the prize pot -

you're now up to ?1,300, Suda.

Very nicely played.

Let's see if we can get this up to 1,800.

Here comes your second question in our third round...

My inkling is has competed in the Fifa World Cup.

I suppose...

Could have had a decent-ish football team.

You don't have to be that good to be in the World Cup.

So, I'm going to go with A.

Based on the fact

you can be rubbish and still make it to the World Cup... Yeah!

..Suda is thinking A.

Panel, your debate starts now.

Suda, just to let you know,

Scotland haven't qualified for the World Cup for a very long time.

So, er... Yeah.

PETER: I think you're definitely right

it doesn't share a border with California. Yeah.

We also have a football star here.

I did play for West Ham for five years as a schoolboy,

and I don't ever remember Canada being in the World Cup.

Let's not... I don't want to commit to that.

I don't remember it. How old are you?

I am 32.

There's a possibility they could have been at the World Cup.

I don't think we should dismiss it.

Also, smaller land area than the USA...

- I don't think Canada is smaller. - I don't, either.

When you look at that map, you visualise the map...

- I think Canada's bigger. - I think Canada's bigger.

I am leaning more towards the Fifa World Cup,

simply because I think they probably at some point have qualified.

Even with boycotts and everything they might have had a chance.

AKALA: I think it might be A.

It's partly a punt, but I think it might be A.

I think it's a strong punt,

I do think it's a larger landmass than the USA,

and we know that B is... It definitely doesn't share a border

with California. Yeah. Are we decided?

I think we are. Let's go for it.

We believe that Canada has competed in the Fifa World Cup.

OK, even though Akala played football

and he doesn't remember Canada being at the World Cup,

our panel have gone for A.

I'm going to agree with the panel and say that it's true

that Canada has competed at the Fifa World Cup.

Let's lock it in.

For ?500, has Canada competed at the Fifa World Cup?

They have! Yay! APPLAUSE

Very well done. Thank you.

Very well done.

Well played. They competed at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

They lost all of their matches in the group.

There are 13 American States border Canada,

including Alaska and New York.

Canada is larger than America.

It is, you were right, Suda,

it is second only to Russia in terms of area.

Very well played. At the end of that round,

the prize pot is up to ?1,800.

Thank you.

?1,800 is the amount you're going to be playing for

in the final debate.

So, if you win that money, Suda, how are you going to spend it?

We're newlyweds but we just had a very small wedding,

and so it was just myself and my husband

and our parents and our two siblings,

so, it would be lovely to have everyone that we couldn't invite

to just have a bit of a party.

We've been promising it, but just haven't had the money.

So, it would be really useful. Absolutely no pressure on our panel.

There's a wedding party at stake,

and on that basis, there's only one question that

stands between you and the money.

It is today's final debate question.

In the final debate, Suda, you're going to face one question. OK.

There will be six possible answers,

but only three of those are actually correct.

You are going to have to give me all three correct answers

in order to win the cash.

You're not going to be playing alone.

You can access one of our panel in order to help you.

You and your panellist will have 45 seconds to debate the questions.

So, based on their performance,

who would you like to join you in today's final debate?

I think it's going to have to be Susan.

No!

Susan Calman, please join us for the final debate.

OK, Susan, Suda has chosen you for the final debate.

Yes! There is a wedding party at stake. I know!

How are you feeling? Under quite a lot of pressure.

Well, look, because it's the final debate,

we're going to give you a choice of two categories.

Here they come. Oh!

Oh...!

Oh...

OK. OK.

I do really like literature,

but I know that Susan is amazing at entertainment.

Go with the one that you are confident with.

Because Susan has said that, I'm going to go for literature.

OK, let's lock it in.

Literature for ?1,800.

Here is today's 45-second final debate question.

So, Suda and Susan, your final 45-second debate starts now.

OK, so... I'm quite confident on this.

I think Roddy Doyle won for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. Yep.

Ian McEwan I think won for Atonement. Atonement.

And Hilary Mantel's obviously won twice.

Yes. For Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies.

Just to be clear, Lee Child, he's... No, no. ..thrillers and all that.

Virginia Woolf, no. No.

Too early, I think. She's no' around. Yeah!

And Saul Bellow? I think he might have won the Nobel Prize

for Herzog and things, but I don't think he ever won the Booker Prize.

OK. I'm pretty confident Roddy Doyle... As soon as they came up...

Ian McEwan... Absolutely. ..and Hilary Mantel.

Lee Child and Virginia Woolf, absolutely not. Out.

Ten seconds, guys. I think we can name the books.

Yeah, absolutely.

Atonement, great book.

Hilary Mantel... Yep. Yeah. I think so, yep. Yeah.

Time is up. OK. I need three answers.

Roddy Doyle...

Ian McEwan...

and Hilary Mantel.

All right, Suda, best of luck.

If all three are correct, it's ?1,800.

If one of them is wrong you do know you leave with nothing,

so, best of luck. Here we go.

You said Roddy Doyle.

Is Roddy Doyle a Booker Prize winning author?

To get this up and running...

He is!

APPLAUSE

Well done.

1993 he won for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

Next up you said Ian McEwan.

Is Ian McEwan a correct answer?

Yes! It is a correct answer. APPLAUSE

You guys thought it was for Atonement -

it was actually for Amsterdam in 1998. Oh, was it? Amsterdam, OK.

It all comes down to Hilary Mantel.

If Hilary Mantel is the correct answer, you're in the money.

Here we go.

Has Hilary Mantel won the Booker Prize?

She has! Well done! APPLAUSE

Well done. Thank you!

Very well played - and you were right, she did win twice.

2009 and 2012.

Well played, Susan. Well played, Suda. Thank you.

You leave with ?1,800.

APPLAUSE

That is it for Debatable.

There's just enough time for me to thank our fantastic panel today.

To Susan Calman, Peter Jones and Akala.

APPLAUSE

I hope you've enjoyed watching.

We will see you next time for more heated debates.

For now, it's goodbye from me.

I have some sense that there is some kind of malice at work here.

They do not see that the workhouse is for their own safety.