Episode 17 Pointless

APPLAUSE

Thank you very much, indeed.

Hello, I'm Alexander Armstrong and a very warm welcome to Pointless,

the game where you are always aiming for the lowest score. Let's meet today's players.

-And couple number one.

-My name's Ian, this is Alan.

We are a father and son from Maidstone in Kent.

Couple number two.

I'm Nicola and this is Judith and we're work colleagues from Durham.

-Couple number three?

-Hi, I'm Fintan, this is my friend, Mairead. I'm originally from Belfast.

She's from Dublin and we both live in London.

And, finally, couple number four?

Hello, I'm Joy and this is my husband, Alan.

We've lived in Norfolk for a lot of years but now we're in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.

And these are today's contestants.

APPLAUSE

Thanks all of you, we'll find out more about you throughout the show as it goes along.

That just leaves one more person for me to introduce.

Confucius once said real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

May I introduce the most knowledgeable man in the studio,

it's my Pointless friend, it's Richard.

Hiya. Hi, everybody. APPLAUSE

-Good afternoon to you.

-And to you.

-Are you well?

-I'm extremely well, thank you. Are you?

-Excellent, not bad at all.

We've got two good pairs coming back today. We've got Judith and Nicola,

who got all the way through to the head-to-head last time. We expect good things from them.

Then we've got Ian and Alan, who were brilliant last time. Lots and lots of fun, and unlucky in Round Two.

-Ian gave an answer which I thought... It was unfortunate.

-Yeah.

I suspect we may see good things from them today, as well.

Have you noticed an awful lot of people are wearing bright orange?

-It's happening a lot. It must be very on trend.

-It must be.

You're absolutely right.

I might hunt down a bright orange shirt and start wearing it.

-I think it's a good idea.

-Or you, maybe.

Maybe you should wear a bright orange shirt. LAUGHTER

-One of us maybe should.

-Anyway, I've noticed it, it's quite nice,

it makes people very easy to spot in the fog of the studio.

Very good, thank you, Richard.

All our questions on Pointless have been asked of 100 people before the show.

The aim of the game is to find a pointless answer.

That's an answer that none of our 100 people gave

and each time that happens we will add 250 quid to the jackpot.

Now, Pat and Elaine didn't win the jackpot last time

so we add another £1,000 to that.

Today's jackpot starts off at £3,000.

APPLAUSE

Right, if everyone's ready, let's play Pointless.

OK, the pair with the highest score at the end of the round will be eliminated

but do remember there is to be no conferring during the round.

OK, our first category today is...

Football.

It's football. Can you all decide in your pairs who's going to go first

and who's going second. Mairead, really not looking happy.

And whoever's going first, please step up to the podium.

OK, let's find out what the question is, here it comes.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds to name as many

European 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying teams, as they could.

Richard?

Simply looking for any nation that took part in the qualifying

in the European zone for the World Cup of 2014.

Any team who took part in the qualifying, please,

in any of the European zone groups. They don't have to have qualified for the World Cup itself,

just anyone who took part in the qualifying.

We're excluding the home nations from that,

so we won't accept England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

OK, now then, Ian and Alan, you all drew lots before the show

and today you are going first.

-Ian, welcome back.

-Thank you.

Tell us what happened last time, Ian.

Who knew Benjamin Franklin wasn't a prime min...a prime minister? President, even.

I know, I didn't know that. I didn't know that.

Apparently, Richard says it's come up before on the show and it shows how much I retain.

-Football, I think, an altogether better subject.

-Yes, definitely.

What do you think you are going to go for there?

I'm going along the lines of Belgium.

-Along the lines of Belgium.

-Yes, I'm going to go for Belgium.

Belgium is going to be my answer.

Let's find out if Belgium's right.

Let's see how many of our 100 people said Belgium.

-That's a good answer, 16.

-I'm happy with that.

-APPLAUSE

Very well done, Ian.

Yes, they qualified for the World Cup finals, as well, Belgium.

They were top of their group. They've got so many brilliant players,

most of them play in the Premiership these days.

Thank you very much, Richard. Now then, Judith, welcome back.

-Hello.

-Welcome back to Pointless. Head-to-head last time.

-Yes.

-But then dispatched brutally by Pat and Elaine.

-We were.

They were just extraordinary. They were on it, weren't they?

They were. We had no chance.

Anyway, a new day.

What do you like doing, Judith,

what would your favourite weekend involve?

We normally go away in our caravan.

-You said last time you were caravanners.

-We do.

-You do it every weekend?

-Nearly every weekend.

-You love that thing!

-We do.

-How far afield do you go?

Not far, for a weekend, just about an hour, maybe North Yorkshire.

-Lovely, out into Weardale?

-Yeah.

-Lots of lovely places around there.

-Perfect, OK, now then, what about football, Judith?

-Not good at all.

What about European geography, approach it in that way.

I'm just going to go for a country, and I'm going to go for Sweden.

Sweden, says Judith. Sounds good, let's see if it's right

and, if it is, let's see how many of our 100 people said Sweden.

Well, 16 is what Belgium scored.

-Sweden is 20. Well done.

-APPLAUSE

There or thereabouts.

Not bad at all.

Yeah, they came second in their group but they got knocked out

-in a play-off by a country I shan't mention.

-No.

Oh, you did that well. That was deft.

-Thank you very much.

-Yeah.

Now then, Mairead, welcome to the show. Great to have you here.

-Thank you.

-Originally from Dublin.

-Dublin, yes, I am.

-How long have you lived in London?

-Seven years.

-Seven years.

-Do you go back quite a lot?

-People come to visit me instead.

-There is a huge Dublin community in London, isn't there?

-There is, I get a lot of visitors.

So then Mairead, football...

How closely do you follow it?

Well, I'm a season-ticket holder at Arsenal.

I follow football in that respect

but not the bigger stage than the Premiership.

-I'm going to say Croatia.

-Croatia?

-Yeah.

Croatia, it sounds perfectly good to me.

Let's see if it's right, let's see how many people said it.

It's absolutely right, Mairead.

Our high score at the moment is 20.

Our low score is 16.

You whip past both of those,

down to 13.

-Our best score so far, very well done.

-APPLAUSE

Well played, Mairead, and they qualified through the play-offs,

Croatia, against a team I really, really wanted to win.

-But didn't.

-Yeah.

-There it is.

-There we are.

OK, now, Joy, welcome to Pointless.

Great to have you here. Where are you from, Joy?

-Well, we live in Leighton Buzzard now.

-Leighton Buzzard?

-Yes.

Herefordshire originally and lots of years in Norfolk.

-You've been everywhere.

-Been everywhere.

Been everywhere and what do you get up to in Leighton Buzzard?

We're both retired so I play a lot of golf.

I really enjoy playing golf

and we've recently taken up playing bowls because you don't

have to wear your raincoat and it's nice and indoors in the winter.

Good stuff. Do you follow football at all?

Yes. I will go for Denmark.

Denmark, says Joy. OK, let's see if that's right

and, if it is, how many of our 100 people said Denmark.

Absolutely right, Joy.

Well, 20 our high scorer, 13 our low.

-You're between the two, there we are. 18, very well done.

-APPLAUSE

Yes, runners-up in their group, Denmark.

-Haven't had any obscure answers yet, have we?

-No.

-We call it Pointless for a reason.

-We do.

OK. Consider that a warning.

Thanks very much indeed, Richard.

Let's take a look at the scores.

13 the best score of that pass, very well done, Mairead.

Then up to 16 where we find Ian and Alan, then up to 18

where we find Joy and Alan,

and then up to 20 where we find Judith and Nicola.

It's very, very close grouping indeed. What a nice unit you make.

But, Nicola, we are relying on you.

You are just ahead there,

so a nice low score from you should keep you in the game.

OK, can the second players please take their places at the podium?

OK. Now, Alan, remember, we are looking for any national football team

that took part in the European zone qualifying groups

for the 2014 World Cup. Now then, Alan, welcome.

-Do you play a lot of golf as well?

-Yes, I play a lot as well, yes.

-We like to compete against each other.

-Who's the most competitive?

Er, Joy.

I thought you...

-Who's got the better handicap?

-I have. Not by much.

Not by much, OK, that's nice, nice thing to do.

-She has had five holes in one and I haven't had any.

-Have you really?!

-Sad, sad!

-Joy! That must be the most exhilarating thing in the world.

It's fantastic.

To do it once is kind of a fluke, to do it five times,

that's just outrageous.

By the fifth one, you must have just gone... HE YAWNS

"Yeah, just got another one, Alan, yeah."

What happens on the course if someone scores a hole in one?

Does everybody just put down their clubs and applaud?

-No.

-Yeah.

LAUGHTER

On the course if it's seen, yes, but you're expected,

when you go in, to buy a round of drinks.

So you hope it's a quiet day.

-What, if you score a hole in one, YOU buy drinks?

-Yes.

Remind me never to take up golf! Excellent.

-Now then, Alan, you're on 18.

-Yes.

You aren't quite the highest scorers

but you're only two points behind them,

so if you can score one or less you avoid becoming the new high scorer.

I'm going to go for San Marino.

There you go.

There you go. Alan says San Marino.

There is a red line, you can't quite see it but it's there.

If you get below that, you are definitely in the next round.

Let's see how many people said San Marino.

It's right.

Well, our lowest score of the two has been 13.

You've passed that comfortably.

Nine, very well done indeed, Alan.

APPLAUSE

27 is your total.

Very well played, Alan, that's much more like it.

San Marino are bottom of the FIFA world rankings of every country.

They've never won a competitive match for FIFA or UEFA,

though they do hold a record,

they hold the record for the fastest ever World Cup goal,

which most people remember, 8.3 seconds, against England.

-Yeah.

-That was a terrifying... I mean, we spanked 'em in the end,

-as we should do, cos they're only little.

-But still.

Yeah, they've got half their Cabinet playing in their team.

-Their coach is a part-time PE teacher.

-I like that he's part...

Part-time PE teacher! Thanks very much indeed, Richard.

-Now then, Fintan, welcome to the show.

-Thank you very much.

-What do you do?

-I'm a patent examiner.

-That's just fun, isn't it?

That's fun. I picture you sitting around in a Dragon's Den environment

where lots of inventors drag things in.

And present them to us?

Unfortunately not, it's less exciting than that.

What sort of patents do you cover?

Well, I just deal with the internal workings of the computers,

so nothing you can hold in your hand and say, that's quite exciting.

-Circuits are not very sexy, I'm afraid.

-Still, quite fun.

-Not bad.

And also, you can always lie when people ask what kind of patents.

You can just say, "Well, we had a hovering machine that came in."

-I actually patented this display mechanism.

-Excellent.

I've got a couple of things I want to take up with you,

because they're less than perfect. But, um... Yeah, OK!

There you are, you're on 13,

the high scorers at the moment, Alan and Joy on 27.

13 or less sees you through. How do you feel about this?

That's not going to happen, I'm afraid.

I know people say "This really isn't my subject,"

but it isn't my subject.

So I could take a gamble, but it's a bit too risky

so I am going to play it safe, I'm afraid. The Netherlands.

OK, well, with so much orange around you,

that seems a sensible thing to go for.

Let's see if that's right and how many of our 100 people said it.

There is your red line.

It's right, of course.

26.

APPLAUSE

26, quite a high score, takes your total up to 39.

They had a great qualifying campaign, the Netherlands. Topped their group.

-They qualified with two matches to spare.

-Very good. Thank you, Richard.

Now, Nicola, you were the high scorers, of course, not any more.

Nicola, remind us what you do.

I work at Durham University Business School as a program administrator.

Now, I imagine that's a year-round job.

Does it ease off at all during the holidays?

I'm fairly new to the role, I only started this position in October,

so I haven't done a full year yet, but I would imagine, yeah.

-It tails off Christmas time, isn't it?

-Presumably in the summer as well.

Or maybe that's your busiest time, got to get ready for next year.

-Yeah.

-Judith nodding quite hard! "Like we get a slack time!"

Now, Nicola, there you are on 20.

The high scorers on 39 are Mairead and Fintan, so 18 or less...

-Not going to happen.

-Really?

-No.

Well, think about it, remember what Richard said.

I'm going to go with Italy.

Italy, says Nicola. Italy. There's your red line.

If you get below that with Italy, you are in Round Two.

Let's find out how many people said Italy.

It's obviously right.

39, oh, Nicola, that's a punishing high score.

Takes your total up to 59.

Yes, qualified for their 14th straight World Cup, the Italians.

Them and the Netherlands were the first two teams to qualify.

Thanks, Richard. Now then, Alan.

Alan, we have a game on our hands here. Welcome back to the show.

OK, we discovered last time that you have

a really lovely-sounding dog,

that is a German Shepherd crossed with a Rottweiler.

-He's a baby, he's a pussycat.

-I bet he is.

-He really is.

-Well, you've known him since he was a puppy.

-He is an absolute baby.

I say he fixed onto you, I mean that in the nice sense, that he decided

he wanted to be owned by you. You found him just living in the wild?

-Yes.

-He's mostly wolf.

-Absolutely!

And there he is.

-And how old is he now, then?

-He's eight now.

-That's good, very good.

Well, you're on 16 and the high scorers at the moment

are Nicola and Judith on 59. All you need is 42 or less.

I have a hunch you're going to be quite good at this.

Two of my answers have gone.

But I shall go for Greece.

Greece says Alan, Greece.

There's your red line. Get below that, you're in Round Two.

How many of our 100 people said it?

Well done, Alan, you're through.

Still going down. 11.

APPLAUSE

Our second lowest score of the whole round there, Greece.

Very well done, 27 your total.

Well played, Alan, another team who qualified, Greece.

I think it's lovely when people take in stray dogs, I really do.

-It's a lovely thing to do.

-Yeah.

Genuinely a disgraceful performance by and large on that round.

You know, if San Marino are in there, they're all in there.

Come on, just an obscure European country is all we're looking for.

-Andorra.

-Andorra would have been perfect,

Andorra would have scored you two points, they're all there.

Let's look, there's only one pointless answer, though.

That is Kazakhstan, would have been a pointless answer.

Belarus and Slovenia would have scored you one, as would Azerbaijan.

You'd have got two points for Armenia, three points for Cyprus,

Liechtenstein, Albania, Israel, all of those three points,

Israel were in the European groups.

Lithuania, Malta, Luxembourg would have scored you four,

five for Georgia, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

So virtually any country in Europe is what we were looking for,

not Italy and the Netherlands. I've surprised no-one said Germany.

LAUGHTER

Let's take a look at the top three answers.

The ones that most of our 100 people said.

Spain with 50.

Germany there with 52.

And right at the top, France, on 55.

Thanks very much indeed, Richard.

So, at the end of our first round, I'm afraid the pair headed home

with their score of 59, not a terribly high score,

-but Nicola and Judith, I'm afraid you are the high scorers.

-Yeah.

Well, you did pretty well, though. He's getting quite cross, isn't he?

-Yeah! It's still football.

-It is still football.

But a little bit of geography in there.

Yes, I'm sorry, they were just too high, your scores.

We have to say goodbye. Head-to-headers last time.

I hoped we'd see more of you but this is the end of the road.

-It's been great having you on the show, Nicola and Judith.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

But for the remaining three pairs, it's now time for Round Two.

So, three pairs remain.

At the end of this round we'll send another pair home

in time for our head-to-head round.

Well, our low scorers, Ian and Alan, and Alan and Joy,

were tied there on 27, so yeah, very, very equal.

This is a bit like one of those flat horse races

where everyone's just together.

No-one's really made a break for it yet.

And you heard what the big man said, he's not happy. He is not happy.

People aren't pushing the boat out enough.

There we are, best of luck to all.

Our category for Round Two is...

Celebrities. Celebrities.

Can you all decide in your pairs who's going to go first and second?

First players, please step up to the podium.

OK, and the question concerns...

Friends of Friends, Richard.

On each pass, we're going to give you six clues to famous people

who've appeared at one time or another on the TV series Friends.

Six on each pass, 12 in all, 12 to have a go at at home, best of luck.

Thanks very much indeed.

So we are looking for the names of these people

who guest starred on Friends.

And here's our first board of six.

I will read all of those one last time.

There we are, six clues to six guest stars.

Now then, what are you going to go for, Alan?

-It's quite tough, isn't it?

-It's tough for me, I don't know.

I've never seen Friends ever.

-Did you watch M*A*S*H?

-Yes, and that's what I'm...

I'm going to take a chance on that

because I've never seen any of Friends.

But I'm going to go for Alan Alda from M*A*S*H.

Alan Alda, says Alan M.

Let's see if that's right

and how many of our 100 people said Alan Alda.

Bad luck.

I'm sorry, Alan.

I'm afraid that's an incorrect answer,

scores you the maximum of 100 points, I'm sorry.

Sorry, Alan, not Alan Alda, he was in M*A*S*H, of course.

I'll give you the correct answer at the end of the pass.

Thanks very much, indeed. Now then, Fintan.

Well, I did used to love Friends.

I could take a stab at the Monsters, Inc. but it's a bit risky,

so I think I will try for the other M*A*S*H actor,

who I think was Elliott Gould.

Elliott Gould, says Fintan. Let's see if that's right

and how many of our 100 people said Elliott Gould.

Absolutely right.

Look at that, 11, very well done. That's a great score.

APPLAUSE

Yeah, well played, Fintan. He plays Jack Geller on the show.

-He was also married to Barbra Streisand.

-Was he?

-He was, yeah.

He said a lot of the time it was like a chocolate souffle,

but sometimes it was like a bath of lava.

-LAUGHTER

-Brilliant.

-Now, Alan P. Alan P, did you watch Friends at all?

-No.

-So this is going to be fun.

-This is going to be fun, yes.

-Do any of the other bits of the clues help you, though?

-Not really.

I should know the voice of the Pixar because I watch that film endlessly

with my grandchildren, but it's just gone completely out of my head.

The only one I can guess at is the Australian model,

is that Elle Macpherson? "Ellie" Macpherson?

Elle Macpherson or "Ellie" Macpherson. Let's see if that's right

and how many of our 100 people said Elle Macpherson is The Body.

It's right.

44.

Well done, Alan.

APPLAUSE

Well played, absolutely, she played Joey's new flatmate. Elle Macpherson.

Let's go through the rest of this board.

I think you all know the top one, the mother of princesses Beatrice

and Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson. 54 points.

Now, the voice of Mike Wazowski...

-Billy Crystal.

-Yeah, 10 points.

And the actor who starred as Will Colbert, very famous actor.

-Brad Pitt.

-Yeah.

Scored 15, and the best answer on the board,

the actor who played Don Self is Michael Rappaport.

Very well done if you said that, one point.

Thanks very much indeed, Richard.

Halfway through the round, the scores:

11, Fintan, very much the best score of that pass.

Then up to 44 where we find Alan and Joy,

and then I'm afraid it's 100. I'm sorry, Alan, that was tough.

Anything can happen on the next board, Ian, so don't give up hope.

It will require, if you're going to make it to the head-to-head,

it will require a very good low-scoring answer from you,

so best of luck to you with that.

Can the second players step up to the podium?

OK, let's put six more clues up on the board, and here they are.

I'll read all of those one last time.

There we are, six more guest stars in Friends.

Joy, you're going to try and find

the lowest scoring one you can on that board.

Joy.

-Now, how are we feeling?

-Not very good.

There are some quite nice clues there to help people

-who don't know Friends.

-Yeah, yeah. Um...

-Actor who played George Smiley, Tim Roth.

-Tim Roth says Joy.

Tim Roth. There's your red line.

If you can get below that red line you're in the head-to-head.

Let's see if Tim Roth is right.

Oh, I'm so sorry, Joy. I'm afraid that is an incorrect answer.

It scores you the maximum of 100 points, takes your total up to 144.

Not Tim Roth, Joy. I'll give you the correct answer

at the end of the pass. I think you'll know it.

Now, then, Mairead. Good news, you are in the head-to-head.

A combination of Joy and Alan's high score

and Fintan's excellent low scoring

in the first pass have led you there.

-Good, I've never seen Friends, ever.

-You've never seen it? It's good fun.

-So, I know two because of the clues.

-Yes, there's some quite good clues.

So I'll go with Tom Selleck for Three Men And A Baby.

Tom Selleck for Magnum PI, let's see if that's right,

no red line for you as you're already through.

Let's see if it's right.

-37.

-APPLAUSE

37 takes your total up to 48.

Well played, Mairead, he's a recurring character in Friends.

-Dates Monica, Richard Burke.

-Thanks very much. Now then, Ian.

Oh, you've been thrown a lifeline by Joy there.

If you can score 43 or less, you're in the head-to-head.

-Do you want to talk us through the board?

-I'd love to but I can't.

Tom Selleck I knew, and I know one other on there,

which I think is going to be higher than what I need.

Die Hard star is Bruce Willis.

The top one, I can't for the life of me think what it is at the moment.

I just don't know any of the others.

So I'm going to have to go with Bruce Willis.

You're going to go with Bruce Willis for just...

For the Die Hard star.

Thanks so much indeed. There's your red line.

If you can get below that with Bruce Willis,

you are through to the head-to-head. Best of luck.

Let's find out how many people said Bruce Willis.

Oh, no, 51. Ian, I'm sorry.

APPLAUSE

You suspected that was going to be a high score and indeed it was,

151 is your total.

Yeah, sorry, Ian. Tough luck there.

Now, the actress who played Rachel Bradley,

I'm sure you can picture her face, I know, is Helen Baxendale.

-That's her.

-Would have scored you 11 points and seen you safely through.

Now, the actor who played George Smiley is a contemporary of Tim Roth.

-Gary Oldman.

-Gary Oldman, exactly that, would have scored four points.

The Anchorman actress? This is the best answer on the board.

Christina Applegate. Would have scored you two.

And played Matilda's father in the 1996 feature film,

-do you know that one?

-Danny DeVito.

Danny DeVito, yes, appeared in Friends as a stripper,

would have scored you 20 points.

Thanks very much indeed. So, at the end of our second round,

the pair who will be heading home with a high score of 151,

it's Ian and Alan.

Oh, I'm sorry, that was tough. You were so close, though. Really close.

You took a risk, which is what we normally applaud.

But in this instance I'm afraid it's sending you home.

-It's been great having you on the show, thank you so much.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

But for the remaining two pairs it's now time for the head-to-head.

Congratulations, Mairead and Fintan, Alan and Joy,

you're now one step closer to the final and a chance

to play for our jackpot, which currently stands at...

-£3,000.

-AUDIENCE WHOOPS

Now, we have to decide who is going through to the final and playing for

that money, and to do that you are going head-to-head.

You're now allowed to confer before you give your answers.

The first pair to win two questions will be playing for that jackpot.

Best of luck, let's play the head-to-head.

OK. Here's your first question. And it concerns...

Famous Works Of Art. Famous Works Of Art, Richard.

We're going to show the English names of some famous statues

and sculptures, but we've left out the last word of each one.

-Can you fill in those blanks, please?

-Thanks very much indeed.

So let's reveal our names of famous statues and sculptures

and here they are.

I'll read those one last time.

There we are, five works of art or sculptures with missing words.

Now, Mairead and Fintan, you played best throughout the show so far

so you will go first.

THEY WHISPER

THEY CONFER QUIETLY

OK, we're going to try Michael Jackson And Bubbles.

Michael Jackson And Bubbles, say Mairead and Fintan.

Now then, Alan and Joy.

Do you want to talk us through the rest of the board,

do your thinking out loud?

Can't talk you through the board.

It's the Angel Of The North.

I think it's Jacob And The Ram, but I'm not sure.

But we'll go for The Burghers Of Calais, I think.

The Burghers Of Calais by Auguste Rodin, say Alan and Joy.

So we have Bubbles and we have Calais.

Mairead and Fintan said Bubbles,

let's see if that's right and how many people said it.

That's a good answer, look at that.

Oh, look at that, 11, well done!

11 for Bubbles.

But then Alan and Joy's answer, The Burghers Of Calais,

is also a fantastic answer.

I wonder how many people got that? Let's see.

Now, then. It's going to be close.

Oh, 12!

It is a very, very hard-fought head-to-head.

But well done, Mairead and Fintan, you just came out ahead in that one.

After one question, you are up 1-0.

Two very good answers there.

The Jeff Koons statue is quite something,

it's a life-size porcelain model of Michael Jackson and Bubbles,

but all gold-plated. It's fairly spectacular.

There's one answer there that would have beaten both of those.

And that is Jacob... It's not The Ram,

it's Jacob And The Angel.

You can see it in the Tate Britain. Would have scored you eight points.

The Angel Of The North is a very big scorer. Antony Gormley.

Would have scored you 89 points. Not bad for a bit of modern art.

-And d'you know this next one?

-No.

It's... You know what, I had trouble with this one,

it's a very, very high scorer.

It's obvious when you hear it.

-It's The Statue Of Liberty.

-Oh, it's Liberty, for heaven's sake!

Would have scored 64 points.

Thank you very much indeed, Richard. OK, here comes your second question.

Alan and Joy, you'll get to answer this first,

but you have to win it to stay in the game, so best of luck.

It concerns...

Breakfast TV Presenters, Richard.

We're going to show you five images now of breakfast TV presenters

past and present. Can you identify the most obscure of these five?

OK, thank you very much indeed.

Let's reveal our five breakfast TV presenters and here they come.

We've got...

There we are, five breakfast TV presenters.

Alan and Joy, you will go first.

(The second one is Charlie something.)

(Yeah, Stayt or something, Charlie Stayt?

(I do know D but I can't think of his name.)

We think that B could be Charlie Stayt.

Charlie Stayt.

Charlie Stayt you're saying for B.

Now, Mairead and Fintan,

d'you want to talk through the rest of the board?

OK, A's Lorraine Kelly, er, I think B is Charlie Stayt,

that was going to be our answer!

Er, don't know who C is. D is...

-Johnny somebody, but we can't remember.

-Johnny somebody.

And E is Nick somebody, it might be Nick Robinson,

but that might be wrong.

So, er, shall we try Nick Robinson?

-Yeah.

-Nick Robinson.

You'll say Nick Robinson.

OK, so we have Charlie Stayt, we have Nick Robinson.

Alan and Joy said Charlie Stayt.

Let's see if that's right, let's see how many people said that.

It is Charlie Stayt, well done.

15.

APPLAUSE

15 for Charlie Stayt.

Mairead and Fintan have had a punt at E, Nick Robinson.

You're pretty sure it's not Nick Robinson

but you've gone with Nick Robinson nonetheless.

Erm, let's see if it is Nick Robinson.

No, bad luck, it's not Nick Robinson, which means,

Alan and Joy, well done, that's exactly what you needed to do,

you're back in the game. It's 1-1 after two questions.

Well played, Alan and Joy. I like Charlie Stayt.

-He's got big hair, hasn't he?

-Mm.

That's just a guy who's so pumping with testosterone.

If you switch on at seven in the morning

and you look again at nine, it's grown.

-LAUGHTER

-His chin blew.

Yeah, very impressive.

Erm, you're very, very good,

I have to say, Mairead and Fintan, at first names.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Cos you're right about Nick,

-but it's Nick Owen.

-Ah!

Used to present with Anne Diamond for many years. 18 points.

-You were right about Johnny as well. It's Johnny Vaughan.

-Of course.

Used to present The Big Breakfast. 31 points for Johnny Vaughan.

A is Lorraine Kelly, you got both of her names,

but, er, I think you knew it would be too much and it was, 61.

And C is the best answer on the board, and it is Michael Wilson.

-Michael Wilson.

-That's a great pose, isn't it?

Somebody said, "Michael, just get a picture of you, erm, by the camera.

-"Over by the camera."

-"Just what you'd normally be doing."

"Wear this tie, I dare you, wear this tie, go on."

-That's a proper '80s pose, isn't it?

-Yeah.

One point for Michael Wilson, so very well done if you said that.

Thanks very much indeed, Richard. OK, this is very exciting.

I knew it was going to be close, it is close, it's 1-1.

It comes down to the decider. One of you will be going through

to the final and playing for that jackpot.

Best of luck to both pairs. Our third question today concerns...

We're going to give you five clues now to facts about Argentina.

The pair who gives us the most obscure answer is going through

to play for the jackpot, so very best of luck, both teams.

OK, thank you very much indeed.

Let's reveal our five clues and here they come...

I'll read those all one last time.

There we are, five clues to facts about Argentina.

Now, Mairead and Fintan, you will go first.

THEY WHISPER

Slight risk, but I think the first female president

was Cristina Fernandez.

Cristina Fernandez, say Mairead and Fintan.

Cristina Fernandez. Now, then, Alan and Joy, the board is all yours.

Yeah. If that's right we won't beat it.

The two bottom ones are fairly obvious.

We'll take a punt at the year of the World Cup,

but it's probably wrong, as '88.

You're going to say '88, the year they hosted and won the World Cup.

Mairead and Fintan, you have said Cristina Fernandez,

the first female elected president of the country.

Let's find out if that's right

and, if it is, let's see how many people said that.

Cristina Fernandez.

It's right.

It's a good answer. Look at that. Wonderful low score.

Right down to 5. Very well done indeed, Mairead and Fintan.

APPLAUSE

That's going to take some beating, but Alan and Joy,

you said 1988 was the year they hosted and won the World Cup.

Let's if that's right and, if so, how many people said it.

There's your answer.

Very well done.

Mairead and Fintan,

after three questions you are through to the final 2-1.

Terrific play, Fintan. That was a killer blow there.

Yes, also known as Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner,

because she is the widow of the former president Nestor Kirchner.

The year they hosted and won the football World Cup was '78.

Would have scored you 11 points. The main unit of currency?

-Um...peso.

-Peso is the right answer. Would have scored you 14.

-The island group?

-The Falklands.

-Yeah, big score, though. 71.

-And the mountain range?

-The Andes.

-It is the Andes, yeah.

And that would have scored 29 points.

So Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner best answer on the board. Well played.

Thanks very much indeed.

So the pair leaving us at the end of the head-to-head round

is Alan and Joy. You've done so well the whole way through the show.

But Cristina Fernandez would take some beating,

so you needed something on that board.

The good news is we'll get to see you next time.

We look for to that. Alan and Joy, thanks very much for playing.

-APPLAUSE

-Thank you.

But for Mairead and Fintan it's now time for our Pointless Final.

Congratulations, Mairead and Fintan.

You fought off the competition

and you've won our coveted Pointless trophy.

You now have a chance to win our Pointless jackpot.

At the end of today's show the jackpot stands at £3,000.

AUDIENCE: Oooh!

Superb. One appearance on Pointless, straight through to the final.

-What would you like to see come up in this last round?

-Film.

-Anything to do with film.

-Both of us, I think, yeah.

-Best of luck.

You choose your category.

It's not the widest of choices we usually give people

but here are your four options. They are...

I think we have to go for Hollywood Eds.

-OK, we'll go for Hollywood Eds. I'm not sure what it is, but...

-We'll discover. Who knows?

-Hollywood Eds. Richard?

-OK, you've got three options here.

We are looking for any feature film

made for cinema release up to August 2013, starring one of the following -

any Ed Harris film, any film he has a credited role in.

Any Eddie Izzard film or any Ed Norton film.

So, Ed Harris, Eddie Izzard, Edward Norton, any feature film

made for cinema release for which they received an acting credit.

No TV films, short films, documentaries.

Voice performances do count, though.

-Very best of luck to both of you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

As always you have up to one minute to come up with three answers.

And all you need to win the jackpot of £3,000

is for just one of those answers to be pointless.

But the answers you provide can come from any of these categories

and how you spread them across the categories is up to you.

They could all come from the same,

all Ed Harris or all Eddie Izzard or one of each.

-Are you ready?

-Yes.

-OK, let's put 60 seconds on the clock.

There they are. Your time starts now.

Ed Harris was in Pollock. Jackson Pollock.

-Edward Norton was in American History X.

-He was.

-Eddie Izzard was in Mystery Men.

-Was Ed Harris in The Right Stuff?

-The Right Stuff?

-The space thing. I think he might have been in that.

-Eddie Izzard...?

-I can't think of any he's been in.

-Mystery Men is the only one I think he's been in.

-That's a good answer.

And...other Edward Norton films. He's in American history X. Um...

He was in something called Keeping The Faith? Um...

Ed Harris, he's been in so many movies. I can't think...

-Is Pollock good enough?

-Yeah.

We'll do Pollock for Ed Harris. Mystery Men for Eddie Izzard...

-And The Right Stuff?

-Ten seconds left.

-Shall we try that?

-Try The Right Stuff.

-Or do you want to go for Ed Norton?

-No, go for The Right Stuff.

-OK, we'll try it.

OK, your minute is running down now and it's up.

I now need your three answers. Sounds like you've reached...

-OK.

-You go.

-OK, for Ed Harris films, Pollock and The Right Stuff.

-Pollock and The Right Stuff for Ed Harris.

-And for Eddie Izzard...

-Mystery Men.

-Mystery Men for Eddie Izzard. Of those three,

which do you reckon is your best shot at a pointless answer?

-If it's right, The Right Stuff.

-The Right Stuff we'll put last.

-Least likely to be pointless?

-Mystery Men.

-Mystery Men.

OK. Let's pop those on the board in that order. And here they are.

Well, very best of luck.

Three perfectly good answers up there on the board.

Your first answer, Mystery Men, you decided was your least likely to be pointless. I can't see it.

I think that's pretty good niche knowledge there.

But let's say one of these is pointless

and you win the jackpot of £3,000, what would you do with it, Mairead?

-Go to New York for a friend's birthday next summer.

-Perfect.

Fintan?

I'm long overdue a return trip to some friends in Australia, so...

Excellent. Two lovely things to look forward to should you win the jackpot.

So best of luck. Mystery Men.

You nominated this as an Eddie Izzard film. Let's find out.

If it's right and it's pointless, you leave here with £3,000.

So, for the jackpot, is Mystery Men an Eddie Izzard film?

How many people said at?

It's right.

That's the first thing. It had to be correct.

Now, if this goes all the way down to zero, you leave here with £3,000.

Down it goes. Still going down. Still going down...

-APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

-There we are!

There we are.

Guys, fantastic. What a result. That's brilliant.

Very well done indeed. Superb.

Congratulations!

Mystery Men was a pointless answer,

which means you are going home with £3,000.

Very well done indeed.

Oh, how about that?

I'm so pleased for you. That's terrific. Well played.

Pollock would have scored you two points.

And The Right Stuff would have scored you one point.

So Mystery Men is your big answer there.

You mentioned Ed Norton's Keeping The Faith.

That would have been a pointless answer if you'd risked that one.

Let's look at pointless answers in the different categories, though.

For Ed Harris, lots of big films he's been in.

A History Of Violence. Nixon was a pointless answer. Stepmom. The Hours.

You also could have had for him Absolute Power,

Glengarry Glen Ross, Gone Baby Gone, State Of Grace, Man On A Ledge.

Lots of great films for Ed Harris.

Eddie Izzard, Five Children And It, My Super Ex-girlfriend, Mystery Men.

That's just got pointless film written all over it, hasn't it?

It's one of those ones that if you can claw it

from the back of your memory it's going to be worth money.

And The Cat's Meow. And for Ed Norton...

Frida. Kingdom of Heaven. The Invention Of Lying

and The Score, which is at a terrific film as well.

All pointless answers. Well done if you said any of those at home.

-And congratulations in the studio. Lovely work.

-Thank you.

Thanks very much, Richard.

Well, thanks once again to our winning players,

Mairead and Fintan, who go away with today's jackpot of £3,000.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Join us next time when we'll be putting more obscure knowledge to the test on Pointless.

-Meanwhile, it's goodbye from Richard...

-Goodbye...

And it's goodbye from me. Goodbye.