Episode 28 Pointless

CHEERING / APPLAUSE

Thank you very much. Hello! I'm Alexander Armstrong,

and a very warm welcome to Pointless,

the show where the lowest scorers are the biggest winners.

Let's meet today's players.

First we welcome Abi and Tracy,

our first pair on the show this afternoon.

-How do you two know each other?

-We started working together

about three years ago, and became firm friends quite quickly on.

-What are you hoping will come up today?

-History or science fiction.

History or science fiction. How about you, Abi?

Science fiction, probably. Biology, that kind of...

Oh, very good! Why biology specifically, Abi?

I've got a degree in forensic science and I specialise in anthropology.

-I think that's coming up in round two, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yes!

On this edition of CSI Pointless. LAUGHTER

Fabulous. Well, very best of luck to the pair of you.

Great to have you here. And next we welcome Richard and Terry.

-How do you two know each other?

-We were neighbours.

We lived next door to each other for about five years,

and our children grew up together.

-Richard, what do you do?

-I work for a high-street bank.

-Terry, how about you?

-I have opened up my own traditional sweetie shop

-in the village where I live.

-That's the best answer you could have given!

-You run a sweetie shop!

-Sounds great.

-Doesn't it?

Toasted teacakes, bonbons, flying saucers...

I could go on for an awfully long time.

Very best of luck to the pair of you.

And next we welcome Roger and Zoe. You were on the show last time.

Everyone gets two shots at reaching the Pointless final.

-Remind us how you did last time.

-We got to the second round,

where unfortunately we fell afoul to some Athenians -

or, as it turned out, quite a lot of Athenians.

Yes, that's right. Ooh, that was a tough one.

Zoe, what are you hoping will come up this time?

Maybe a little history. I do like my history,

-so that would be good.

-Well, very best of luck to you.

And finally we welcome Patrick and Chris. How do you know each other?

Well, we've been dating for about two years.

Very good indeed. What do you do, Chris?

-I'm a graduate student.

-Whereabouts?

-London School of Economics.

That's not a London accent. I'm good at accents.

-I'm a Henry Higgins of, er...

-It's sort of a Surrey accent.

Surrey with a little bit of West Country thrown in.

Maybe born near Devizes and has moved nearer London.

-Let's find out.

-A little further west than the West Country.

-Canada.

-Oh, I see.

-Canada.

-I thought so.

-I'm going to say Ottawa.

-Where are you from?

-Ottawa!

Look at that!

-You see?

-That's very good.

-Yes.

-Patrick, what do you do?

I'm a stage-door keeper and barman at a West End theatre.

-At the same time?

-Yeah.

-Which queues get longer,

the ones at the bar or the ones at the stage door?

-Oh, it's always the bar.

-Always the bar.

Will theatre be a strong subject for you, or more food and drink?

Well, I come from a theatrical family,

so I'd say theatre and television's going to be quite a subject for me.

Very best of luck. Great to have you on the show.

We'll find out more about you later. There is one further person for me to introduce.

He is a man who delights in obscurity. He is my Pointless friend. He is Richard.

-Hiya. Hello.

-CHEERING / APPLAUSE

-Hello, there.

-So, Richard, hello there.

-How are you?

-I can't complain.

We've only got one returning pair, Roger and Zoe,

who were quite good last time. Roger, I think, very competitive.

-Slightly.

-Yeah, slightly.

I suspect he's got all his tactics worked out,

so it may be tough for our other three pairs.

-Well, Richard, here's to it.

-Here's to it.

-Thank you very much.

We put all our questions to 100 people before the show,

but this is Pointless, so we're after the answers they didn't get.

Everyone's trying to find a pointless answer, one none of our 100 people gave.

Each time that happens, we will add £250 to the jackpot.

Now, nobody won the jackpot last time,

so we'll add another £1,000 to that.

So today's jackpot starts off, if you please, at £7,250.

Let's play Pointless.

In the first round, each of you must give me one answer,

and you cannot confer with your partner.

The team with the highest score at the end of the round will be eliminated.

If anyone gives me an incorrect answer,

they will score the maximum of 100 points,

so do be careful. OK. Our category for round one is...

..words. Decide in your pairs who's going to go first and second.

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

We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many words ending in R-A-I-N as they could.

Words ending in "rain", Richard.

Yeah. We're looking for any word in the Oxford English Dictionary

that ends R-A-I-N. No proper nouns and no hyphenated words,

and we won't accept the word "rain" itself.

And that's as of the start of 2011.

Thank you very much, Richard. So, Tracy and Abi,

you drew lots before the show, and today you get to go first.

-Tracy, how you feeling about this?

-Terrified!

Really?

Words ending with "rain".

I'm going to say quatrain.

That's the bizarrest thing ever. I just thought of that very word.

-I was thinking...

-I did as well.

-When I saw the question, it was the first thing I thought of.

-Quatrain.

That's a great answer, but three of us simultaneously got it.

There must be a bit of a quatrain thing.

It happens! Eh? Beaming down.

OK, quatrain! I think it's a great answer.

Let's see if it's right, and if it is, how many people said quatrain.

Very well done.

Down it goes.

Very, very well done indeed, Tracy. Quatrain scoring you two points.

-Brilliant. Richard?

-APPLAUSE

Yeah. Well played, Tracy, and well played, Alexander.

Quatrain. It's four lines of verse with alternate rhymes.

-A quatrain.

-Very good indeed. Thank you.

Now, then, Richard, we're looking for words ending in R-A-I-N. Rain.

Mm. I think I'm going to go for "refrain".

-Refrain?

-Yeah.

OK. Refrain.

Let's see if refrain's right,

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

29, that scores you, Richard. Not a bad score at all.

-Refrain, Richard.

-Refrain, yeah. Can mean a recurring phrase,

-or to keep oneself in check.

-Now, then, Roger.

Words ending R-A-I-N. You're hoping to score as few points as possible.

Yes.

-Nice obscure word.

-Terrain.

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

It's right.

-39.

-APPLAUSE

-Not a bad score. Richard, terrain.

-Yeah. Well done, Roger.

As in "I must get an umbrella, it's just started 'terrain'".

-HE LAUGHS

-Very good, Richard. Thank you.

Now, then, Patrick - the best till halfway through.

-Words are not my best subject.

-They're everyone's best subject.

We use them daily.

I'm going to have to go for one that's going to be a high scorer.

Strain.

-Strain.

-Yeah.

-OK. You're hoping to score as few points as possible,

and you are saying "strain". Let's see if it's correct,

and if it is, how many people said it. Strain.

-39.

-APPLAUSE

-Strain.

-Yeah, pretty big score for that.

Someone from Australia.

-LAUGHTER

-Yeah. So, Australian.

We're halfway through. Let's take a look at the scores as they stand.

Well, Tracy and Abi are on two.

A wonderful low answer there.

Then Richard and Terry on 29,

then we go up to Roger and Zoe and Patrick and Chris on 39.

So you all know what you have to do.

Can the second players please take their places at the podium?

Remember, we are looking for words ending in R-A-I-N.

Chris?

I'm going to go for "ingrain".

Ingrain. You have no red line because you are the high scorers.

You have to hope "ingrain" will score as little as possible.

Let's see if it does. Ingrain.

Very well done, Chris.

APPLAUSE

That's exactly what you had to do. That's scored you one,

-and takes your total up to 40.

-Very well played. Good answer.

It's to dye thoroughly into fabric,

and also posh people have "ingrain" toenails, as well.

LAUGHTER

Thanks very much, Richard. Now, then, Zoe,

you are on 39. The high scorers are Chris and Patrick on 40.

Ideally you want to be scoring a pointless answer here

to make sure you go straight through to the next round.

-Have you got a word in your mind?

-I have. It won't be pointless,

but I'm going to have to go with "restrain".

Restrain. Let's see how it does for you. Good luck, Zoe. Restrain.

Ten!

APPLAUSE

No mean score at all, there, Zoe. Very well done.

Ten takes your score total up to 49. Richard?

That's a pretty good answer, with two teams still to go.

To check or hold back. To restrain.

OK. Now, then, Terry.

Now, then, the high scorers are Zoe and Roger on 49.

If you can score 19 or less with your answer,

you are through to the next round.

-How many words have you had in mind that other people have said?

-Two.

-Quatrain. I know.

-Yeah, quatrain.

Er, so I hope I don't let Richard down.

The only one I can think of is "sprain".

OK. Sprain. Here's your red line.

If "sprain" gets you below that red line,

you are through to the next round.

Let's see what happens. Sprain. How many people said it?

-It's done it!

-SHE LAUGHS

-13!

-APPLAUSE

13 points for sprain, takes your total up to 42.

Yeah. Well played, Terry. Very close, isn't it?

Sprain is to twist or wrench ligaments or muscles.

Strain, 39, sprain, 13.

-I know.

-All I'm saying...

-LAUGHTER

-There's no science to it, Richard.

-You make a very good point.

-Don't I?

-Yeah.

-Eloquent.

Certainly as eloquent as you ever get, yeah.

-Thank you.

-HE LAUGHS

Now, Abi, you are the last to play. The OED is your oyster.

-I wouldn't go that far.

-No, but it is.

It is. You are on two. The high scorers, on 49, are Roger and Zoe.

If you can score 46 or less...

OK. Well, it's a bit of a risk

because I don't know if it's hyphenated,

-but I'm going to try "wholegrain".

-Wholegrain.

Well, here is your red line, Abi.

If wholegrain is right and it gets you below that red line,

you are through to the next round. Good luck.

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

Oh, I knew it! I knew it!

Unfortunately, unfortunately,

wholegrain is not a correct answer,

which means you score the maximum of 100 points.

-It's hyphenated, isn't it?

-Oh, bad luck! That takes your total to 102.

-Oh, I'm so sorry.

-Richard?

-That's really hard luck,

because you often see it not hyphenated, but in the OED,

wholegrain is hyphenated. Ironically, if you'd said "grain",

you would have scored 46 points and you'd be through by one.

-I nearly did that!

-That's very, very tough luck, I think.

Everyone is gutted except for Roger, who is having the good grace

-not to be going, "Come on!"

-I wouldn't blame you.

-I am inside.

Inside that's exactly what he's doing.

Oh, bad, bad luck.

Let's take a look at some of the pointless answers. There were all sorts.

Aerotrain is a pointless answer, as was skytrain and turbotrain.

They're all pointless answers. Chamfrain,

which is a lovely, bubbly drink from France.

It's not. It's the front of an armed horse.

Interstrain,

a strain of two different species.

Anyone who said quatrain might have said octrain as well.

Petitgrain, souterrain, which is underground.

Suzerain, which is a feudal overlord,

then unstrain and withstrain.

There was also a lovely word "pickbrain", which was pointless.

-A pickbrain?

-Someone who picks someone's brains is a pickbrain.

A pickbrain. I'm glad it's that and not a menacing bird.

-That would be bad.

-That would be bad.

Let's take a look at the most popular answers as well,

the ones most of our 100 said, so the worst ones to have said really.

We avoided all of them. Drain would have scored 56,

brain 67, and right at the top, the train, on 74.

Thanks, Richard. At the end of round one, the losing pair

with the highest score, it's Abi and Tracy.

You did everything right. You did absolutely everything right.

-Not to worry.

-I'm hoping this won't blunt your edge

-when you come back next time.

-Not at all.

I hope you haven't been put off going out there and finding obscure answers,

-because that is what the show is all about. Next time round, through to the final.

-Absolutely.

Thank you so much for playing. You've been brilliant contestants.

APPLAUSE

But for the remaining three pairs, it's now time for round two.

Only two pairs can make it through to the head-to-head,

so one of the three pairs will be leaving us at the end of this round.

OK. This afternoon's round-two category is...

..newspapers. Decide in your pairs who's going to go first and second,

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

And the question concerns...

..newspapers and their countries. Newspapers and their countries.

In this round we'll show you a list of newspaper titles.

We asked 100 people to tell us in which countries they were published.

We'll show you six newspapers in each pass.

The more obscure ones will score you the fewer points.

If you give us the wrong country, you'll score 100 points.

So six in each pass. See if you can get all 12 of them at home.

OK. Thanks, Richard. We are looking for the countries

in which these newspapers are published, and we have got...

I'll do that one more time.

OK, Terry. There they are. There are the newspapers.

Do you take a newspaper?

No, because I don't want to read about all the bad things that are happening in the world.

I like to be in my own little nice bubble.

And newspapers would destroy that. Even Dagens Nyheter?

LAUGHTER Yeah.

The one I'm going to go for is Le Monde, which means "The World"

in French, so France.

Let's see if that is right, and if it is, how many people knew it.

Le Monde, France.

It's right. Very well done, Terry.

59.

It's a whole lot better than 100, Terry.

-Le Monde, France. Richard?

-Yes, Le Monde. A big score.

Founded in 1944. It's been going ever since.

-Never missed a day.

-Yeah.

Thank you very much, Richard. Now, then, Roger -

Roger, Roger, Roger. Le Monde has gone.

Le Monde was one of the two for sure that I knew.

-OK.

-The other one that I know for sure I'm not going to say,

because I think it might be the same amount of points,

and that's not the point of the game, is it?

It's not. Well done, Roger.

So, on the back of drinking Asahi Japanese beer,

I'll go for Asahi Shimbun in Japan.

What - you drank beer before coming on the show?

Did you not have a beer before you came on today?

-We all did. We all went for a drink.

-I'm creme de menthe, like always.

LAUGHTER

OK. You're going for Asahi Shimbun. Japan, you're going to say.

Let's see if it's right, and if it is, how many people knew it.

Asahi Shimbun.

Very well done, Roger. Look at that. Down it goes. Very, very well done!

APPLAUSE

A brave guess, and it's earned you a creditable three points. Richard?

Very well played. It literally means "The Morning Sun" in Japanese.

First published in Osaka in 1879.

Very good, Roger. Well done. Now, then, Patrick,

we are looking for the countries in which these newspapers are published.

Well, I don't really know any of them,

except for one. I'm going to hazard a guess.

For fun, do you want to hazard some guesses?

The Globe And Mail... I don't know.

Um... Could be America or anything,

but I don't think I would go with that.

And then... How do you pronounce that one?

-Komsom-...

-Komsomolskaya!

-LAUGHTER

-Easy!

I'm going to go with Die Welt and Germany.

OK. Die Welt, Germany.

OK. Let us see if Die Welt is indeed from Germany, and if it is,

how many people knew that answer. Die Welt, Germany.

Very well done.

-58!

-APPLAUSE

Second-best score out there, Patrick. Very well done.

Die Welt, Germany, Richard. Die Welt. Also means "The World".

It was founded in 1946 by the British occupying forces,

to try and make a newspaper like The Times.

Chris's eyes must have been boring into your back there,

because Globe And Mail is Canada's largest-circulation newspaper,

the Toronto Globe And Mail, so it's an unfortunate way round there.

That would have scored you three. That would have been a great answer.

There's Komsomolskaya Pravda, which would have scored a hefty 25.

It's Russia, of course. And Dagens Nyheter also scores three points.

It's Sweden. Very well done if you got that at home.

Let's look at the scores. We're halfway through. On three points,

Roger and Zoe. Very, very well done. Lovely low score there.

Then we creep up to Patrick and Chris,

way ahead on 58, and just one point ahead of them,

Terry and Richard on 59. Now, then, Chris and Richard,

it's going to be a tussle between the pair of you in the next pass.

Can the second players please take their places at the podium?

We're looking for the countries in which these newspapers are published,

and we're going to put six more titles on the board. Here they come.

La Repubblica, Al-Ahram...

Are you liking my accent there?

I am looking forward to you doing the sixth one on the list.

I am going to sit back and enjoy your pronunciation of that.

OK. Here goes. The Sowetan, Wall Street Journal,

El Pais, and Eleftherotypia.

In your face, Osman.

-It's good. It's good.

-APPLAUSE

-I shall read those one more time.

-HE READS LIST

We are looking for the countries in which these newspapers are published,

and you're trying to find the one the fewest of our 100 people knew.

Now, Chris, Richard and Terry are only one point ahead on 59.

Ideally, to be sure of a place in the next round, the head-to-head,

you want to be scoring a pointless.

I'm 90 percent sure of this. I really hope I am.

I'm going to go with El Pais, and I'm pretty sure that's Spain.

El Pais. You're saying Spain.

Let's see if it's right, and if it is, how many people said El Pais.

29, that scores you.

APPLAUSE

That takes your total up to 87. Richard.

Well played. Nice safe answer. El Pais means "The Country",

and it's the largest-circulation non-sports newspaper in Spain.

Right. Now, then, Zoe, you are on three.

Our highest scorers are Chris and Patrick on 87.

If you can score 83 or less with this answer,

you are through to the head-to-head.

What do you think?

Not the best subject, so I think I'm going to play it safe

and go with Wall Street Journal, and America.

Wall Street Journal and America. Your father approves of that.

Here is your red line. If the Wall Street Journal gets you below it,

you are through to the next round. Very best of luck.

Let's see if it does. Wall Street Journal, America.

Well done!

Well done indeed! That scores you 82.

Takes your total up to 85. Well done, Zoe.

That was a bit too close for comfort, wasn't it?

Founded in 1889, it's America's largest-circulation newspaper.

Thank you very much. Now, then, Richard,

the grouping is very, very tight indeed.

We have Chris and Patrick on 87, Zoe and Roger on 85.

You are currently on 59. 27 points is your target.

27 or fewer, and you are definitely in the head-to-head.

I think I know one, but whether it's low enough for us to get through...

I don't think so. I think I'm going to have to gamble

-at the bottom one.

-Do you want to have a crack at saying it?

No. I'll leave that to the professionals,

-that being you.

-HE LAUGHS

Eleftherotypia?

There we are. There it is at the bottom.

Er, sounds a bit Greek to me, so I'm going to go Greece.

-You're going to say Greece for Eleftherotypia.

-Yep.

There's your red line. If Eleftherotypia is right,

and below that red line, you are through.

Let's see. Is Eleftherotypia a newspaper from Greece,

and if it is, how many people knew that answer?

Well done, Richard! It's correct.

Down it goes, and through the red line!

CHEERING / APPLAUSE

Very, very well done.

That scores you seven, takes your total up to 66.

-Richard?

-Yes, very well played. That's really well played, Richard.

It was a good risk to take. Eleftherotypia means "Free Press"

in Greek. Let's take a look at the rest of them.

The Sowetan, obviously South Africa, would have scored you a low 21.

La Repubblica is Italy, would have scored you 17.

And Al-Ahram - where do you think that's from?

-The Al-Ahram?

-Yeah.

-Egypt, I think.

-It is Egypt, and it was the best answer on the board.

Would have scored three points. Do you know what Al-Ahram means?

The Sun.

-THEY LAUGH

-No, I'm joking.

-I've no idea.

-It means "The Pyramid".

That's the best answer. Very well done if you got Al-Ahram at home.

Very good. Thank you so much, Richard.

At the end of the round two, the losing pair, it's Chris and Patrick.

That was a very exciting round, and had you gone first, Chris,

you would possibly have the lowest score.

-Maybe.

-Maybe you wouldn't have known the Globe And Mail was Canadian?

I don't know everything about Canada!

-THEY LAUGH

-Did you know?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-LAUGHTER

Yeah. Quite right. Great shame to be saying goodbye to you,

but we will see you next time, and I'm sure you'll go further.

Thanks for playing, Chris and Patrick. Well done.

-APPLAUSE

-For the remaining two pairs

things will get even more exciting now, as we enter the head-to-head.

Very well done, Richard and Terry, Roger and Zoe.

Obviously only one pair can make it through to today's final

and play for the jackpot, which currently stands...

at £7,250!

You're going to go head to head on the best of three questions.

For each question, each pair needs to give me one answer,

and you are now allowed to confer. If you come up with an answer

that scores less than the other pair, you will win that question.

The first pair to the best of three will play for today's jackpot.

Let's play Pointless.

OK. Here is your first question.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many Dustin Hoffman Oscar nominations

as they could. Dustin Hoffman Oscar nominations, Richard.

We're looking for any feature film made for cinema release

prior to the start of 2011, in which Dustin Hoffman has either won an Oscar or been nominated for one.

He's been nominated seven times, so there are seven films on the list.

See how many of those you can get at home.

Thanks very much, Richard. Richard and Terry,

because you played best so far, you get to go first.

We are looking for Dustin Hoffman Oscar nominations.

THEY WHISPER

THEY WHISPER

-Go on, then. Go for that one.

-OK. Do we have an answer?

Yeah. I think we're going to go for Midnight Cowboy.

Midnight Cowboy.

-That was one of our three.

-HE LAUGHS

So, er, we've got Tootsie. I don't know if he won or was nominated.

I would imagine he'd have been nominated for that one.

Also Kramer Versus Kramer, and Zoe tells me he was in the Sleepers,

but whether that was a nomination or not, we're not sure.

So I think we'll go for Kramer Versus Kramer.

Kramer Versus Kramer. So we have Midnight Cowboy

and we have Kramer Versus Kramer. OK, Richard and Terry,

Let's see if Midnight Cowboy's right, and how many people said it .

Midnight Cowboy.

Very good!

APPLAUSE

So, 12 for Midnight Cowboy.

Let's see if Kramer Versus Kramer can beat that.

Good luck, Roger and Zoe.

It's another low one. Oh! 17.

APPLAUSE

That's incredibly close.

After the first question, Richard and Terry are up one-nil.

-Richard?

-Well played, Terry.

There are two answers that would have won it, though,

that would have beaten Midnight Cowboy. Let's see them all.

Lenny, where he played Lenny Bruce, is a pointless answer,

so well done if you got that. Wag The Dog scored one.

There's Midnight Cowboy with 12, The Graduate with 14,

Kramer Versus Kramer, for which he won an Oscar, 17,

Tootsie 29, and another Oscar-winning performance at the top, Rain Man,

-with 52.

-OK. Thanks very much, Richard.

Here is your second question. Richard and Terry, if you win this,

you are straight through to the finals.

Roger and Zoe, you have to win this one to stay in the game.

OK. We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many post-war speakers of the House of Commons as they could.

Post-war speakers of the House of Commons. Richard?

One of those questions where we're looking for a pointless politician.

Anyone who's held the post of speaker of the House of Commons

from 1945 right through to the beginning of 2011.

There are ten names on the list.

OK. Thank you very much indeed. Roger and Zoe, you go first.

THEY WHISPER

I'm not sure I've got the name right, so we could be straight out,

but I think there was a Welsh guy. He was called George Thomas.

George Thomas.

Richard and Terry?

I think there was a guy called Bernard Deverell.

-Bernard Deverell.

-Are you sure? Are you sure?

We have George Thomas and we have Bernard Deverell.

Roger and Zoe, you have to win this point to stay in the game.

Let's see. Is it correct, and if it is,

how many people said George Thomas?

It's right.

It's a low score. Look at that. Five!

-Very well done, Roger!

-APPLAUSE

Very well done indeed.

Now, then, Richard and Terry have said Bernard Deverell.

Of course, if you win this point, Richard and Terry, you are through

to the final. OK, Bernard Deverell. Is it right?

How many people said it? Bernard Deverell.

-SHE GASPS

-Oh!

Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck.

Bernard Deverell an incorrect answer.

Which means, after two questions, it is one point apiece. Richard?

Well, it's very, very bad luck. It's Bernard Weatherill.

He was actually the successor to George Thomas,

who's probably better known as Viscount Tonypandy.

Let's take a look at all the answers.

William Shepherd Morrison, Sir Harry Hylton-Foster and Selwyn Lloyd,

they were all Conservative speakers of the House, all pointless answers. Very well done if you said those.

Dr Horace King was the first Labour speaker.

Douglas Clifton-Brown, or Viscount Ruffside, was also pointless.

There's Bernard Weatherill. Very, very tough luck.

George Thomas, or Viscount Tonypandy, there with five,

Michael Martin with seven. The current speaker in 2011,

John Bercow, with 11, and way out in front,

Betty Boothroyd, 35.

Thanks very much, Richard.

So, here is your third question.

Whoever wins this question goes through to the final

to play for that massive jackpot. OK.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many US states with "New" in their name

as they could. US states with "New" in their name, Richard.

Yeah. Simple one, this. Just any of the 50 United States of America

that has the word "New" in its name. Which the most obscure of them?

OK. Richard and Terry, you go first.

THEY WHISPER

So it could be "New" something...

SHE WHISPERS

HE WHISPERS Yes, OK.

-OK, we're finally there.

-You got there?

We're going to go for New Mexico.

-New Mexico?

-Yeah.

-Roger and Zoe?

-We're going to go for New Hampshire.

-New Hampshire.

-New Hampshire.

We have New Mexico, we have New Hampshire.

OK. Well, we have to take them in order they've been given.

Whoever wins this point goes through to the final.

Richard and Terry have said New Mexico. Let's see if that is right,

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

-APPLAUSE

-32.

32. Richard and Terry, you think New Hampshire will be lower than that?

Yeah. Yeah. I think New Hampshire's going to be lower, yeah.

-Are you kicking yourselves for not having thought of it?

-Yeah.

OK. Well, let's see if New Hampshire's right,

and if it is, let's see if it beats New Mexico.

New Hampshire. This will decide who goes through to the final.

TERRY GASPS

-APPLAUSE

-34 for New Hampshire!

Which means, after three questions,

Richard and Terry are through to the final two-one.

-Richard.

-Yeah. So close.

-If I might just say...

LAUGHTER

You know, for once you're quite right. You are quite right.

Very, very close, and you could not have beaten New Mexico.

It's the best answer there. There are four states with "New" in their name.

Let's take a look at how they scored.

New Mexico 32, New Hampshire 34. There's New Jersey on 51,

and New York right at the top with 81.

Well played, both teams. Really good head-to-head.

Very, very well done indeed. So the losing pair,

I'm afraid it's you, Roger and Zoe,

but what a very, very close-fought head-to-head that was!

Brilliant. Very, very well done indeed.

I'm afraid you were just beaten on the day by Richard and Terry.

You have been fantastic contestants. Thank you so much for playing.

APPLAUSE

But for Richard and Terry, it's time for our Pointless final,

and the chance to win our jackpot of £7,250.

CHEERING / APPLAUSE

Well, congratulations, Richard and Terry.

You've fought off all the competition

and you have won our coveted Pointless trophy, so very well done.

You now have the chance to win our Pointless jackpot.

At the end of today's show, the jackpot stands at £7,250.

CHEERING / APPLAUSE

The rules are very simple. To win that money, find a pointless answer,

an answer none of our 100 people could think of.

We haven't had any pointless answers on the show today. You only have to find one now,

and you go home with that money. First, though, choose a category from these three options.

I think we should leave American Sport. That's just too random.

Soul Singers could be anything. I think British Sitcoms.

I think that's the best out of the three. We'll go for British Sitcoms.

-British Sitcoms.

-British Sitcoms.

-That sounds more like by a process of elimination than...

-Yeah.

-..a particularly strong category for you.

-Yeah.

Let's find out what that question is. We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many of the cast of The Office as they could.

-Richard?

-We're looking for any actor or actress

who's appeared in over ten episodes of The Office.

There are 12 names on the list.

You now have one minute to come up with three answers.

All you need, to win that £7,250,

is for just one of those answers to be pointless.

-Your 60 seconds start now.

-You've got Ricky Gervais,

-Martin Short...

-Martin... Martin Freeman, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Martin Freeman.

A good bet might be Stephen...

-What's he called?

-Merchant.

-Cos he was in, but only fleetingly.

-Well, that's it. It's...

-Martin Freeman.

-Ricky Gervais...

What's that other fella called, with the blond hair

-and the glasses?

-He plays Gareth.

-Yeah.

And the girl. I can't remember what her name is.

-Er... She's Sophie something.

-I don't know. I can't remember.

-I can't remember, Rich.

-Gareth's name...

-Mackenzie Crook.

-Mackenzie Crook.

Mackenzie Crook, Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman.

It's that girl. It's that girl, isn't it?

-She's Jasper Carrott's daughter.

-Sophie Carrott?

LAUGHTER

What's Jasper Carrott's... That's going to be a stage name.

What's his... Go through the alphabet. A, B, C, D...

-Five seconds.

-I would go for Stephen Merchant,

-or Mackenzie...

-We could go for Mackenzie Crook.

OK. Your time is up. We were looking for the cast of The Office.

I now need three answers from you.

Right. Definitely Mackenzie Crook.

-Yeah.

-Mackenzie Crook.

-Martin Freeman...

-Martin Freeman.

-Martin Freeman.

-And Ricky Gervais is an obvious one,

-so if you want to have a punt on...

-Though he was a co-writer,

he was in it very fleetingly. Stephen Merchant.

-Over the period of...

-Stephen Merchant.

OK. Of those three, which is your best shot at a pointless answer?

-Mackenzie Crook.

-OK. We'll put him last.

What's your least likely pointless?

-Because we're not sure he was in ten episodes...

-Stephen Merchant.

Yeah. And then Martin Freeman's probably in the middle.

Martin Freeman's probably the most popular.

I can't remember the name of that girl!

OK. Well, we were looking for the cast of The Office.

Here are your three answers, in the order you have put them.

There they are, up on the board. You said this was your least confident answer.

Let's see how many people said Stephen Merchant.

Did he appear in enough episodes to qualify? That's the thing.

But who knows? There's only one way to find out.

Is it right, and if it is, how many people said it?

This the first of your three shots at the jackpot.

£7,250. Stephen Merchant.

Oh! Bad luck.

Bad luck. That's an incorrect answer, so therefore not pointless.

You only have two more shots at the jackpot.

Your second answer is Martin Freeman.

You think probably, after Ricky Gervais,

-probably the most popular.

-Yeah.

It may be that they were all very low scoring,

and Martin Freeman perhaps slipped their minds.

-Let's hope so.

-Let's hope so.

-I doubt it.

Let's hope nobody said your next answer.

This is your second shot at the jackpot. Martin Freeman.

Well, it's right.

Down it goes. In the 60s. 50s.

40s. Has to go all the way down to zero.

Into the 20s and the teens! Look at that!

-Single figures! Nine.

-APPLAUSE

Now I think we have a final on our hands.

Martin Freeman, possibly the most popular name in the entire cast

of The Office, scored only nine.

You only have one more shot at today's jackpot.

OK. Well, you said this was the answer you had most faith in.

-There it is. Mackenzie Crook.

-SHE WHISPERS

Not a name that springs to mind. Everyone remembers Gareth.

Everyone knows what he looks like. But Mackenzie Crook...

This has to be pointless if you're going to win that jackpot of £7,250.

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

Mackenzie Crook.

Well, it's right.

As I said, Martin Freeman scored nine,

so Mackenzie Crook is surely going to score less than that.

Down it goes into single... Oh, no.

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

Bad luck. Unfortunately you didn't find that pointless answer,

so you don't win today's jackpot of £7,250,

which rolls over to the next show.

But you have been fantastic contestants, and you do get to take home our Pointless trophy.

APPLAUSE

-Richard?

-Yeah. Well played throughout. Unlucky on the final.

Stephen Merchant was in three episodes only, I'm afraid.

And the receptionist is Lucy Davis.

Oh, there you go. You're all right now.

Robert Davis, Jasper Carrott's real name.

There are a bunch of pointless answer's, but by and large

they were the people who hang around in the back and have occasional lines

so very difficult. All these answers appeared in 14 episodes.

There's Alexander Perkins, Ben Bradshaw and Emma Louise Manton.

There's Ewen MacIntosh, who played Keith,

the guy with the Scotch egg. Jamie Deeks played Jamie.

Jane Lucas...

and Philip Pickard. Very well done if you said any of those at home.

We have to say goodbye to you, but it's been fabulous having you on the show.

Thank you so much for playing. Thank you.

So nobody's won our jackpot today, which means it rolls over

onto the next show,

when we will be playing for £8,250.

-Join us to see if someone can win it. It's goodbye from Richard...

-Goodbye.

And it's goodbye from me. Goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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