Episode 53 Pointless

Thank you. I'm Alexander Armstrong. Welcome to Pointless, the quiz that puts obscure knowledge to the test.

Let's meet today's players.

Welcome back, Tony and Sylvia. You were on the show last time. We give everyone two chances.

-Remind us what happened.

-Well, we gave two very good answers in the first round,

scored a 17 and a 9, but unfortunately it was a very low-scoring round. Goodbye!

-I know. Terrible! 26 was the total.

-26, yeah.

-Nationalities ending in "ian".

-Absolutely right, yes.

-Dear, oh, dear. Sylvia, what do you hope will come up this afternoon?

-Em, literature and football.

-Literature and football. Maybe a book about football.

If it's Leicester City, then a book about football.

-Splendid.

-Other than that, Championship teams.

-OK, so literature, football. Tony, what would be a really strong category for you?

-Literature.

-History, classical music.

-Orchestral or choral?

-Both. A bit of choral...

-I started off as a seven-year-old choirboy.

-Same here, same here.

-Do you sing any more, Tony?

-Yes, I still do some singing and run a small choir as well.

-Will they all be watching?

-I hope so. If not, they'll get extra rehearsals.

-Lovely to have you back.

Very best of luck. And next we welcome back Hannah and Rae.

God afternoon to you. Remind us what happened with you.

We got to the Head to Head round, but were let down on Bob Marley.

-The gaps in your Bob Marley knowledge!

-Terrible.

Shameful. Anyway, what categories would you like to see come up?

Em, something a bit more current to do with music or films.

-OK. You listen to a lot of music?

-Yeah.

-Are you good at remembering facts and figures?

-Current stuff.

-Not Bob Marley!

-Rae, what would be a great category for you?

-Animals.

Human body, you know, health, that type of thing. Elvis would be fantastic.

-So animals, human body, Elvis.

-Film, TV.

-Films, TV, animals, human body, Elvis.

Well, very best of luck. Great to have you back.

Next we welcome Jean and Paul. How do you two know each other?

Our families have been friends for a long time. I'm friendly with Paul's mum, he's friendly with my son.

And... There are two others, aren't there? I can't remember who they are.

The older son and his sister are quite friendly, too. So...it's a bit sort of fluid.

I'm impressed by your grasp of facts there, Jean(!)

-Just no questions on our family trees, please!

-You are going to be unstoppable this afternoon!

-What do you do, Jean?

-I'm sort of semi-retired.

I volunteer at a riding stable for the disabled. Hi, girls!

-Very good. Paul, what do you do?

-I have just finished university.

I was studying religion and ethics, so I'm waiting to start applying for jobs.

Right. I have to ask this. Are you a member of the Magicians' Circle?

-I'm not, but apparently I am a fawn. People compare me to Mr Tumnus.

-Mr Tumnus! Fawn is good.

-Do you not do any hypnosis?

-No.

-Any sleight of hand?

-No, I'm no good at anything like that.

-I've tried.

-Right, OK. It's great to have you on the show.

We'll discover more about you as we go along. Finally, Austin and Niall. How do you know each other?

This is Niall. When I was a baby, Niall was my part-time nanny. He's also my eldest brother!

-Now I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say I think you're from Northern Ireland.

-Well stabbed!

-Where, more specifically?

-Belfast.

-Belfast.

-Very good. What do you do, Austin?

-I'm a team manager for an IT company.

It's about as exciting as it sounds!

-And how about you, Niall?

-I work in IT as well.

-You're both in IT?

-Yeah.

-In completely different sectors?

-For the same company.

-Very good.

-What would you like to see come up?

-Probably something on geography.

-OK.

-Anything else?

-Some music. Bob Marley might have been good.

But there's others in there, too. Other Bobs are available.

Very best of luck to you. We'll find out more about all of you.

Only one person left. As a baby, he'd get upset and throw his entire encyclopaedia out of the pram.

-He's my Pointless friend. He's Richard.

-Hello. Hiya.

-Afternoon to you.

-Good afternoon.

-Are you well?

-Yeah, I think I mustn't grumble.

-That's good.

Should be a cracking show today. Two returning teams - Hannah and Rae were unlucky to get knocked out

and Tony and Sylvia had one of the unluckiest first rounds ever.

I suspect that they may do rather well today.

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

but this is Pointless. We're after obscure answers they didn't get.

All our players need to do is score as few points as they possibly can.

Everyone is trying to find a pointless answer that no one gave.

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

Rob and Simon won the jackpot last time, so today's jackpot starts off at £1,000.

Right. Let's play Pointless.

In the first round, you each give me one answer and you cannot confer.

Whichever team has the highest score at the end is eliminated. An incorrect answer scores 100 points

so avoid those if you can.

OK, our first category this afternoon is...Animals.

Can you all decide who is going to go first and who goes second?

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

OK, let's find out what the first question is. We gave 100 people 100 seconds to name

as many horse and pony breeds as they could. Horse and pony breeds. Richard?

The correct answers will all be breeds of horse or pony.

-Wow.

-That's why I get the big bucks.

OK, Tony and Sylvia, you all drew lots and you get to go first.

You'll be pleased to hear that we'll give you a choice of seven possible answers in each pass.

Your first set reads like this.

HE READS LIST

I'll read those one more time.

At least one of those answers is pointless and least one is incorrect.

Pick an incorrect one and you will score the maximum of 100 points. So, Sylvia, horse or pony?

I think...

I'll take a risk.

And I'm going to go for Appaloosa.

There is it at the bottom. Is it right and how many people said it? Appaloosa.

It IS right! Very well done, Sylvia.

Nine!

A great answer, Sylvia. Nine points.

Richard?

Very good start. Well played. They came from the Palouse River in the US.

Thank you very much. Hannah? Horse or pony from this board.

That's the answer I was going to go with. There's only one other I know on there.

I'm going to have to take a guess because that will be high-scoring.

So...

I'm going to go for the one I can't pronounce. Muenchinger?

Muenchinger. A Muenchinger says Hannah. Is it right and how many people said it?

Oh, no!

Bad luck, Hannah. I'm afraid that's an incorrect answer. You score the maximum of 100 points. Richard?

Sorry, Hannah. Charles Muenchinger is a creator of My Little Pony.

LAUGHTER

Right, OK.

Paul, horses and ponies.

Not one of my strongest areas and there's one up there that I'm 100% sure on,

but it would score high, so I'll take a risk and go with Dartmoor.

Dartmoor. There it is. Dartmoor, the second one down. Jean thinks that's a brilliant answer.

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

It's right.

Very well done. 20.

Not bad at all, Paul.

-20 for Dartmoor pony.

-Yes, well played, Paul. Absolutely right.

Originally used to carry tin from the tin mines, but they were allowed to roam free on the moors.

-How many are there, roughly?

-Dartmoor ponies?

Roughly six.

Austin, you're the last person to have this board, so you can talk us through it.

I've no idea. I recognise Shire. That's about the only one that could definitely be right,

but I'll throw caution to the wind and try to put more money in the jackpot for my fellow team members.

-Very good.

-I'll take a guess at Percheron. That sounds like a horse.

Percheron. Doesn't it? Let's see if Percheron is right and, if it is, how many said it.

Very well done.

It's correct.

A Percheron pony.

Still galloping down - five!

Not quite a pointless, but the best score on the board on this pass. Richard?

Well played, Austin. There's records dating back to the 8th century of Percheron, from Normandy.

Let's look at the rest of the board. Shire horse everybody avoided. It was a hefty score. 48 points.

The Clydesdale is a breed native to Scotland.

That would have scored you 12. And the pointless answer was the Noriker.

-Very well done if you said that at home.

-Thank you, Richard. Let's look at the scores as they stand.

Austin and Niall looking very strong on five, then up to nine for Sylvia and Tony,

up to 20 for Paul and Jean

and then up to 100 where we find Hannah and Rae.

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

Remember we are looking for horse or pony breeds. We have seven more answers. Here they are.

HE READS LIST

I'll read those all one more time.

Now at least one of those answers is pointless and at least one is incorrect. Pick an incorrect one

and you will score 100 points. Now then, Niall. Remember we're looking for horse or pony breeds.

There's a couple I recognise and one or two could be pointless, but no point in taking a chance.

Rae and Hannah are on 100. If you can score 94 or less, you are through.

-I'm going to go with Arabian.

-You're going to go with Arabian.

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

Here's your red line. Nice and high. Can it get you below it?

And it does! Well done.

40 points. Takes your total up to 45. Very well done, Niall.

-Arabian, Richard.

-Very well played. Originally bred as war horses.

-Ridden by everyone from Genghis Khan to George Washington.

-Very good.

Jean, you are on 20. The high scorers remain on 100.

Should you score 79 or less, you'll be joining Niall and Austin in the second round.

-Horse or pony breeds.

-I could go for one that's very risky, but I think at this point I'll not.

I'll go comparatively safe and say Suffolk Punch.

Suffolk Punch. OK. There's your red line, Jean.

If Suffolk punch can get you below that, you are through. Is it right and how many people said it?

You've done it! Very well done.

Oh, it's a brilliant answer, Jean! Look at that - nine. Takes your total to 29.

Yeah, very good answer. The oldest breed of working horse in the world. They can trace back to one horse.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-Right, OK. Rae, you and Hannah are the highest scorers on 100.

You have to score as low as you possibly can

and hope that's good enough.

I'm actually going to pick the one that I think isn't because I think it might be. Does it make sense?

Yes!

-Anyway, I'm going to say Tennessee Walking.

-There's no red line for you, Rae.

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

It's right!

Very well done, Rae. Look at that.

It's a brilliant answer. Yes! It's done what it had to do!

Very well done. That's pointless. It adds £250 to today's jackpot and takes the total up to £1,250.

And it scores you nothing, leaving you on 100 points. Let's hope it's enough. Richard?

Well played, Rae. Good risk to take. Bred in mid-Tennessee, as you might expect.

Now then, Tony, the high scorers are still Hannah and Rae on 100, so if you can score 90 or less,

-you are through to the next round.

-I'm pretty sure that thoroughbred would score pretty high

and Shetland will score pretty high. The only thing I know about Catesby is the gunpowder plot.

So I think I'll go for Welsh Mountain.

Welsh Mountain says Tony, by a process of elimination.

If you can get below that red line, you'll be in the second round.

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

Very well done. You're through.

Oh!

Very, very well done, Tony.

-That scores you one point and a pat on the back from Sylvia. That takes you to 10.

-Well played.

Very good Round One. They're roamed the Welsh hills for 1,000 years.

Let's take a look at the rest of the answers.

Shetland, you're absolutely right. A correct answer, but scored 65.

Thoroughbred would have only scored you 15 points.

People don't realise it's a breed.

And so the incorrect answer is Catesby. When Richard III said,

"My kingdom for a horse," it's Catesby who replies.

Thanks very much, Richard. So the losing pair with the highest score is Hannah and Rae.

Dear, oh, dear.

-But the Tennessee Walking horse - thank you for that, Rae.

-My pleasure.

And you have left a £250 legacy to your rivals.

-Yes.

-For which many, many thanks. It's been lovely having you.

-It's been great. Thank you.

Brilliant. Rae and Hannah!

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

There's only room for two pairs in the Head to Head, so one team will leave at the end of this round.

Our category for Round Two is...

Musical Theatre. Another thing people ask for.

Musical Theatre. Can you all decide who is going to go first and who is going second?

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

So our question concerns... characters and their musicals.

-Characters and their musicals.

-We're going to show you six characters on each pass.

We asked 100 people to tell us which West End musicals they appeared in.

A nice obscure answer will score fewer points, but an incorrect answer scores 100.

12 characters in all, 12 West End shows to guess at home.

Thank you very much indeed. We are looking for the West End musicals that these characters come from.

-Here is our first list.

-HE READS LIST

I shall read all of those one more time.

There are the characters. Sylvia...

I would like you to name the most obscure musical that one of those characters comes from.

I don't think I'm going to be very obscure because, looking at that list, there's only two

that I can honestly say I know which musical they came from.

So I'm going to go for Mr Mistoffelees and Cats.

Mr Mistoffelees and Cats. Is that right and how many knew it?

-39. Not bad at all. I think you picked the right one. Richard?

-Well played, Sylvia.

-Magical Mr Mistoffelees. First played by Wayne Sleep.

-Very good.

Paul...

We're looking for the musicals from which these characters come.

-I think I'm going to go with Danny Zuko, West Side Story, but I'm not sure.

-Danny Zuko,

West Side Story. That is a stab in the dark or a bit more? A stab in the gloaming?

West Side Story's the only one I know and Danny Zuko rung a bell.

Let's see if it rang a bell because it's right. If it is, how many people said it?

Bad luck, Paul. That's an incorrect answer and you score 100 points. Richard?

-Sorry, Paul. I won't give the answer in case Niall wants a go at it.

-Niall...

You're the last person to have this board, so you can talk through it. Show us your working.

OK, I don't recognise Deloris van Cartier at all, so I'll stay clear of that one.

Elphaba is Wicked, Danny Zuko is Grease, Von Trapp is Sound of Music.

Frances Houseman...I'm not sure there's a musical, but the name rings a bell from Dirty Dancing.

-So I'll go for Frances Houseman, Dirty Dancing.

-Frances Houseman, Dirty Dancing.

Austin thinks it's a great answer. Frances Houseman, Dirty Dancing. Let's see if it's right

and how many people knew it.

It IS right.

Very, very well done. 16, Niall.

A great answer and a great score. Richard?

Yeah, well played, Niall. You took us through the board.

Frances Houseman is the name of Baby as in, "No one puts Baby in the corner." Let's look at them all.

Captain von Trapp from The Sound of Music would have scored 89 points.

Danny Zuko is in Grease rather than West Side Story. That scored 56.

Elphaba, absolutely right, Niall, is from Wicked.

It's the best answer. It would only have scored you 6 points.

-And Deloris Van Cartier, any idea?

-No.

-Sister Act.

Sister Act. It would have scored you 13 points.

Thank you very much, Richard. Let's take a look at those scores.

The best score of that pass was Niall's, so Niall and Austin on 16, looking very strong,

then up to 39 for Sylvia and Tony, and then way out in front, I'm afraid, Paul and Jean.

Jean, I hope you know your musicals. Very best of luck.

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

OK, we're going to put six more characters on the board and here they are.

I shall read those all one more time.

We are looking for the musicals in which these characters are found.

Austin, you're on the lovely low score of 16. The high scorers are Jean and Paul on 100.

-If you can score 83 or less, you are through to the head-to-head.

-Yeah.

There are more names that I don't recognise than the ones that I do, so I may have to play reasonably safe.

The one I'm going to try and go for... Eva Peron was in Evita,

so I'm hoping Juan Peron was involved somewhere along the way. Who knows?

-You've got to hope.

-I'm going to go for Juan Peron and Evita.

-Juan Peron and Evita, says Austin.

If you can score 83 or less, it's good enough. There's your red line. Let's see if you can get below it.

Juan Peron, Evita - is it right, how many people said it?

Yeah, you've done it. Very well done, Austin.

52.

That's good enough. Takes your total up to 68.

-Richard?

-Well played, Austin. Safely through to the next round.

Juan Peron - Eva Peron's husband.

The clue's in the name.

There we are. Now then, Jean. We need some good working here, some nifty musical work.

The only one I know is the very obvious one, so I might have to do a bit of extremely wild guesswork.

Tracy Turnblad, I will try The Rocky Horror Show, but I'm not convinced.

-You're not convinced?

-No.

-Tracy Turnblad, you say Rocky Horror Show.

Tracy Turnblad, Rocky Horror Show, is it right, how many people said it if it is?

Bad luck, Jean. I'm afraid that's an incorrect answer.

It scores you 100 points which takes your total up to a pretty impressive 200 points. Richard?

Yeah, unlucky, Jean. I won't give the right answer just in case Tony wants to have a go.

Tony, you are through to the head-to-head.

The pressure is off. See if you can find the best answer on the board.

We are looking for the West End musicals these characters come from.

Well, Fagin, I have played. He's in Oliver!

Donna Sheridan, I'm not sure of.

Jean Valjean is Les Mis.

Tracy Turnblad, I think, is Shampoo.

But I'm going to go for Velma Kelly in Chicago.

Velma Kelly, Chicago.

Let's see if that's right and if it is, how many people said it. No red line.

It's right.

20.

-It takes your total up to 59. Very well done, Tony. Richard?

-Well done, Tony.

The role won Catherine Zeta-Jones an Oscar in the film version.

Let's fill in the rest of the board. Fagin, absolutely, is from Oliver!

But it would have scored you 75 points.

Jean Valjean, absolutely, is from Les Miserables. Would have scored you 15.

Tracy Turnblad is not from Shampoo, but you'd find the musical in the same supermarket aisle - Hairspray.

Hairspray.

-It would have scored you 23 points. Do you know Donna Sheridan? It's the best answer on the board.

-No.

2 points. Very well done at home if you said Mamma Mia! 2 points.

Thanks very much, Richard. At the end of Round 2,

the losing pair with the highest score, I'm sorry to say, it's Jean and Paul,

-but what a way to go out!

-We went out with a bang.

A big, red 200 there!

Absolutely fantastic. You are now members of our 200 Club.

-Wow!

-Yes.

And what are the benefits of that?

The benefits of the 200 Club, um...

-There's no benefits exactly.

-No benefits exactly.

We thought we might get a tie or a brooch made up or just come up with a handshake.

-We'll do that while we...

-Ridiculous to be saying goodbye to you so soon. Extremely promising contestants.

But I'm afraid the West End musical round is where we must say goodbye.

We'll see you again next time, but meanwhile, Jean and Paul, thanks very much for playing.

But for the remaining two players, things get even more exciting now as we enter the head-to-head.

Very well done, Tony and Sylvia, Austin and Niall, you've made it through to the head-to-head.

Only one pair can make it through to today's final and play for the jackpot which stands at £1,250.

APPLAUSE

For each question, each pair gives me one answer. You may now confer.

Come up with an answer that scores less than the other pair and you win that question.

The first pair to win two questions will play for today's jackpot. Let's play Pointless.

APPLAUSE

OK, here is your first question.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many British swimmers who have won an Olympic gold medal as they could.

-Richard?

-Yeah, any British swimmer who has won an Olympic gold medal

in the summer Olympics between 1948 and 2008 inclusive.

-There are six names on the list.

-Thanks very much, Richard.

Tony and Sylvia, you've played best throughout the show so far, so you get to go first.

WHISPERING

OK, we have an answer.

-David Wilkie.

-David Wilkie.

Very good. David Wilkie. Now, Austin and Niall...

Well, we know there was a Sports Personality from way back in the '60s possibly.

I think she was the first woman to win it. I'm pretty sure she was a swimmer.

-I think we might go for Anita...

-Lonsbrough.

-Lonsbrough.

-Anita Lonsbrough. Very good indeed.

So we have David Wilkie, we have Anita Lonsbrough.

They sound brilliant answers. I hope they're right.

Tony and Sylvia said David Wilkie. Let's see if that's right and if it is, how many people said it.

It is right.

This is going to be a lovely low score, isn't it?

Look at that. Well done indeed. That's great.

APPLAUSE

5 points. 5 for David Wilkie.

Austin and Niall are saying Anita Lonsbrough. Let's see if that's right. Now, if that is right,

will it go down far enough? Anita Lonsbrough, is it right, how many people said it?

It's right. It's right.

Down it goes.

Yes, you've done it. Look at that, it's pointless as well!

Fabulous. It adds another £250 to today's jackpot. It takes the total up to £1,500.

It scores nothing. Two amazing answers there!

But it means after the first question, Austin and Niall take a well-deserved lead, 1-0. Richard?

Yeah, well played, guys, two very good answers. There's one other pointless answer. Let's take a look.

There's Judith Grinham who won the 100 metres backstroke at the 1956 Olympics.

Anita Lonsbrough won the 200 metres breaststroke in 1960

and the first woman to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Adrian Moorhouse won the 100 metres breaststroke in Seoul - 1 point.

David Wilkie won the 200 metres breaststroke in Montreal. Would have scored you 5.

Rebecca Adlington won two golds in Beijing - the 400 and 800 metres freestyle.

And Duncan Goodhew won the 100 metres breaststroke in Moscow.

Well done if you got all of those, particularly the pointless ones.

Thank you, Richard. Here is your second question.

Tony and Sylvia, we need you to win this question if you're going to stay in the game.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many River Danube countries as they could.

-Richard?

-We're looking for any of the ten countries through which the River Danube flows.

As always, by country, we mean a sovereign state that is a member of the UN.

OK, Austin and Niall, you answer first this time.

WHISPERING

-We're not entirely sure about this one.

-It's a toughie.

-Yeah.

We're going to take a punt on Slovenia.

Slovenia, say Austin and Niall. Sounds good to me.

Tony and Sylvia, what are you going to say?

I'm going to have a shot at...Hungary.

Hungary.

OK, so we have Slovenia, we have Hungary.

Let's see. Slovenia is what Austin and Niall are saying. Is it right, how many people said Slovenia?

Slovenia not right. Hungary, let's see if that's right.

All it has to be is correct and you will win this question.

It is correct. Well done, you've done it.

And it goes down to 38.

All it had to be was right, though,

which means, after two questions, you are one-all. Richard?

Yeah, good answer, and unlucky, guys. Not a bad guess, Slovenia.

Let's take a look at all of them.

Ukraine would have scored you 2 points.

Moldova... It's got 600 metres of the Danube in Moldova, so very well done if you said that.

2 points. Croatia 6, Serbia 7, Bulgaria 14...

Slovakia 14, Romania 22, Hungary, there we go, on 38.

Then the big answers - Austria on 64 and Germany on 69.

Thank you, Richard. Here comes your third question.

Whoever wins this question goes through to the final.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many Mel Brooks films as they could.

-Richard?

-We're looking for any feature film made for cinema release prior to April 2011

for which Mel Brooks has received a directing credit.

No short films, TV films or documentaries.

OK, now then, Tony and Sylvia, you go first this time.

WHISPERING

OK, do we have an answer?

Yes, but I haven't got a clue, so it's all down to him.

I think we're going to go with Young Frankenstein.

Young Frankenstein, say Tony and Sylvia.

Now, Austin and Niall...

-We'll try The Producers.

-The Producers.

We have Young Frankenstein and The Producers. Tony and Sylvia, you said Young Frankenstein.

Let's see if that's right and if it is, how many people said it - Young Frankenstein.

It's right.

12. 12 for Young Frankenstein.

-APPLAUSE

-That's a lovely low score there.

The Producers... Is it right and if it is right, will it beat 12?

If it does, you stay with us. If it doesn't, we say goodbye to you.

The Producers, is it right, how many people said it?

It's right.

Down it goes.

Oh, 14!

APPLAUSE

Oh, that's close. Very well done, both pairs. Two great answers there.

But Tony and Sylvia pip it with Young Frankenstein

which means after three questions, Tony and Sylvia are through to the final, 2-1. Richard?

Great head-to-head. Let's look at all the answers.

There's some low scorers.

The Twelve Chairs, his 1970 comedy adventure, would have scored you 1,

Life Stinks would have scored you 2,

as would History Of The World: Part One and Dracula: Dead And Loving It.

Silent Movie would have scored you 4, High Anxiety, his Hitchcock spoof, 7.

Spaceballs, his sci-fi spoof, scored 7,

Robin Hood: Men In Tights would have scored you 8,

there's Young Frankenstein with Gene Wilder on 12,

The Producers, 14, he won a script Oscar for that,

and Blazing Saddles, his cowboy comedy, was top with 34.

Thanks, Richard. The losing pair at the end of the head-to-head, I'm sorry to say, Austin and Niall.

Wow, what a head-to-head! We very, very seldom get pointless answers in the head-to-head.

We will see you again next time when I have very high hopes that you will go even further.

Austin and Niall, thanks very much for playing. Great contestants.

APPLAUSE

But for Tony and Sylvia, it's now time for our Pointless final and the chance to win our jackpot of £1,500.

Congratulations, Tony and Sylvia. You fought off the competition and won our coveted Pointless trophy.

APPLAUSE

You now have a chance to win our Pointless jackpot and at the end of today's show, it stands at £1,500.

APPLAUSE

To win that money, all you have to do is find a pointless answer that none of our 100 people thought of.

We've had two pointless answers on the show today.

You only have to find one more now to leave here with that money.

Firstly, you've got to choose a category from these three options.

-It's certainly not going to be Britpop.

-Certainly not Britpop.

-I don't really fancy Famous Foodies an awful lot.

-No, Bestselling Authors.

-Bestselling Authors.

Let's find out what the question is.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds

to name as many Bill Bryson books as they could.

-Richard?

-We're looking for the title of any book written by Bill Bryson.

We will accept collections, but not Icons Of England which he just edited.

So any book written by Bill Bryson, please.

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

All you need to win that £1,500 is for just one of those answers to be pointless.

Your 60 seconds start now.

You know them more than me, so...

-There's one he did in Australia which I think is Down Under.

-Right.

-There's Notes From A Small Island.

-Notes From A Small Island, but that will probably be well-known.

I think he did another one called Here, There And Everywhere.

-Um...

-I can't think of any more.

And he has done more than that.

And it is very frustrating because we actually deliver books

to people on a home library service

and I took a Bill Bryson one to one lady last week

and I can't remember what it's called! Hey-ho...

Certainly Notes From A Small Island, although I don't think that'll be pointless.

I think it's called Down Under. I'm sure he wrote...

-I think it was Here, There And Everywhere.

-Five seconds.

-I think that's our best shot.

-They're the three that we'll go for.

-OK, we have three and there is your minute up.

Bill Bryson books - I now need your three answers.

-Notes From A Small Island.

-Notes From A Small Island.

-Here, There And Everywhere.

-Here, There And Everywhere.

-Down Under.

-Down Under.

-Which do you think is your best shot at a pointless?

-If it's right, probably Here, There And Everywhere.

We'll put that up third. Which is your least likely?

-Notes From A Small Island.

-We'll put them up on the board in that order.

Here they are.

We were looking for Bill Bryson books.

-You said this was your least confident answer.

-Yeah.

-You're pretty sure it's right, but quite well-known.

-Yeah.

You only have to find one pointless answer to win that £1,500 jackpot. OK, Notes From A Small Island...

Is it right, how many people said it?

OK, well, it's right.

This is your first shot at that £1,500 jackpot.

If this goes all the way down to zero, you will leave here with that money.

Down it goes... 20.

APPLAUSE

-That's what I thought.

-As you thought, that's quite a well-known book.

But we now go into the slightly less well-known territory.

-Hopefully, unknown territory.

-Hopefully, unknown territory.

Down Under is your second answer. What would you do with £1,500?

Well, I've just been made Mayor of Lutterworth where we're from

and one of the things that I'll be doing during the next 12 months

is the Mayor's Appeal for local charities,

so I shall make sure that a sizeable part of this goes to the Mayor's Appeal.

-APPLAUSE

-Very good indeed. Well done.

Excellent.

So now for all of Lutterworth's sake,

we have to hope that one of these last two answers will win that jackpot for you.

Very best of luck. Down Under, let's see if it's right and if it is, how many people said Down Under.

Very well done. It's right.

You weren't sure if you'd got the name right.

You most certainly have. Down it goes.

If this goes down to zero, you'll be leaving here with £1,500.

10.

OK...

We are most definitely moving in the right direction.

We started at 20. We're now down to 10.

Obviously, not a pointless answer, so you only have one more chance to win today's jackpot of £1,500.

We are looking for Bill Bryson books.

This was your most confident answer. Here, There And Everywhere, is it right and if it is,

how many people said Here, There And Everywhere?

Oh, no!

APPLAUSE

Oh, unfortunately, that's an incorrect answer

which means you haven't managed to find that all-important pointless answer,

so you don't win today's jackpot, but you do leave with our fabulous trophy.

-You've been excellent contestants. Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Sorry, Tony and Sylvia. You played so well. You've been a pleasure to have on the show.

-He did do a book called Neither Here Nor There. It would have scored you 3 points.

-So we wouldn't have won.

Let's take a look at the pointless ones. I think there's a couple that people will have got here.

A Really Short History Of Nearly Everything is his kids' version of A Short History Of Nearly Everything.

Bryson's Dictionary was pointless, Seeing Further, his history of science and the Royal Society.

The Complete Notes which is Small Island and Big Country.

The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid is his account of growing up in '50s America.

And Troublesome Words. Very well done if you got those at home.

Oh, dear, you knew some of those!

-It's always easier to be wise after the event.

-It is.

-And it's much easier to be wise when there's not a clock ticking.

-The trophy is what matters!

Well, that's well said, Tony. I really hope you mean that!

Unfortunately, we do have to say goodbye to you, Tony and Sylvia.

Thank you so much for playing. Brilliant - Tony and Sylvia!

APPLAUSE

Nobody's won our jackpot today, so it rolls over to the next show when we will be playing for £2,500.

APPLAUSE

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

-Goodbye.

-And it's goodbye from me.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2012

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