Episode 42 Pointless

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

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

and welcome to Pointless, where the obvious answers mean nothing

and obscure answers mean everything. Let's meet today's players.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Welcome, Faris and Shankar. You are our first pair on the show today.

-How do you two know each other?

-We've been at the same school

for the past six and a half-odd years

and have been good friends ever since, really.

-From about year seven.

-From year seven.

Whose idea was it to come on the show?

It was very much my idea. Shankar hadn't really seen the show,

but I convinced him that it was a good idea and we're glad to be here.

What do you hope is going to come up today, Faris?

Er, I'm a big film fan, actually, so I'd love anything to do with films.

My dad owned a DVD shop for most of my life,

so I've grown up seeing a lot of films.

-Any other categories you'd like to see come up?

-Football as well.

I'm currently a Fulham season ticket holder and...

-Hey!

-Big fan, yes.

-I knew there were two of us!

-Absolutely knew it.

-Wow.

Er, Shankar. What would you like to see come up today?

It's quite unlikely, but maybe computer hardware, things like that.

OK, so computer hardware questions. They've never yet come up

-but that's no reason why they shouldn't today.

-Always a first.

I'm guessing you're doing some science-based A-levels.

Yeah. Biology, Chemistry and Maths.

Right you are, and how about you, Faris?

-I'm doing English, History and Maths.

-Bit of a Maths overlap there,

but otherwise you complement each other pretty well.

Listen, very warm welcome to both of you.

It's great to have you on the show. Next we welcome back Laura and Mick.

You were on the show last time.

Everyone gets two chances to reach the final.

This is your second and final chance.

Remind us how you know each other, Laura.

Michael is my partner's best friend, so there's a connection there.

-You're from Stockton-on-Tees?

-Yes.

-Mick, what happened last time?

We had a bit of a poetry question and Laura, brilliantly,

rattled out all the answers and then picked the one she'd got wrong.

-We went out in the head-to-head.

-You made it through to the head-to-head

but then suddenly it all went wrong.

Mick planted the seed of doubt, I think.

-Bit of finger-pointing going on here.

-No, no.

Really? "Mick planted the seeds of doubt,"

"Laura didn't name the right person..."

Listen, that was last time. Today, we move forwards.

What's going to be great for you today, Laura?

Film again. I don't really think I can compete

with a broad a knowledge as Faris.

Faris, he's clearly going to have that sewn up.

I'm quite into my British, gritty, kitchen sink-type movies.

Ah, very good. So, of the old, of the '50s and '60s, those ones?

-More sort of Mike Leigh. Bit more modern.

-Mike Leigh.

-Mick, what about you? What'd be good for you?

-Geography, geology.

I did a bit of a geology degree, so I've got a bit of knowledge there.

Well, listen, Laura and Mick, it's great to have you back on the show.

Very best of luck. And next we welcome back Richard and Vanessa.

You were also on the show last time.

-Remind us how you two know each other.

-This is my dad.

-And you've come from south Devon?

-Yes, we have, yeah.

-Remind us what you do, Richard.

-I'm a sub-editor on a local newspaper.

-Indeed.

-Sports editor.

Now, then, Richard, remind us how far you got last time.

We got, well, we made it through to Round Two.

Round Two, yes, Famous Charlies.

Yeah, I mean, I played my part quite successfully, and what did you do?

-Made a bit of a Charlie of myself and got it wrong!

-I remember now.

Yeah, it was the Charles who was the Irish Prime Minister,

and you said, "I'm going to pick an Irish-sounding surname...

"Abraham!"

-Yes, I know.

-Erm, what do you hope is going to come up today, Richard?

Sport, obviously. I'm a great lover of most types of music.

-Comedy, I'm a great fan of comedy as well.

-What's your favourite comedy?

Pretty big fan of music-hall type comedy,

people like, going back to Roy Hudd, Ken Dodd.

Anyway, Richard and Vanessa, lovely to have you on the show.

Very best of luck. And we welcome back, finally, Ming and Eric.

You were also on the show last time. Three returning pairs.

Remind us how you know each other, Eric.

We're twins, as you can see, but he's a little bit younger than me.

Yeah, father and son.

And you have, actually, you've got almost identical beards there.

Ming, did you model your beard on your father's

or go straight for Flash Gordon?

-It's the other way round. He modelled his on mine.

-Ah.

-And you are both, we discovered last time, retired police officers.

-Yes.

Ming, what's going to be good for you today?

Natural history, animals, fish, fishing, anything like that.

-Anything outside-based, quite happy with.

-You are a martial artist.

-Yeah, karate black belt.

-Karate black belt.

-He's quite, actually, he's quite scary, isn't he, Ming?

-Ming, yeah.

Certainly if we were deciding

who's Good Retired Cop, who's Bad Retired Cop,

I know who I'd rather be left in an interview room with.

-Don't underestimate Eric.

-Actually, d'you know what?

Eric'll probably...you'd probably be in trouble either way, wouldn't you?

Yeah. Now, then, Eric. What are you hoping's going to come up today?

Well, basically words, language, wildlife, anything of that sort.

-Anything but soaps.

-Anything but soaps.

It's lovely having you back, Ming and Eric. Very best of luck to you.

We'll find out more about all of you throughout the show.

There's only one person left to introduce.

He will be presiding over obscurity

like a referee during a feisty FA Cup tie.

It's my Pointless friend, Richard.

Hiya.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

It's a good bunch today, isn't it?

Three returning pairs we know fairly well already,

and Faris and Shankar. Everyone quite good last time.

People didn't get knocked out for bad reasons.

People tended to get knocked out for good reasons.

Ming and Eric, we didn't see much of them. I suspect we might see more.

Do we know, definitely, that he's no longer a serving police officer?

Cos it's possible... He can't hear, can he?

It's possible that he's undercover.

D'you think he's been sent in to check us out?

I think there may be an arrest before Round Three.

Thank you very much, Richard.

Now, all our questions have been put to 100 people before the show,

but we are looking for the obscure answers they didn't get.

To be in with a chance of winning our jackpot,

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

What everyone's trying to do is find a pointless answer,

an answer that none of our 100 people gave.

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

Nobody won the jackpot last time, so we add another £1,000 to that.

So today's jackpot starts off at £9,500.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

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

OK, in this round, each of you must give me one answer

and you cannot confer. Whichever pair has 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 try and avoid those if you can.

Our first category today is...

Can you decide in your pairs who's going to go first,

who's going to go second?

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

Let's find out what the question is.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds to name as many...

..as they could.

-Words ending in P-E-T, Richard.

-Surprisingly tricky, this one.

There's plenty of words, but we're looking for any word

in the Oxford English Dictionary that ends P-E-T.

No proper nouns and no hyphenated words.

We also won't allow the word pet,

in case anyone was thinking of using it.

OK, Faris and Shankar, you all drew lots before the show,

and today, you are going first.

And Shankar, you have elected to step up first.

Very brave, get the ball rolling

with a nice obscure word ending in P-E-T.

I'm going to give you a couple of moments

-just to marshal your thoughts.

-I can think of some obvious ones,

but more obscure ones are a bit more difficult.

-Ah!

-I think I've got one.

-He's got one.

-Hope so.

-He's got one.

-What's it going to be?

-Uh, snippet.

-Oh, it's good.

-That's good.

Yeah, that is good. Snippet, says Shankar. Let's see if that's right.

Let's see how many people said snippet.

It's right.

Oh, it's fantastic, Shankar! Very well done indeed.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

-Six for snippet.

-Yes, a terrific answer, Shankar.

Well done. A small fragment

cut off something or a fragment of a literary work.

-A snippet.

-Laura, a nice obscure word ending in P-E-T.

-Erm, I think I'm going to say parapet.

-Parapet.

These are all excellent words. Let's see if that's right and if it is,

how many of our 100 people said parapet.

It's correct.

-Wow.

-I know.

-28?

-Shame.

That doesn't seem fair at all. 28 for parapet, perfectly good word.

I'd have thought that would be a bit more obscure.

I'd have thought it would be lower. People know about parapets.

They're the raised bits on the top of walls or ramparts,

or it can just mean a big mound of earth, anything that conceals troops.

Very popular word for one that's not used quite so much.

Vanessa, a nice obscure word, please, ending in P-E-T.

Pipette.

OK, Vanessa, I'm going to ask you just to spell pipette for us.

P-I-P-E-T,

as in the pipette that you use for chemistry.

P-I-P-E-T. OK, let's see if that's right,

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

It's right.

Oh, very well done indeed, Vanessa!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Very well done, that's a pointless answer.

It adds £250 to today's jackpot, takes the total up to £9,750.

It scores you nothing, your second pointless answer

in two consecutive shows. Very well done. Richard.

Yes, however, I'm delighted to see the money added to the jackpot,

I'm going to put that in the drawer marked, "Very, very, very lucky."

-Pipette, the one used in chemistry, is spelled differently.

-Is it?

But pipet, the way you spelt it, is a word.

It's, as you probably know, a variation of pipit,

a small brown bird.

-No!

-So, that's the answer you gave so that's the answer we take.

Er, thank you very much. So, then, Ming.

What is the most obscure word ending in P-E-T that springs to mind?

Strumpet.

Strumpet.

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

It's correct.

18.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Strumpet, Richard.

Well played, Ming.

A debauched or unchaste woman.

OK, we're halfway through the round. Let's take a look at the scores.

Vanessa and Richard

looking very strong indeed on that lovely pointless answer.

Shankar and Faris, great answer from you, score of six.

Then up to 18, where we find Ming and Eric, then up to 28,

where we find Laura and Mick.

So, Mick, little bit of pressure on you

to find a nice low-scoring word ending P-E-T.

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

OK, remember, we are looking for words ending in P-E-T. Now, then, Eric.

You are currently on 18.

The high scorers on 28 are Mick and Laura.

If you can score nine or less,

you are definitely in the next round.

Ming stole mine. Erm, whippet.

Whippet.

Here's your red line, it's quite low. Sort of whippet height.

Let's see if whippet

can get you down there. How many people said whippet?

It's right.

Looking very good for whippet.

Ooh, 13.

Not bad at all. Let's hope that's enough to see you through.

-That takes your total up to 31. Richard.

-Well played, Eric.

It's a mix of a greyhound

and a terrier or spaniel.

Be interesting to see

if 31 is enough to go through. It's going to be a very interesting

-end of round, this, I think.

-Yeah.

It's all in Mick's hands, I would say.

Richard, you are on nothing. The highest scorers

are Eric and Ming at the moment on 31.

A score of 30 or less

and you are comfortably through to the next round.

I'll go for crumpet.

OK, crumpet, says Richard. Crumpet.

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

There is your red line, a little bit higher than Eric and Ming's.

Crumpet.

It's right.

Yeah, ooh, not quite!

31, that scores you.

You are joint high scorers with Eric and Ming. Richard.

Yes, that's very interesting, now, isn't it?

Obviously we know what crumpet means. It's a crumpet.

Mmm, crumpet.

A toasted teacake. There we are. So, then, Mick.

Now, Mick, you are on 28.

The joint high scorers are Eric and Ming, Richard and Vanessa.

Oh, it's very exciting indeed. If you want to avoid

becoming the high scorers, all we need from you,

no pressure at all, is a score of two or less.

Well, seems like I may as well

just invent something out of thin air and hope that it exists.

Yeah, mmm...

Oh, I'm just going to go for poppet.

Poppet. OK, poppet...

The term of endearment rather than the little chocolate sweets.

OK, poppet, says Mick. Here's your red line, it's very low.

It is very, very low indeed. But you never know.

Poppet might do it for you. Let's see. Poppet.

Is it right? How many people said it?

It's right.

Oh! Five!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Five takes your total up to 33.

You are currently the high scorers. Richard.

This is a cracking round, isn't it? Yeah, poppet, a small, dainty person,

or it's a term of endearment

for a woman or a child.

Now, then, Faris. You're on six. The high scorers

are now Mick and Laura on 33,

which means a score of 26 or less will see you into the next round.

Have you got a great word?

You've had a lot of time.

-I had a few of the answers everyone else has given.

-That will happen.

I've resolved that trumpet is my best shot,

although I'm a bit doubtful that it'll go lower than 26.

You're going to go for trumpet.

-Trumpet, as in the musical instrument.

-Yeah, OK.

Trumpet, oh, THAT trumpet?!

There is your red line.

That is what 26 looks like. You have to get below that red line.

Below that red line, through to the next round.

How many people said trumpet?

It's right.

Oh, 46!

46 for trumpet, which takes your total up to an unbeatable 52.

-Richard.

-Tough luck, Faris. You were in a very difficult position there,

going eighth on that board,

and everyone else had done so well.

There wasn't an awful lot you could have done.

Let's look at the pointless answers. See if you got any of these at home.

If instead of saying trumpet, you'd have said betrumpet,

would have been a pointless answer. To betrumpet.

A crampet, which is a type of crampon or wool hook.

Cyberpet, now in the OED. Foppet, shrimpet, which is a small shrimp.

Slappet, which is a mining term from Derbyshire.

Telepuppet.

I'm looking at no-one in particular.

A telepuppet is like, it's like a remote control device,

but that you control from a long distance.

It's like things they use in space, where you're not in the vicinity

of the thing you're controlling.

A whappet, which is a rather lovely name for a small dog

that's addicted to barking or yelping.

And yappet means to bark sharply.

So if you've got a yappeting whappet next door...man, you are in trouble.

What about our high scorers?

These are the high scorers that most of our 100 people said.

In fourth place was muppet.

-Rather nice.

-Really?

-But let's take a look at the top three.

We managed to avoid these until we got to Faris, unfortunately.

Limpet would have scored 34.

Trumpet, there you go, 46.

And right up the top,

covering everything, carpet. 70.

Very good indeed, thank you so much, Richard.

At the end of the first round, the losing pair with the highest score,

I'm afraid it's Faris and Shankar.

AUDIENCE: Aw-w-w-w.

Now, Faris, what other ones did you have?

I had crumpet at the start. I was dwelling on puppet and muppet,

but I thought those were more obvious, to be honest.

Yeah. Well, very, very bad luck indeed. We'll look forward

to seeing you next time, I'm sure you'll go much further.

It's been great having you on the show. Faris and Shankar.

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

Obviously, there's only going to be room for two pairs

in the head-to-head, so one of the teams will be leaving us

at the end of this round. Our category for Round Two is...

Can you decide in your pairs

who's going to go first, who's going to go second?

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

OK, our Round Two question concerns...

-Richard.

-On each pass, we're going to show you six comic strips,

animations or animated characters. Can you tell us the cartoonist

who created them? A nice obscure answer, score you fewer points.

An incorrect answer, though, will score 100 points.

There's a lot of people who know a lot about cartoons at home.

It's 12 in all to get here. See how well you do.

Thanks very much indeed, Richard.

OK, so we are looking for the creators of these cartoons,

and we have got...

I'll read them all one more time.

OK, there are the names of the cartoons.

We need the names of the creators, and as always, you're trying to find

the one you think the fewest of our 100 people knew. Mick.

I only know the answer to the two most clearly obvious ones.

I'm going to go with The Simpsons and Matt Groening.

Matt Groening, you're saying. Good pronunciation.

OK, Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons.

Let's see if that's right and if it is,

let's see how many people knew that answer. Matt Groening.

Absolutely right.

28.

APPLAUSE

Not bad at all.

-28 for Matt Groening.

-Yeah, good answer, Mick.

Surprisingly low score as well for Matt Groening.

We were using the OED in that first round,

and d'you know what word went into the OED in 2001?

-D'oh!

-D'oh. Absolutely right. That's nice, isn't it?

-Isn't it?

That is nice. Now, then, Vanessa. Is this good for you?

One of them definitely is good for me.

-One of them is good. Which one's that?

-Donald Duck.

-Good.

-At least I'm not going to get 100, I hope!

-Walt Disney.

-Walt Disney, Donald Duck, says Vanessa.

Walt Disney, the creator of Donald Duck.

Let's see if that's right and if it is,

let's see how many people knew that answer.

It's right.

57.

That's a long way off 100. 57 points for Donald Duck.

Yeah, again, better than 100, but a pretty big score.

-D'you know what Donald Duck's middle name is?

-Reginald.

-Fauntleroy.

-Fauntleroy?

-Yeah, Donald Fauntleroy Duck.

Ming, you're the last person to have this board. Talk us through it.

-Well, the two that I knew have gone.

-Ah.

So, something in the back of my mind says Tintin was Herge.

-Herge.

-Herge's Adventures of Tintin.

Herge, says Ming. Eric is nodding.

Herge. Let's see if that's right

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

Of course it is. Georges Remi.

15.

APPLAUSE

-15 for Herge.

-Good answer, Mick.

As you say, the pen name of Georges Remi.

You know, he didn't always use to have a quiff.

In his first ever adventure there's a car chase.

It blows up like that during a car chase and stays that way

throughout every other book. Let's go through the rest of the board.

Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson, would have scored you one point.

Garfield is Jim Davis, that would have scored you four points.

Now, the Smurfs, very, very well-known films, books, everything,

but it's a pointless answer.

The person who created them, he's a Belgian cartoonist called Peyo.

Pointless answer. Very well done if you said that at home.

-D'you know how tall Smurfs are?

-About four, three apples.

-Yeah, three apples tall.

-Hate the Smurfs.

-You hate the Smurfs?

I just find it very hard to be excited about the Smurfs.

-I'm not a big fan of the Smurfs. I'll grant you that.

-Thank you.

OK, well, we're halfway through the round.

Let's take a look at the scores. Well, Ming and Eric, 15.

See, forced into a corner like that

and it turns out you knew the answer. Then we go up to 28,

where we find Mick and Laura,

then up to 57, where we find Vanessa and Richard.

-Richard, you know what you have to do in the next pass.

-I do.

Good luck with that.

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

OK, we're going to put six more cartoons on the board,

and here they come. We have got...

I'll read them all one more time.

Now, remember, you are looking for the creators of these cartoons,

and obviously, you are trying to find the one you think

the fewest of our 100 people knew.

Now, then, Eric, you're the low scorers on 15.

The high scorers on 57

are Richard and Vanessa, which means a score

of 41 from you or less is enough to see you through to the head-to-head.

It would be very nice, but I don't know any of 'em.

-Really?

-Erm, well, only the obvious one.

Well, I think I've got to play safe and go Mickey Mouse,

and Walt Disney again.

Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney.

Here is your red line.

If you get below that red line, you are through to the head-to-head.

Very best of luck. Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney. Is it right?

How many people said it?

It is right.

APPLAUSE

Yeah, 82.

That's a high score.

That takes your total up to 97.

-Richard.

-A big score, Eric,

but nothing else you could do there if that was the only one you knew.

His first ever words were "Hot dogs," Mickey Mouse.

-Really?

-Yeah. I have no information on his middle name.

-I know Rupert Bear's middle name.

-Do you always add...?

-The.

-The. Yeah, yes.

-Why hot dogs?

-Why hot dogs?

-Yeah.

-Why not hot dogs?

Well, why not? Now, then, Richard and Vanessa, you were on 57.

The high scorers are now Eric and Ming on 97.

A score of 39 or less, Richard, and you're through

to the head-to-head.

Well, there's three I think I know.

I shall go with Andy Capp and Reg Smythe.

Reg Smythe, says Richard. Reg Smythe.

There is your red line. If you get below that red line, you're through.

Let's see if Reg Smythe is right

and how many people said it.

It's right.

Very well done, Richard.

Oh, three!

That's a superb answer.

Takes your total up to a lovely round 60.

Richard.

Great answer, Richard. Very well played. Yeah, Reg Smythe,

more obscure than Walt Disney, it turns out.

Now, Andy Capp, in France, he's known as Andre Chapeau,

-which is fair enough.

-No!

-Yeah, Andre Chapeau,

and d'you know what he's known as in Germany? Willi Wacker.

Thank you, Richard. Now, then, Laura.

-You're on 28.

-Yeah.

On 97, we find Eric and Ming.

Which means you are 68 points clear of them.

-Unfortunately, I think I'm about to get 128.

-Are you really?

Yeah, honestly. I've seen so many episodes of Family Guy,

and my mind's just gone completely blank.

I'm going to be kicking myself.

Eric and Ming, this is a lifeline, possibly.

-You're going to have to make something up, Laura.

-I know.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to say

Charlie Brown for Peanuts, because I've got nothing else.

Now, OK, there's your red line, Laura.

You are saying Charlie Brown was the creator of Peanuts.

Let's see if that's right and if it is,

let's see how many people said it.

Bad luck, bad luck.

At least we went out with a bang.

Yes, you did, but that was unfortunate.

You're going to kick yourself, I think, when you see these names.

Bad luck. It's awful when your mind goes blank like that.

That scores you 100 points, takes your total up to 128. I'm sorry.

-Richard.

-Yeah, sorry, Laura. I'm sure you know that Charlie Brown

is a character in Peanuts. I have to say,

Mick's body language is quite something.

You weren't crossing your arms before.

Last show, when she was getting right answer after right answer,

he seemed happy as Larry. That's unfortunate. You played brilliantly.

I don't think I'm going to live that down.

The creator of Peanuts is Charles Schultz.

Had a readership of 355 million at its peak.

And talking of... 22 points that would have scored you.

Would have seen you safely through.

Talking of popularity, after JK Rowling, the best-selling author

of the noughties is the writer of the Mr Men books, Roger Hargreaves.

Would have scored you 21. Family Guy is Seth MacFarlane.

Does lots of the voices, including Peter Griffin.

And Beavis and Butt-head is a pointless answer. It's Mike Judge.

Mike Judge, also made Office Space, which is rather a good film.

Pointless. Very well done if you got him at home.

-Some people will have done.

-Thanks very much, Richard.

At the end of Round Two, the losing pair,

it's Laura and Mick.

-Oh, well, never mind.

-Oh, bad luck. Seth MacFarlane!

-Rr-r! Never mind.

You'll never forget that

ever, ever again. You'll never be able to watch

Family Guy again, either, without having a slight twinge, thinking

"Aw-w!" There we are. I'm afraid this is the end

of your Pointless road. I'm sorry to say we have to say goodbye.

It's been lovely having you on the show. Laura and Mick.

Great contestants.

APPLAUSE

For the remaining two pairs, things are about to get

even more exciting as we enter the head-to-head.

Well, congratulations, Richard and Vanessa, Eric and Ming.

You are now only one round away from the final and a chance

to play for that jackpot, which currently stands at £9,750.

APPLAUSE

Now, only one pair can play for that money,

and to decide which, you're going head-to-head on the best of three questions.

So basically, the first pair to win two questions

will be playing for that jackpot, and you are now allowed to confer.

Maybe there'll be a pointless answer.

Sometimes we have them in the head-to-head. We can knock that jackpot up

to a nice, round £10,000. You know, there's very little to divide you.

First round, you both had exactly the same score.

Second round, Richard and Vanessa,

you were just slightly ahead of Eric and Ming,

but it is father and daughter versus father and son.

Anything could happen. Let's play the head-to-head.

OK, here comes your first question. And it concerns...

Yes, on this question, we're going to show you five pictures

of tall buildings from around the world.

You just have to pick the most obscure. Good luck.

OK, thanks very much. Let's reveal our five tall buildings.

Here they come. We have got...

GIGGLING IN AUDIENCE

I don't see what's so funny about E.

There they are. Five tall buildings.

Richard and Vanessa, because you've played best

throughout the show so far, you go first.

THEY CONFER

-OK?

-Yes.

-What's it going to be?

A, and we think it's the Empire State Building.

Richard and Vanessa are saying A, the Empire State Building.

Eric and Ming. It's over to you. You can do all your conferring out loud,

if you need to. You can also submit another answer for A,

if Richard and Vanessa are wrong.

I don't think we'll be submitting another answer for A.

Go on, yeah, yeah.

E. Blackpool Tower.

E, Blackpool Tower.

So, we have A, the Empire State Building

and we have E, the Blackpool Tower.

Richard and Vanessa have said A, the Empire State Building.

Let's see if that's right and if it is, let's see how many

of our 100 people said the Empire State Building.

Absolutely right.

58.

Eric and Ming, you have said that E is the Blackpool Tower.

Let's see if that's right and if it is,

how many people said E was the Blackpool Tower.

58 is the score you have to beat.

It's right.

72.

72.

Right, that means, after one question,

Richard and Vanessa are ahead 1-0.

Yeah, all the others would have won the point. Let's take a look at them.

B is in Kuala Lumpur, it's the Petronas Towers.

Would have scored you 18 points. C is the best answer on the board,

would have just scored you one point.

It's the Coit Memorial Tower in San Francisco.

Very well done if you said that one.

And D is the tallest building in the world.

It's 828 metres, that's nearly a kilometre high.

It's the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It would have scored four points.

-Went there last year. I'll tell you what, it is tall.

-And that from you?

That is a big... You could put four of me up on top of each other

and it would...it would still be taller.

Wow. OK, here comes your second question. Eric and Ming,

it is imperative that you win this.

It's so lovely to see a father and son!

Eric, you are just, you are prototype Ming!

Seeing you together, exactly the same!

You've got to win this question.

Here comes your second question. It concerns...

-Richard.

-Yes, for this question,

we're going to show you the titles of five Stephen King novels,

but we've left out the last word of the title. Can you fill in that word,

-and pick the most obscure?

-OK, here they come.

Five Stephen King novels, with the last word missing. We've got...

I'll read them all one more time.

So there you are. Five Stephen King novels with the last word missing.

Eric and Ming, it's your turn to answer first,

and you have to win this question

to stay in the game.

All right, we'll go safe. Salem's Lot.

Salem's Lot, say Eric and Ming. OK.

Now, then, Richard and Vanessa, you can do all your conferring out loud.

-Was that the only one you knew?

-That was the one we knew.

That's what Eric and Ming were banking on, I think.

-You've got Bag of Bones?

-Yeah, that's a good guess.

Bit like a comedy novel, the Bag of Bones. Erm, shall we go with that?

-Yeah, try it.

-We'll go for Bag of Bones.

You're going to say Bag of Bones. That's a guess.

Bag of Bones. So, we have

Salem's Lot and we have Bag of Bones.

Eric and Ming, Salem's Lot. Let's see if that's right

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

Yep, it's right.

61.

It's a high score,

but I think you cornered the only one that people knew on the board.

So, then, Richard and Vanessa, you have decided

Bag of Bones. OK, Bag of Bones. Let's see if it's right

and if it is, let's see how many people said Bag of Bones.

It's right!

It's right, Bag of Bones.

Wow, look at that. 25!

APPLAUSE

Cor, Bag of Bones. What a fluke.

That was a complete guess.

It was a great guess! Brilliant guess, in fact.

Bag of Bones wins it for you.

Which means, after only two questions,

Richard and Vanessa, you are through to the final, 2-0.

-Richard.

-Yeah, and Vanessa, we can officially award you

the title of Pointless' luckiest ever contestant.

I think that was Dad, that one. It wasn't me.

-But you're on his team.

-Pipet!

I think pipet and Bag of Bones is not bad going.

Tough luck, guys. Very, very unlucky to get knocked out.

Let's fill in the rest. All of these would have won you the points.

Dolores is Dolores Claiborne. That's a novel and a film,

would have scored 19.

The Dead is The Dead Zone, also made into a film.

That would have scored 20. And this is one of his more recent novels,

Duma Key would have scored seven points.

Very well done if you got those at home.

Thank you very much, Richard.

So, the losing pair at the end of the head-to-head, Eric and Ming.

Wow, that was unlucky.

Got a Stephen King book in me bag. I read it

on the train on the way down, and it's not up there.

Would have been perfect.

So, you had a risky one, Ming and Eric.

-What was that one going to be?

-No, it was wrong.

I thought it was The Dead Pool, not The Dead Zone, and we weren't sure.

So we thought we'll take the safe one.

Someone'll have to guess to get a result.

Good guess.

-And they did. Well, it was a risk.

-It was a risk, but...

-Paid off.

-It paid off.

It's been brilliant having you on the show,

and well done. You made it all the way to the head-to-head.

I'm sorry you haven't made it into the final,

by the skin of your teeth.

It's been great having you, though. Eric, Ming. Thank you so much.

APPLAUSE

But for Richard and Vanessa, it's now time for our Pointless final.

Well, congratulations, Richard and Vanessa.

You have fought off the competition

and won our coveted Pointless trophy.

You now have a chance to win our Pointless jackpot,

and at the end of today's show, the jackpot stands at £9,750.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

You've done incredibly well this time. You had the lowest score total

from Rounds One and Two, then in the head-to-head,

you saw off the others. Ming and Eric, they didn't get a look in.

And a fantastic bit of luck.

And of course, a pointless answer from you in the first round.

So yeah, been a pretty epic Pointless, I would say.

The rules are very simple.

To win that money, all you have to do is find a pointless answer.

We've had one pointless answer on the show today from you, Vanessa.

You only have to find one pointless answer and you'll leave with £9,750.

OK, first you've got to choose a category, though,

and you can choose from these five options. They are...

-I think so.

-Got to be.

-Jockeys.

-Yes, it's got to be Jockeys.

-Got to be Jockeys.

-A sports editor. You love horse racing, don't you?

-Yes, he does.

-Vanessa likes horses.

-She's a bit of a horse racing fan as well.

-Very good.

Let's find out what the question is. Here it comes.

We gave 100 people 100 seconds to name as many..

-..as they could. Richard.

-We're looking for the name of any jockey

who's won the British flat racing jockey's championship from 1950

all the way through to 2011, please. Very best of luck.

OK, you now have up to one minute to come up with three answers,

and all you need to win that £9,750

is for just one of those answers to be pointless.

Let's put 60 seconds on the clock. There they are.

-Your time starts now.

-Right, we've got to rule out Lester Piggott.

-Yeah.

-People like Pat Eddery, possibly Willie Carson.

-One I can think of is one of my favourite jockeys, Seb Sanders.

-OK.

-Erm, we'll go for somebody like Martin Dyer.

-OK.

-Seb Sanders, Martin, I really like Seb.

-OK.

Erm, we need to get... Sorry, you know jump jockeys,

which won't really help us very much.

Erm, let's go back to the '70s.

Brian Taylor, Willie Carson, I've said.

What if we go Eddery, Martin Dyer and Seb Sanders?

Yeah, that's fine. Yeah, I think...

We've got 19 seconds, so I can still wrack my brains a bit more.

Yeah, cos you've got three.

-Erm, no, I can't.

-So, you're going to go for those three?

-My mind's gone a bit blank.

-OK, five seconds left.

Yeah, we going to go for those three? Got them in your head?

-Yes, I think so.

-OK, there's your time up.

I now need your three answers. What are you going to go for?

-I'm going to go for Joe Mercer.

-Joe Mercer.

-Martin Dyer.

-Martin Dyer.

-Dwyer. Martin Dwyer.

-Martin Dwyer.

-And Seb Sanders.

-And Seb Sanders.

OK, there are your three answers. Of those three,

-I'm guessing you're going to put Seb Sanders last.

-I am, yes.

He's your best shot.

-Who d'you want to put first?

-Martin Dwyer first.

-Martin Dwyer first.

-Joe Mercer...

-Joe Mercer in the middle.

-Yeah.

OK, let's pop them up on the board in that order, and here they are.

We have got Martin Dwyer, Joe Mercer and Seb Sanders.

There we have your three answers. Now, we were looking for jockeys

who have won the British Flat Racing Championship.

Martin Dwyer, you said, was your least likely pointless answer.

You only have to find one pointless answer, remember,

to win that £9,750 jackpot.

OK, let's see. How many people said Martin Dwyer? Is it right?

-Ohhhh!

-Dad!

OK, Martin Dwyer. Not a pointless answer.

Not, as it turns out, a correct answer.

You only have two more chances to win today's jackpot. £9,750.

Vanessa, what would you do with that?

I'd probably take my children to Disneyland,

cos I know that my eldest would love to go.

I'd like to buy myself a horse

but whether I'm allowed one or not is another matter!

It'd be fitting, wouldn't it?

-It would be.

-If you win on this. How about you, Richard?

I think it's just a nice giant family holiday.

-The family, my partner. Get us all together somewhere.

-Lovely.

-Think that'd be nice, really.

-Well, very best of luck.

Let's hope one of your two remaining answers will win that jackpot.

OK, we're looking for jockeys

who have won the British Flat Racing Championship.

Let's hope nobody said your next answer, Joe Mercer.

This has to be right, it has to be pointless,

if it's both of those things, you win £9,750.

Let's see how many people said Joe Mercer.

It's right.

OK, Martin Dwyer let you down there.

Joe Mercer, on the other hand, going strong.

There he goes, down into the teens, down into single figures.

If he goes down to zero, you leave here... Oh, ho, ho!

OK...

OK.

Oh, Joe Mercer!

Oh, he rode it all the way down.

-I should have been.

-Yeah, you should have been! Not a pointless answer.

You only have one more chance to win today's jackpot. £9,750.

We are looking for jockeys

who have won the British Flat Racing Championship.

This was your last answer. You had no,

you had no hesitation putting this last. You were certain

Seb Sanders was your most likely shot at a pointless answer.

When did he win? D'you remember, Richard?

Oh, it might have been about eight years ago, but he shared it.

-I think he shared the title.

-OK.

-I can't remember who with.

Why d'you think that he would be...?

He's a favourite jockey of mine and I remember,

I was so pleased that he won, he shared the title.

OK, well, let's hope he does something for you here.

To win that jackpot of £9,750, this has to be pointless.

OK, let's find out. Seb Sanders. Is it a pointless answer?

Very, very best of luck.

It's right.

OK, so Martin Dwyer was an incorrect answer.

Joe Mercer took us all the way down to one.

Seb Sanders, down he goes.

It's all right so far.

If he goes down to zero, you leave here with £9,750!

You've done it!

Very, very, very well done.

Come here, that's just wonderful!

Brilliant. Brilliant.

That was incredible, Dad.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Well, congratulations.

-I'm sorry.

Oh, no, wonderful. Don't you worry, Richard.

Seb Sanders, a pointless answer,

which means you go away with the jackpot of £9,750.

I've got some of the money back I've lost on him!

LAUGHTER

-Very, very well done.

-I cannot believe it.

Excellent. Richard, what about that for a winning answer?

I'll tell you what, if he was a favourite jockey of yours before...

-Oh, yes.

-How about now? Terrific, very well done.

He won in 2007, and he shared it, as you say,

with another pointless answer who was Jamie Spencer.

-Of course, yes.

-Who also won it in 2005.

There's only five pointless answers up here,

so you did terrifically well.

First one is Jamie Spencer. Kevin Darley, who won it in 2000.

Michael Roberts won it in 1992.

Scobie Breasley won it four times, the Australian,

and there's Seb Sanders, right at the bottom. You know what?

You had a bit of luck during the show, but no luck involved there.

You did terrifically well. Congratulations. Well done if you got

any of those at home, Unfortunately, no money for you.

Well, thanks once again to our winning players,

Richard and Vanessa, who go away with today's jackpot of £9,750.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd