Episode 16 The Edge

APPLAUSE

Hello and welcome to The Edge, the show where you need brains and balls.

Today our players will compete to roll down these big money lanes.

The nearer they roll to the edge, the more money they earn.

Stop their ball on the edge and they'll get thousands,

but go over and they get nothing.

Let's meet the players who today are going to push themselves to the edge!

APPLAUSE

I'm Mark from Surrey, I recently finished a 30-year career in marketing.

I'm Siobhan from Dudley, I'm a recruitment consultant

and I love bowling with my family in the back garden.

I'm Marlies from Northumberland. I'm a retired shop manager.

I'm Benji, I live in London,

I'm an artist and I play the violin in an orchestra.

APPLAUSE

Welcome to you all and very best of luck.

In a moment, you'll each take to the lanes to roll for big money.

The ball you need is trapped in your podium.

I'm going to ask you some questions, buzz in with the correct answer and

you'll bring your ball up towards you.

Once you've freed your ball you'll roll down the shortest lane available.

The shorter the lane, the bigger the edge

and the better the odds of banking big money.

So, do well on these questions to give yourself

the best advantage on the lanes.

Three correct answers will release your ball.

So, if everyone is ready, fingers on buzzers.

When Saturday Comes is a fanzine magazine for which sport?

Mark.

-Football.

-Correct.

Which South African cleric won the Nobel Peace Prize...

-Marlies.

-Desmond Tutu.

Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role in opposing apartheid?

Correct.

Beef bourguignon is a dish made of beef cooked in what alcohol?

Marlies.

-Red wine.

-Correct. One of your recipes?

If it doesn't come out of the microwave...

-LAUGHTER

-..it doesn't go on the table!

Marlies, one more correct answer and you'll release your ball.

The Gower Peninsula in the Bristol Channel is a short drive from which...

Marlies.

-Wales.

-Incorrect, you interrupted and the question was,

"..is a short drive from which Welsh city?"

And the answer is Swansea, so you are frozen out of the next question.

If I were one of Long John Silver's crewmen in the novel Treasure Island,

which word, beginning with P, would I be?

Siobhan.

-Pirate.

-Correct.

Back in the game, Marlies.

How many hurdles are there in an Olympic Men's 110 metre hurdles race?

Mark.

-Eight.

-Incorrect, ten. You are frozen out

of the next question, Mark.

The Mouse Trap, the longest running West End play... Marlies.

-Agatha Christie.

-..was written by which prolific murder-mystery author?

Agatha Christie is correct.

You've released your ball, you're rolling first on the green lane!

APPLAUSE

Marlies, you're good at interrupting there, aren't you?

You did that again at the end and got it right. You're kind of sussing out the questions as you go along.

-Yeah.

-And you've got the shortest lane.

-Yes.

-With the biggest edge.

-Yes.

-And in round one it is worth...

£1,500!

APPLAUSE

You each have one roll to earn as much as you can - whoever earns the least is leaving us.

So how did you get on with the green lane in practice?

Green lane, I wasn't too bad. A couple of times I was a bit too hefty and it went over the edge.

-So you need to be a little bit calmer.

-Calm down.

But you do want some weight on it, you don't want to just dribble up the amounts, do you?

I don't want the piffling £100!

Are you ready?

-I am.

-Let's roll!

-Thank you.

'Good afternoon, everyone.

'Stepping up to the green lane first is retired shop manager Marlies.'

Big roll. It's heading up towards the edge.

And it stopped on the edge, first roll!

APPLAUSE And it scored you £1,500!

Incredible! That is the edge of the edge,

that is the precipice of the edge,

you can't go any further than that, Marlies!

-I've just started to breathe again!

-You didn't look particularly worried!

I'm like a swan - calm on top and feet are going like that underneath.

-That is an excellent way to start.

-Thank you.

I think it will be very, very hard to beat you, Marlies, in this round.

-It would take something exceptional.

-Good!

I.e., four edges and a roll-off for you not to be going through,

but I can't say that just yet.

-And of course, importantly, you banked £1,500 already.

-Great.

-If you make it through to the final.

-Yeah.

-Great start.

-Thank you.

So, three lanes still up for grabs

and we've reset the podiums. Fingers on buzzers.

What is the first name of Sully's one-eyed partner in Monsters Inc?

Benji.

-Mike.

-Correct!

According to legend, when Marie Antoinette was told the people had no bread...

-Mark.

-Let them eat cake.

She said, "Let them eat..." what? And you said cake, you are correct!

What M is a group of vertebrate animals

characterised... Benji.

-Mammals?

-..characterised by nourishing their young

using milk from special glands? Mammals is the correct answer!

One more correct answer from you, Benji, and you'll be rolling next on the blue lane.

Which royal was born on the 21st April, 1926?

Mark.

I'm going to go for the Queen, Elizabeth II.

You are correct.

One more from you, Mark, and you'll release your ball and roll next. You're in the same state, Benji.

Siobhan, time to get going!

In the fairytale The Emperor's New Clothes,

the emperor parades through the town wearing... Benji?

Nothing.

Correct! You've released your ball, you're rolling on the blue lane.

APPLAUSE

So, Benji, this is an unusual situation.

You can't do anything to guarantee your place in the next round.

The edge would put you level with Marlies, she has set the bar incredibly high for you.

Mm-hmm.

How did the rolling go on the blue lane in practice?

Not too badly, I was best on green,

but I think I got the edge once or maybe twice in practice - I'm not sure.

OK, so you know how to get there.

I know how to get there, it's just getting there...

-Executing it.

-Yeah, execution, key.

-In this slightly more pressure-filled environment.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Are you ready?

-I think so.

-Let's roll.

-OK.

'Benji has an unusual stoop there.

It's a very individual technique.

Smooth roll, heading up the cash zones and it stops on...

£850!

APPLAUSE

-It's a pretty good first roll, Benji!

-Good first roll, but stiff competition.

-Well, it does mean, Marlies, you are definitely going through to the next round.

-Thank you.

As we suspected. Benji, interesting rolling style.

Almost two-handed.

Oh, yeah. Thanks, cheers.

Only two lanes left, so whichever one of you releases your ball next

will roll on the yellow lane, the other will be left with the red lane.

Fingers on buzzers.

What T is the non-stick substance used... Siobhan.

-Teflon.

-Correct!

Used to coat the surface of frying pans.

In 1995, which Michael Jackson song was the Christmas number one?

Siobhan.

-Earth Song.

-Correct!

One more correct answer and you'll be rolling next on the yellow lane, Siobhan.

Known for its scientific training,

what do the letters MIT stand for in the name of the university? Siobhan.

-Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

-Correct!

You've released your ball, you'll be rolling next on the yellow lane and,

Mark, you've been left with the red lane.

APPLAUSE

-You found your voice there, Siobhan.

-I did, finally!

-A good run of questions for you.

-Thank you.

And, unusually, you've got quite a high target.

-I have, yes.

-To guarantee going through, you'd have to get £900.

Yeah, it's a tough one for sure.

It's difficult because you don't want to throw it too hard

and roll over the edge, but I can't be too cautious, either, so...

How did you do on the yellow lane in practice?

Distinctly average.

LAUGHTER You need to be distinctly above average here now!

-Shall we see what you've got?

-We'll give it a go.

-Let's roll.

'Siobhan loves a bit of bowling with her family -

will it pay off here?

Oh, Siobhan, that was incredibly tentative!

It doesn't hit the cash zones and it scores you nothing.

-Not good enough, Gabby.

-Well, you never know.

We'll see what Mark's got in store, but I know what you've got in store,

-Benji, and that's the next round.

-Phew!

-Definitely going through.

Siobhan, you've made life quite easy for Mark - all he's got to do is hit a cash zone.

So to guarantee your place in the next round, Mark, you need £100 or more.

Which is actually quite a tough ask on the red zone

when it's the first time you've rolled there under these conditions.

How did it go in practice?

Um, mixed. Sometimes great, sometimes definitely not great.

-OK, let's see what you've got, Mark. Are you ready?

-I am.

-Let's roll.

'Surrey man Mark has the toughest lean here.

'It's a bit of a bung.'

It's got a bit of weight on it. Is it going to be too much?

Or is it going to stop up

into four figures? It's close!

And it scores you £850!

APPLAUSE

Relief!

-That's a good roll for your first time on the red lane.

-Thank you.

Congratulations.

So, at the end of the rolls,

Marlies has £1,500, Benji has £850,

Mark has £850 and Siobhan has nothing, which means

Marlies, Benji and Mark, you're through to the next round, please return to your podiums!

APPLAUSE

Well, unfortunately, Siobhan, you earned the least amount of money

in that round, so I am afraid you are leaving here with nothing.

You told us you did quite a bit of bowling and rolling with your family?

I do, I think I was trying to be... I was so conscious of going over the edge,

I just went to the other extreme.

Oh. Well, it's been great having you here for a short time, Siobhan,

-thank you so much for playing.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, bye.

APPLAUSE

Congratulation Mark, Marlies and Benji,

you are through to the next round, and great rolls you all had, too.

Mark, you say you used to work in marketing, so what do you do now?

Well I'm trying to write comedy.

So you do you write jokes or do you write situation comedy or what?

I'm trying both, and I'm sure there's a book in there, as well, at some point.

Mostly at the moment I'm writing for myself,

because no-one else seems to want what I write!

LAUGHTER

Hey, it's difficult when you start out, so here's hoping.

Yeah, it's tough, it's tough.

Obviously a big career change at this stage in your life, as well.

It's now or never.

Well, Marlies, you're in a stage of your life where you've got a bit more free time,

so what do you do?

I live in a lovely area of the world, I live in Northumberland.

We have beautiful countryside, so I do a lot of walking.

Um, I love going into charity shops, I do a lot of charity shop shopping!

-Got an eye for a bargain, then, have you?

-I do.

-Is there anything you're wearing now that's come from a charity shop?

-Everything.

-Really!?

-Yes.

-Fantastic. Is most of your wardrobe from charity shops?

-Almost all of my wardrobe comes from charity...

I love clothes, you see, but I don't have the finances to have them, so,

I do the charity shops.

-So you've got a REALLY good eye for a bargain, you look very stylish today.

-Thank you.

Benji, tell us a bit more about your art. What kind of art is it?

Um, I generally make kind of video installation work, um,

mostly, it's kind of around notions of reality and celebrity and stuff like that.

Not as pretentious as it sounds, I hope!

-In reality, in order to...

-So, short films, almost?

Yeah, sort of. I'm going to uni in September,

I'm going to the Royal College of Art to study moving image.

Sam Taylor Wood used to do that kind of thing and then went

into directing - is that how you would like to see yourself going?

I think so, yeah. I do a lot of writing stories, a lot of short stories at the moment,

but maybe they'll become larger stories,

maybe I'll then want them to be more cinematic and stuff like that.

-Maybe a collaboration with Mark.

-Yeah, yeah! Get a comedy film in there.

-We'll swap addresses later!

-And Marlies is in charge of wardrobe.

-Yeah, you're wardrobe!

It's on a budget, I can see it now.

Well the money you earned is added to your personal bank, so, Mark,

you have £850.

Marlies, you have £1,500,

and Benji, you have £850.

But only one of you can reach today's final and play for that money.

Round 2.

And we're shutting down the shortest lane.

And now we're introducing Danger Zones,

meaning any of the cash zones from £100

all the way up to £1,300 could become a Danger Zone.

If that happens, its value drops to zero.

How many Danger Zones you face depends on how well you do on the questions.

If you release your ball first, not only will you take the shortest lane

with the biggest edge, but you'll have no Danger Zones.

This time you're going to need to answer four questions correctly

to release your ball. Fingers on buzzers.

Which major river flows through the Grand Canyon?

Marlies.

-Colorado?

-Correct.

Which football team shares its name with the structure

that housed the great exhibition of 1551? Mark.

-Crystal Palace.

-Correct.

Between 1991 and 1995,

Miguel Indurain achieved five consecutive wins at which... Mark.

Tour De France.

Of which prestigious race? Correct!

-You like your sport questions?

-Some of them!

What is half of 7,000?

Benji.

-3,500.

-Correct.

The New York-born fashion designer who started

his eponymous clothing line in 1985 is Tommy who?

Marlies.

-Hilfiger.

-Correct!

-Ever picked up any Hilfiger?

-Oh, yes.

What C is the transparent membrane

that covers the pupil and iris of the eye?

-Mark?

-Cornea.

-Correct.

One more correct answer, and you will release your ball next.

If I were visiting the Prado Museum, in which European capital...?

-Marlies?

-Madrid. Madrid is the correct answer.

One more correct answer for you, Marlies, and you release your ball.

Benji, a few more to go.

Stuart Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting...

-Mark?

-Police.

..were all members of which famous band? The Police, correct.

You've released your ball. You'll be rolling first on the blue lane.

APPLAUSE

You've gone from the longest lane with the shortest edge available

to the shortest lane with the biggest edge available.

-During practice, that was tricky.

-This lane was tricky?

-Moving from a long one to a short one.

-Ah, right, OK.

Well, it is the biggest edge available and no danger zones.

Get your ball on the edge this time, Mark, and it is worth...

£2,000.

And you each have two rolls which will be added together.

Whoever earns the least is leaving us.

You've got two attempts at the blue lane.

Where are you going to go for this time?

I'm going to go towards the edge, hopefully, not over it.

-OK, are you ready?

-Yes.

-Let's roll.

'Wannabe funnyman Mark is first to take to the blue lane.'

# Luck be a lady tonight... #

'Oh, and he's a bit of a singer, too.'

It's a familiar amount, £850.

Interesting that you can be in the red lane

so much further back, and hit the same cash zone.

-I think I'm tiring.

-Already?

OK, well, you still have another roll to come.

There are two lanes left. We've reset the podiums.

Whichever of you releases your ball next will roll on the yellow lane,

the other will be left with the red lane.

And you'll both be facing danger zones. Fingers on buzzers.

In the PG Wodehouse stories,

what is the name of Wooster's effortlessly superior manservant?

-Marlies?

-Jeeves.

-Correct.

By what the name is the Scooby Doo character

Norville Rogers more commonly known?

-Benji?

-Shaggy.

-Correct.

Almost sounded like him there!

The ceremony that takes place at Buckingham Palace

and St James's Palace...

-Benji?

-Trooping of the Colour?

..is the changing of the what? The word I was looking for was guard.

You are frozen out of the next question.

In which century was Cervantes's Don Quixote originally published?

-Marlies?

-18th.

17th. You are frozen out of the next question. Benji, you are back in.

The Polaroid Corporation invented a system to instantly print what?

-Photos.

-Correct.

Back in the game, Marlies.

In the UK, in which month do we turn the clocks forward one hour?

-Marlies?

-March.

-Correct.

Who directed the films Brazil and 12 Monkeys?

-Benji?

-Terry Gillingham.

Oh, it's Gilliam,

so I'm afraid you are frozen out of the next question.

What name is given to trees that shed their leaves seasonally?

-Marlies?

-Deciduous.

-Correct.

You're back in the game, Benji.

Marlies, you need one more correct answer to release your ball.

What M is an art form where small piece of material...?

-Marlies?

-Mosaic.

-Correct!

Congratulations, you're running next on the yellow lane.

Benji, you've been left with the red lane.

-Marlies, you have jumped down a couple of lanes, haven't you?

-Yes.

Yes. It must look a lot longer after your green lane.

It looks like a half marathon, actually.

Well, you've also got to face a danger zone,

so before you roll, we have to find out where your danger zone will be.

It'll move up and down the lane and will only stop

when you press that button there.

And it stops on £1,300.

That is now replaced with a value of zero, which is

very close to where you managed to get your ball last time, the edge.

Does that mean you are feeling less confident about reaching

the edge this time? Will you be a little bit more cautious?

-I think I'll be a bit more conservative.

-Where will you go?

-I'm heading for the 1,000.

-OK. Still a four-figure sum.

-Oh, yes.

-Good stuff. Are you ready?

-Certainly am.

-Let's roll.

-Thank you.

'Marlies hit the edge first time on the green lane.

'Let's hope it's not a one-off.'

-It's a little bit tentative, Marlies.

-It was too tentative, wasn't it?

Yes, it's not even reached the cash zone.

And that roll scores you nothing.

-From the sublime to the ridiculous, Marlies.

-I'm very disappointed.

Like my school report said, "Must try harder."

Maybe it would say also, "Be a bit more consistent."

-Thank you.

-We'll see. You have another roll, of course.

But, Benji, down there on the red lane, it's a long way away,

but you have a good target that Mark has set there.

-Mm-hm.

-850, an amount you know how to reach.

I'm familiar with 850, yes.

You are going to face two danger zones on the red lane.

Before you roll, we need to find out where they are.

Press the button when you are ready.

And it's £1,300 and £700 that have gone. How d'you feel about that?

That's fine.

I'll get somewhere between the two, I'm sure.

-So, the upper end you are going to aim for?

-Yes, definitely.

-OK, let's see how you get on. Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Let's roll.

'Benji isn't fazed by the red lane.

'He's almost folding himself in half to roll.'

It's smooth, but is it going to be long?

It's not massive, but it does score you £500.

APPLAUSE

-Happy?

-Yeah, better than nothing.

OK, before everyone rolls again,

let's look at what you've earned so far. Mark, you have £850.

Marlies, you have nothing, and Benji, you have £500.

APPLAUSE

So, what is it, 850 again, Mark?

It suggests it's going to be

something around there, on my past record.

-But we're going to try and get a bit closer to the edge now.

-OK.

-Are you ready for your second roll?

-I am.

-Let's roll.

'Mark likes landing around 850,

'but he's setting his sights high, hoping for a four-figure roll.'

It's much bigger, is it too big?

I think it is - it's off the edge, Mark.

-Disaster!

-It scores you nothing,

which, added to your first roll, means you have a total of £850.

Could do better.

-You've just opened that door wide.

-Very wide, I think.

You've given Marlies a very clear target.

It would probably have been quite a good roll on the yellow lane.

Thanks for that!

Just not so good on your lane.

Marlies, you have quite a clear target here.

£900 or more and you are going through to the next round.

But you do have that danger zone still looming large on £1,300.

Where are you going to aim for?

I said £1,000 last time and I didn't even get £100,

but I will try for £1,000 again.

-Are you ready, Marlies?

-I am, yes.

-Let's roll.

-Thank you.

'Marlies needs to replay the edge magic from Round One.

'She's looking serious.'

And it's tentative, Marlies.

Oh, it's not going to hit the cash zones.

And it scores you nothing.

Oh, Marlies, you've had two rolls and you've scored nothing.

Which means, with Mark's two rolls adding up to 850,

and Benji's one roll of 500, you can't go through to the next round.

-Yes.

-Oh, after your first roll,

there was such great hope and promise from you.

If I'd stayed on that one, I'd have been fine.

-We have to shut it down, it's part of the game.

-It's not fair, is it?

Well, Marlies, it's now time to see Benji have a free roll.

It's pressure-free, Benji.

Sort of, yeah. Still need to put Mark off, though, don't I?

So, not too pressure-free.

Also, it's a good time to be collecting some high-figure sums

and adding them to your bank

if you've got aspirations to appear on that red lane in the final.

Yeah. Get the money up.

Get the money up a bit, but avoid those danger zones.

They're still there at £1,300 and £700.

-Yeah, I'm going to get between them this time.

-Are you ready, Benji?

-Yeah, ready.

-Let's roll.

'Benji has performed well on the red lane.

'For that guaranteed place in the next round,

'he adopts his signature style.'

Oh, it's big. It's big, Benji. Is it going to stop?

No, it's not, it's off the edge.

It scores you nothing, which means your total is still £500.

Benji, you had a free roll.

Trying too hard. I was trying to hard.

With those two rolls added together, Mark, you have £850,

Benji, you have £500, and Marlies, you have nothing,

which means, Mark and Benji, you are going through to the next round.

Please return to your podiums.

APPLAUSE

Well, after your first round of general knowledge

and your first roll, I didn't think

I'd be saying goodbye to you this early, Marlies.

But you earned the least amount of money in that round,

so I'm afraid you're leaving here with nothing.

-But thank you, I've had a lovely day.

-We've loved having you here.

-Good luck with your bargain hunting.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks so much, bye-bye.

-Bye.

APPLAUSE

Congratulations, Mark and Benji,

you've made it through to the next round.

Mark, tell us a little bit more about your spare time -

-when you're not writing comedy, what do you do?

-I do a number of things.

I like sport, but I also do a lot of amateur dramatics.

-Oh, do you?

-We just did Sunset Boulevard quite recently.

-Oh, wow!

-And we've done Beauty And The Beast and Guys And Dolls.

So this will all tie in to your comedy writing, I guess,

in terms of, if you can perform it, then it probably stands a chance.

I'd like to think so, I'd like to think so,

but it all comes down to the writing, in the end,

on the writing side.

So as long as I'm writing things I find funny,

-I'll be happy with that.

-Benji, what do you do in your spare time?

All sorts of things.

I'm a musician, I'm an artist,

I have a drag alter ego - she's called Portia.

-Portia Nafries.

-I see what you did there.

What does she look like, Portia?

Very tall, best legs in south London, I often say.

Hair changes quite a lot, depending on what she's doing things for.

But, yeah, I dressed as Shania Twain for Halloween

in the proper leopardskin...

-That don't impress me much.

-Yeah. Exactly.

-Good stuff.

Well, the money you earned is added to your personal bank,

so, Mark, you now have £1,700.

And Benji, you have £1,350.

That money is safely banked for the Final, should you get there.

Round Three. And we are shutting down another lane.

In this round there's only one danger zone

and the first player to release their ball will control it

and can place it anywhere on their opponent's lane.

You will need five correct answers to release your ball.

Fingers on buzzers.

According to the Gershwin song,

they all laughed at which Italian explorer

when he said the world was...? Benji?

-Christopher Columbus.

-When he said the world was round. Correct.

Eczema usually affects what part of the human body?

-Mark?

-Skin.

-Correct.

Which musical instrument appears

in the title of Louis de Bernieres' novel

featuring the character Captain Antonio...? Mark?

-Mandolin.

-Captain Antonio Corelli's mandolin. Correct.

If I was standing in the baker's where the Great Fire of London

supposedly started, on which lane would I be?

-Mark?

-Pudding.

-Correct.

What name is given to balls of ice over five millimetres...?

Benji?

Giant hailstones.

Balls of ice over five millimetres in diameter that fall like rain.

We'll accept giant hailstones.

Hailstones would have sufficed, Benji.

Correct.

What is the first letter of the Greek alphabet?

-Mark?

-Alpha.

-Correct.

One more correct answer, Mark, and you'll release your ball next

and roll on the yellow lane.

According to the famous tongue-twister,

where is it that she sells sea shells?

-Benji?

-On the seashore.

-Correct.

You look quite chuffed with that.

Oh, very, very chuffed.

You still need one more correct answer, Mark.

By definition, what do doctors specialising in haematology treat?

-Mark?

-Blood disease.

-I can accept blood diseases or blood.

Correct. Mark, you've released your ball.

You're rolling first on the yellow lane.

Benji, you've been left with the red lane.

So, get your ball on the edge in this round and it's worth £3,000.

And you each have three rolls, which will be added together.

Whoever earns the most money in this round will be through to the Final.

We've had ten rolls in this game, and five have scored nothing.

Either too short or over the edge.

Come on, guys. We need to get some scores on the board.

-I need to pull my socks up. Get beyond that 850.

-You do.

If you want to bank some big sums, if you have aspirations

of getting into the Final, you need to start doing it now.

-True. Very true.

-Are you ready?

-I am ready.

-Let's roll.

'Mark's last roll went over the edge. Can he control it this time?'

It's a smooth roll, it's not going to go over the edge, I don't think.

-But will it get to those big figures?

-It won't go over 850, either!

Not quite. It scores you £600.

APPLAUSE

A bit too relaxed there?

Possibly. That was a banker. It's my marker for the other two.

Well, you control the danger zone, you can put it anywhere

in Benji's lane, from £100 up to £1,300.

What are you going to do, where are you going to go?

I'm going to go for... I'm leaning towards 850.

Yes, I think 850 is a good place. So I'm going to go for 850.

OK, £850 is now lost from your lane, Benji, it's now worth zero.

But you, too, Benji, need to start racking up some bigger sums,

so where are you going to try and land your ball?

I'm going to look at the danger zone as a marker,

so I want to get in between the danger zone and edge.

Right, OK, what will you do if you don't get there?

Pray for giant hailstones? I don't know.

I'll figure that out when I get there.

-OK, are you ready?

-Yes.

Let's roll.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Can Benji's unique styles take him all the way

to the final?

Oh, it's big.

-Oh!

-Is it too big? It looks like it's got way too much on it.

It's huge, Benji!

It's over the edge and it scored you nothing.

-Benji, you've done that twice now.

-I know.

It's fine, I'm going to get two edges in the next two rolls.

-And I'll get six grand, so it's...

-That was always the plan, was it?

-No big deal, no big deal.

-A bit of drama.

-Yeah, yeah.

All right, Benji, you've got four rolls to come, but after

the first roll, Mark, you have £600 and Benji, you have nothing.

And Mark, all of a sudden, your £600 looks quite respectable.

Not so shabby now, eh? Yes!

Well, you can't rest on your laurels, can you?

Because Benji could pull out a huge roll.

Exactly, I certainly wouldn't want to rest on my laurels.

-It's time for your second roll. Are you ready?

-I am, Gabby.

-Let's roll.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Mark's in prime position here.

Adding to his £600 will help pile the pressure on Benji.

-Put a bit more weight on it. Is this one going over the edge?

-No, no, no!

It's big... It's too big! Mark!

It scores you nothing, so we'll add that to your previous roll,

giving you £600.

So that's 13 rolls now in this game, of which seven have scored nothing.

You do have a choice now, though, and you have a way of affecting

Benji's next roll. You can keep that danger zone where it is on 850

or you can move it based on what you've just rolled.

What are you going to do?

I think I'd like to move it one closer to the edge to 900, please.

Any reason why that one cash zone will make such a difference,

do you think?

Maybe if he stays short of that,

it's going to be too little to make the difference, but then the area

that he is aiming for is that bit narrower, so that's the thinking.

So the danger zone shifts up one cash zone.

And it's now worth zero, Benji. Where are you going to aim for now?

I feel like I need to aim for Mark's 850, just to really psych him out.

He just loves 850 and if I can take that away from him,

it might make him crumble in the next roll.

OK, let's try it. OK, Benji, let's roll.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Well, Benji's going to apply some mind games here.

He takes his crane-like stance and aims.

A little bit less pace this time, but is it too much pace

or is it going to stop up there in the higher cash zones?

I think it is going to stop up there.

-Fantastic.

-It does.

And it scores you £1,200, which we will add to your previous roll,

which means you have £1,200.

-Whoo!

-Good pressure roll.

-Yeah.

You make yourself quite small for a big man, don't you? You manage to...

You've got to really feel the flow of what you're working with,

-I think.

-All right. It worked that time, it hasn't always worked, Benji.

It hasn't, it hasn't. But I think I've got it now.

Well, after that second roll, Mark, you have £600

and, Benji, you have £1,200.

It's time for the third and final roll in this round.

Suddenly, Benji has doubled your total.

-If you don't score 600 at least on this roll, your game is over.

-Yep.

-Are you ready?

-I am.

-Let's roll.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Mark needs £600,

but surely he's hoping for something closer to double that.

Oh, that's too hard again!

It might be. It might not...

It is.

It scores you nothing, it's over the edge,

which means your total after three rolls is £600.

-Well, you know what that means, don't you?

-It's good news for Benji,

-on the positive side.

-It is very good news for Benji,

because it doesn't matter now what he does,

you cannot go through to the final.

You do have a way of influencing this game further, though, Mark.

You have control of that danger zone.

Do you want to leave it where it is

or, based on what you just rolled, are you going to move it?

I'd like to put it on 100, please.

AUDIENCE APPLAUDS

We will move the danger zone, Mark, to £100. It is now worth zero.

-And your thinking...

-My thinking is, good luck, Benji.

Thank you so much, Mark. That's really kind of you. I feel really...

I feel really funny now!

Last time, Benji, you had a free roll, it went over the edge

-and you didn't bank any money.

-It did, yeah.

I'm going to just try and think like I did the last time and get it...

Going to get 850 for Mark!

-Benji, for the third and final time in this round, are you ready?

-Yeah.

Let's roll.

-COMMENTATOR:

-A very sporting gesture there.

£850 for Mark, Benji says.

He's taking his time on the swing.

Oh, Benji... It's not huge, it's crept over that hundred...

It's deceptively a bit longer, perhaps.

And it stops on £500.

And we'll add that to your total so far, it gives you £1,700.

Not quite 850.

Not quite 850, but, I mean, anything's good.

Could do with 20 quid at the moment, so, you know?

With your three rolls added together,

Benji has £1,700 and Mark earned only £600.

That means, Benji, you take what you earned into today's final.

Congratulations, please return to your podium.

Ah, Mark.

Unfortunately, you earned the least amount of money in that round.

I'm afraid you're leaving here with nothing.

Or maybe not, maybe you've got some material for some new comedy?

It was a bit hit and miss, a bit like comedy sometimes.

-Thanks for playing. Goodbye.

-Thank you very much.

Congratulations, Benji.

You've made it through to the final, where you will be playing for all

the money you've earned it today, a total of £3,050.

What would you do with that money?

It would just go towards my MA, basically,

or at least meaning that I can be a bit more comfortable

while I'm on my MA, cos obviously it's quite expensive.

-How long does this course last?

-It's two years. Two years full-time.

So you'll work a bit as well to put yourself through?

Yeah, yeah. I've been working at a pub for a long time, which is

-really great. I'll be working there.

-A pub?

-Yeah.

And hopefully picking up bits and bobs as I go along.

-So great plans for the money.

-Yeah.

Let's see how you do. It's the final.

And we're shutting down one more lane...

..which leaves just the red lane.

We've removed the cash values from that lane, leaving only the edge,

which is now worth all the money you've earned today.

Stop your ball on the edge and you'll win £3,050.

Go over the edge and you get nothing, but you have a chance to make it

easier for yourself by answering some more questions.

Each correct answer increases the size of the edge.

The more questions you get right,

the bigger the edge will be and the easier your final roll.

You have 75 seconds to get as many right as you can.

Let's put 75 seconds on the clock and your time will start

when I've read the first question.

Which composer's operas include The Marriage of Figaro

and The Magic Flute?

-Pass.

-Mozart.

Which celebrity won at the 2014 series of Strictly Come Dancing?

-Pass.

-Caroline Flack.

In Australia, the giant monolith Uluru is also known

by what other name?

The, the... The big... The rock!

-The rock?

-Ayers Rock.

If I were competing in the first official Olympic

synchronised swimming event, what year would it be?

'88? '98? '98.

'84. According to legend, in 1947,

a UFO crashed near which town in New Mexico?

-Roswell.

-Correct.

Which grain traditionally forms the main ingredient of a risotto?

-Rice.

-Correct.

In heart rate monitors, what do the letters BPM...

-Beats per minute!

-Correct.

Which animal is commonly used to represent

the Republican Party in the US?

Donkey.

Incorrect, elephant.

Which English cathedral has the tallest spiral?

St Paul's?

Salisbury.

What is the first name of Victoria and David Beckham's eldest child?

-Brooklyn.

-Correct.

-What colour is Clifford the Dog in Norman...

-Red!

Correct.

If I was standing on Friedrichstrasse

-near the site of Checkpoint Charlie...

-Berlin!

Correct.

Which Essex-based football league club are nicked nicknamed

the Shrimpers? We are out of time.

-Gravesend?

-It was Southend United.

Ah, didn't get it right, then, that's fine.

But, Benji, you got an incredible six answers correct.

APPLAUSE

So, to see what that score has done to the edge,

let's take to the lanes for the final time.

APPLAUSE

-A familiar place for you.

-Been here a lot.

Things change though now because every one of your correct answers

increases the size of your edge.

So let's put them onto your lane, Benji.

One,

two,

three,

four,

five,

six.

That's your final edge.

APPLAUSE

-It's a decent-sized edge, Benji.

-Yeah.

-Are you confident you could hit that edge?

-Oh, it's just...

It's just horrible.

It's just a horrible little flicker of light

that's goading me, like, er...

Well, listen, you now have a choice.

You can roll for the full £3,050 with only one ball

and one attempt to hit the edge.

Or you could take two balls,

that means you'd say goodbye to half that money and roll for £1,525.

Or you could take three balls, three attempts to hit the edge

but you'd be playing for a third of the money which we're calling £1,017.

So, how confident are you feeling now?

I don't know. I just feel... I'm not going to go for three

because I'm going to be a bit more confident than that.

But it's that thing of if I take two

and I manage to get it on the first roll,

I'll feel stupid that I didn't go for one

but then if I don't get it on one roll,

I'll feel stupid I didn't go for two.

-All right, Benji, what are you going to do?

-Erm...

I'm going to do two.

Two balls, two balls, please.

You're going to take two balls and you're going to roll for £1,525.

APPLAUSE

-It's time now to focus your technique, isn't it, Benji?

-Yeah.

I think me and the lane are friends now.

It's rare to get that much practice in the red lane.

They all thought they were so good, didn't they,

getting their questions right and ending up down those lanes?

Ha!

Well, it's time to take on The Edge.

For £1,525, Benji, let's roll.

Is it going to be too big, Benji? Is it going to be too big, Benji?

It is, it's off the edge.

It's fine, it's fine. Got another one.

If it's any consolation, it looked to me like it had less weight

-than the others that went off the edge.

-OK, good!

-So, you're pulling it back but not enough just yet.

-Not enough, yeah.

-That was a good practice.

-Good practice.

-It's why you took two balls.

-It's why I took two balls.

It's time to take on The Edge.

For the final time for £1,525, Benji, let's roll.

Too far. Too much. Gone. It's over the edge.

You knew it. You knew it when it left your hand, Benji. It's over the edge.

Oh! APPLAUSE

You couldn't even watch it, could you? Oh, come here. Oh, Benji!

Do you wish you'd taken three now?

No, I think there was so much panic that

I would've just dropped it off the edge for a third time.

-Benji, I'm so sorry.

-That's OK.

-Didn't quite work out for you today.

You weren't able to hit your final edge

-so, sadly, you're going home empty-handed.

-Yeah.

-But hopefully with a good experience behind you?

-Yeah, it's great.

Have a fantastic time on your MA,

-we'll all be looking out for your work in the future.

-Thank you.

Thank you so much, Benji. We'll be back next time

with more new contestants pushing themselves to the edge. Why?

Because that's how we roll. Bye-bye.

APPLAUSE