UK Millionaire Celebrity / Fifteen To One
Iain Weaver
at least that part of the world that reports to alt.tv.game-shows) of
WWTBAM would be the main game show related news today. It isn’t. Full
details in the first commercial break, so part one will act as a
spoiler space for today’s episode of “Fifteen To One.”
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
The Celebrity Special
May 1, 2000
As part of ITV’s Year of Promise campaign, the station is airing a day
of special programming designed to encourage the people of Britain to
do something to help make the country a better place. One way is by
cheering on the celebrity contestants on tonight’s Millionaire Special.
So, why is Eamonn Halfwit babbling on when we should be watching Chris
Tarrant? Why has Carol Vorderman gone into hiding? Prize money from
tonight’s show is coming from the ITV network fund, not the Celador
09002 fund.
Chris is in a dark grey suit, blue shirt, dark tie.
It’s a guest-based show, no FFF.
Carol Vorderman is 39, wearing a skin-tight black rubber-effect number.
Mother and sister Trixie are in the audience, two children at home. She
has worked on “Countdown” in Leeds with Richard Whiteley and his
ferrets for the past 18 years, and also fronts some odd shows for ITV.
She’s playing for 500 computers for hospitalised children, so is
looking for the half million. Carol’s hoping not to get too many
questions about films, pop music or sport.
Usual rules apply, but there are different chimes behind the lifelines.
Off goes the phone number.
£100: In which film does Quentin Tarantino play the character Mr Brown?
“Films already!”
C) Reservoir Dogs
Not Hamsters.
£200: Which suspended object was the legendary figure Damocles forced
to sit under?
“Sword.”
C) Sword
Not, er, hamster.
£300: What’s the name of Tony Blair’s wife?
A) Cherie
£500: Which of these is a popular Scottish sport?
“Sport! First films, now this!”
“Ah, but they’re coming up early. Algebra is later.”
D) Curling.
£1000: Which creature is the larval stage of a butterfly?
B) Caterpillar.
The thousand is safe.
£2000: The annual Veteran Car Run starts in London and ends at which
seaside resort?
“Brighton.”
“If it doesn’t come up, panic.”
B) Brighton.
£4000: Which of these Greek islands shares its name with a lettuce?
Carol is laughing and giggling. She’s never eaten a Naxos lettuce.
B) Cos.
£8000: The Muslim era dates from the year in which Mohammed departed
Mecca for which city?
A) Medina B) Jerusalem
C) Damascus D) Bethlehem
That’s stumped her. Not Bethlehem, it was Saul who was heading for
Damascus. But she doesn’t know. Might phone Richard, but maybe not.
After much umming, she thinks it’s Medina. Turns down 50/50 because she
doesn’t know – this is a new way of playing.
Time to phone a friend. Richard Whiteley. Or should she go 50/50. She’s
not asking the audience. “No offence.”
Let’s bring up the line to Ferret House, Leeds, where Richard has his
slippers and cocoa out.
RW: “How’s the old bird doing?”
RW: “I’m not quite sure, the other three are Christian cities, I’d go
for the first one.”
CV: “Can you believe it, he had 30 seconds and ran out of time.”
Let’s go 50/50.
A) Medina
C) Damascus
She’s worried about being embarrassed by getting it wrong. But she
can’t walk with “just” £4000 – she can raise the other £3000 in a day.
Final answer, a place she’s never been or likely to go:
A) Medina.
Chris walks over, takes Carol’s head in his hands…
“You’ve just won £8000.”
£16,000: Who killed Billy the Kid?
She has no idea again. Audience?
A) Davy Crockett 9% B) Daniel Boone 5%
C) Bill Hickok 11% D) Pat Garrett 75%
It’s above the 70% confidence level. She’s never heard of Pat – he
could be a footballer for all Carol knows.
Carol says she’s too impulsive. She likes the look of this audience.
200 complete strangers think it was him – or her.
75% is a pretty high percentage, as mathematicians know.
Let’s trust the audience.
D) Pat Garrett.
Confident?
If you’d said Davy Crockett…
“I hate it when you do this.”
Daniel Boone, wrong.
If you’d said Bill Hickok…
“Oh, don’t.”
You’d have lost £7000.
No lifelines remain.
The Big Ol’ Drop
£32,000: From which language do we get the word “vanilla?”
A) Spanish B) Mandarin
C) Russian D) Thai
Carol thinks it’s Spanish, based on the sound.
Chris says that he’s not sure himself.
Carol really doesn’t think it’s any of the others
CV: “Now you feel sorry for Richard Whiteley.”
CT: “I’ve always felt sorry for Richard Whiteley.”
Carol thinks she has to play, then thinks some more.
She will play.
A) Spanish.
“Spanish is my final answer.”
“It could also be the final word I ever utter on TV.”
A long pause.
“You’ve just won £32,000.”
That’s made Carol dance and whoop with delight and relief. Her
reputation as a smart cookie is intact. So far.
CV: “I can’t tell you how happy I am.”
CT: “I think we get the general idea.”
The Free Shot
£64,000: In which county is the city of Lichfield.
“It’s near Stoke, just give me the things.”
A) Cambridgeshire B) Staffordshire
C) Shropshire D) Gloucestershire
“It’s Staffordshire. Close, but not Shropshire.”
B) Staffordshire.
“You had £32,000.
“You’ve still got £32,000. (Ahs and ohs from the audience.)
“And another £32,000.”
Didn’t they see Chris pull this trick six weeks ago?
Carol wants the million. Badly.
The Diamond Dozen
£125,000: The zloty is the unit of currency of which country?
“Poland.”
A) Poland B) Bulgaria
C) Hungary D) Romania
“The zloty is the unit of currency in Poland.”
She’s definitive, it’s clearly final.
A) Poland.
“You’ve just won £125,000.”
Chris gives big and tight hugs.
Paddy, the red carpet!
The Thirteen Club
£250,000: Which Shakespeare play features a character called Sir Toby
Belch?
A) Hamlet B) King Lear
C) Twelfth Night D) Othello
“It’s not Hamlet, it’s not Othello. It’s probably Twelfth Night, but
I’m not prepared to risk it. Actually, Richard was going to be my
Shakesperian expert. I’m not prepared to risk… what’s 125 minus 32?”
“I was going to ask you?”
“£93,000.”
Carol decides not to play, and leaves with £125,000.
The right answer was Twelfth Night.
Carol’s £125,000 will be doubled by a computer firm.
That “Fifteen To One” feat follows, but first a little history. In
1988, Daphne Hudson from Weston Super Mare memorised the birthplaces
and dates of hundreds of historical figures and had a great general
knowledge. She overcame the faltering attempts at English on the BBC /
SuperChannel pan-European quiz “Going For Gold,” not least those of
host Henry Kelly. Winning the quiz, Daphne’s prize was a trip to the
Olympics in Seoul.
Daphne appeared on many quiz shows afterwards, including an episode of
Channel 4’s “Fifteen To One.” She made the final of her show, but had
the bad fortune to be up against Anthony Martin. Her score of 111 fell
short of Anthony’s 192, eliminating our heroine from future appearances.
Many years passed, and Daphne’s main claim to fame was a brief
appearance on Channel 4’s Quiz Show Night in 1998. Then “Fifteen To
One” relaxed its rules, and allowed contestants who had not won a game
to re-apply. Daphne sent her form back, made the programme, won her
heat, and made the grand final.
I’ll pick up this story in the next commercial break.
Back to the action, and if you’d like to make a promise, call this
number now...
Contestant two tonight is Kirsty Young. She’s 34, from Edinburgh,
wearing a fetching pink silk blouse, crucifix and black trousers and
works for ITN, the independent television news provider. Husband Nick
is in the audience. Kirsty rose to fame three years ago on Channel 5,
when she read their news bulletins perched on the edge of brightly-
coloured desks. Transferring to ITV this year, she’s a regular face on
lunchtime bulletins and acts as the #2 behind top-rated newscaster
Trevor McDonald. The cash is going to Centrepoint, the charity for
homeless young people. Her friends include John Sergeant, (politics)
John Suchet, (co-newscaster) John Inverdale (sport.)
Ah, the regular lifeline chimes are back.
£100: What is the popular name for the lights used to decorate a
Christmas tree?
C) Fairy lights.
Not Gnome lights, except by Ian Hislop.
£200: What was the constant cry of Dr Who’s enemies, the Daleks?
C) Exterminate.
K: [does the impression] “I was that Dalek.”
£300: According to the superstition, if you spill salt, where should
you throw it?
C) Over your shoulder.
£500: The Steinway company is most associated with the manufacture of
which musical instruments?
B) Pianos.
£1000: According to the Bible, the Promised Land would be flowing with
what?
A brief hesitation, then
C) Milk and Honey
Exodus 3:8, apparently. Not sure of that, meself.
£2000: What is the name of Spain’s national airline?
A) KLM B) Iberia
C) Olympic D) Sabena
C: “Flown to Spain much? What did it say on the plane?”
K: “BA.”
B) Iberia is the correct answer.
£4000: What is the basis of a margarita cocktail?
Without pretending she doesn’t know it,
B) Tequila.
We’ll come back after this break, remembering that £4000 will set up
someone in a flat of their own.
Returning to “Fifteen To One” today as a previous winner, Daphne Hudson
made the final again, with two of her three initial lives remaining.
Answering the first three questions correctly, she opted to take a
question. And another. And another. And some more. She passed 100
points, never quite comfortable. 200, and still running perfectly. 300,
though there were some sticky moments. Finally, there were no more
questions left. Daphne had answered them all. Her final score of 432 is
the second highest in “Fifteen To One” history, behind a maximum 433
from Bill McKaig in March 1999.
While Bill’s achievement will never be surpassed, I’d suggest that
Daphne’s performance today was superior to Bill’s. By a quirk of fate,
the genial Scotsman appeared on a show where just five of the 15
contestants survived the opening salvo of questions. Daphne had to
fight her way through 11 remaining contestants, including a protracted
battle to reduce from five to three.
With all due respect to tonight’s contestants, *that* is the
superlative feat of quizzing and game shows today.
Unless Kirsty Young can prove me wrong. Eammon, please, off my screen.
Kirsty, please, off the chair, onto the edge of the desk.
Three lifelines remain.
£8000: A cummerbund is worn around which part of the body?
C) Waist.
Right. Quick question.
£16,000: The Gobi desert is on which continent?
Audience?
A) Africa 73% B) Australia 2%
C) South America 6% D) Asia 19%
Looks convincing… but she’ll go 50/50.
A) Africa 73% D) Asia 19%
K: “Give me a live interview with a stroppy politician any day.”
She’s going for Asia.
Has the Rule of 70% been broken? Or does ITV suddenly have a seven
minute gap in its schedule?
D) Asia
She’s right, and my 70% rule falls.
The Big Ol’ Drop
£32,000: Which sport traces its origin to a meeting at the George Hotel
in Huddersfield in 1895?
A) Rugby League B) Speedway
C) Greyhound racing D) Snooker
Let’s phone a friend. John Inverdale works on BBC radio and television
sports.
JI: “It’s rugby league. Totally sure.”
K: “What a man! What a man! I’m gonna play, and smack him in the chops
if this is wrong.”
A) Rugby League
Inverdale’s jaw is safe, as is the £32,000.
No lifelines remain.
The Free Shot
£64,000: What is the common name for the complaint “scrivener’s palsy”?
A) Tennis elbow B) Writer’s cramp
C) Hiccups D) Housemaid’s knee
A long thought.
Palsy, goes into spasm, could be any of those.
Kirsty’s drawn to writer’s cramp, but without any obvious reason.
It’s a guess. It’s the free shot.
B) Writer’s cramp.
Chris looks intently.
“You’ve now got £64,000.”
Scrivener, scribe, writer.
Kirsty kisses the cheque.
The Diamond Dozen
£125,000: What was John Wayne’s last film?
A) True Grit B) McQ
C) The Shootist D) The Green Berets
Kirsty hates westerns, and she’s not prepared to gamble.
The answer, “The Shootist.”
£189,000 from two contestants.
UK Millionaire Summaries will return with the next series, probably in
early September. Until then, have a wonderful summer (or winter) .. and
that’s my final answer.
“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”
Host: Chris Tarrant
Devised by: David Briggs, Steve Knight, Mike Whitehill
Music: Keith and Matthew Strachan
Assistant Producer: Melinda Rogers
Executive Producer: Coleman Hutcheson
Director: Ian Hamilton
Producer: David Briggs
Copyright Celador Productions 2000.
“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Summary”
Written by: Iain Weaver
From a format by: Jeremy Soria and Chris M Dickinson
Copyright Iain Weaver 2000.
All views are those of the author, and are not shared by any other
person or organisation. Game material remains the property of Celador
Productions.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
sethk...@my-deja.com
In particular, the Gobi Desert question was proof
beyond reasonable doubt - come on!
Anyone else agree ?
sethk...@my-deja.com
overacting and unbelieveable gambles, given that she didn't know the
answer a second before.
However, the final proof came with Kirsty's Gobi Desert question. When
the audience came back with the wrong answer, you could see the tension
in her face. Why would any person go against such a convincing
majority for no good reason and pick the right answer. And besides,
could you imagine how bad it would look if a celebrity gambled
thousands of pounds of charity money on a question, only to get it
wrong - ugly !
Does anyone else agree with me ?
If you don't I suggest you wake up to how rigged television really is.
Regards,
Seth
MSTieScott
> could you imagine how bad it would look if a celebrity gambled
> thousands of pounds of charity money on a question, only to get it
> wrong - ugly !
You didn't see David Duchovny on U.S. celebrity Millionaire yesterday,
did you?
--
Scott Robinson
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/9859/
"With $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful
things, like... love!" -- Homer Simpson
sethk...@my-deja.com
MSTieScott <mstie...@hotmailnotspam.com> wrote:
> > And besides,
> > could you imagine how bad it would look if a celebrity gambled
> > thousands of pounds of charity money on a question, only to get it
> > wrong - ugly !
>
> You didn't see David Duchovny on U.S. celebrity Millionaire yesterday,
> did you?
>
Darryl Tam
<sethk...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8enk35$3lo$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <390EE742...@hotmailnotspam.com>,
> MSTieScott <mstie...@hotmailnotspam.com> wrote:
> > > And besides,
> > > could you imagine how bad it would look if a celebrity gambled
> > > thousands of pounds of charity money on a question, only to get it
> > > wrong - ugly !
> >
> > You didn't see David Duchovny on U.S. celebrity Millionaire yesterday,
> > did you?
> >
> Why, what happened ? Another piece of TV bullshit ?
>
Well
S
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He lost on a $500000 question and left with $32000