UK millionaire: Dec 25
Iain Weaver
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, 1999-DEC-25
Earlier today, Kevin Ashman won the Fifteen-To-One Millennium
Special, defeating twenty-four other champions and top scorers in a
105 minute special. And Scott Mearns won Countdown's
championship in a one-sided final. But the prizes - an inscribed
trophy, and a leather-bound copy of the Oxford English Dictionary -
pale into insignificance against a million pounds.
Sylvia Nixon is in the hot seat; she's got #32,000 in the bank, and has
50/50 and Ask the Audience remaining. Can she make the next five
questions and the million? Find out, in the Christmas Special.
Same break bumpers as last night, and another summary from Chris,
rather than the traditional "Last Night..." recap. No commercials
between the last show and this one, which is very unusual for ITV.
Sylvia's changed into a flowery dress; Chris is in a dark suit with very
dark red shirt and silk tie. Sylvia explains further about her Napoleon
interest: was he a good or a bad thing.
#64,000: Fiorello La Guardia was a popular mayor of which US city?
A) Chicago B) Los Angeles
C) New York D) Dallas
She thinks there's an airport of that name in New York, and figures
it's named after him.
C) New York is her final answer.
And it's correct. She's disbelieving...
#125,000: Edward Jenner discovered vaccination by producing
immunity against which disease?
A) Cholera B) Chickenpox
C) Mumps D) Smallpox
She thinks it's smallpox. She thinks, and takes 50/50.
B) Chickenpox
D) Smallpox
D) Smallpox she goes with. Doesn't want to ask the audience.
And is correct. More hugging and such.
#125,000 makes Sylvia the top female contestant in UK history.
Assuming she keeps it...
"This is where I start getting serious."
#250,000: Where was Freddie Mercury born?
A) Brunei B) Madagascar
C) Tasmania D) Zanzibar
She's clueless. Audience?
A) Brunei 14% B) Madagascar 17%
C) Tasmania 17% D) Zanzibar 52%
She's taking the money. It's not a surprise.
Audience is 1.000 (2/2), 69% correct.
#141,000 given away to two contestants.
Here comes the break.
[diy stores, electrical stores, furniture stores, computers. Gotta love
new year sales.]
Any familiar faces in this ten? Geoff Aquatias from Lancashire has
been here before, and Mark Bowerman from Essex seems familiar.
A Fastest Finger First moment:
From the first, order these to make & consume a Christmas pud
a) steam b) flambe
c) stir and wish d) eat
C-A-B-D sounds good, with Mark Bowerman (5.42) fastest of six
correct answers.
Mark is an internet manager from Chelmsford, with brother Glyn in
the audience. He's around 30, with a green shirt. Sylvia's example has
made him more confident. With #1000 tonight, Mark lets Glyn off a
#150 debt.
#100: How does Father Christmas magically enter the house to leave
presents for children?
C) Down the chimney.
#200: Complete the title of this CS Lewis book: "The Lion, the Witch
and the..."
B) Wardrobe.
#300: Where do you traditionally send someone if you don't want to
speak to them?
B) Coventry.
#500: Which country is called Deutschland in its own language.
A) Germany.
#1000: What was the name of the thirteen year period in the USA
when alcohol was made illegal?
C) Prohibition.
#2000: What is the name of the character played by Denise Welch in
"Coronation Street"?
He thinks it's Natalie, Glyn is nodding, but he asks the audience.
A) Toyah 2% B) Hayley 5%
C) Janice 5% D) Natalie 88%
He'll run with the audience. Good one.
Audience is 1.000 (3/3), 75.333% correct.
#4000: Who is the manager of Arsenal Football Club?
D) Arsene Wenger.
Natch.
#8000: Which type of beans are baked and tinned in tomato sauce to
make baked beans?
50/50 leaves
C) Mung beans D) Haricot beans
Didn't help.
On the grounds he's never heard of the Mung bean, he goes
D) Haricot bean.
And it's right.
#16,000: In which country was the mountaineer Edumnd Hillary
born?
B) New Zealand
He's right.
#32,000: Dr Frank N. Furter is a character in which musical?
He thinks, and plays
C) Rocky Horror Show.
"98% confident." Can't be persuaded against it.
We all know he's right.
That #32,000 is guaranteed.
#64,000: Which symbol appears on the reverse of a 2p coin?
A) Rose B) Feathers
C) Portcullis D) Lion
He goes with the Prince of Wales' feathers.
B) Feathers
Yip.
And that's time expired! We come back in two hours for the next
round, Mark resumes on 64 grand with Phone A Friend left.
By the magic of the Internet, time flies. Whoosh.
It's 20:30, and break bumpers. Two gents discussing the significance
of Santa Claus and mince pies.
#125,000: Which country was the first in the world to have a female
prime minister?
A) Sri Lanka B) Argentina
C) Israel D) Pakistan
He thinks it's Israel, but will phone a friend. Ian Scott, in London.
Ian would go for Sri Lanka, 75% confidence.
Mark says that Ian knows a lot of things, and it's probably right...
but... it's a big gamble.
He'll take the money.
Remember Mrs Bandranaike in 1960? She was the first female PM,
and she was Sri Lankan. Golda Meir from Israel came in the late 60s,
while Benazir Buttho for Pakistan came in 1988. Eva Peron was
never PM.
Phoned Friends are 1.000 (3/3).
#205,000 given away to three contestants.
Who do we have in Contestant's Row now?
Jim Barwick from Kent has been here before, for sure.
FFF: From the earliest, order these quarter days in the year.
A) Lady Day B) Christmas Day
C) Michaelmas Day D) Midsummer Day
We'll go with:
A) Mar-25 D) Jun-24
C) Sep-29 B) Dec-25
Three correct answers, Jane Pritchard in 7.13 seconds leads. She's
late 20s, frizzy dark blonde hair, blue shirt and black waistcoat; a
housewife from Shrewsbury. Husband Charlie is in the audience,
three children at home. Her master plan is to pretend it's not
happening, it's all a dream.
#100: Which of these traditionally features clowns, acrobats and
tightrope walkers?
B) Circus. Not the Queen's Christmas message.
#200: What are the three fictional friends whose motto is "All for
one, one for all"?
B) Musketeers.
#300: What is the name for the lane where cars go for servicing
during a motor race?
C) Pits.
#500: What term correctly describes a number of bees in flight?
D) Swarm.
#1000: In the Bible, which apostle was nicknamed "Doubting"?
B) Thomas.
That's safe and in the bank.
"Now it's real."
#2000: The Richter scale is used to express the magnitude of what?
D) Earthquakes.
We resume after this break.
[beer, furniture stores, kitchen stores, party food. Gotta say "grrr" to
people who insist the turn of the millennium is next weekend.]
#4000: Which sign of the zodiac is symbolised by the water carrier?
D) Aquarius.
#8000: Alan Ayckbourn is best known as what kind of writer?
B) Playwright.
#16,000: In which English city could you travel on the Metrolink
light rail system?
She'll ask the audience.
A) Bristol 5% B) Newcastle 54%
C) Birmingham 10% D) Manchester 31%
Jane thought it was Manchester.
Phone a friend, Dad, David.
Dad thinks it's Newcastle, based on the Metro centre being in
Gateshead.
So she goes for Newcastle, in spite of Chris' protestations.
B) Newcastle... is wrong.
Manchester was right. Newcastle uses the *Metro* underground
system. To confuse further, Birmingham has the Midland Metro,
another light rail system.
Jane drops back to #1000.
Audience is 0.750 (3/4), 64.250% correct.
Phoned Friends are 0.750 (3/4).
#206,000 given away to four contestants.
FFF returns: From the earliest, order these "Emmerdale" characters
by their first appearance.
A) Seth Armstrong B) Annie Sugden
C) Mandy Dingle D) Alan Turner
Er...
B) 1972 A) 1978
D) 1982 C) 1995
Four correct answers, and it's Jim Barwick in 5.85 seconds first. He's
about 40, in a light blue shirt, receding brown hair. A garage manager
and taxi driver in Bexley, Kent. Wife Hazel is in the audience, three
children at home. He hopes to pay off his debts, and take Hazel to the
Caribbean.
#100: Which animals traditionally pull Santa's sleigh?
D) Reindeer. Not No-eyed Deer.
#200: Which type of traditional confectionery is made with letters
running through it?
A) Stick of rock.
#300: In which US state is the city of Orlando.
C) Florida.
#500: Which of these wild cats has stripes?
A) Tiger.
#1000: What is a Venus flytrap?
C) Insect-eating plant. Not a handsome young man.
Time expires again. I feel the fast-forward button of life coming into
play. Taking us past clips of Matt Le Blanc in a Jon Bon Jovi video,
Ricky Martin in General Hospital, and George Clooney in a gold
lame bikini. Sorry, but we've got to press on.
Welcome back. It's the reindeer bumpers again. Jim Barwick has
#1000, three lifelines remaining.
#2000: Which legendary bird was constantly reborn from its own
ashes?
D) Phoenix.
#4000: In ballet, what kind of movement is a pirouette?
D) Spin.
"Do you know much about ballet?"
"About as much as flying."
A little knowledge goes a long way. Sometimes...
#8000: Which comedian's trademark features are his bald head,
chunky glasses, and oversized shirt collar?
B) Harry Hill.
Not that they came across well on the radio, mind.
#16,000: The Brazilian footballer Juninho plays for which English
club?
C) Middlesborough.
Right in there, Jim! Re-signed for the club just a couple of months
ago.
#32,000: In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to do
what?
Jim knows one thing she did, go into space. But did she stand for
president? 50/50 is called for...
A) Go into space
C) Sail around the world
He's going for it,
A) Go into space.
Up, up and away! #32,000 is guaranteed.
#64,000: Which saint famously saw a vision of the Virgin Mary at
Lourdes in 1858?
A) Catherine B) Teresa
C) Bernadette D) Anne
Phone a friend. His dad, Ken. Sister Wendy Beckett was not on the
phone.
Ken: "Bernadette! Go and get your dough, buddy!"
The audience bursts into laughter and applause. Ken sounds
confident, and Jim goes with it.
C) Bernadette
Well done, Dad. And I don't get to sing the Joan Osbourne track ):
Phoned Friends are 0.800 (4/5).
We'll take the break.
[furniture stores, electrical goods stores, some lizards, "ham"burgers,
washing powder. Gotta wonder how much ad space they sold
tonight.]
#125,000: Which English county has a Tinners' Parliament called
"The Stannary"?
A) Yorkshire B) Derbyshire
C) Gloucestershire D) Cornwall
Jim thinks. And thinks. And has an idea, probably a bad one.
Audience?
A) Yorkshire 6% B) Derbyshire 5%
C) Gloucestershire 10% D) Cornwall 79%
Goes along with his idea, and it's above the 70% confidence level we
established in November. Jim wants to go with it, but decides not to.
Agonising choice, long wait, *very* long wait, then he decides to
play. It's his final answer.
D) Cornwall.
Yes!
Audience is 0.800 (4/5), 67.200% correct.
Jim is pretty much sobbing in Chris' arms, the audience goes wild,
Hazel has her head in her hands.
I don't think he's going to play this one, somehow. Jim says he's run
out of bottle
#250,000: Which rock group was named after an 18th century
agriculturist?
A) Mungo Jerry B) Jethro Tull
C) Judas Priest D) Steely Dan
Jim has no idea, and scarpers.
Here's a hint for any future players: if Jethro Tull is an option on a
big-money question, take it. It's been worth around a million pounds
so far in two appearances, after being a Million Dollar answer in the
US in August.
#331,000 given away to five contestants.
Colin Exley from Manchester is this time's familiar face. We've only
nine minutes till the next show starts, so this should be quick...
FFF: From the earliest, order these Christmas Day babies by birth
A) Isaac Newton B) Annie Lennox
C) Princess Alexandra D) Humphrey Bogart
Birthday cards to:
A) 1642 D) 1899
C) 1936 B) 1954
Two correct answers, Dennis North in 7.88 seconds the faster. He's
about 45, balding, very light grey shirt. A welder from Andover, wife
Leah is at home, and he's set to become a grandfather in the new
year.
#100: What traditionally happens under the Christmas mistletoe?
B) Kissing.
#200: Which animal's name is used as a slang term for #25?
A) Pony.
#300: Where does Big Bird live?
C) Sesame Street. Not the White House, apparently.
#500: The phrase "Track and Field" refers to which sport?
D) Athletics.
#1000: Who was the first Pope?
Audience..?
A) St Linus 7% B) St Fabian 11%
C) St Peter 66% D) St Mark 16%
He runs with
C) St Peter. Well done.
Audience is 0.833 (5/6), 67.000% correct.
#2000: Who is the lead singer of the band Blondie?
"Debbie Harry."
B) Debbie Harry is correct.
#4000: Which of these is a main ingredient of moussaka?
He thinks it's aubergine, and
C) Aubergine
Is right.
#8000: By what name was Field Marshal Rommel known during
World War Two?
He thinks Desert Fox, and plays it
B) Desert Fox
Yippers.
#16,000: Which of these countries does not partly lie in the area
known as Lapland?
Phone a friend. Mark.
A) Finland B) Denmark
C) Norway D) Sweden
"I'd say it was Swindon, but I'm not 100%."
That well known Nordic country between London and Bristol...
Shockingly, 50/50 leaves
B) Denmark
D) Sweden
D) Sweden is his final answer.
Oops. Dennis still walks off with a grand.
Phoned Friends are 0.667 (4/6).
#332,000 given away to six contestants.
Call now; 09002 444444, lines close at midnight Boxing Day (ie
tonight). Rules on Teletext p 375, and www.itv.co.uk. New series in
the new year.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire:
Host: Chris Tarrant
Creator: David Briggs
Director: Patricia Mordecai
Producer: Coleman Hutchinson
A Celador Production for the ITV network.
Millionaire Summary:
Written by: Iain Weaver
From a format by: Jeremy Soria
Creator: Chris M Dickinson
Game contents are copyright Celador 1999. All rights reserved.
Opinions expressed are those of the author alone.
This summary is copylefted: permission to redistribute and archive in
full is granted, so long as these copyright notices remain, and a
similar condition is applied to all future recipients.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
StvHerbert
the UK than the US and contestants are more likely to walk away rather than
keep going. Do you think that is true?
In the UK, are the amount of women and non-white contestants an issue like in
the US?
Steven Herbert
Dave Legler
writes:
>#2000: Which legendary bird was constantly reborn from its own
>ashes?
>D) Phoenix.
>
$64,000 question during John Carpenter's run to a Million. Ouch. UK version
much closer to appropriate level of difficulty for this question.
Don Del Grande
>Earlier today, Kevin Ashman won the Fifteen-To-One Millennium
>Special, defeating twenty-four other champions and top scorers in a
>105 minute special.
Ashman? What HASN'T this guy won? (The "BBC America" channel showed the
1995 series of Mastermind last year, and I read in Magnus Magnusson's book
about his appearances on "Fifteen to One", "Sale of the Century", and
"Brain of Britain" (okay, "appearance" isn't exactly the right word for a
radio program).)
-----------------------------------------------
Don Del Grande, del_g...@netvista.net
Well, he did lose in the 1998 "Brain of Brains" final...
Iain Weaver
stvhe...@aol.com (StvHerbert) wrote:
>From the December 25 shows, it seems there are more women in the
>hot seat in the UK than the US and contestants are more likely
>to walk away rather than keep going. Do you think that is true?
A pretty good summary, all told. The UK version has had all-male line ups on
a number of occasions (consult my November summaries for further details),
but there are female contestants on most shows.
> In the UK, are the amount of women and non-white contestants an
>issue like in the US?
Women, yes, there were rumblings around a year ago that they rarely made the
hot seat, but success in September and November put most of that away.
Non-whites, no. Though Zorah Hussain was the first non-white to make the hot
seat last November, the representation on Millionaire's Row has been around
the proportion in the UK as a whole.
The main criticism is that no-one has the guts to gamble for the million!
In another post, someone asks what Kevin Ashman hasn't won yet. A million
pounds springs to mind...
Iain