Are You An Egghead - The Final

Pat Gibson v. David Edwards

There are only two people who have been Mastermind champions and won £1 million on Millionaire. Both of them featured in this splendid match. Ireland , in the shape of Pat , played Wales, in the shape of David. I am fortunate enough to have played in a team with both of these great quizzers, and I can tell you that they are also something much more important than great quizzers. They are both gentlemen, and damn good company .

When asked which he was prouder of , Millionaire or Mastermind, David explained that he was very proud of Mastermind, where his hours of preparation had taught him skills he wished he’d had as a student. Its like you have just looked inside my head David. Pat diplomatically explained that they are both very precious to him.

Off we went with Music. Both answered their first two questions with the greatest of ease, but Pat managed his third answer, about of all things Wu Tang Clan, while David failed on his.

Poor old David saw Pat getting the geography question on Wales. He knew it. David knew that Unst was the northernmost inhabited island of the british Isles. He’d been there, just to be the most northerly standing person on Britain at the time. Pat of course knew that Baffin Island is Canadian. David knew that Mt. Fuji is on Honshu. Pat correctly guessed that Thorpeness is in Suffolk. David answered that the Karakorum Highway joins China and Pakistan. So on to sudden death. I shudder to think how many questions this took to decide in the studio. As it was they showed Pat and David both getting two right, before David failed. So 2 – 0 to Pat.

Arts and Books came next , and Pat opted to go first. He took an early lead, as David failed on his own first question. Pat gambled that Meg was a horse in Tam O’Shanter. He was correct to do so. Alas David failed to guess that Albert herring was based on a story b Maupassant. So 3 – 0 to Pat.

Science once again saw Pat go first. I have to say, David is an outstanding quizzer, but Pat’s reasoning and working out of questions where he wasn’t 100% certain was out of this world. Sadly David didn’t listen fully to his last question. 4 – 0 to Pat, and at this time you could have named your own odds on David.

Last special round was sport. Pat knew Lord Burghley was a hurdler. David said that he was beginning to doubt his own name at this time, but he shouldn’t have. He correctly identified Seve Ballesteros. Pat knew that Daniel Mendoza had been a boxer. David, asked about horse racing odds, guessed that nets is 10 – 1. Pat answered that , in the 1982 Grand Prix, Nelson Piquet got out of his car and started punching the driver who’d just hit him. David of course knew that Serge Blanco was born in Venezuela. So again to sudden death. Pat struggled to name the Barbadian who once ran the 100 m in 9.69 seconds, but he got it. Obadele Thompson. That’s the mark of a champion. Michael didn’t know the basketball player nicknamed the Mailman. So Pat took a 5 – 0 lead into the final, General Knowledge round.

So, no options, and first to 10, Pat already being halfway there. Pat knew Sigourney Weavr was originally called Susan. David knew that mews was originally a term in falconry. Pat knew that facetious has all 5 vowel in correct order. David didn’t know that Lycaeon was turned into a wolf – tough question. Pat knew that Michael Frayn wrote Noises Off. David knew that Alexander Fleming shared his Nobel Prize with Florey and Chain. Pat zigged with wet rot, when he should have zagged with dry rot. David knew that Dan dare first appeared in the Eagle comic. Pat guessed Jodi Kidd was the granddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, but incorrectly, as it was Stella Tennant. David knew that the Queen was born on April 21st. Pat didn’t know that Carol Hersey was the testcard girl. Just had a mental blank for a minute I would suggest. Still, David was coming closer. He knew that Loch Katrine was the scenic Loch in the Trossachs. 8 – 5. Pat didn’t know that Robert Dudley married Lettice Devereaux. David knew that Zola wrote Therese Raquin. 8 – 6 . Pat must have been getting a little nervous at this point, but he didn’t know a very tough question about George Plimpton, American journalist. David knew that tombola comes from the Italian for somersault. 8 – 7. Pat knew that Carnival derives from the latin for to put away flesh. 9 – 7. David couldn’t remember that the Chief Executive of Northern Rock who resigned in 2007 was called Adam Applegarth. 9 – 7. so Pat only had to answer that Augustus Melmott was the main character in The Way We Live Now.

What an incredible final. Congratulations to Pat. You deserve your success, but David, what a stupendous fightback ! It is an honour to have played in the same series as you guys. Wonderful TV.