Sleb Mastermind - Show 9

There’s just enough time to write up this penultimate sleb show before bedtime, so I’d best get on with it. Politicians don’t have the best track record on sleb MM, so you’d have got decent odds if you’d bet on Jacqui Smith before that start of the show. Jacqui was answering on the Archers radio series since 1980. I have to say she made rather a mockery of my odds as well, since she put in a perfect round – and we’ve seen a few of these this series, to be fair – but scored a massive 14 in the process. That’s good going off a 2 minute round, not a 90 second one. Jacqui’s chosen good cause was Eaves.

Nathaniel Parker, the actor who plays Inspector Linley in the eponymous TV series, was answering on Marx Brothers films. Ah, how nice to hear the name of Margaret Dumont once again. He was answering at a tremendous clip as well, and put on a very good 13 himself, getting the last one after the buzzer with what looked like a lucky guess. Don’t worry Nathaniel, they all count. His charity was Young Epilepsy.

People’s choice, comedian Jason Manford was next into chair. he made no bones about the fact that he felt daunted after the two specialist rounds he had just seen, and even passed on his own name for comic effect. His subject was the TV series Quantum Leap. Remember that one from the 90’s ? It was pretty popular in its time. I watched the first couple of series, but I couldn’t get more than three of these questions. Jason though managed 9, a score which would actually have given him at least a chance in a couple of other shows in this series. Not tonight, though. Jason’s charity was the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust.

Lastly Strictly Come Dancing’s Erin Boag. Erin had the only non-entertainment and rather highbrow subject tonight, the History of New Zealand from 1642 until 1872. Hell of a wide subject there – I thought to myself – full marks for taking something as ambitious as that in a sleb show. She gave it a good old go too, but I’m afraid that bravery only brought so much of a reward, as she managed 6 . Erine was representing Childline.

So a quick return to the chair was in order, and Erin managed to put on 9 by the buzzer, a fair performance. Jason, I’m afraid, looked pretty much out of his depth in his own round. Fair play he at least had a go at answering as many of the questions as he could, passing only on 2, but it really wasn’t his night, and he too ended on 15 points. Nathaniel never looked entirely comfortable, but he passed the psychologically important barrier into double figure, scoring 11 to finish on 24. I say psychologically important. There’s obviously only one point difference between 9 and 10, but ten always looks a hell of a lot more of an ask than 9. Still, 10 and less than 4 passes would do for Jacqui. Like Nathaniel, her round never quite flowed freely, but she was adding the points and that is what it is all about. She passed the finishing line before the buzzer sounded, and added enough to give her 12 points, 26 overall, and a win by 2.

The Details

Jacqui Smith	The Archers 1980 – present day	14 - 0	12 - 3	26 – 3
Nathaniel Parker	Marx Brothers Films	13 - 0	11 - 4	24 – 4
Jason Manford	Quantum Leap	9 - 3	6 - 2	15 – 5
Erin Boag	History of New Zealand 1642 - 1872	6 - 4	9 - 5	15 – 9