Brain of Britain - Round One - Heat 9

Just a few more first round episodes remain before we move on to the semis. In this week’s show the contestants were : -
Paul Jordan
Ramdas Mullath
John Newth
Andrew Ward

Now, Ramdas Mullath did actually contact me before making his first application to the show for the last series. He didn’t get on that time, so I’m delighted that he managed it for this show. None of the contenders feature on my database, so it was difficult for me to guage which if any was the most likely winner. I suppose that if you’re looking for omens, then last year’s series was won by Ray Ward, so maybe Andrew was the one to watch.

Russell began by explaining that 5 times as many men apply for BoB as women – hence the all male show this week – and appealing for any women who might consider applying to the show to please do so.

Paul took his first, but missed a gettable answer that Petra was the world heritage site that had been the capital city of the Nabataeans. John had that.Ramdas took his first to get off the mark , but didn’t know that Anita Loos wrote Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Andrew had that bonus. John Newth missed out on the Katydid, being a species of grasshopper. Andrew took his first three, and led with 4 at the end of the round, but nobody knew the Scottish Advocate General for a bonus. Onto the next round, and Paul kicked off with a couple, but didn’t know that Henry VI part 3 is described as a play about a son that killed his father, and a father that killed his son. Not surprised he didn’t have that. At least it wasn’t his first question. Unfortunately Ramdas didn’t know “Shiney Happy People “ and others were recorded by REM. Andrew Ward won the buzzer race to get the bonus there. John Newth didn’t know that Mack Sennett created the Keystone Cops. Paul had that. Andrew didn’t know that it was Zimbabwe which became independent in 1980, taking its name from a ruined city , and nobody managed a bonus there. Andrew maintained his lead with 5, but Paul was only a point behind. Paul was given a music question as his first in round three, and successfully negotiated it, but he fell on the torch relay, not knowing that Berlin was the first Olympic games to do this, in 1936. First televised as well. My boy Ramdas had it. I’m afraid that he didn’t know the old chestnut that sal volatile is another name for smelling salts. Andrew had that one. John took his first 3, but didn’t know DH Lawrence once lived on Sicily. Paul took a bonus there. Andrew took his first, but didn’t know Erskine May. That meant that Ramdas had 2, but everyone else had 6 at the end of round 3. The fourth round saw Paul take his first four, but fail on a relatively benign question about Gozo and Malta’s little brother Comino. Ramdas got a nasty old pop question to start off, about producers based in Philadelphia. Nobody had it. John didn’t know that Richard Krajicek won Wimbledon in 1996. Andrew got a stinker about Hoops process – and Ramdas took the bonus. Paul now led with 10 points.

The first listener’s question in the Beat the Brains was – what does theobroma – as in theobroma cacao, the latin name of the tree from which chocolate is produced – mean. No idea here in LAM towers, but the brains were close – they said drink of the gods, while the answer was food of the gods. Mean. The second asked what Stirculius was the roman god of ? Manure apparently. Fair enough.

After that the contest began again. Paul didn’t know that the Bailey Brothers first published Who’s Who. Ramdas took his first three , but didn’t know that it was Tolstoy who told Chekov – Shakespeare’s plays are bad enough, but yours are even worse. I don’t remember Tolstoy ever appearing in Star Trek, but I digress. Paul took the bonus. John didn’t recognize Philip Larkin’s “The Whitsun Weddings” but Paul did. Andrew got a snorter for his first, on the Chinese government news agency. Ramdas had it. Paul had a 5 point lead, but Ramdas was now joint second with 7. Paul missed his first on Chateau of Chambord. Ramdas took his first but missed out on Colt, who opened a factory in Pimlico. Paul had his point back there. John got a stinker on the Hollow Earth theory. Andrew got another music starter, where he was asked to recognize a gamelan orchestra. Paul had it. Ramdas was now clear in second with 8, but Paul had 14. He missed the Nutmeg state – Connecticut, which Ramdas had. He himself took a couple, but didn’t know Bragg. John finally got a decent starter, but for his second didn’t know the battered cherub was Joe Gormley – nobody had that one. Andrew didn’t know that a horse’s stifle is it’s knee. Paul had it. Ramdas now had 10, and Paul 15.

The final round saw Paul fail to answer that “The Robe” was the first film in Cinemascope. Ramdas should probably have known cleft palette, which gave John a bonus. Krill escaped John, and Paul had the bonus. Andrew didn’t know the CAPTURE test, which gave Ramdas a bonus. Not enough to catch Paul, and not enough, I fancy to get a highest scoring loser spot, but still a very praiseworthy performance. Well done to Paul, and good luck in the semis.

The Details

Paul Jordan – 16
Ramdas Mullath - 11
John Newth - 9
Andrew Ward – 7