Brain of Britain - Heat 7

You didn’t need to be an eagle eyed tipster to pick out the favourite in Monday’s heat of BoB. The contestants were: -

Angela Benham
Jacqueline Fitzgibbon,
Colin Foster
Dag Griffiths,

Dag Griffiths is a former Fifteen to One Grand Final champion, and a Brain of Britain finalist, unless I’m very much mistaken. He’s a very nice guy as well, and very much the favourite for the show. Still, nothing is ever certain, and upsets can happen. In round one, then, Angela missed out on Tex-Mex for her first. Dag had that sitter for a bonus. Jacqueline took her first, then her second, then her third – in fact she took all five for a bonus. It was a set without an out and out stopper question, but even so they all still needed answering, and they weren’t all gimmes. Well done. Colin responded by taking his first couple, but missed out on Franco’s title of el Caudillo. Dag had that. On his own set he made no mistake and took all 5. Which meant that we had just seen the highest scoring first round of the series so far, and indeed for quite some time, as Dag led with 8 to Jacqueline’s 6. On the second round Anhela broker duck with one, but didn’t know that Maradona’s hand of God happened in Mexico City. Dag knew that. Grrr! Me blood still boils just to think of it. Jacqueline missed her first on the Reverend David Railton,who came up with the idea for the Tomb of the Unknown warrior in Westminster Abbey. Nobody had it, and neither did I. Colin didn’t know that The Ruffian on the Star was the first work of Joe Orton. Again, me neither. Dag took his first, but didn’t know that – counting parts as separate plays – there are 7 Shakespeare Henry plays. VIII – V – 3 VIs and 2 IVs. Colin had that. We were once asked in a league quiz in Cardiff – which is the only Shakespeare history Play in 3 parts? We answered Henry The Sixth. No – came the reply. The opposition answered Henry IV. No – came the reply – it’s Henry Vi (pronounced to rhyme with pie). God bless. Dag’s lead had now increased, as he led with 10 to 6.

Angela didn’t know that Keane wrote and recorded “Somewhere only we know”. Colin had that. Jacqueline didn’t know that Deuterium is in Heavy Water – Dag had it. Colin didn’t know Trolls, and Jacqueline took it. As for Dag – this round he took five again to secure another bonus. Game over. For the record he led by 17 to 7, and was on course for what looked like a monster score.

We had arrived at the Beat the Brains interval, and the first question asked – for three weeks in January 1968 the Beatles song I am The Walrus was at both number one and number 2 in the charts. How come? They didn’t know that it was the B side of Hello Goodbye – the number one – as well as being on the Magical Mystery Tour EP at number 2. Fair question. The second question asked – at the 23rd Academy Awards at 1951 – Edith Head won a costume design award for Samson and Delilah, and another for costumes in All About Eve. How? In those days there were two awards – one for colour – one for black and white. She won both that year. None of us could answer either of those.

Back to Angela at the start of the next round, she maybe might have known Man Ray – but didn’t for her first. Jacqueline just couldn’t remember Vision On from 70s children’s TV. Colin had a bonus. For his own questions he didn’t know The Mighty Boosh. Dag took that one. For his own next set he took his first, but rather surprisingly didn’t know that the great ship originally called the Leviathan was The Great Eastern. Didn’t matter – he’d reached 20 and already won. Onto the next round, and Angela didn’t recognize the name of the first person to bring garden gnomes to Britain. Dag had it. Jacqueline didn’t know that Fianna Fail means soldiers of Destiny. Dag had it. Colin took one, but didn’t know a quote about Roy Rogers. Dag had it. As for his own set he tripped up on his first, asking for lugworm, and Angela took the bonus. We were veritably racing through, and had actually arrived at the last round. Angela had a very interesting but difficult starter about an American Prisoner of War who blinked the word torture in morse code when forced to make a broadcast. Very interesting question – but please – not the fairest one to ask for a starter. Jacqueline made a very good stab at her own round and took 4, but missed out on that old chestnut, the Haber Bosch process. There was no way that Dag would let that one go begging. Colin didn’t know that Walter Sickert was a member of the Camden Town group, and so Dag took it off his hands. Finishing the contest, for his own set Dag took 2, but missed out on Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby. So that was it for the most comprehensive victory of the series so far. Jacqueline made a spirited fight back in the last round, but I fear her 11 may not be enough. Congratulations Dag – a serious contender for the title.

The Details

Angela Benham – 2
Jacqueline Fitzgibbon – 11
Colin Foster – 7
Dag Griffiths - 28