Brain of Britain - Heat 8

Right, are you sitting comfortably? Then let’s turn our collective attention back to BoB. Last Monday’s contenders were : -
IAN GRETTON
CHRIS KILBRIDE
ALAN MORGAN
FIONA SOMERVILLE
Not names I was previously familiar with, but as we’ve seen in the past, that doesn’t mean anything at all. So here we go. Ian kicked off the round by taking his first, but didn’t know that zounds is short for – by god’s wounds. Fiona took that bonus. Chris got off to a start as well, but missed his second with basset. Fiona was in for that too. Alan didn’t know that Alan Ayckbourn’s first play was Relatively Speaking. Fiona herself didn’t know that Josiah Bounderby, a bounder if ever there was one, appears in Hard Times. That bonus went to Chris. So Alan had yet to score, while the others each had two. Ian missed his first, a sharp and funny comment by John Junor about William Whitelaw. Nobody had it. Chris took his first two but missed out on a quotation by Ogden Nash. Actually Chris was relatively close in his answer – and on another occasion maybe it would have been given. Alright, I’m not going to start that debate all over again – but all I’m asking for, I suppose, is consistency in adjudication. Alan didn’t know that Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a joiner. Ian took that bonus. For her first question, Fiona was asked which famous building was said to have been based on Leinster House in Dublin. Nobody had it – which was The White House. Chris now led with 4. Onto round three and Ian was given a recording of a choir, but nobody could identify the Monteverdi choir. Chris didn’t know that the area between two concentric circles is a ring – as simple as that. Alan took the bonus, and then missed out on the fact that Berlin would have hosted the 1916 Olympic Games had they taken place. That bonus fell to Chris. Fiona took her first but didn’t know that Orwell was a policeman in Burma. Chris led with 6 from 3. No break yet. Ian made a good start to the round, taking his first three, but he didn’t know that Fort St. George became the city of Madras. Fiona had that one. Chris didn’t know that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend is from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which gift Fiona was happy to snap up. Alan took two, but didn’t know how to write 975 in roman numerals. Chris took that. Fiona didn’t know that hare wood is a variety of sycamore. The scores had tightened up, since only 2 points separated all 4 competitors. Chris still led with 7.

For the Beat the Brains interval they were asked when walking in the British countryside – if you encountered Griswald’s Savage, and some others, what would you have encountered? The Brains were stumped, as they were different types of barbed wire. There we are then. For question two – they were asked what RUPP and BOAT stand for in the context of designated routes. They were – Road Used as a Public Path – and – Byway Open to All Traffic. You pays yer money. . .

Back to the contest. Ian Gretton kicked off with one correct answer, but didn’t know about semolina. Nobody else had it. Chris had the first, but didn’t know that the house of York was descended from Edward III’s third son. That one went to Fiona. Alan took two, but didn’t know that the Calder is one of the two rivers Burnley stands on. Fiona answered her first but didn’t know that Horace Lindrum won the world snooker championship. Now only one point separated all 4 contestants.

Ian didn’t know that the Horse and Rider can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major. Nobody had it. Chris didn’t know Amy Johnson called one of her planes Jason. Surprisingly nobody had it. Alan didn’t know that the name Margaret comes from the Greek for pearl. So does margarine. Nobody had it. Nobody had scored yet in this round, and Fiona put paid to that state of affairs. She answered her first, but then missed her second. Surprisingly nobody knew that James Montgomery Flagg created the Uncle Sam recruiting poster. Fiona then had joined the leaders on 8, but nothing had been resolved by that round. On with the next, and final round, and Ian made his bid for the win. He got a nasty starter asking for the term valence, and that was him done. Chris was done by his first, which asked for the wisant, or bison. Fiona had that, and took the lead. Alan was asked in which city Salieri died. He didn’t get it. Fiona, knowing that one correct answer would mean that she won, tried Salzburg. No. Ian had it with Vienna, which took him to 8 as well. Now, all Fiona needed to do was answer one question of her own. It stumped her, when she was asked for Axis Sally. New one on me, too. Nobody had it, so she had done it! Well played. We won’t be hearing any of the others again, since although it was an exciting contest, it was a low scoring one. For the record, the reults were: -

IAN GRETTON - 8
CHRIS KILBRIDE - 8
ALAN MORGAN - 8
FIONA SOMERVILLE - 9